Introduction
It's been about a year and a half since we took an
in depth look at ViewSonic's Professional Range
VP2770-LED display. Since then the manufacturer have extended this range
further with a new model, the VP2772. Like it's predecessor the VP2772 is aimed
firmly at semi-professional uses, with a focus on image quality and colour
accuracy. With this model the main change is a shift to the latest GB-r-LED
backlighting which allows ViewSonic to offer a wide gamut colour space instead
of the standard sRGB colour space of the VP2770-LED. Factory calibration, 10-bit
colour depth support, a 14-bit LUT and the use of a modern AH-IPS panel round off
the features when it comes to high end colour accuracy. The VP2772 is a logical
direct competitor to
Dell's U2713H screen, so we will try to draw comparisons throughout this
review.
ViewSonic's website states: "ViewSonic’s
VP2772 is a 27” ultra-high resolution display with 2560x1440 QHD resolution and
10-bit color. Covering 99% of the Adobe RGB color space, the VP2772 meets the
high color standards of photographers, graphic designers, video editors, print
departments, and other design professionals.
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Specifications and Features
The following table gives detailed information
about the specs of the screen:
Monitor
Specifications |
Size |
27"WS (68.6cm) |
Panel Coating |
Light AG coating |
Aspect Ratio |
16:9 |
Interfaces |
DL-DVI, HDMI 1.4, DisplayPort 1.2, Mini
DisplayPort. Plus DisplayPort out |
Resolution |
2560x 1440 |
Pixel Pitch |
0.231 mm |
Design
colour |
Matte black bezel and stand |
Response Time |
6ms G2G, 12ms ISO (typ) |
Ergonomics |
Tilt, 150mm height, swivel and rotate |
Static Contrast Ratio |
1000:1 |
Dynamic Contrast Ratio |
20 million:1 |
VESA Compatible |
Yes 100mm |
Brightness |
350 |
Accessories |
Power cable and external power brick. USB, DL-DVI,
DisplayPort and HDMI cables. |
Viewing Angles |
178 / 178 |
Panel Technology |
LG.Display AH-IPS |
Weight |
Net weight with stand: 8.54Kg |
Backlight Technology |
GB-r-LED |
Physical Dimensions |
(WxHxD) with stand
642.6 x 464.8 x 348 mm |
Colour Depth |
1.07b (8-bit + FRC)
12-bit processing, 14-bit LUT |
Refresh Rate |
60Hz |
Special
Features |
4x
USB 3.0 ports, headphone jack, factory calibration |
Colour Gamut |
Wide gamut
100%
sRGB, 99.3% Adobe RGB, 104% NTSC |
The ViewSonic VP2772 offers a full range of connectivity options. There are
dual-link DVI, DisplayPort 1.2, Mini DisplayPort and HDMI interfaces provided for video
connections
which is great to see. There's an additional DisplayPort out interface for daisy-chaining
several screens. The digital interfaces are HDCP certified for encrypted content.
Cables are provided in the box for DVI, HDMI and DisplayPort, but not Mini
DisplayPort. There is no D-sub VGA interface connection provided on this model.
The screen has an external power supply brick
which is provided along with the necessary power cable (not a normal kettle
lead). There is a built-in 4 port USB 3.0 hub as well on this model and it's
nice to see the latest generation of USB featured. There is also an audio jack if you're sending audio
to the screen as well. There are no further extras such as integrated speakers,
card readers or ambient light sensors on this model.
Below is a summary of the features and connections
of the screen:
Feature |
Yes / No |
Feature |
Yes / No |
Tilt adjust |
|
DVI |
|
Height adjust |
|
HDMI |
|
Swivel adjust |
|
D-sub |
|
Rotate adjust |
|
DisplayPort |
|
VESA compliant |
|
Component |
|
USB Ports |
|
Composite |
|
Card Reader |
|
Audio connection |
|
Ambient Light Sensor |
|
HDCP Support |
|
Touch Screen |
|
MHL Support |
|
Hardware calibration |
|
Integrated Speakers |
|
Uniformity correction |
|
PiP / PbP |
|
Design and Ergonomics
Above:
front views of the screen. Click for larger versions
The VP2772 comes in an all-black design,
with matte plastics used for the bezel, stand and base. From the front the
screen provides a modest edge with a bezel measuring ~21mm along all
sides. A very faint "ViewSonic" logo is in the middle of the lower bezel
in a dark grey colour, and the "VP2772" model name is in the top right
corner, a little more pronounced in a lighter grey colour. The OSD control
buttons and power LED are situated in the bottom right hand corner of the
screen, with a thin strip LED glowing blue when the screen is on, and
amber in standby. This can also be turned off completely from within the
OSD menu if you want.
