Introduction

Dell's 'Professional' P series of screens has always taken somewhat of a back seat to their flagship, and very popular UltraSharp U series. One of the main reasons for this is the fact Dell have utilised high end IPS panels in their U series, but stuck with the lower cost, and lower performing TN Film matrices in their P series. That is, up until now. The 2014 P series line-up makes use of modern AH-IPS panel technology from LG.Display (and actually PLS from Samsung in some models - see below) and brings a range of specs and features which are bound to interest buyers. This range will run along side their UltraSharp range, which has recently moved to a semi-professional, higher-end feature set than some of the older models. The U series (U2413, U2713H, U3014) still offer a wide colour gamut backlight system, but now also include programmable hardware LUT's, 10-bit colour depth support and other high end features designed to offer users something beyond a lot of the other common IPS models out there. While competitively priced compared with other professional grade screens, there is of course still a demand for the more "regular" IPS screens with standard gamut backlights and at a lower retail cost. That's where the new P series comes in. It's almost as if this P series is now the lower cost end of the U series, as they provide a lot of the features and specs that you could want, but without the high end features and associated cost of the new U series models.

The P series has been updated with models in sizes of 21.5" (P2214H), 23" (P2314H), 23.8" (P2414H) and 27" (P2714H). We have already reviewed the 23.8" P2414H and now have the 27" P2714H to test. Dell's website states that the P2714H offers: "Impressive Full HD clarity, reliable eco-design, flexible viewing features and enhanced connectivity options for business and home offices."

Specifications and Features

The following table gives detailed information about the specs of the screen:

The Dell P2714H mirrors the P2414H model in terms of features, offering a reasonable set of connectivity options. There are DVI-D, DisplayPort and D-sub (VGA) provided for video interfaces, but the screen is lacking HDMI unfortunately. The digital interface is HDCP certified for encrypted content.

The screen comes packaged with a DisplayPort and VGA video cables, but oddly without DVI. The screen has an integrated power supply and so it only needs a standard kettle lead which is provided in the box. There is a built-in 4 port USB 2.0 hub as well on this model. Oddly Dell's spec list it as having 3x USB 2.0 downstream ports, but there are definitely 4 present. 3 on the underside by the video connections (and an additional upstream port) and an extra 1 built into the back of the screen for easier access. There are no further extras such as integrated speakers, card readers or ambient light sensors. The screen is compatible with Dell's SoundBar if you want.

Below is a summary of the features and connections of the screen:

OSD Menu

Above: views of OSD operational buttons on the bottom right hand edge of the screen

Pressing any of the four buttons pops up the familiar Dell quick access menu as shown above. There are then quick access options to get to the preset modes and the brightness/contrast controls as you can see. These can actually be customised within the main OSD menu if you would prefer quick access to other settings such as input selection for instance.

The preset mode menu gives you access a series of 8 modes, including a 'custom color' in which you can adjust the RGB channels individually if you want. The brightness and contrast quick access menu is also shown above (right). 

The main OSD menu is split into 9 sections down the left hand side as shown above. In the top right hand corner is Dell's "energy use" bar which gives you an idea of your power consumption. You can scroll down the left hand menu sections and the options available within each section are then shown on the right.

The input source section allows you to switch between the video inputs as shown above.

The 'color settings' section allows you to access the preset modes and make a few other alterations relating to colour control.

The 'Display settings' section allows you to control a few advanced features. There is access to the hardware aspect ratio control settings (16:9, 4:3 and 5:4 modes available) and the Dynamic Contrast Ratio as well, if you're in a suitable preset where it is available.

The other sections shown above are pretty self explanatory. All in all the menu was fast and easy to use. Navigation felt simple and intuitive and the controls worked well. No complaints here.

Power Consumption

In terms of power consumption the manufacturer lists 22W typical usage during operation and <0.3W in standby. (*) The spec also lists maximum power consumption of 43W but that's with maximum brightness, USB in use and Dell's SoundBar connected as well apparently. We carried out our normal tests to establish its power consumption ourselves.

We tested this ourselves and found that out of the box the screen used 19.8W at the default 75% brightness setting. At maximum brightness the screen used 24.4W of power, but that was without Dell's SoundBar connected or anything being powered on USB. Once calibrated the screen reached 12.5W consumption, and in standby it used only 0.8W. We have plotted these results below compared with other screens we have tested. If you compare the calibrated power consumption (when each screen had been set to achieve a 120 cd/m² luminance) you can see the power consumption of most W-LED models if quite comparable. Those using modern GB-r-LED backlights (Dell U2413 and U2713H here) use a bit more power, and the CCFL units (NEC PA271W) are even more power hungry.

Panel and Backlighting

Panel Part and Colour Depth

The Dell P2714H utilises a Samsung LTM270HL02 AD-PLS panel. This is actually contrary to our expectation and what the Dell spec seems to suggest. Their website suggests the panel technology is "in plane switching" and implies an LG.Display IPS panel. In fact this is Samsung's equivalent and competing technology, Plane-to-Line Switching (PLS). Dell aren't the only manufacturer to use the more well-known "IPS" name to advertise their screen, so we will let them off that slight inaccuracy. At the end of the day the panel technologies are very similar. As a side note, this actually signifies our first look at a 1080p resolution PLS panel in fact as we'd only seen 1440p resolution panels in 27" screens up until now. The "AD" in the panel tech name is just Samsung's attempt to keep up with LG.Display's naming scheme and their so-called AH-IPS panels. The "AD" presumably stands for "Advanced", but in reality we don't expect any changes compared with the "normal" PLS panels we've seen before.

