NIGHT OPERATION RESULTED IN NMAC WITH POINTED OUT TRAFFIC; EVASIVE ACTION TAKEN.

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I WAS COPLT ON MLT ON INITIAL TKOF CLIMB OUT ON THE NUAL 4 PMD WE TURNED TO 110 DEG MH PER THE SID AND CONTACTED BUR DEP CTL (124.6). THE CTLR ASSIGNED US A 060 DEG MH VECTOR; CLRED US TO 7000' MSL (EXPEDITE THROUGH 3000' MSL); AND CALLED OUT TFC AT 11 O'CLOCK ADDITIONAL TFC AT 1 AND 2 O'CLOCK. I RESPONDED THAT I 'HAD ALL THE TFC'. DURING THE TURN AND IN THE CLIMB; THE CTLR REPEATED THE WARNING OF THE 11 O'CLOCK TFC (WHICH NOW HAD MOVED TO OUR APPROX 9 O'CLOCK POSITION). ALTHOUGH WE WERE STILL COGNIZANT OF THE PREVIOUSLY CALLED 1 O'CLOCK TFC THE CTLR SEEMED MORE WORRIED ABOUT THE 11 O'CLOCK TFC THAT WE KNEW WAS NO FACTOR; AND IT WAS DIFFICULT TO DISTINGUISH WHETHER OR NOT THE 1 O'CLOCK TFC WAS COMING OR GOING. AT APPROX 3000' MSL 3 NM E OF VNY IT BECAME OBVIOUS WE WERE ON COLLISION COURSE. THE PLT AND I SIMULTANEOUSLY PUSHED THE AIRPLANE OVER WITH THE OTHER ACFT PASSING APPROX 100'-200' DIRECTLY OVERHEAD. THE OTHER PLT SAID HE NEVER HAD US IN SIGHT. THIS INCIDENT WAS ONE OF THOSE RARE INSTANCES WHERE EVERYONE WAS IN THE RIGHT; BUT TWO ACFT WERE ALMOST KILLED. THE CTLR FELT WE HAD THE TFC AND VECTORED US ACCORDINGLY. WE DID HAVE ALL THE TFC BUT SINCE THE TFC CALLS REFERRED TO '11 O'CLOCK TFC' AS BEING THE THREAT; DIDN'T RECOGNIZE THE TFC AT 1 O'CLOCK AS A FACTOR UNTIL WE GOT RIGHT UP ON HIM (BECAUSE OF THE LACK OF DEPTH PERCEPTION AT NIGHT); AND THE SECOND (DESPITE OUR LNDG LIGHTS; STROBE; AND ROTATING BEACON). HAD THE OTHER ACFT HAD AN ENCODING ALTIMETER; THE CTLR WOULD PROBABLY HAVE SEEN THE PROBLEM DEVELOPING AND GIVEN US AN AVOIDANCE VECTOR. I'VE BEEN FLYING FOR A FAIR AMOUNT OF TIME; BUT THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THAT I'VE RUN INTO A SITUATION WHERE PREDICTING THE FLT PATH OF ANOTHER ACFT PROVED SO DIFFICULT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION FROM ACN 82637: AT NIGHT; WHILE IN A CLIMB IT'S DIFFICULT TO TELL HOW FAR AWAY DISTANT TFC REALLY IS AND WHAT ITS ALT IS. CTLRS SHOULD BE AWARE OF THIS AND GIVE VECTORS ALLOWING FOR GREATER LATERAL AND VERTICAL SEPARATION.