An interactive method of assessing the characteristics of softcopy display using observer performance tests.

An interactive computer program has been developed to assess the quality of softcopy display by measuring the contrast sensitivity, spatial resolution, and spatial uniformity at various backgrounds and objects. This program runs on Microsoft Window or NT platform and is easy to use. It has been shown to be a sensitive and accurate tool to measure the characteristics of monitors of any kind. It can be used for routine QA as well as for the acceptance testing of picture archiving and communication systems. Data obtained using this program on monitors can be plotted chronologically so as to monitor any trend of deterioration. By introducing a randomization of the location of the test objects, this program eliminates the guessing error often associated with psychophysical measurements.