METHOD OF CHARACTERIZING A VIDEO DISPLAY

A method of characterizing a video display, including the steps of providing a mathematical model of the display that relates code values to luminance output of the display, the model having a parameter that characterizes the display; displaying a reference patch and a test patch simultaneously on the display, the reference patch having a reference brightness produced by one or more luminances and the test patch having an test brightness produced by rapidly switching back and forth between two luminances; observing the display while varying one of the luminances keeping the others fixed, until the apparent brightness of the reference patch matches the apparent brightness of the test patch, and recording the code values employed to produce the luminances when a best match is made; and using the mathematical model, and the recorded code values to determine the value of the parameter that characterizes the display.