The panel is capable of producing 16.7 million colours. According to the detailed panel spec sheet this is done with a 6-bit colour depth and an additional Frame Rate Control (FRC) stage (6-bit + Hi-FRC) as opposed to a true 8-bit panel. This is a measure commonly taken on modern panels, and the FRC algorithm is very well implemented to the point that you'd be very hard pressed to tell any difference in practice compared with an 8-bit panel. The panel is confirmed when dismantling the screen:

Screen Coating

The screen coating on the P2714H is much like that featured on other PLS screens we have tested, as well as on recent Dell IPS screens like the U2413, U2713H and U2713HM. It is a normal anti-glare (AG) offering as opposed to any kind of glossy coating. However, this is contrary to a lot of old IPS based screens which usually feature a grainy and aggressive solution. Instead on the PLS panel here it is a light AG coating which retains its anti-glare properties to avoid unwanted reflections, but does not produce an overly grainy or dirty image. It is not as light or "semi-glossy" as some models we've tested, like the BenQ BL2710PT, but users shouldn't see any grainy appearance in practice here still.

As a side note, some users reported a "cross hatching" appearance on the 27" U2713HM screen, where on very close inspection you could detect a small grid like effect as part of the coating. This didn't affect everyone of course but it was something some people complained about or became sensitive to. Having seen this so-called cross hatching on the U2713HM we're pleased to report that the new P2414H and P2714H do not suffer from this, even when looking very closely for it.

Backlight Type and Colour Gamut

The screen uses a White-LED (W-LED) backlight unit which has become very popular in today's market. This helps reduce power consumption compared with older CCFL backlight units and brings about some environmental benefits as well. The W-LED unit offers a standard colour gamut which is approximately equal to the sRGB colour space (equating to ~72% NTSC). Anyone wanting to work with wider colour spaces would need to consider wide gamut CCFL screens, or perhaps the new range of GB-r-LED displays like the Dell U2413, U2713H and U3014 models.
 

Backlight Dimming and Flicker

We tested the screen to establish the methods used to control backlight dimming. Our in depth article talks in more details about a common method used for this which is called Pulse Width Modulation (PWM). This in itself gives cause for concern to some users who have experienced eye strain, headaches and other symptoms as a result of the flickering backlight caused by this technology. We use a photosensor +  oscilloscope system to measure backlight dimming control with a high level of accuracy and ease. These tests allow us to establish

1) Whether PWM is being used to control the backlight
2) The frequency and other characteristics at which this operates, if it is used
3) Whether a flicker may be introduced or potentially noticeable at certain settings

If PWM is used for backlight dimming, the higher the frequency, the less likely you are to see artefacts and flicker. The duty cycle (the time for which the backlight is on) is also important and the shorter the duty cycle, the more potential there is that you may see flicker. The other factor which can influence flicker is the amplitude of the PWM, measuring the difference in brightness output between the 'on' and 'off' states. Please remember that not every user would notice a flicker from a backlight using PWM, but it is something to be wary of. It is also a hard thing to quantify as it is very subjective when talking about whether a user may or may not experience the side effects.

100%

95%                                                                   85%

50%                                                                   0%

Above scale = 1 horizontal grid = 5ms

At 100% brightness a constant voltage is applied to the backlight as normal, meaning there is no need for the backlight to be cycled on and off using PWM. As you adjust the brightness setting downwards, you can spot the use of PWM straight away. Between a setting of 100 and 85% the amplitude of the PWM increases steadily until the backlight is being completely shut off for each cycle (at 85% brightness setting). From 85% downwards the amplitude stays the same, but the duty cycle decreases steadily to produce a lower perceived luminance for the user. This gets progressively shorter all the way down to 0% adjustment. The PWM is operating at 240Hz here and so may be problematic to users who are sensitive to its use. The P2414H model had not used PWM at all for backlight dimming, but it seems that isn't uniform across the new P series range.

For an up to date list of all flicker-free (PWM free) monitors please see our Flicker Free Monitor Database.

Testing Methodology

An important thing to consider for most users is how a screen will perform out of the box and with some basic manual adjustments. Since most users won't have access to hardware colorimeter tools, it is important to understand how the screen is going to perform in terms of colour accuracy for the average user.

I restored my graphics card to default settings and disabled any previously active ICC profiles and gamma corrections. The screen was tested at default factory settings using the DVI interface, and analysed using an X-rite i1 Pro Spectrophotometer (not to be confused with the i1 Display Pro colorimeter) combined with LaCie's Blue Eye Pro software suite. An X-rite i1 Display Pro colorimeter was also used to verify the black point and contrast ratio since the i1 Pro spectrophotometer is less reliable at the darker end.