Above:
rear view of the screen. Click for larger versions
The back of the screen is again finished in
a matte black plastic colour. There is a large ViewSonic logo etched into
the upper section, and the interface connections are provided on the
bottom edge of the central section. The stand is attached to the back of
the panel out of the box, but you do need to screw on the V-shaped base
yourself, which is easy enough to do. If you want to remove the stand
completely you can unscrew it from the back of the panel (there isn't a
quick release mechanism here) and wall or arm-mount the screen with the
VESA 100 compliant holes.
Above:
view of the base of the stand and cable tidy clip. Click for larger
versions
The base is a rather large V-shaped black
plastic piece which provides a wide and deep base for the whole screen. It
remains very sturdy as a result and feels secure and firm on the desk,
although it is quite chunky looking. It's the same design and stand as
used on previous models, including the VP2770-LED. On the back of the
lower part of the stand is a useful cable tidy clip as shown above
(right). The stand and base felt a bit industrial in design and too
chunky.
Above:
side view of the screen and 2x USB 3.0 ports. Click for larger versions
From the side you can see the actual panel
depth is not that deep, but the stand and base add a lot to the overall
side profile. You can see how big and wide the base is here. On the right
hand edge of the screen are two easy-access USB 3.0 ports as shown above
(right).
Above:
Full tilt adjustment range. Click for larger versions
The stand offers a very good range of
ergonomic adjustments which is great to see. Above you can see the full
tilt range which offers smooth movement but is a little stiff to move
sometimes. It does allow for a good range of adjustments though to meet
your personal viewing position.
Above:
Full height adjustment range. Click for larger versions
The height adjustment range is also very
good. At the lowest setting the bottom edge of the screen is ~90mm from
the top of the desk. At maximum extension it is ~240mm, giving you a total
adjustment range of 150mm. Movement is smooth but it is stiff to operate.
Above:
full side to side pivot range. Click for larger versions
There is also a side to side pivot function
provided, and the base remains stationary on the desk as you move it from
side to side. The range is very wide, but again it's stiff to operate.
Above:
rotated view show. Click for larger versions
There is also a full rotation function to
switch into portrait mode if you desire. This is a bit bumpy to operate
and again stiff to move. All in all the range of ergonomic adjustments was
very good although we did feel they were a little stiff to move on the
most part.
A summary of the screens ergonomic adjustments
is shown below:
Function |
Range |
Smoothness |
Ease of Use |
Tilt |
Yes |
Smooth |
Bit stiff |
Height |
150mm |
Smooth |
Stiff |
Swivel |
Yes |
Smooth |
Stiff |
Rotate |
Yes |
Bit bumpy |
Stiff |
Overall |
Good range of adjustments although most are stiff to move |
The materials were of a good standard and the
build quality felt good as well. There was some slight audible buzzing noise from the screen when conducting specific tests which can often identify buzzing issues.
Not something you'd really notice in normal use unless you're working with a
lot of dense text.
The whole screen remained cool even during prolonged use as well which
was pleasing.
Above:
interface connections shown. Click for larger versions
The video interface connections are located on the back of the screen as shown
above. On the left hand side there are two more USB 3.0 downstream ports and
the upstream port to connect back to the PC. There is also the power brick
connection shown here. On the right hand side are the video connections,
including the DisplayPort out port for daisy-chaining and headphone jack.
OSD Menu
Above: views of
OSD operational buttons on the bottom right hand edge of the screen
The OSD menu is controlled from a series of 4
touch sensitive buttons located on the bottom right hand corner of the front
bezel, as shown above. There is also an additional touch sensitive power on/off
button and to the right on the corner is the power LED. These buttons work well
but don't light up or anything, they are just touch-sensitive.
There is quick access to the input selection using
the "2" button and also quick access to the 'user setting' menu shown above
using the up arrow. Pressing the "1" button brings up the main OSD menu.
