It’s Not Just Black and White

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Mon, 07/09/2018 - 11:39 -- Nick Dager

In a new white paper, Barco senior product manager Tom Bert makes a strong case for the importance of contrast ratio in cinema.[Editor’s Note: In a new white paper, Barco senior product manager Tom Bert makes a strong case for the importance of contrast ratio in cinema.] In any visualization system, the contrast ratio is one of the key parameters that define image quality. A metric for comparing the brightest whites to the darkest blacks in the image, you could say that a good contrast ratio truly adds depth to the image. A low contrast ratio makes an image look washed out. Details as well as the artistic intent get lost. This is true for direct view displays as well as for projectors.

Tom Bert, Barco senior product managerIn this white paper we will zoom in on contrast ratio in a cinema projection setup, since different definitions lead to different quantifications and interpretations. More specifically, we will focus on the so-called “ANSI contrast ratio”: what is it? What makes it different from “the contrast ratio”? And why is it so important?

The need for clarification comes from the ambiguous definition of contrast ratio above: “how the brightest whites compare to the darkest dark in the image”. Several more parameters need to be defined when putting forward an accurate definition of contrast ratio. Click here to read the entire white paper https://bit.ly/2NzZczP

 

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