Targets for these tests are as follows:

• CIE Diagram - validates the colour space covered by the monitors backlighting in a 2D view, with the black triangle representing the displays gamut, and other reference colour spaces shown for comparison

• Gamma - we aim for 2.2 which is the default for computer monitors

• Colour temperature / white point - we aim for 6500k which is the temperature of daylight

• Luminance - we aim for 120 cd/m², which is the recommended luminance for LCD monitors in normal lighting conditions

• Black depth - we aim for as low as possible to maximise shadow detail and to offer us the best contrast ratio

• Contrast ratio - we aim for as high as possible. Any dynamic contrast ratio controls are turned off here if present

• dE average / maximum - as low as possible. If DeltaE >3, the color displayed is significantly different from the theoretical one, meaning that the difference will be perceptible to the viewer. If DeltaE <2, LaCie considers the calibration a success; there remains a slight difference, but it is barely undetectable. If DeltaE < 1, the color fidelity is excellent.

Default Performance and Setup

Default settings of the screen were as follows:

Dell P2714H - Default Factory Settings

 

 

Out of the box the screen looked pretty good to the naked eye. Colours felt even and well balanced, although it was a bit too bright for comfortable use as is the norm for a desktop monitor out of the box. We went ahead and measured the default state with the i1 Pro.

The CIE diagram on the left of the image confirms that the monitors colour gamut (black triangle) matches the sRGB colour space pretty well, with some over-coverage evident in blue shades and some slight under-coverage in greens. Default gamma was recorded at 2.1 average, leaving it only slightly out with an 2% deviance from the target of 2.2. White point was measured at 6734k leaving it a small 4% out from our target of 6500k which was pleasing, just slightly too cool. Note that we are using a spectrophotometer to make these measurements which is not sensitive to the wide gamut backlight as some colorimeter devices can be. When using a standard gamut colorimeter not designed to work with modern backlighting units like W-LED, WCG-CCFL and GB-r-LED there can be a typical deviance of 300 - 600k in the white point measurement which is why some sources may refer to a different white point in this test incorrectly.

Luminance was recorded at a bright 239 cd/m² which is a bit too high for prolonged general use, but not too severe. The screen was set at a default 75% brightness in the OSD menu but that is easy to change of course to reach a more comfortable setting. The black depth was 0.22 cd/m² at this default brightness setting, giving us an excellent (for a PLS or IPS panel) static contrast ratio of 1073:1. Colour accuracy was reasonable, but not great, out of the box with a default dE average of 2.9, and maximum of 7.4. Testing the screen with various gradients showed smooth transitions with no sign of any banding thankfully. There was some very slight gradation evident in darker tones as you will see from most monitors and if you looked very closely you could pick out some twinkling from the Frame Rate Control. Not something you'd see in normal use though at all. Overall the default setup was ok for general uses, but needs some tweaking to get a higher level of accuracy.

Calibration

We used the X-rite i1 Pro spectrophotometer combined with the LaCie Blue Eye Pro software package to achieve these results and reports. An X-rite i1 Display Pro colorimeter was used to validate the black depth and contrast ratios due to lower end limitations of the i1 Pro device.

Dell P2714H- Calibrated Settings

   

We first of all reverted to the 'custom color' preset mode in the OSD menu to allow us access to the individual RGB channels. Adjustments were made during the process to the RGB channels as shown in the table above as well as the brightness control. This allowed us to obtain an optimum hardware starting point and setup before software level changes would be made at the graphics card level. We left the  LaCie software to calibrate to "max" brightness which would just retain the luminance of whatever brightness we'd set the screen to, and would not in any way try and alter the luminance at the graphics card level, which can reduce contrast ratio. These adjustments before profiling the screen would help preserve tonal values and limit banding issues. After this we let the software carry out the LUT adjustments and create an ICC profile.

Average gamma had been corrected to 2.2 average according to the initial test, correcting most of the default 2% deviance we'd found out of the box which was good, but leaving us with a minor 1% deviance, mostly in lighter grey shades. The white point was also corrected to 6502k, correcting the slightly cool setting we had observed before (6734k default). Luminance had also been improved thanks to the adjustment to the brightness control and was now being measured at 119 cd/m². This left us a black depth of 0.11 cd/m² and retained an excellent (for a PLS or IPS panel) static contrast ratio of 1065:1. Colour accuracy had been corrected nicely, with dE average of 0.3 and maximum of 1.0. LaCie would consider colour fidelity to be excellent. We measured a 87.2% absolute sRGB gamut coverage using the Gamutvision tool and our resulting profile.

Testing the screen with various colour gradients showed mostly smooth transitions. There was some slight gradation in darker tones and some very slight banding introduced in dark tones due to the adjustments to the graphics card LUT from the profilation of the screen. You can use our settings and try our calibrated ICC profile if you wish, which are available in our ICC profile database. Keep in mind that results will vary from one screen to another and from one computer / graphics card to another.

