Explaining Contrast Ratio

For a long time one of the most important things about LCD monitors was the contrast ratio; it was also the hardest to get good information on. While, in general, LCD monitor
contrast ratios have gotten better, making it slightly less important, good information is still difficult to come by.

A 'ratio' of course is a comparison between two values. In this case, it is the comparison between the brightest white and the darkest black the monitor can generate. It needs to be
noted here that 'black' on any screen (LCD or even CRT) is not the 'true' black created by an absence of light. There is always some light coming from every part of a screen that is
powered on. So, this is a measure of the screen's maximum output divided by its minimumoutput.

In many ways, the truly important part is the minimum output, or black value. A truly bright white is also important, but not as hard to achieve. The contrast ratio is the
manufacturer's attempt to boil all this down into one easily-compared statistic. It unfortunately also conceals important information. While the general idea that the higher the
contrast ratio, the better the 'whites' and 'blacks' have to be is valid, it can conceal poor performance at one end with excessive performance at the other. (Generally, both black and
white values will be too high for a good experience.)

Worse still is the fact that many contrast ratio numbers from manufacturers are completely out of line with reality. Most numbers are given without any reference to how they were
tested. There is no standard for this measurement, so the various manufactures do not measure it the same way, adding to the confusion and inaccurate comparisons.

Most manufacturer-generated numbers use dynamic contrast, which is a measure of the absolute darkest and brightest values possible. This seems fine, but most LCD TVs and
monitors use backlighting, which is adjusted up and down depending on the overall brightness of the image. The upshot of this is that it cannot produce its 'darkest black' and its
'brightest white' at the same time. It is considered preferable to measure static contrastwhich measures what the monitor can do simultaneously.

Moreover, manufacturer numbers are generally measured in a dark room, which produces the best results. Thisis technically the best measurement, but can be misleading on how a
screen operates under more normal conditions. Theaters darken the room to enhance the viewing experience; light in the room can wash out the image, even without any worries
about glare. For a consumer product it is considered more worthwhile to measure light output in a lit environment, where reflected light will raise the black and white values,
decreasing the contrast ratio. Finally, the perceptual difference between different monitors goes down as the numbers go up.

In the end, most manufacturer-provided contrast ratio numbers are untrustworthy and inconsistent, although they can be a good general guideline. When seriously worrying about
the contrast quality of a monitor look for testing data from a common source with stated testing conditions, like the CNET Labs data found in reviews on this site.

Game-friendly LCD
A monitor may have a good screen size, and great image clarity, but gamers also need an LCD monitor to have lightning-fast pixel response times to keep images sharp when the
action starts.

HDTV on Monitors
In essence, computer monitors and TVs are very similar. Both have the same job of presenting visual information to the user, and for this reason many early home computers used
TVs as monitors. However, the type of image quality needed for the images of a TV signal were different than that needed to clearly display text, and the separate evolution of
computer monitors began. While the two have been becoming more similar again, there remain potential differences:

First monitors don't need a tuner, and this remains the bigger difference between the two. A giant LCD screen with a computer hooked up to it can display the computer's output,
and in fact that is exactly what is happening with computer-based media centers. Conversely, a monitor can be hooked up to normal video equipment (cable boxes, DVD players)
as long as something else can process any TV signal. This can be tricky, but there are various how-to guides available.

TVs have traditionally used interlace scan technology, which helps keep bandwidth down while maintaining picture resolution. However, interlacing also can cause a phenomenon
called interline twitter which causes problems with fine vertical detail, such as small text, and computer monitors have instead used progressive scan. Today, this still manifests in
different resolutions. Standard HDTV resolutions are 720i, 720p, 1080i and 1080p. The 'i' refers to 'interlace' and the 'p' refers to 'progressive'. Modern LCD panels need
progressive scan, and while most can "deinterlace" a signal, they are behind the rise of the various progressive HDTV resolutions (that is, 720p and 1080p), whereas the original
CRT HDTVs are the reason for the interlaced versions. Both 720 resolutions work out to 1280x720 pixels and both 1080 resolutions are 1920x1080 pixels. Any monitor capable of
these resolutions or greater is technically capable of acting like an HDTV. It is best if the native resolution of a LCD monitor is the same as one of these as LCDs are sensitive to
scaling issues.

Originally, TVs and computer monitors both used a 4:3 aspect ratio. However, HDTV resolutions are widescreen in nature, but a little-realized wrinkle is that HDTV and
widescreen computer monitors typically use different aspect ratios, with HDTV using 16:9 and most widescreen monitors using 16:10. The 'typical' monitor resolution that could
be used with HDTV is 1920x1200 (as opposed to 1920x1080 for 1080p). This is slightly "squarer" than HDTV and will lead to small 'letterbox' bands on HDTV content even after
everything is properly set up.