Within the main OSD it is split into 8 sections as
shown above (left). Navigation is pretty straightforward with the arrow buttons,
and the "2" button selects an option, with the "1" button going back. The first
section provides you access to the brightness and contrast options as shown
above (right).
The input select menu allows you to switch between
the video inputs. This part is a bit cumbersome as you have to switch between
each in order to get to the one you want. The 'color adjust' menu allows you to
switch between the various preset modes, including the sRGB and Adobe RGB
emulation modes which we will look at
later on in the
review.
The information section confirms your active
resolution and refresh rate and the model / serial number (left). The 'manual
image adjust' section (right) contains the most useful and interesting extra
options. There is the dynamic contrast ratio control if you want to use that for
gaming or video. The
response time control allows you to alter the overdrive
setting which we will test later on as well. There is also the pre-defined ECO
modes for power saving, the gamma setting and Picture in Picture (PiP) / Picture
By Picture (PbP) menu.
The ECO mode and gamma settings are shown above.
Note the typo in the spelling of "gentle" for the gamma curve.
The PiP and PbP menu is shown above, and also the
final 'setup' section of the OSD.
The factory OSD menu can be accessed by holding
the "1" button down while you power on the screen. When you then go into the
normal OSD you will see a small "F" at the top which gives you access to the
factory menu as shown above. No particularly useful options though here.
All in all the menu software felt a bit
old-fashioned and basic, although there were a reasonable set of options to play
with. Navigation was mostly ok, and the menu does at least remember which
section you were last in when you go back in to it.
Power Consumption
In terms of power consumption the manufacturer
lists 65.0W typical usage during operation. We carried out our normal tests to
establish its power consumption ourselves.
|
State and Brightness
Setting |
Manufacturer Spec (W) |
Measured Power Usage
(W) |
Default (100%) |
65.0 |
66.7 |
Calibrated (28%) |
- |
36.1 |
Maximum Brightness (100%) |
- |
66.7 |
Minimum Brightness (0%) |
- |
24.0 |
Standby |
- |
0.5 |
|
We tested this ourselves and found that out of the
box the screen used 66.7W at the default 100% brightness setting. Once calibrated the screen reached
36.1W consumption, and in standby it used only 0.5W. We have plotted these
results below compared with other screens we have tested. As you might expect
the power consumption (comparing the calibrated states) is very similar to the
Dell U2713H which uses the same GB-r-LED backlight system. W-LED backlit units
including the VP2770-LED model are a little lower, and CCFL units like the Eizo
SX2762W and NEC PA271W for instance are a lot more power hungry.
Panel and Backlighting
Panel Manufacturer |
LG.Display |
Colour Palette |
1.07 billion |
Panel Technology |
AH-IPS |
Colour Depth |
8-bit + FRC |
Panel Module |
LM270WQ3-SLB2 |
Colour space |
Wide gamut |
Backlighting Type |
GB-r-LED |
Colour space coverage (%) |
100% sRGB, 104% NTSC, 99.3%
Adobe RGB |
Panel Part and Colour Depth
The ViewSonic VP2772 utilises an
LG.Display LM270WQ3-SLB2 AH-IPS panel which is capable of producing 1.07
billion colours with an 8-bit colour depth and additional
Frame Rate Control (FRC) stage (8-bit + FRC). The panel offers support for
10-bit content with a colour depth support for 1.07 billion colours. However,
you need to take into account whether this is practically useable and whether
you're ever going to truly use that colour depth. You need to have a full
10-bit end to end workflow to take advantage of it which is still quite
expensive to achieve and rare in the market, certainly for your average user.
This includes relevant applications and graphics cards as well, so to many
people this 10-bit support might be irrelevant. Given the VP2772's position as a
professional grade, high-end screen, it's pleasing to see the support included.
There is also 12-bit processing and a 14-bit LUT featured in the monitor to help
provide smooth gradients and grey scales.
The panel used in the older VP2770-LED for
reference offered a standard 8-bit colour depth natively, with an additional FRC
stage added by the scaler as opposed to on the panel side. One thing to note is
that the VP2770-LED used a Samsung PLS panel as opposed to the LG.Display IPS
panel being used here. Both technologies are very similar in performance
characteristics at the end of the day and PLS was designed to directly compete
with IPS anyway.
The panel is confirmed when dismantling the screen
as shown below.