Calibration Performance Comparisons

The comparisons made in this section try to give you a better view of how each screen performs, particularly out of the box which is what is going to matter to most consumers. When comparing the default factory settings for each monitor it is important to take into account several measurement areas - gamma, white point and colour accuracy. There's no point having a low dE colour accuracy figure if the gamma curve is way off for instance. A good factory calibration requires all 3 to be well set up. We have deliberately not included luminance in this comparison since this is normally far too high by default on every screen. However, that is very easily controlled through the brightness setting (on most screens) and should not impact the other areas being measured anyway. It is easy enough to obtain a suitable luminance for your working conditions and individual preferences, but a reliable factory setup in gamma, white point and colour accuracy is important and not as easy to change accurately without a calibration tool.

From these comparisons we can also compare the calibrated colour accuracy, black depth and contrast ratio. After a calibration the gamma, white point and luminance should all be at their desired targets.

Default setup of the screen was moderate overall, but should be fine for most casual users. There was a small deviance in the desired gamma, with only a 2% error which was pleasing. The white point was very close to the desired 6500k (4% out) as well which was good, but colour accuracy was not great with an average dE of 2.9. It did have a better overall default setup than the 23.8" P2414H model which has a larger gamma deviance (11%) out of the box. For casual users the default setup should be fine, and you can just turn the brightness control down to suit your ambient lighting conditions.

The panel did excel in terms of black depth and contrast ratio for an IPS/PLS matrix, with a calibrated contrast ratio of 1065:1 measured. This couldn't compete with some of the AMVA based screens we've tested which could reach up to 2000 - 3000:1 static contrast ratios easily. For a PLS panel it was the best we have tested, out-performing models like the Asus PB278Q (858:1) and ViewSonic VP2770-LED (752:1). It also out-performance some of Dell's other recent IPS technology screens like the S2740L (691:1), U2413 (783:1) and U2713HM (869:1) for instance. It was a similar result to what we'd seen from the P2414H (1010:1) which was good news for these modern IPS/PLS screens.

Contrast Stability and Brightness

The brightness control gave us a very good range of adjustment. At the top end the maximum luminance reached 311 cd/m² which was actually a little higher even than the specified maximum brightness of 300 cd/m² from the manufacturer. There was a large 260.6 cd/m² adjustment range in total, and so at the minimum setting you could reach down to a luminance of 50 cd/m². This should be adequate for those wanting to work in darkened room conditions with low ambient light. A setting of ~29 in the OSD menu should return you a luminance of around 120 cd/m².

We have plotted the luminance trend on the graph above. The screen behaves as it should in this regard, with a reduction in the luminance output of the screen controlled by the reduction in the OSD brightness setting. This was pretty much a linear relationship. It should be noted that the brightness regulation is controlled by Pulse Width Modulation at a frequency of 240Hz.

The average contrast ratio of the screen was 1077:1 and it remained reasonably stable across the brightness adjustment range as shown above. A good result for a PLS panel.

Dynamic Contrast

We tested the DCR feature in both of the preset modes. By default the Game preset mode gave us a static contrast ratio similar to that which we'd measured in the standard default preset mode (1086:1). However, with DCR enabled the brightness of the screen was very high at 308.58 cd/m². The DCR seemed to do very little when switching between an almost all-white and almost all-black screen which was a shame but there was a slight extension of the contrast ratio, up to 1234:1. If you watched the energy bar in the OSD menu you could see that the DCR controlled 3 bars worth, including up to maximum energy consumption (full brightness).

This was of course nowhere near the adverted 2 million:1 figure. If you switch to a complete 100% black image, the backlight dims further until the energy bar is at 1. This takes approximately 4 seconds to control the full range, but you have to have a 100% black image to initiate it. After a further 10 seconds it is then turned off completely. Given that you're unlikely to ever get a 100% black image in practice, especially continuously for 10 seconds or more, this feature seems pointless and is more of a marketing number than anything else. The high 2 million:1 spec is achieved in the lab when the backlight is turned off, but in day to day use you're never going to be able to use it. The 'Movie' mode was a similar story, with the DCR not really doing much in practice. In fact the static contrast ratio was crushed quite a lot in this mode to around 781:1 so it wasn't very desirable. Again the backlight is turned off completely after ~10 seconds but again useless in practice.

Viewing Angles

Above: Viewing angles shown from front and side, and  from above and below. Click for larger image

Viewing angles of the P2714H were very good as you would expect from a PLS panel. Horizontally there was very little colour tone shift until wide angles past about 45°. A slight darkening of the image occurred horizontally from wider angles as you can see above as the contrast shifted slighting. Contrast shifts were very good vertically as well, perhaps slightly more noticeable. The screen offered the wide viewing angles of PLS panel technology and was free from the restrictive fields of view of TN Film panels, especially in the vertical plane. It was also free of the off-centre contrast shift you see from VA panels and a lot of the quite obvious gamma and colour tone shift you see from some of the modern AMVA and PVA offerings.

Above: View of an all black screen from the side. Click for larger version

On a black image there was a characteristic white glow from an angle which can be problematic on some IPS/PLS panels. This is often referred to as "IPS / PLS glow". If you are working in darkened room conditions and with dark content on the screen this may prove difficult. As you change your line of sight the white, silvery glow appears across the panel. This was fairly typical on the P2714H and may be a little problematic for those using a lot of dark content given the large screen size. We'd actually seen a low amount of IPS glow from the IPS-based P2414H model, but given the use of a different panel here in the 27" P2714H, it was more like other IPS/PLS panels we've seen.