Monitor buying guide by Eric Franklin

Monitor technology
Panel Technology 
CRTs have effectively been replaced by its thinner and brighter sister, the LCD. Under the umbrella of LCD technology, there are a few choices to consider before buying a monitor. First, you'll
have to decide which panel technology is right for you. 

The three main panel technologies currently used in LCDs are: Twisted Nematic (TN), Vertical Alignment (VA), and In-Plane Switching (IPS). Manufactures make the vast majority of consumer
monitors using TN panels. 

Not surprising, TN panels are the cheapest of the three technologies to make. With a few exceptions, monitors that cost $300 or less will likely have TN panels. The main advantages of TN
panels are their fast--usually 2ms--response time and, of course, low price. Their major disadvantages are narrow viewing angles, relatively low brightness, and inaccurate color reproduction. 

Next up are VA (mostly seen as S-PVA) panels. VAs have improved viewing angles compared with TNs, better color reproduction, and they typically have a much higher maximum brightness.
Also, they tend to have the lowest black levels of all three panel technologies. Unfortunately, a VA panel's response time and input lag are not quite as fast as a TN panel and they can cost
anywhere from $400 to $800, and sometimes more depending on the panel's size. Also, you can expect a VA-based monitor's profile to be wider than a TN's. 

Lastly, we have IPS. IPS-based monitors are usually the most expensive; however, the new e-IPS panels cost as little as $300 for a 22-inch model. They also have the best viewing angles of all
three technologies and produce the most accurate colors; however, their blacks are not as deep VA panels. IPS monitors are the slowest of the bunch in both response time and input lag. 

Backlight 
Beyond panel tech falls backlight technology. Most monitors use cold cathode fluorescent lamp (CCFL)-based backlights--several fluorescent tubes stretched horizontally across the screen.
Monitors that use Light Emitting Diode (LED)-backlights, however, rely on individual LEDs all over the back of the screen that turn off or on independently, giving the displays more precise
control over the amount of light that comes through. The purported advantages of an LED backlight are better energy efficiency, more accurate color reproduction, a conceivably thinner panel
design, and a higher potential brightness level. 

However, so far only a few monitors have truly taken advantage of this technology. Also, so far, we've only seen LED-backlit monitors using TN panels, so don't expect great viewing angles or
perfect color reproduction just yet on LED backlit monitors. Once we see some VA and IPS LED-based panels hit the market, we'll begin to see the true potential of the technology realized.

Which LCD panel is right for me?

Let's quickly sum things up. 

TN 
+ Lowest price 
+ Fastest response time 
- Inferior color reproduction 
- Very narrow viewing angles 

VA 
+ Good viewing angles 
+ Deep blacks 
+ Medium price 
- Color shifting on extreme angles 
- Relatively slow response times 

IPS 
+ Good response times 
+ Great color reproduction 
- Expensive (e-IPS are more "medium price" however) 
- Blacks not as deep as VA 

Our best advice is to get what's right for you. Determine how you plan to use the monitor, and then decide which panel technology is best suited for you.

LCD monitor basics

Now that we've covered panel and backlight technologies, other specifications and features should factor into your buying decision. Here are the most important ones. Be warned, the vendor will
not quote all of these specifications and you may have to rely on reviews--like the ones at CNET--to get the details on them. 

Aspect ratio: Although some people contend 4:3 monitors are still best for surfing the Web, the vast majority of monitors available for purchase today have a width to height proportion (or
aspect ratio) of 16:10, with 16:9 coming in at a very close second. For the last few years, with the advent of wide-screen monitors, most screens have been of the 16:10 variety. Starting in late
2008--and picking up steam in 2009--monitor vendors have really been pushing out 16:9 monitors as fast as they can make them. 

This shift to 16:9--and by association to a 1080p (1,920x1,080 pixel) resolution--aspect ratios stems from the industry's desire for monitors to become more like HDTVs, and this seems to be the
direction the computer monitor industry is headed right now.  Companies will most likely still release professional-grade monitors where precise colors are crucial, in the 16:10 aspect ratio, as
there really is no good reason to change ratios. 

Still, today it comes down to 16:10 or 16:9 ratios. The difference between the two ratios is most prevalent while watching movies. On a 16:10 monitor, you have a choice when watching a movie
filmed in 1.85:1 aspect ratio, such as on "Sin City."  You can either watch it letterboxed format at its original 16:9 aspect ratio, or watch it in full screen with the image stretched to fit the screen.
On a 16:9 monitor you can watch the same movie in full screen with no stretching. 

Movies shot in 2.35:1 (like "Iron Man") are always letterboxed, whether on 16:9 or 16:10 monitors unless you zoom the image. 

Essentially, a 16:9 monitor can display a full-screen 16:9 Blu-ray or digital movie shot in 1.85:1 without stretching the image to fit the screen. A 16:10 monitor will need to stretch the same
movie's image a bit to get it to full screen without any black bars. 

