The Effect of Luminance and Contrast on Visual Discomfort and Clarity in Display Screen

The limited luminance range of traditional displays means that their visibility is compromised under bright ambient lighting conditions. One solution has been to increase the contrast range and overall luminance of displays. We investigated the effect of exploiting the increased available luminance range in high-bright displays on the viewing experience, in terms of both clarity and comfort. Participants were asked to rate the clarity and comfort of photographs, text, and square- wave gratings, under a range of luminance levels and contrasts. Increasing contrast increased the comfort and clarity of photographs and text. For square-wave gratings increasing contrast increased clarity but decreased comfort. These results suggest that exploiting the full dynamic range of high-bright displays creates clearer and more comfortable results, provided that the images are designed so as not to be inherently uncomfortable.