Black Levels (1 Viewer)

[Bill Griffith]

I've been looking at upghrading to High res. projector (DLP or LCD) or a plasma TV.

But,....

Many articles say that these type of displays have a problme getting true black, blacks. Some describe them as being a dark gray.

Just curiose, what do they mean? Is it to be taken litteraly, where, if your watching Star Wars (Or any other movie with lots of blackness)that space is actually dark grey instead of Black, or do you not notice the diference?

 

[Michael TLV]

GReetings

Ask yourself the question of what black looks like when you project it onto a white screen or gray screen. Is it still black?

It is rarely the dark grays that bother people. It is the gray black bars in w/s movies that bug you the most.

Regards

 

[Bill Griffith]

Thats exactly one of my concerns. Thas why I asked the question.

I could care less about the dark grey if there supposed to be dark grey. Its the being dark grey if its supposed to be black.

 

[Neil Joseph]

Bill, what you need to do is some hands-on demos of various technologies... LCD & DLP (front & rear projection) as well as Plasma.

 

[David Abrams]

Greetings,

Black level with DLP and LCD projectors is largely dependent on screen material and size of screen. With DLP projectors you will often need a bigger screen to attain black. Remember black is actually defined by the absence of light - when there is no light you get black. With a CRT this is easy because you can turn the electron beam on and off, with a DLP or LCD this is really hard because they are fixed pixel and their light source is a lamp that does not turn on or off. But by making your picture bigger or by using a negative gain screen (Greyhawk) you can achieve a light output of .05 footlamberts or below, when you achieve this, blacks will look their best.

There is a lot that goes into choosing a DLP or LCD projector, screen size and type of screen are critical to achieve a good picture.

Best of Luck,

David Abrams
ISF Calibrationist

 

[Mike Hamilton]

Say All,
David knows that of which he speaks!

 

[Julio Ortiz]

Hi there:

Im new to projectors, and just viewed an HS10 a few days ago. I must say I was impressed with picture quality and colors, even though it was just taken out of the box for demostration. No calibration, or adjustment were made.

However I did notice the "abscence" of black level, even though it was located in a dark room.

David:

I was told to get a Stewart Firehawk with the HS10. Will this screen help maximize black level? What are the benefits of this screen vs others? This is the only thing that is retractig me from buying right away.

I will use use mostly to watch 16:9 dvds, some 4DTV (HDTV) and some 4x3 local programs.

 

[Neil Joseph]

The Firehawk will enhance the colours and improve the black level and also reduce the amount of ambient light that reflects off the screen (this is one of the properties of the firehawk as opposed to another screen).

 

[David Abrams]

Greetings,

A firehawk will help improve the perceived black level, depending on the size screen you are going to go with would affect your decision on which screen to go with. If you are going to have a really big screen then you will not need a firehawk, but if you are going to stay with 87" diagonal or less you may want to look into the firehawk and the grayhawk. The grayhawk actually has a negative gain by absorbing light and the firehawk has a positive gain of 1.3 but also improves black level by tinting the picture with a neutral gray backing.

Hope this helps,

David Abrams
ISF Calibrationist

 

[Julio Ortiz]

David:

My room ambient light is controllable, the screen size will be 82" diagonal, I will be 11' - 11.5' away from the screen.

What would you guys recommend? Im looking for the best picture quality and color possible (including black level) I can achieve.

Thanks:

Julio