Black Level: No display can show black without some light seeping through. Black level is a measurement of how much light emanates from the display while showing black.  

Brightness: A measurement of how much light a panel can produce. Luminance is expressed in candelas per square meter (cd/m 2). A measurement of 200 to 250 cd/m2) is OK for most
productivity tasks; 300 to 400 cd/m2 is great for movies and games. 

Contrast ratio: The difference in light intensity between the brightest white and the deepest black. 

While contrast ratios typically don't exceed 1,000:1 on monitors; lately, manufactures have been pushing Dynamic Contrast as a spec, and sometimes misleadingly calling it contrast ratio. 
Before a monitor is released to the public, panels go through testing in the vendor's own lab. These tests produce the specs that the vendor will then publish with the release of the monitor. Specs
such as maximum brightness, pixel pitch, pixel response time, contrast ratio, and dynamic contrast ratio are all determined in the vendor's lab. 

When testing normal contrast ratio, vendors use a device that measures luminance to determine how much light is emanating from a display while it's showing both a completely black and a
completely white screen. They then take each number, do a bit of math, and come up with the contrast ratio. 

Now, aside from a relatively low number of LCDs that use LED-backlighting technology, all LCDs have a lamp built in to their screens. When you turn your brightness setting down, you're
actually just dimming the lamp in the back. When the vendors dim the backlight to get the contrast ratio score, they dim it to a point, but do not turn it off. 

When they test to get the readings for Dynamic Contrast, however, they turn off the backlight. 

With the backlight off, the darkness of the black level increases by a factor of 10 or more. At this point, the vendor takes its reading for the dark screen and compares it with the white screen
reading it recorded earlier. Since this new dark screen level is so dark, it increases the contrast ratio. The problem is that the screen only gets this dark when the video signal is black or near
black--not very useful when you're watching a movie, or playing a game, or doing pretty much anything. The primary reason for including this feature is that the contrast ratio goes from 1,000:1
to 10,000:1, and even 30,000:1. 

When vendors push Dynamic Contrast as a spec for LCDs that use LED-backlighting technology, however, it may be more appropriate. Direct contrast ratio works differently with LEDs than
with lamp-based LCDs. When a portion of an image in a movie is relatively dark, the LEDs in that local area of the screen are dimmed. This occurs on a frame-by-frame basis and lowers the
black level in that dark area only. Unfortunately, this implementation has its weaknesses, as well, as there can be some noticeable visual glitches in the areas that darken.

Bottom line? Take all measured specs with a grain of salt; however, take Dynamic Contrast specs with a huge bucket load of salt. 

DisplayPort: Heralded as the successor to DVI and HDMI, DisplayPort is a higher bandwidth connection that could facilitate thinner and lighter monitors as they would no longer require special
circuitry (and hardware to run that circuitry) to receive video signal. Adoption of this technology has been sparse, so far to say the least.

DVI: Some newer monitors forgo including Digital Visual Interface (DVI) in favor of HDMI. If this is the case with the monitor you're interested in, make sure the monitor includes a DVI to
HDMI cable or that your video card supports an HDMI connection. Having said that, we recommend getting a monitor with at least one DVI connection. 

HDMI: An HDMI connection is used to connect the display to a high definition source, such as a Blu-ray player, video game system, or a DVR-based HD cable/satellite set-top box. HDMI
connections have become more common recently and it's the exception now when a monitor, 22 inches and larger, doesn't have one. If you're planning to use your monitor as a television, this is
an essential feature. 

Pixel-response rate: This refers to how quickly a pixel can change colors, measured in milliseconds (ms); the lower the milliseconds, the faster the pixels can change thus reducing the ghosting
or streaking effect you might see in a moving or changing image. Based on new evidence, however, it's likely you won't see any streaking or ghosting in a modern LCD when watching a movie. 

Input lag: A delay in which the LCD's image lags behind what's been sent to the screen. Not everyone notices input lag and vendors rarely, if ever, quote this figure for their monitors. Input lag
affects gamers the most. If split-second reactions are paramount in your gaming sessions, do some research as to a monitor's input lag before you buy.
 
Ergonomic options: Most LCDs offer some degree of screen tilt, usually 30 degrees back and 5 degrees forward. Some include a swivel feature, many offer height adjustability, and some panels
can also pivot between portrait and landscape modes, making legal-size documents and Web pages easier to view. Some LCDs can be attached to VESA-compatible mounts that connect to third-
party wall mounts or swinging arms. 

Resolution: Dictated by screen size, aspect ratio, and sometimes the manufacture's digression. Make sure you are comfortable with an LCD's native resolution before you buy it. Remember, an
LCD that scales its image to a non-native resolution will never look as good. 

