STOP Specsmanship

	STOP Specsmanship STOP Specsmanship is the "often inappropriate use of specifications or measurement results to establish putative superiority of one entity over another, generally when no such superiority exists. Commonly found in high fidelity audio equipment, automobiles and other apparatus where uneducated users identify some numerical value upon which to base their pride or derision, whether or not it's relevant to actual use of the device." [Wikipedia].
	Do not make purchasing decisions based on inflated technical specifications !

	Get active: learn what the specifications (are supposed to) mean !

Yellow-press messages:


X-black / CrystalView / Color-Shine / ...	brand-names for mirrors with some display function read the article on matte and glossy displays
Contrast ratio 10 000:1 1 300 cd/m² "brightness" 550 billion colors	PDP TV set promises
Contrast >1.000.000 (one million !)	OLED TV-screen promise
"Viewing-angels" 178/178	LCD TV set promise
Unprecedented "color accuracy" ...	LCD TV set - more color per dollar ...
"gray-to-gray response times"	? what does it tell me ?
"crispness of colors"	? ? ?
"% NTSC"	? ? ?
ANSI-lumen	? ? ?

Numbers & terms, numbers & terms, numbers, numb....

What do the terms & numbers mean ? How are they measured ? What is their significance ? The escalating hype of dizzying "performance specifications" leaves the customer confused and the products often cause disappointment ... What do customers want ? Acquiring electronic displays that are fulfilling the performance requirements for a specific application as good as possible at an affordable price. Reliable (i.e. unbiased), understandable and meaningful specifications as basis for purchasing decisions without hangover, regrets and disappointment. Fulfillment of users’ requirements ? This leads you to the concept of usability. Are you interested in the concept of usability, in display metrology standards, and what YOU can do to defeat specsmanship ? Then continue here.

References & recommended further reading:

Don Williams: "Debunking of Specsmanship: Progress on ISO/TC42 Standards for Digital Capture Imaging Performance", IS&T's 2003 PICS Conference, pp. 77-81. Read the article here

Are 6 million-pixels enough for your camera ? «Mass» of Pixels or «Mess» of Pixels ? http://6mpixel.org provides background and answers.

Edward F. Kelley: "What Do the Specifications Mean ?", SID04 ADEAC, pp. 15-18

M. E. Becker: "Specsmanship: the artistry of sugarcoating performance specifications", LCD TV Matters, Volume 1, Issue 3, February 2008, Complete Newsletter from Veritas&Visus: LCD TV Association Newsletter

Juergen Laur in Veritas&Visus Display-Standards on Display-Metrology: "International metrology standards for reflective LCDs" is raising the question "Could it ever be possible that commercial interests have been preventing the generation of an international standard for measurement and evaluation of reflective LCDs for about 30 years ?"

Some more references @ Wikipedia:

Instruments and approaches for display measurement:

Display-Messtechnik & Systeme GmbH & Co. KG

mail(at)specsmanship.com

Imprint
This website is of private, non-commercial nature, intended to provide information that has been compiled from various cited sources.
Responsible for the contents, unless otherwise noted: M. Becker - Marie-Alexandra-Str. 44 - D-76135 Karlsruhe - Germany