Re: LCDs - brightness, contrast, remote proofing-part1
Re: LCDs - brightness, contrast, remote proofing-part1
- Subject: Re: LCDs - brightness, contrast, remote proofing-part1
- From: Marco Ugolini <email@hidden>
- Date: Fri, 10 Feb 2006 19:28:22 -0800
In a message dated 2/10/06 2:55 PM, Chris McFarling wrote:
> After calibrating/profiling both LCD monitors (using Monaco OptixXR Pro),
> the luminance was way too high. The lowest I could get it down to was around
> 150 for the ACD, higher for the 2005FPW.
Hi Chris.
That is not my experience. I routinely calibrate and profile Apple Cinema
Displays for my clients (mostly design firms, not prepress shops,
admittedly), and I set their luminance either at 120 or 140 cd/m2, depending
on how bright the environment is (meaning, a higher luminance for brighter
environments).
I can remember no instance in which even aiming for a luminance of 120 cd/m2
did not leave ample room to go still far lower in brightness. On the other
hand, I have found instances in which the brightness in some units had to be
dialed almost all the way *up* in order to squeeze out 140 cd/m2.
> Looking at the calibrated ACD, 2005FPW, and 2070SB all side-by-side,
> the LCDs were simply too bright and were not representative of our
> hard copy proofs.
The comparison of LCDs side-by-side with CRTs is misleading, in my opinion.
Prepress shops are used to work environments with dimmed lighting. I don't
know what others think, but dimmed, or *dimmable*, lighting makes sense if a
light booth is present. Otherwise, LCDs free the user to work in brighter
environments while still producing color-accurate image files, which is not
an option with luminances in the 80-90 cd/m2 range.
> So one question has to do with the ACD. Since it has just a backlight
> brightness control and no other controls, how are other users handling
> situations were the lowest brightness setting is not low enough?
Unless the unit is defective, that should not be the case, in my experience.
> One big marketing point for LCDs seems to be how bright they are compared to
> CRTs. I'm wondering how important that is in regards to a prepress
> environment. (snip) It just seems that for the longest time prepress/print
> professionals have gotten along just fine with the lower luminance CRTs are
> capable of. Now we're being told that brighter is better. Is it really better
> or are we just being told that because that's what they're selling us?
I have come to believe that the higher brightness of LCDs is overall a
positive development. Though brighter, they are far less fatiguing than
CRTs, paradoxically enough. And that is good for those of us who, like the
people in prepress, spend long hours in front of their displays.
Besides, if one uses dimmable light boxes, their brightness can be dialed up
roughly to match that of an LCD with a higher luminance. A higher luminance
coming from the display does not automatically make it unfit for prepress
work.
> "When a Digital Flat Panel monitor is connected via the Digital Video
> Interface (DVI) connector, the contrast will be grayed out (unavailable).
> This is normal, and the flat panel is functioning as designed. While
> connected via the DVI, the contrast for the flat panel is controlled by the
> video card."
>
> I found that odd, but ok. So, does that mean that the video card used DDC to
> simply communicate with the display and tell it what to set its contrast to?
Only if there are DDC controls present, which is *not* the case with the
Apple Cinema Displays. I don't know about the Dell model, though.
> Or does that mean that the video card must alter the signal being sent to
> the display?
In a color-managed display not equipped with its own separate internal LUT,
the LUT activated in the video card by the active profile alters the
incoming values and sends corrected values to the display. On the other
hand, if the display has its own separate internal LUT (usually between 10
and 14 bits), the signal from the video card should be left "null" ("as is",
or not at all color-managed). In that case, the alteration of the signal
occurs inside the display's LUT, I believe (that is my understanding: please
someone correct me if I am mistaken).
> In addition to in-house use, we're starting to look at remote proofing
> solutions. The latest generation packages, such as KPG Matchprint Virtual
> are using LCD displays now. With all I've read on LCDs, accompanied with my
> own experience, it makes me wonder how feasible such a thing is. Is remote
> LCD based proofing (or CRT based for that matter) really ready for primetime
> you think?
ICS, the manufacturers of Remote Director, certainly believe so:
<http://www.icscolor.com/downloads/ics-rd_recommended_displays.pdf>
> With Karl Lang saying "I am not happy with anything we have right
> now", it makes me wonder.
Please keep in mind that the quality of LCD offerings is developing and
progressing very quickly, and any sweeping statements like that one may
become dated quite suddenly.
> I have no doubt that LCD technology will eventually get to a point that
> meets, and most likely exceeds, anything that CRTs could achive. However in
> this transition period it seems that we are being sold inferior products
> that don't really measure up while being told that we're already there.
Maybe, though I personally tend not to think so.
But, whatever the "ultimate truth" turns out to be, I would advise that you
not wait too long either.
> I'm just trying to sift through the seemingly endless amount of good and bad
> info surrounding LCDs and better educate myself to know what works and what
> doesn't.
Indeed. Me too. Plenty of "instant experts" out there. What I would say is:
try these LCDs out, if you can, and trust your eyes and expertise. And be
ready for the inevitable transition, which I am pretty sure will not be as
negative as you, reasonably enough, fear it may be.
Best wishes.
--------------
Marco Ugolini
Mill Valley, CA
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