Memory card readers: A few monitors have media card readers built into the bezels. This is a handy addition for digital photo enthusiasts who want to see their pictures without using a PC.

USB: Many displays have USB ports. Typically, they are not powered hubs, but simply convenient ports to connect low-powered devices such as a keyboard or a mouse, thereby reducing the
tangle of cables that run back to the computer.

Audio: Some monitors offer audio functions, either as standard items or as optional accessories. These may include a headset jack, a volume control, or embedded speakers. In general, these
speakers are of limited quality, and an inexpensive $30 speaker set from an office-supply or computer store will often provide much better sound. 

Viewing  angle: Largely dictated by panel technology. The physical structure of LCD pixels can cause the brightness and even the color of images to shift if you view them from an angle rather
than facing the screen directly. Take manufacturer's specifications with a grain of salt and make your own observations if possible. 

HDTV: As work and entertainment products continue to converge, many monitors now have features designed to take advantage of television and movie content. Some include TV tuners and
connectors for video signals from cable television systems or antennas. Many new monitors are simply HDTVs in disguise.
 Image quality

What to look for:

 
Office work/Web surfing 

 Good text reproduction

Gaming 

 High brightness
 No ghosting during fast gameplay
 No delay in onscreen action after entering a command

Movies 

 Low black level

 Wide viewing angle
 Accurate colors

Photo editing

 Accurate colors
 Good viewing angle  

Inspecting
A few tips on how to look for what you want. 

Viewing angle: Look at the monitor from different angles and be aware of how much the colors shift or if the screen darkens. Also, pay attention to the angle when the screen begins to look
different. Colors and brightness should not change when viewing the screen from an off angle, either from the sides, top, or below. TN panels will be the most egregious offender. 

Text: Go to a Web site and scrutinize the legibility of small text. Firefox lets you change the font size from its options menu. Also, be aware of any color tint problems when viewing black text
on a white background 

Accurate colors: View something on the monitor you're familiar with, like a digital photo of a loved one or colleague you see every day and notice how different the colors in the picture look
from the monitor. 

Glossy screens can seemingly increase the contrast of movies and games. Some don't appreciate the extreme reflectiveness, however. View both glossy and matte screens and decide which looks
better to you. 

Low black level: The closer a monitor can get to displaying black, the better. True black is illusive and the most you can hope for is that a monitor displays very dark gray. Check out dark scenes
in movies and notice how dark the black gets without actually losing the detail of a scene. 

An adequate graphics card is a necessity 

What's going on inside your computer can have a profound effect on what's displayed on your monitor. If you hook up a 4- or 5-year-old PC to a top-of-the-line new monitor, there's a good
chance your graphics card will need an upgrade to give you the best possible image quality. You'll need a card that supports your interface, be it DVI or HDMI, and it will need to support your
monitor's resolution--this is especially important on 30-inch models with 2,560x1,600-pixel resolutions. Sometimes, improving your graphics card's performance can be as easy as installing a
driver upgrade from the manufacturer's Web site.

Monitor warranties
When choosing a monitor, consider the company behind it.

First and foremost, make sure that the company offers a money-back guarantee. Most displays will show its problems right out of the box or within the first month or two of use, so you want to
be able to return it for a refund or an exchange with a minimum of hassle. A 90-day return policy is standard, but this varies among retailers (many online retailers give you only 30 days). Also,
beware of restocking fees.

Next, consider the warranty coverage. Most companies offer two to three years of parts-and-labor coverage; anything less is suspect. Make sure that the backlight is covered by the warranty;
manufacturers used to exclude them from coverage, but more and more now include them. Also note a company's policy on defective pixels; one or two defects are to be expected, but if there are
many, you should be able to return the unit for exchange or a refund. Some companies deal with pixel problems on a "case-by-case" basis, meaning that they don't have a set policy. If you end up
with a problematic display, you'll have to negotiate with the company. This is where the satisfaction-guaranteed return policy can become very important.
 
You're far less likely to need technical support for a monitor than for a computer system or a software program. Still, it's good to know that there's someone you can call if trouble arises; look for
toll-free support numbers and weekend coverage.
 
Be sure to keep all of the packing material for your monitor. If you should ever need to return it or ship it back for warranty service, you'll need the packaging. Monitors can be bulky, fragile, and
extremely difficult to protect adequately. You don't want to end up improvising when shipping it.
 
To find out more about how warranties really stack up and what you should look for in a vendor's service and support, look at CNET's hardware warranty explainer.
 
User reviews
Although CNET's monitor reviews attempt to completely cover all facets of a monitor a user would be concerned about before purchasing, we can't cover everything. In particular, thanks to the
nature of product loan agreements usually required to get new products in, we cannot accurately predict how a monitor will perform a year after purchase. This is where user reviews truly show
their value. The impressions of a user a year after owning a monitor may be very different from CNET's evaluation after only a few weeks.