Abstract—Dichroic sheet polarizers required for most liquid‐crystal displays are generally modeled as simple uniaxial films. This leads, however, to significant errors in display modeling at high viewing angles, both in luminance and spectral transmission. The primary source of these errors appears to be a negative out‐of‐plane birefringence (on the order of 50 nm for sample polarizers) of the protective outer layers of the polarizer. A straightforward methodology for measuring the relevant optical properties for modeling purposes via transmission measurements through crossed polarizers and optical microscopy is de