Panel Uniformity

We wanted to test here how uniform the brightness and colour temperature was across the screen, as well as identify any leakage from the backlight in dark lighting conditions. Measurements of the luminance and colour temperature were taken at 35 points across the panel on a pure white background. The measurements for luminance were taken using BasICColor's calibration software package, combined with an X-rite i1 Display Pro colorimeter with a central point on the screen calibrated to 120 cd/m². Measurements for colour temperature (white point) were taken using BasICColor software and the i1 Pro spectrophotometer which can more accurately measure the white point of different backlighting technologies. The below uniformity diagram shows the difference, as a percentage, between the measurement recorded at each point on the screen, as compared with the central reference point.

It is worth noting that panel uniformity can vary from one screen to another, and can depend on manufacturing lines, screen transport and other local factors. This is only a guide of the uniformity of the sample screen we have for review.
 

Uniformity of Luminance

The luminance uniformity of the screen was moderate overall. There were some fairly significant deviances in the luminance along the left hand side of the screen where it dropped by -17.65% maximum to 104 cd/m². There was a brighter region in the central/right hand area as you can see where it reached up a little above the calibrated central point, up to 128 cd/m² maximum. Overall around 70% of the screen remained within a 10% deviance from the central 120 cd/m² point so not too bad.
 

Uniformity of White Point / Colour Temperature

The colour temperature uniformity was measured based on a centrally calibrated 6500k point. As you can see, the colour temperature was very uniform across the panel with only small deviations across the screen. There was a maximum of 5.72% deviance between any two points on the screen. There was only a very slight 1 - 2% deviance along the left hand edge of the screen so nothing noticeable at all.

Backlight Leakage

Above: All black screen in a darkened room. Click for larger version

As usual we also tested the screen with an all black image and in a darkened room. A camera was used to capture the result. Three was some slight leakage in the bottom left hand corner and a more noticeable strip in the upper left hand region of the screen. To be honest there was nothing too severe, and certainly nothing you could spot during normal uses day to day.

General and Office Applications

The Dell P2714H isn't like many other 27" screens in the market, or like Dell's UltraSharp U2713HM and U2713H models. It does not offer a massive WQHD 2560 x 1440 resolution and instead sticks with a smaller 1920 x 1080 resolution across its 16:9 aspect panel. While this of course has some cost saving advantages, and is perfectly suitable for multimedia use, it is not as good for general day to day office work. This relatively low resolution on such a large screen means there is a 0.311mm pixel pitch and the text appears large as a result. This might be good for those with any kind of eye sight issues, and for those who prefer a larger text size for a lot of web and text based work. However, you need to consider that this same 1920 x 1080 resolution can be found on small screens as well, including 21.5" diagonal models. On screens that size the resolution is arguably a little too high and text is a little too small, but on a 27" diagonal sized screen we personally think it is a bit too low. The screen is certainly comfortable for a lot of text reading, but it just doesn't look quite as sharp and crisp as a higher resolution equivalent. You do also really miss the desktop real-estate when coming from a 2560 x 1440 screen to this.

Updated 28/4/14 -  We did feel that the text didn't feel quite as sharp and clear as we were perhaps used to, even at this low resolution (for a 27" screen). It felt a bit funny when we first set up the screen which the interpolation pictures below show. Examining these more closely revealed that the pixel structure seemed to be BGR instead of the normal RGB. This defeats the sub-pixel font rendering that Windows and Mac OS use to make text look better on LCD panels.   In Windows, the user can run ClearType calibration to restore normal-looking fonts but Mac users have no such option.  It is unclear if this affects all units of the P2714H or not, but it was a rather odd appearance.

The light AG coating of the PLS panel is certainly welcome, and a very positive change from the older grainy and 'dirty' appearance of older IPS AG coatings. The wide viewing angles provided by the panel technology on both horizontal and vertical planes, helps minimize on-screen colour shift when viewed from different angles. The default setup of the screen was reasonable really in terms of gamma and white point, but colour accuracy was a bit off. The contrast ratio was excellent for a PLS panel at over 1000:1 which was pleasing, even after calibration. The brightness range of the screen was also very good, with the ability to offer a luminance between approximately 311 and 50 cd/m². This should mean the screen is perfectly useable in a wide variety of ambient light conditions, including darkened rooms. A setting of ~29 in the OSD brightness control should return you a luminance close to 120 cd/m². Unfortunately for some users the brightness regulation is controlled using Pulse-Width modulation (PWM), and at a relatively low frequency of 240Hz. Those who suffer from eye fatigue or headaches associated with flickering backlights may need to keep this in mind, but remember it doesn't affect every user.

There was no audible noise or buzzing from the screen, even when specifically looking for it using test images with a large amount of text at once. The screen also remains cool even during prolonged use. There is a 'text' preset mode available from the menu which may be useful if you want to set up the screen for different uses perhaps. The DVI connection provided a slightly sharper and crisper image than the VGA connection, although the latter was still very good really.

