What Are Nits of Brightness on a TV or Other Display?
What Exactly Is a "Nit"?
Interestingly enough, nit (which comes from the Latin word nitere, meaning "to shine") isn't an official unit of measurement since it's not technically a part of the International System of Units or any other measurement system. The official term is actually "candela per square meter." But we guess "nit" is easier to remember.
So let's break it down. Since you now know that "nit" is just slang for "candela per square meter," then you also now know that a nit is measuring two things: Luminous intensity (the candela) and area (the square meter).
As you might have guessed, "candela" is Latin for "candle." So one candela is equal to the brightness of a single average candle. Two candelas is equal to the brightness of two candles, and so on.
When you add in square meters, you now measure the luminous intensity spread out over a surface. So one candela per square meter (or one nit) is the brightness of one candle shining onto a surface that measures one meter across and one meter down.
Putting that into simpler terms, imagine that you're holding a piece of poster board that measures one meter by one meter---which is about the size of an average poster board, by the way. You then light a single candle and hold it up in front of your poster board. The amount of light that hits your poster board from the candle is equal to one nit (or one candela per square meter).
If measuring brightness in terms of candles seems a bit strange, remember that we still use the word "horsepower" when talking about engines.
What Are Nits of Brightness on a TV or Other Display?
What Exactly Is a "Nit"?
Interestingly enough, nit (which comes from the Latin word nitere, meaning "to shine") isn't an official unit of measurement since it's not technically a part of the International System of Units or any other measurement system. The official term is actually "candela per square meter." But we guess "nit" is easier to remember.
So let's break it down. Since you now know that "nit" is just slang for "candela per square meter," then you also now know that a nit is measuring two things: Luminous intensity (the candela) and area (the square meter).
As you might have guessed, "candela" is Latin for "candle." So one candela is equal to the brightness of a single average candle. Two candelas is equal to the brightness of two candles, and so on.
When you add in square meters, you now measure the luminous intensity spread out over a surface. So one candela per square meter (or one nit) is the brightness of one candle shining onto a surface that measures one meter across and one meter down.
Putting that into simpler terms, imagine that you're holding a piece of poster board that measures one meter by one meter---which is about the size of an average poster board, by the way. You then light a single candle and hold it up in front of your poster board. The amount of light that hits your poster board from the candle is equal to one nit (or one candela per square meter).
If measuring brightness in terms of candles seems a bit strange, remember that we still use the word "horsepower" when talking about engines.