Screen
Coating
The
screen coating on the VP2772 is a light anti-glare (AG) offering as opposed
to any kind of glossy coating. However, this is contrary to a lot of other older
IPS based screens which usually feature a grainy and aggressive AG solution. It
retains its anti-glare properties to avoid unwanted reflections, but does not
produce an overly grainy or dirty image that some AG coatings can. There is a
very faint cross-hatching pattern visible on the coating, but you really have to
know what you're looking for and it is very slight.
Backlight Type and Colour Gamut
The screen uses a GB-r-LED backlight unit offering
a wide gamut colour space.
With this new type of LED backlight, based on
analysis of the detailed panel spec sheet the screen
covers 104% of the NTSC reference, 99.3% of the Adobe RGB reference and 100%
(and beyond) of the sRGB space. You need to be mindful that the backlight is a
wide gamut type as not everyone wants or needs a wide gamut screen, and you do
certainly pay a premium to have it. There is also an sRGB emulation mode offered
by the screen thankfully which we will look at later on. If you want to read
more about colour spaces and gamut then please have a read of our
detailed article.
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%
50%
0%
Above scale = 1
horizontal grid = 1ms
At 100% brightness a constant voltage is applied
to the backlight and there is no need for any kind of PWM regulation. As you
begin to lower the brightness setting a very low amplitude oscillation is introduced
as you can see above. This isn't a full off/on typical pulse width modulation
(PWM) operation and the amplitude is very low indeed to the point where it
probably wouldn't be a problem to anyone. This also operates at a very high
frequency of 17,500 Hz. The screen can't be classified as being completely
"flicker free" as a DC method is not being used and there is some very high
frequency/low amplitude oscillation evident, but it shouldn't present problems to
users because of this so don't be put off.
0% Zoomed In View
Above scale = 1
horizontal grid = 0.25ms
Pulse Width
Modulation Used |
No, but see above |
Cycling
Frequency |
17,500 Hz
(oscillation) |
Possible
Flicker at |
|
100% Brightness |
No |
50% Brightness |
Yes |
0% Brightness |
Yes |
For an up to date list of all flicker-free (PWM free) monitors please see our
Flicker Free Monitor Database.
Contrast
Stability and Brightness
We wanted to see how much variance there was in
the screens contrast as we adjusted the monitor setting for brightness.
In theory, brightness and contrast are two independent parameters, and good
contrast is a requirement regardless of the brightness adjustment.
Unfortunately, such is not always the case in practice. We recorded the
screens luminance and black depth at various OSD brightness settings, and
calculated the contrast ratio from there. Graphics card settings were left at
default with no ICC profile or calibration active. Tests were made using an
X-rite i1 Display Pro colorimeter. It should be noted that we used the
BasICColor calibration software here to record these, and so luminance at
default settings may vary a little from the LaCie Blue Eye Pro report.
OSD
Brightness |
Luminance
(cd/m2) |
Black
Point (cd/m2) |
Contrast
Ratio
( x:1) |
100 |
315.86 |
0.34 |
929 |
90 |
290.62 |
0.31 |
937 |
80 |
264.95 |
0.29 |
914 |
70 |
238.50 |
0.26 |
917 |
60 |
214.22 |
0.23 |
931 |
50 |
187.80 |
0.20 |
939 |
40 |
162.08 |
0.17 |
953 |
30 |
138.07 |
0.15 |
920 |
20 |
111.18 |
0.12 |
927 |
10 |
78.99 |
0.09 |
877 |
0 |
47.39 |
0.05 |
948 |
Total Luminance Adjustment Range
(cd/m2) |
268.47 |
Brightness OSD setting controls backlight? |
|
Total Black Point
Adjustment Range (cd/m2) |
0.29 |
Average Static Contrast Ratio |
927:1 |
PWM Free? |
see panel section |
Recommended OSD setting for 120 cd/m2 |
23 |
The brightness control gave us a very good range
of adjustment. At the top end the maximum luminance reached 316
cd/m2 which was
a little shy of the specified maximum brightness of 350 cd/m2 from
the manufacturer. There was a large 268 cd/m2 adjustment range in
total, and so at the minimum setting you could reach down to a luminance of 47 cd/m2. This should be
more than adequate for those wanting to work in
darkened room conditions with low ambient light. A setting of ~23 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
although the curve seemed slightly steeper for settings of 20% and lower in the
brightness menu.