The screen offers 4x USB 2.0 ports which can be useful, although a lot of modern screens are now offering USB 3.0 instead. Might have been nice to keep this up to date with them perhaps. There are no further extras like ambient light sensors or card readers which can be useful in office environments. There was a great range of ergonomic adjustments available from the stand allowing you to obtain a comfortable position for a wide variety of angles. Some of the movements were a little stiff but not exactly hard to move still. The VESA mounting support may also be useful to some people as well, especially given the nice thin profile of the screen.

 
Above: photo of text at 1920 x 1080 (top) and 1600 x 900 (bottom)

The screen is designed to run at its native resolution of 1920 x 1080 and at a 60Hz recommended refresh rate. However, if you want you are able to run the screen outside of this resolution. We tested the screen at a lower 1600 x 900 resolution to see how the screen handles the interpolation of the resolution, while maintaining the same aspect ratio of 16:9. At native resolution the text was reasonably sharp as you can see from the top photograph although there was some overlapping of pixels which meant it felt a little blurry. When you switch to a lower resolution the text is larger of course but still clear enough. The screen seems to interpolate the image well although you of course lose a lot of desktop real-estate running at a lower resolution.

Responsiveness and Gaming

The P2714H is rated by Dell as having an 8 ms G2G response time and the panel uses overdrive / response time compensation (RTC) technology to boost pixel transitions across grey to grey changes. There is no user control over the overdrive impulse within the OSD menu and so we are reliant on the factory setup. The part being used is the Samsung LTM270HL02 AD-PLS panel. Have a read about response time in our specs section if you need additional information about this measurement.

We will first test the screen using our thorough response time testing method. This uses an oscilloscope and photosensor to measure the pixel response times across a series of 20 different transitions, in the full range from 0 (black) to 255 (white). This will give us a realistic view of how the monitor performs in real life, as opposed to being reliant only on a manufacturers spec. We can work out the response times for changing between many different shades, calculate the maximum, minimum and average grey to grey (G2G) response times, and provide an evaluation of any overshoot present on the monitor.

We use an ETC M526 oscilloscope for these measurements along with a custom photosensor device. Have a read of our response time measurement article for a full explanation of the testing methodology and reported data.

The response time performance overall was close to the specified 8 ms G2G figure. In fact we measured an average grey to grey response time across all transitions of 8.9ms, exactly what we'd seen in fact from the P2414H model. The rise times shown in the upper right hand region of the table, and representing changes from dark to light shades were slightly slower at 9.1 ms G2G average, as compared with the fall times (8.6 ms G2G average, lower left region, changes from light to dark shades). Overall the responsiveness remained pretty similar across all transitions with no significantly faster or slower changes.

Transition:100-150-100
(scale = 20ms)

Above is a fairly classic example of what we saw from the response times. The rise and fall times were pretty similar, and there was some slight overshoot on both transitions here, but very minimal.

If we evaluate the Response Time Compensation (RTC) overshoot then the results are mostly ok. There were a few transitions which resulted in a noticeable overshoot, mostly when changing from a very dark or black shade to a lighter shade. The maximum RTC error was 25.2% which is noticeable but not too severe. Thankfully most of the transitions measured had little to no overshoot so all in all it shouldn't present a big problem here. In fact it was similar to what we'd seen from the P2414H, with a slightly higher error on this 27" model.

Transition: 0-100-0
(scale = 20ms)

The above oscillogram is an example of the largest overshoot we saw, but even there it is not too severe at all at 25.2%.

As we begin to measure more screens with the oscilloscope system we can begin to plot them on a graph like the above for easy comparison. This shows you the lowest, average and highest G2G response time measurement for each screen. There is also a traffic light style circle mark to indicate the RTC overshoot error for each screen, as the response time figure alone doesn't tell the whole story.

As you can see, the P2714H performed much like the IPS technology panels we have tested, and overall was very similar to the 23.8" P2414H model as you might expect. The Dell P2714H was a little slower in these tests than the U2413, U2713H and U3014 models shown here (7.2 - 7.9ms G2G), but those models had some severe issues with overshoot, which thankfully the P2714H doesn't really suffer from. There is some slight overshoot on some transitions, but nothing to the extend of what we saw on those new UltraSharp panels. The TN Film based Asus VG278HE was a fair bit faster with its ultra-quick 4.1ms G2G average, but that is a gamer orientated screen don't forget.

Display Comparisons

The screen was also tested using the chase test in PixPerAn for the following display comparisons. As a reminder, a series of pictures are taken on the highest shutter speed and compared, with the best case example shown on the left, and worst case example on the right. This should only be used as a rough guide to comparative responsiveness but is handy for a comparison between different screens and technologies as well as a means to compare those screens we tested before the introduction of our oscilloscope method.

27" 8ms G2G Samsung AD-PLS

In practice the Dell P2714H showed pretty low levels of motion blur, and no obvious ghosting. There was some some slight trailing in the best case images as you can see above but overall the movement felt quite good. There was no sign of any obvious overshoot artefacts in these tests either which was pleasing. We know from our oscilloscope tests that there is some overshoot on some transitions, but nothing too severe overall.

