Full-On/Full-Off Contrast Ratio—1613:1; ANSI Contrast Ratio—1108:1

Measured Resolution with the Leader LT-446:
480: 470 (per picture height)
720p: 590 (pph)
1080i: 590 (pph)

DC Restoration (poor, average, good, excellent): Excellent

Color Decoder (poor, average, good, excellent): Excellent

Measured Color Points:
Red Color Point: x=0.660, y=0.330
Green Color Point: x=0.234, y=0.693
Blue Color Point: x=0.147, y=0.057

The left chart shows the 42PF9630A's gray scale relative to its color temperature at various levels of intensity, or brightness (20 IRE is dark gray; 100 IRE is bright white). The gray scale as set by the factory, in the warm color-temperature mode, measures warm across the entire gray-scale range, although it is warmest with darker images. After making adjustments using the Photo Research PR-650, the gray scale measures better, within 447 Kelvin of D6500, the accurate color temperature, across most of the entire gray-scale range. The darkest images are quite cool.

The right chart shows the gray scale (or color temperature) relative to the color points of the display's red, green, and blue phosphors. These are off those specified by SMPTE. Red is oversaturated, while green is very oversaturated and slightly bluish-green. Blue is somewhat oversaturated and slightly purplish-blue.

After calibration and using a full-field 100-IRE white (24.2 foot-lamberts) and a full-field 0-IRE black (0.015 ft-L), the contrast ratio was 1,613:1. Because of noticeable phosphor lag, this is an unrealistic black level during normal viewing. More accurate numbers, say what is achieved during actual video playback, are 0.019 ft-L/24.2 ft-L, which gives a still-impressive contrast ratio of 1,274:1. It is our policy to list the best-possible numbers, which are in the box to the left. Using a 16-box checkerboard pattern (ANSI contrast), the contrast ratio was 1,108:1. The 42PF9630A produced 52.7 ft-L with a 100-IRE window. (It is normal for a plasma to have lower light output on a full-field white versus a white window.)—GM