When you look at the contrast ratios of most televisions you’ll see really incredible numbers.  Many of the new HDTVs feature a “mega contrast ratio” which is 2,000,000:1.  The only problem is that those numbers are completely made up and have no bearing on performance.

Manufacturers believe that if they use large numbers than customers will be blinded and willed into submission and walk out with their television.  That works when you’re the only one in town who uses this trick.  At this point all manufacturers are coming to market with televisions with an almost “infinite” contrast ratio.

Contrast ratio is used to indicate the black level a television can reach.  According to CNET:

It’s true that in general, a higher contrast ratio can indicate that the display produces a deeper level of black, with all of the picture-quality benefits that brings–but then again it might not. Despite the million-to-one contrast ratios of the Samsung and Sony LED sets we reviewed, we observed better black-level performance in the Pioneer PRO-111FD. Pioneer doesn’t publish a contrast ratio spec for that television, but has claimed that its black levels are so deep as to be “immeasurable.”

Manufacturers are free to use whatever method they like to “measure” the contrast ratio of their displays. The big numbers you see quoted most often are for “dynamic” contrast ratio, which takes into account changes the (usually LCD) display makes to adjust for fluctuations in the brightness of the content–namely, lowering the backlight in dark scenes and bringing it up in lighter ones. Then there’s the “native” contrast ratio number, always much smaller than the dynamic one, where the display doesn’t perform these adjustments. Both of these numbers are usually derived from the measurement of a full-white screen and a full-black screen (so-called full-on, full-off measurements), which is obviously not representative of actual program material.

When you decide to go shopping for a new television, make sure you don’t believe the contrast ratio hype.  The numbers aren’t going to help you make a better decision and won’t let you know if the picture quality will be any better.

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