Is dynamic contrast ratio important when purchasing a television?

Answer

Note: The below answer discusses "contrast ratio". "Dynamic contrast ratio" is a feature that automatically adjusts the contrast and brightness based on the darkness of the image. There is some debate as to whether this feature improves or worsens the quality of the display.

Yes, contrast ratio can be very important, especially when looking at LCD Tvs. Because of the nature of an LCDs lighting design, LCD screens have been known for not producing the best "Black Levels", that is, how dark the darkest parts of a video appear to the viewer. Some LCDs can appear to have more of a "gray" black level than a "black" black level, because the light source used to illuinate the LCDs picture can be seen at the borders of the display screen. The white light of the lamp, combined with the black of the LCD, makes the gray color. This is especially the case with very cheaply made LCDs, and even well-made ones with screens larger than 50 inches (for larger size screens, a plasma display might be a better option).

OK, enough rambling, so, what is contrast ratio? It is basically a ratio of two values (i.e. 800:1, 10,000:1, etc.), where the first value is the "Brightest" value, and the second value is the "Darkest" value. Contrast ratio is the difference between the brightest white and the darkest black values of a screen. So, if your ratio is 10,000:1, then your display, at its brightest level, will be 10,000 times brighter than if the screen were completely dark. Naturally, the higher the ratio, the better your screen will look when you have the lights off in a room, and, unfortunately, the price of a TV will be higher.

So, contrast ratio can be extremely important if you value a high quality image from an LCD display (it does come into play with plasma monitors, but it is not as important because the lighting technology is different). And if you have a good amount of money to spend on an HDTV, why not get a better image? Think about it, your TV is an investment, and if you like watching movies as much as I do, then you'll definitely want a TV that will give you a superb viewing experience for many years to come. I would like to make suggestion: Go into Best Buy or any electronics retailer where you can physically view and handle a bunch of TVs lined up next to each other so you can compare the differences in image quality. Let your eyes be the judge, only I will say pay special attention to the Sony and Samsung LCDs. I think they're the best on the market today!

Hope this helps...I know it was a lot:)

Happy viewing!