# contrast



## showcattleguy (Jun 30, 2011)

I want to start this off by saying I am not trying to start confrontation and most of my questions are probably very subjective. I have been trying to figure it out on my own but I thought I might just as well ask my friends here. My question is- Why are people so drawn to on/off contrast ratios? The new LCOS and LCD projectors seem to have outrageous and often meaningless numbers for contrast ratio. As most know I am a big proponent of DLP as the intra-scene contrast ratios are absolutely increadible. I do not have specific numbers but during my personal projector journey I didn't think the JVC X90R or the Sony 1000ES could hold a candle to the PQ of the lowly SIM2 I ended up with. I understand with DLP you loose some black floor. Is that absolute last word in black level a big draw for many consumers? Any thoughts would be appreciated as I know it is ultimately a personal decision based on what you want and what you can afford but I am a little perplexed. I guess this all came about as my brother is looking to purchase a projector after seeing mine but gets rather hung up on the fact mine only has X on/off while others claim 3-4 times as much.


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## Todd Anderson (Jul 24, 2009)

I see that no one has stepped forward to answer your question... I'll agree with you that the on/off contrast numbers being tossed around are, in some cases, outrageous. And the intra-scene contrast ratio (I'm assuming that you are referring to the ANSI contrast measuring method?) on projectors boasting crazy contrast ratios may not be that great --- probably due to the fact that the lower priced projectors are achieving their on/off ratios with a dynamic iris that, when displaying scenes with brightness, lose the deepness to their blacks.

I think companies have latched onto the on/off ratios for two reasons:

(1) The average buyer doesn't know the difference between the two Contrast specs... nor do they probably care to understand it.

(2) The industry has pushed the notion of a "contrast ratio" as being a good thing, and as you have observed manufacturers want to put the biggest ratio they can on a product. The on/off ratios are always substantially larger than the ANSI ratios... so there is no way that a company is going to break rank and boast the ANSI ratio number because it's going to look puny and weak compared to another company's on/off number. Going back to my first point: I would argue that manufacturers know that most buyers fall into the "average buyer" category and are not "enthusiasts" that take the time to understand all the in's and out's of a technology's specs.


It really comes down to who represents the majority of buyers and what they care about (or, don't care about). I truly believe that folks like us - who hang out on enthusiast forums - that might care about this stuff (even if many of us are eventually forced to buy a/v products that might not be the "best" because of financial constraints) are in the minority.


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## showcattleguy (Jun 30, 2011)

Yes I did mean ANSI. I appreciate your insight as I had a discussion last night with my brother and I showed him your post. He concedes that my Sim2 Mico 40 throws a better picture than the Sony 1000ES he is looking at but still cannot get over the fact the Mico only has a "puny" 50,000 on/off while the Sony claims 1,000,000. I guess he can choose and be happy with whatever he gets and I can stay out of it. Like you said I guess he falls into the average customer category and not really enthusiast despite my best efforts.


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## rab-byte (Feb 1, 2011)

27dnast said:


> I see that no one has stepped forward to answer your question... I'll agree with you that the on/off contrast numbers being tossed around are, in some cases, outrageous. And the intra-scene contrast ratio (I'm assuming that you are referring to the ANSI contrast measuring method?) on projectors boasting crazy contrast ratios may not be that great --- probably due to the fact that the lower priced projectors are achieving their on/off ratios with a dynamic iris that, when displaying scenes with brightness, lose the deepness to their blacks.
> 
> I think companies have latched onto the on/off ratios for two reasons:
> 
> ...


All true statements. I think this is mostly thanks to marketing and a bleed over from the flat panel world where contrast ratio is printed on every tag you read. What I find funny is the screens are never addressed noir is the ambient lighting in the room when projectors are discussed. While front projection is not too complicated people don't want to think too hard about it and that gives the marketing teams room to play since they rarely consult with the designers/engineers.


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