Why do most LED monitors have low contrast ratios? (1000:1)

Question

I was just looking on newegg.com and I noticed that there are about 28 monitors have have a 1000:1 contrast ratio but only 5 that have the 5,000,000:1 contrast ratio...how come most LED monitors have a low contrast ratio? My LCD monitor now has a contrast ratio of 20,000:1.

What am I not understanding here?

Answer 1

Dynamic Contrast.

It is also common to market only the dynamic contrast ratio capability of a display (when it is better than its static contrast ratio), which should not be directly compared to the static contrast ratio. A plasma display with a static 5000:1 contrast ratio will show superior contrast to an LCD with 5000:1 dynamic and 1000:1 static contrast ratio when the input signal contains a full range of brightnesses from 0 to 100% simultaneously.

One reviewer is giving up:

There was a time when I used to lambast the meaninglessness of dynamic contrast ratio figures quoted in the latest TVs and monitors, but now I just give up...

Samsung has launched the 'XL2370', a 23in 16:9 LED backlit monitor which it claims has a 5,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio. Let me say that again: 5,000,000:1. To put this in perspective, the eighth generation Pioneer Kuro - a set which revolutionised the HDTV landscape (as is still only bettered by its successor) - has a 16,000:1 contrast ratio. Sigh.

Answer 2

Ignore the dynamic contrast ratio. Only pay attention to the static or typical contrast ratio. The dynamic contrast ratio is just a number someone pulled out of the air.

Answer 3

More expensive Samsung LED's have lower dynamic contrast ratios than less expensive ones. For example, the 2450 LED has a 1,000,000: 1 dcr while the 2431 LED has a 5,000,000: 1 dynamic contrast ratio. Having read the comments above, I believe the dcr is a bunch of pooey and that only a visual inspection of each monitor will tell you if the comfort and feel meets your expectations. This is getting more difficult to do online.

Answer 4

The contrast ratio isnt a standardized measure, maybe the company making the monitor uses a lower scale than some other companies