Color Temperature

Televisions create the images we see using two basic bits of information -- brightness (luminance) and color (chrominance). Video signals are encoded to let televisions know how much color and how much brightness to display. The code that expresses the level of brightness is what is called "color temperature."

Straight out of the box, many televisions may not look exactly as you wish. They often ship from the factory with a very high color temperature to emphasize the brightness of the set. However, end users are able to adjust color temperature to create the image that is most pleasing to them.

Many televisions come with factory presets or recommended settings for various types of viewing. Common presets include warm or cool which are a reference to the color temperature. Cool settings are brighter (like what you see in midday light) and warm settings are softer (like what you see in a softly lit indoor environment).

As a general rule, warm settings are preferred for viewing movies, or in darkened environments. Cooler settings are better for daylight viewing like sporting events because it enhances brightness.

Color Temperatures and TVs At-A-Glance

• Televisions allow end-users to adjust color temperature settings to suit their viewing preferences.
• Warmer color temperature settings are preferred when viewing movies or in darkened environments.
• Cool temperature settings are better for daylight viewing, such as sporting events, because it enhances the brightness of the image.

Color Temperature Defined

Photographers and cinematographers think about color temperature every time they create an image. Behind the action in a photo or film, color temperature helps to set the look and mood of what we watch.

Technically speaking, color temperature expresses the color of light sources. Specifically it means the temperature at which a "black body" emits enough radiant energy to give off a color equivalent to produce light which matches a similar color in the spectrum.

Color temperature is measured in degrees Kelvin (k). Higher color temperatures correspond to cooler, blue light and lower temperatures correspond to warmer, yellow light. The color temperature of mid-daylight is around 5500° k.