What does the contrast ratio on widescreen TVs mean?

The contrast ratio is a measurement of the range of brightness can display. Theoretically, the higher the number, the better the image. A high contrast ratio means that whites will be brighter and blacks will be blacker than a lower contrast ratio. It has become an important feature because early LCD and plasma screens had a very poor contrast ratio compared to the older CRT televisions. Modern displays have largely overcome the problem and ratiOS of 5000 : 1 or more are quite common. However, a high contrast ratio doesn't always indicate how well the screen will display dark grays and near whites. Therefore, the real test is to look at the screen to see how the image looks. A good screen will show lots of detail in dark areas and light areas. A poor one will tend to show less detail and dark areas may show up as blacks rather than a range of grays. To make it very simple, if the picture looks good, then it is good, regardless of the published performance data.