Patent ID: 7843473

Claim:
A matrix-type display apparatus which drives a display panel including a plurality of pixels disposed in matrix form and displays an image, comprising: a converting portion adapted to gamma-convert an input video signal, using n (which is an integer of two or above) pairs of gamma-characteristics each made up of first and second gamma-characteristics different from each other, the gamma-characteristics being a transmittance characteristic according to an input level and the n pairs of gamma-characteristics being different from each other; and a selecting portion adapted to specify a transmittance to be used for display based on the input video signal, to select one pair of gamma-characteristics from among the n pairs of gamma-characteristics according to the specified transmittance to be used for display, and to select an output supplied to the display panel from among 2n outputs which are gamma-corrected by said converting portion, so that a ratio between a first distribution area of pixels driven by the video signal gamma-corrected by use of the first gamma-characteristic of the selected pairs of gamma-characteristics and a second distribution area of pixels driven by the video signal gamma-corrected by use of the second gamma-characteristic of the selected pairs of gamma-characteristics is equal to a distribution area ratio specified in advance for the selected pairs of gamma-characteristics, and with respect to a plurality of division ranges each division range being different and set by dividing a range of transmittance to be used for display, a different pair of gamma-characteristics and a different distribution area ratio are used, wherein the selecting portion produces a synthetic gamma-characteristic which is a gamma-characteristic synthesized from the first gamma-characteristic and the second gamma-characteristic, by switching between the video signal gamma-corrected by use of the first gamma-characteristic of the selected pair of gamma-characteristics and the video signal gamma-corrected by use of the second gamma-characteristic of the selected pair of gamma-characteristics using the distribution area ratio and with respect to each of the division ranges, the synthetic gamma-characteristic of the pair of gamma-characteristics produced by the selecting portion is closest to a reference gamma-characteristic at the front vision.