The adjacent pixel nonlinearity: problems and solutions.

The adjacent pixel nonlinearity refers to the dependence of the luminance of a given pixel on the preceding pixel or pixels. We measured this nonlinearity for two CRT displays by measuring the average luminances of a variety of test patterns with different luminance jumps. A two-stage model proposed by Mulligan and Stone was used to fit the data [Mulligan, J.B. & Stone, L. S., (1989). Journal of the Optical Society of America A, 6, 1217-1227 (1989)]. The results show that the model predicts our data well. Based on our measurements and the modeling results, a double-entry look-up table was created to compensate for this nonlinearity. This compensation method works even if the current pixel depends on more than one preceding pixel. Observers commented that at small pixel sizes the compensation results in a sharp, accurate image. Advantages and problems of this compensation will be discussed.