Contrast is a key parameter for projectors and it plays an essential role in dark details and color performance. In this guide, we will compare the two terms in detail.
From a visual point of view, the greater the contrast ratio, the clearer and more striking the image, the more vivid and colorful; while the contrast ratio is small, it will make the whole picture gray and dull. You can see the comparison below.
FOFO is an acronym for Full-On and Full-Off, and it measures or compares the brightness of full black and full white screens of a projector. For example, a projector has a FOFO contrast of 5,000:1, which means that the solid white image is 5,000 times brighter than a pure black image.
That is to say, FOFO Contrast= Full White Brightness /Full Black Brightness.
ANSI refers to the American National Standards Institution, and ANSI contrast measures the contrast ratio of a projector by comparing the average brightness of black and white segments in a checkerboard pattern of 8 white and 8 black squares. Usually, we can use a light meter to measure the brightness of different patterns.
Specifically, ANSI Contrast= White Average Brightness/Black Average Brightness.
Through the comparison above, we can find that the ANSI Contrast ratio is more accurate. That’s because a real projection image can’t always be wholly white or wholly black, and the black color will be affected by the surrounding color brightness in the projection image.
Therefore, the ANSI contrast ratio can better reflect the real contrast of the projection image of a projector.
Generally, the FOFO contrast ratio is bigger than the ANSI contrast ratio of a projector. That’s why many manufacturers choose to label contrast ratio figures using the FOFO contrast ratio for their products to make their products competitive. You need to pay attention to the measurement method before deciding on a projector.
To conclude, It is worth noting that the color performance of a projector can be influenced by various factors, including brightness, color gamut, and more. That is to say, the other color parameters of the projector can never be neglected.
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