Projector Contrast Ratios Sky-Rocket.

Over the past year an interesting development has come about in the projector world. Contrast ratios on front projectors, which were notoriously low for years, have all of a sudden taken off.

The history of contrast ratios is an interesting one. For a long time, when front projectors first became used in classrooms and such, contrast ratios were very low, usually just allowing for very two dimensional images to be projected up onto a screen. As projectors matured, so did just about every aspect of technology surrounding them, including the projector lamp, LCD resolution, brightness, input compatibility - almost every characteristic of projectors seemed to improve over the years – except the contrast ratio.

Contrast ratios have always lagged behind. For a super long time, that was the main drawback for consumers when they were purchasing projectors. “Will I be able to distinguish between the darks and really darks when I’m watching a movie?” became a question asked so often in techie chat rooms, it became nauseating. However, these types of questions were asked with good reason. It is no fun to be watching Batman Begins and to be completely at a loss for what’s going on in a dark fight scene because all your projector is producing is shadows running to and fro, hither and thither. (Yes, thither is a word!).

The past years have seen gains in the contrast ratio world. Ratios have bumped up from absolutely piss poor to acceptable and projector manufacturers have seen gains in the home entertainment market because of it. The projector world, though, seems to be on the edge of dramatic changes in the way the public views its number one commodity. Contrast ratios in Sony, BenQ and other brand name projectors have jumped to levels previously undreamed of. For instance, the contrast ratio in Sony’s VW100 is 15000:1 and the ratio in the all new BenQ PB8720 will astonish boardrooms, with a contrast ratio of 10000:1. To put these numbers in prospective contrast ratios just over two years ago were averaging around 300:1 – and although there is no industry standard for contrast ratios, these newer units definitely destroy when it comes to contrast.

This will mean a much better picture for the entertainment side of things. Movies will now be watched with a color and depth that previously only a movie theater could bring. Exciting news indeed for the projector and projector lamp industries.

Until next time – take it easy out there, and buy your projector lamps from MyProjectorLamps.com!