27" 8ms G2G Samsung AD-PLS

23.8" 8ms G2G LG.Display AH-IPS

24" 7ms G2G LG.Display AH-IPS

24" 8ms G2G LG.Display e-IPS

We have provided a comparison of the P2714H first of all against a few other Dell screens. The P2714H performed very similarly to the 23.8" P2414H model which was pleasing. There was slightly more overshoot measured on the 27" model, but still nothing too severe to worry about. The Dell S2740L and U2414M showed nice low levels of motion blur and the moving image was a little sharper than on the P series screens here. However, a noticeable dark overshoot was introduced on both models, caused by an overly aggressive overdrive impulse.

27" 8ms G2G Samsung AD-PLS

27" 8ms G2G LG.Display AH-IPS

27" 5ms G2G Samsung PLS (Trace Free = 40)

27" 12ms G2G Samsung PLS (Response Time = Advanced)

We have also provided a comparison of the P2714H above against 3 popular 27" high res screens we have tested. The very popular Dell U2713HM performed quite similarly to the P2714H in practice, showing pretty fast response times and no noticeable overshoot. It was a little faster and smother than the P2714H in fact, but not by much. The Asus PB278Q and ViewSonic VP2770-LED both feature PLS panels from Samsung, and both were again pretty fast in these tests although in the case of the Asus there was a small amount of overshoot introduced, but not much at all while at the modest Trace Free setting of 40. All in all the Dell P2714H held its own against some of these fast IPS/PLS models.

27" 8ms G2G Samsung AD-PLS

27" 2ms G2G Chi Mei Innolux TN Film +144Hz (Trace Free = 60)

24" 2ms G2G AU Optronics TN Film + 120Hz (AMA = On)

27" 1ms G2G Chi Mei Innolux TN Film + 120Hz (Over Drive = 0)

We've also included a comparison above against three very fast 120Hz+ compatible screens we have tested. In all cases these other screens are using TN Film panels and are aimed primarily at gamers. Firstly there is a comparison against the Asus VG278HE with its 144Hz refresh rate. This showed very fast pixel response times and smooth movement thanks to its increased refresh rate. You are able to reduce the motion blur even more through the use of the LightBoost strobed backlight which we talked about in depth in our article about Motion Blur Reduction Backlights.

Then there is a comparison against the BenQ XL2420T. This showed very low levels of motion blur, but some dark overshoot was introduced as a side-effect. The Iiyama G2773HS was very responsive and even has a quoted 1ms G2G response time. This showed very low levels of blur and had minimal issue with overshoot.

While these pixel response tests show the Dell to have pretty fast pixel transitions and freedom from any overshoot, there is something else going on as well here which can't be picked out by the camera. All of these other TN Film models are running at 120Hz (or higher) refresh rates, which allows for improved 120fps+ frame rates and the support of 3D stereoscopic content as well. This can really help improve smoothness and the overall gaming experience so these screens still have the edge when it comes to fast gaming.

The responsiveness of the Dell P2714H was pleasing, and about on par with the faster IPS and PLS models we have tested to date. The average 8.9ms G2G response time couldn't of course compete with fast TN Film models, but for a PLS panel it was good. More pleasing perhaps, certainly compared with some other recent Dell releases, was the freedom from any major overshoot problems. That can really be problematic in a whole variety of uses, and so we were pleased Dell hadn't tried to push the response time too far at the expense of overshoot. There was some on certain transitions, but overall nothing severe at all. The screen should be able to handle some fast gaming without problem, although those wanting to play fast FPS or competitive games may want to consider some of the more gamer orientated 120Hz+, TN Film based compatible displays out there. Even better still would be models equipped with LightBoost systems for optimum motion blur elimination.

Additional Gaming Features

Aspect Ratio Control - The screen offers three options for hardware level aspect ratio control, available within the 'Display settings' menu as shown above. There are options for 16:9, 4:3 and 5:4 modes which should cover a wide variety of uses. These will force the selected aspect ratio regardless of what the source resolution/aspect is. It would have been helpful to include an "aspect" option perhaps, to automatically maintain the source aspect ratio whatever it may be. A defined 1:1 pixel mapping option would also have been handy for some. Given a lot of content is native 16:9 aspect nowadays anyway, and the screen is of course 16:9 itself, there will hopefully not be the need to scale content as often as on a 16:10 aspect screen for instance.

Preset Modes - There is a defined 'game' preset mode available in the menu. This seems to accentuate the brightness and sharpness of the content, which some people may like for gaming. The DCR function is also available in this mode if you want, although we've already seen it does very little in practice.

Lag

For the full reviews of the models compared here and the dates they were written (and when screens were approximately released to the market), please see our full reviews index.

We have provided a comparison above against other models we have tested to give an indication between screens. Those shown with blue bars in the bottom half represent the total "display lag" as at the time of review we did not have access to an oscilloscope system to measure the response time element and provide an estimation of the signal processing. The screens tested more recently in the top half are split into two measurements which are based on our overall display lag tests (using SMTT) and half the average G2G response time, as measured by the oscilloscope. The response time is split from the overall display lag and shown on the graph as the green bar. From there, the signal processing (red bar) can be provided as a good estimation.

