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1997/08/13: Brightness and Contrast   Why can't monitor manufacturers tell the difference between brightness and contrast? 
As far as I can remember, all of the monitors I have ever used have had the symbols for brightness and contrast reversed. On the monitor that I am using right now, the brightness control is indicated by this symbol: . To me, that symbol looks as if it represents contrast, judging by the sharp contrast between light and dark. 
However, the symbol for the contrast control is , which looks like the sun shining brightly. 
I know that the control marked with is for brightness because it dims the screen all the way to black. And the control marked has a detent in the middle, which is a "sticky" place where the knob stops to indicate the mid-point or standard setting. 
While I can see that the image used for the brightness control () could be interpreted as "ranging from dark to light" (thus brightness), I cannot see how could possibly stand for contrast. It just looks too much like a bright sun. 
Here is a summary: 
What the Manufacturers ThinkThe Way I See It
contrast brightness
brightness contrast 
Although I am accustomed to the problem now, and I always remember to reach for the "wrong" knob when I make an adjustment, I would really like to hear someone from the monitor industry explain this weirdness.

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