The global television market has become highly competitive. There are innumerable brands, categories, models and sizes that are introduced and upgraded periodically, thanks to the developing technologies. Many leading manufacturers have their brands of Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) televisions which are now popular among the consumers. When the competition became stiffer, each manufacturer indulged in intensive efforts to capture market share. Advertisements detailing the special characteristics of products appeared lavishly. Contrast ratio is one such factor that is highlighted as something special about the product.
 | Television is an appliance used by one and all in the society irrespective of their education or status. A good percentage of television viewers are ignorant about the technical features of the product they own and the positive impacts they make on them. Such viewers are also ignorant about the relevance of any particular technical aspect. But still publicity gimmicks pay dividends in the sales promotion. It is a universal phenomenon too. |
Experts define contrast ratio as the difference between the brightest and the darkest colours on the display screen. The general perception is that a television with high contrast ratio will yield qualitatively superior display. But then, the consumer is provided with information about different types of contrast ratios. The dynamic and static contrast ratios are the two main factors among them. Dynamic contrast ratio is the overall one that a television screen offers throughout the performance. The static contrast ratio is the one that is measured at a given point of time. Another term used is the native contrast ratio. According to some experts there is no such nomenclature in the technical parlance. They point out three different categories of contrast ratio namely dynamic (black and white), static/ANSI black & White (simultaneous) and dynamic contrast (Black and white). Native contrast ratio is the measured degree of black and white during continuous display according to some other experts. Dynamic contrast ratio will be higher in LCD television than in its plasma counterparts. The recommended dynamic contrast ratio in LCD Television is 10,000:1 while the static contrast ratio is 1000:1.
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It is understood that a good contrast ratio will contribute positively in offering good quality reproduction. But the methods adopted by different manufacturers to determine the contrast ratios have no uniformity. There is no universal standard specification in this respect. Consumers are made to believe the statistical information provided by the manufacturers in their catalogues. As far as the lay persons are concerned, their own eyes are the best ‘devices’ to judge the quality of the television. For them it is better to visit the showrooms and see for themselves the performances of different television sets before buying.