The Dell P2714H showed an average total display lag of only 5.4ms during the initial tests. This lag was very low overall, equating to less than half a frame. We measured half the average G2G response time as 4.45ms and so we can estimate that the signal processing is approximately 0.95ms. This represents a very low, almost none-existent lag and means the screen should be perfectly fine, even for fast FPS gaming. This was almost identical to what we'd seen from the 23.8" P2414H model as well.
 

Movies and Video

The following summarises the screens performance in video applications:

• 27" screen size makes it a reasonable option for an all-in-one multimedia screen, but being quite a bit smaller than most modern LCD TV's of course.

• 16:9 aspect ratio is more well suited to videos than a 16:10 format screen, leaving smaller borders on DVD's and wide screen content at the top and bottom.

• 1920 x 1080 resolution can support full 1080 HD resolution content

• Digital interface support HDCP for any encrypted and protected content

• DVI, VGA and DisplayPort connections available, so maybe some limited connectivity choices for modern DVD players, Blu-ray, consoles etc. It's a shame HDMI wasn't included as an additional option.

• Cables provided in the box for VGA and DisplayPort, but not DVI.

• Light AG coating a positive change providing clean and clear images, without the unwanted reflections of a glossy solution.

• Wide brightness range adjustment possible from the display, including high maximum luminance of ~311 cd/m² and a good minimum luminance of ~50 cd/m². This should afford you very good control for different lighting conditions. Contrast ratio remains stable across that adjustment range as well, although brightness regulation is controlled by PWM which may put off some users.

• Black depth and contrast ratio are excellent for a PLS panel at 1065:1 after calibration. Detail in darker scenes should not be lost as a result, and shadow detail should be good.

• Dynamic contrast ratio is available on this model but does nothing in real use really.

• There is a specific 'movie' preset mode available for movies or video if you want but it is much cooler than our calibrated custom mode and static contrast ratio is also reduced a bit. May be useful to some though.

• Good pixel responsiveness which should still be able to handle fast moving scenes in movies without issue. No major overshoot issues which is pleasing.

• Wide viewing angles thanks to PLS panel technology meaning several people could view the screen at once comfortable and from a whole host of different angles. PLS glow is present at common levels so be aware of this if you're viewing a lot of dark content from an angle.

• Very good range of ergonomic adjustments available from the stand, so should be easy to obtain a comfortable position for multiple users or if you want to sit further away from the screen for movie viewing.

• No particularly noticeable backlight leakage, and none from the edges which is good. This type of leakage may prove an issue when watching movies where black borders are present but it is not a problem here.

• No integrated stereo speakers on this model but it is compatible with Dell's SoundBar if you want.

• Moderate range of hardware aspect ratio options with 16:9, 5:4 and 4:3 modes available which should be fine for most uses.

• Picture in picture (PiP) and Picture By Picture (PbP) are not available.

• For PAL sources, we have tested the screen and confirmed it will support the full native resolution of 1920 x 1080 at 50Hz refresh rate.
   

Conclusion

As we said when we reviewed the P2414H, the move to a more rounded panel technology with the new P series is certainly welcome. We were expecting an LG.Display IPS panel here but we actually got Samsung's very similar PLS technology instead. By moving to IPS/PLS, Dell are able to offer a very good all round performance from the panel, to go along with their usual good all round feature and spec set. It was nice to see the wide range of ergonomic adjustments from the stand and a decent set of connectivity options again here.

Out of the box the screen performed pretty well, certainly fine for most casual users. We were again pleased by the high contrast ratio for this kind of panel technology and it marked an improvement compared with what we'd seen so far from the 1440p resolution PLS panels we'd tested. The panel offered nice wide viewing angles and a stable image which was pleasing. Response times were good as well, not as fast as you can get from TN Film matrices but adequate for a fair amount of gaming. The very low lag was also positive news, mirroring what we'd seen from the P2414H.

We suppose the question for many will be "is it better than the P2414H model?" Overall we felt the performance was pretty comparable to be honest. The clarity of the image wasn't quite as good here due to the larger pixel pitch and the slightly unclear text we noticed. The use of PWM for backlight dimming was also a shame, especially when we'd seen a flicker free backlight being used on the 23.8" model. However, the default setup of the screen was a bit better here and the screen is obviously a few inches bigger and may as a result be more suitable for gaming, movies and multimedia use. If you wanted a slightly bigger screen for those kind of uses then this still carries most of the benefits of the P2414H thankfully.

At the time of writing this review (dated at the top of the page) the Dell P2714H currently retails for ~£308 GBP (inc VAT) putting it a reasonable amount more than the P2414H (~£208). There haven't really been many 27" 1080p models released by Dell, with the S2740L being quite different in characteristics and features. That model is a similar retail cost at ~£290. Some models like the BenQ GW2760HS are lower cost (£204) but do provide a more basic set of features and extras than the Dell. The P2714H is an interesting option if you're after a 27" IPS/PLS model and want some of the extras Dell provide, as well as their usual comprehensive support services.