Full-On/Full-Off Contrast Ratio: 4,745:1

All the 2D measurements here were taken in the Movie picture mode and the 3D measurements in the Standard picture mode.

The above full-on/full-off contrast ratio was derived at a measured peak-white level of 28.47 foot-lamberts and a full-black reading of 0.006 ft-L. I judge this to be the set’s lowest useful black level (not, as noted in the review, the brief periods in which the screen falls to total black with a full-black signal).

These values were taken with the Contrast on 83, the Brightness on 48, and the Cell Light on 20 (maximum). With a Cell Light setting of 12, which I later found was more comfortable for viewing in a darkened room, the peak-white level was 18.08 ft-L, the black level was unchanged at 0.006 ft-L, and the full-on/full-off contrast ratio was reduced to 3,013:1. The latter was solely due to the reduction in peak white.

In 2D, the –1 setting of the Gamma control produced measured gammas ranging from a high of 2.33 at 50 percent brightness to a minimum of 2.09 at 90 percent. The average was 2.26. In 3D, the same –1 setting produced an average gamma of 1.47. Decreasing the gamma setting in 3D to its minimum (–3) only increased the average gamma to 1.62. In our experience, low gamma settings are common to 3D HDTVs and projectors. Though technically wrong, they do produce a subjectively brighter 3D image.

The RGB Balance charts show how well a display adheres to the D65 standard white point. The postcalibration 2D Delta E was under 3.05 at all brightness levels, under 1.0 at or below 60 percent brightness, and averaged 2.23. (Delta E is a figure of merit that shows how close the result is to the standard D65 white point. Most experts recommend a Delta E value of 4 or less, although some suggest a Delta E of no more than 3 for a visually ideal result.)

For 3D (chart not shown), the lowest 3D Delta E was 1.31 at 20 percent, increasing to a high of 17.08 at 100 percent. It remained under 10 below 90 percent and averaged 6.24 across the full brightness range. But by eye, the 3D color was satisfying. If the set had offered 10-point white- balance adjustments in 3D, as it does in 2D, the postcalibration results would likely be better.

The Gamut CIE chart shown above is for 2D, postcalibration, in the adjusted Custom setting of the Color Space control. The 2D precalibration result in the Auto setting was nearly as good. The final 2D result closely matches the Rec. 709 standard, with the overall color Delta Es averaging 0.86 (maximum 2.2 in cyan). In 3D (CIE charts not shown), the Gamut CIE results (not shown) were also good, with an average Delta E of 1.99 (maximum 6.03 in magenta).—TJN