It should be noted that the brightness regulation is not controlled by a normal
off/on
Pulse Width Modulation, but there is a very high 17,500 Hz frequency and low
amplitude oscillation detected as opposed to be completely "flicker free". We
expect this not to present any problems in practice to most users though.
The average contrast ratio of
the screen was 927:1 and it remained stable across the brightness adjustment
range as shown above and represented a decent figure for an IPS matrix.
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:
Monitor OSD Option |
Default Settings |
Brightness |
100 |
Contrast |
70 |
Color Adjust |
Native |
ViewSonic VP2772 - Default Factory Settings, Native Preset
|
Default Settings |
luminance (cd/m2) |
249 |
Black Point (cd/m2) |
0.34 |
Contrast Ratio |
930:1 |
Out of the box the screen looked very good to
the naked eye. Colours felt balanced and the temperature felt good as well. The
screen by default operates in an sRGB standard gamut colour space and you could
tell this straight away as compared with a wide gamut screen. The screen was far
too bright which is normal, and this was at the screens default 100% brightness
setting. 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) in this 'native' color adjust mode is approximately equal to the sRGB colour space, with some
slight under-coverage evident in green shades. This was a little unexpected as
you would have thought the native mode was designed to cover the native colour
space of the backlight? Default gamma was recorded at 2.2 average, leaving it
with a very minor 1% deviance from the target of 2.2. White point was
measured at 6586k leaving it again with a very minor 1% deviance from
our target of 6500k. 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 very bright 317
cd/m2 which is
far
too high for prolonged general use. The screen was set
at a default 100% brightness in the OSD menu but that is easy to change of
course to reach a more comfortable setting. The black depth was 0.34 cd/m2 at this default
brightness setting, giving us a very good (for an IPS panel) static contrast ratio of
930:1.
Colour accuracy was also good out of the
box with a default dE average of 2.0, and maximum of 4.0. The screen carries a
factory calibration with target dE of <3 so this is being achieved nicely here.
Testing the screen with various gradients showed smooth transitions with no sign
of any banding thankfully. There was some slight gradation evident in darker
tones as you will see from most monitors. Overall this default setup was very
good and all you really need to adjust is the brightness setting to achieve a
nice setup which should be fine for most users.
Monitor OSD Option |
Default Settings |
Brightness |
n/a |
Contrast |
n/a |
Color Adjust |
sRGB |
ViewSonic VP2772 - Default Factory Settings, sRGB Preset
|
Default Settings |
luminance (cd/m2) |
249 |
Black Point (cd/m2) |
0.25 |
Contrast Ratio |
902:1 |
We switched to the designated sRGB preset mode
to test that as well. In this preset the brightness and contrast menu is not
available and they are locked at an undefined level. As such you are limited
to the default luminance of this preset which is still too high for
comfortable use, although lower than the default 'native' mode at least. Gamma was slightly further out from our target now with a 4%
deviance, being measured at 2.3 average. White point had strayed from the
6500k target further as well with a 6% deviance now measured at 6094k, being a
bit too warm. It is entirely possible that this mode is factory calibrated
deliberately to obtain a white point of ~6000k, but that isn't specified in
ViewSonic's documentation so we can't be sure. Colour accuracy had improved
quite a lot though from the already good 'native' mode, with dE average of
only 1.0 now. Colour gradients remained smooth with no sign of banding, only
gradation in darker tones. With the brightness locked and a luminance measured
at 226
cd/m2, we're
not sure whether this mode is of any real practical use sadly.
Monitor OSD Option |
Default Settings |
Brightness |
100 |
Contrast |
70 |
Color Adjust |
Adobe RGB |
ViewSonic VP2772 - Default Factory Settings, Adobe RGB Preset
|
Default Settings |
luminance (cd/m2) |
249 |
Black Point (cd/m2) |
0.25 |
Contrast Ratio |
899:1 |
We lastly reverted to the Adobe RGB preset mode
to test the default setup in the wide gamut colour space provided by the
backlight. This isn't actually the full native gamut, but rather a mode
designed to emulate the Adobe RGB reference as closely as possible. You can
see that the colour space triangle now extends considerably beyond the sRGB
reference, and you can see that green shades are more saturated to the naked
eye. The red and blue colour space doesn't really extend beyond sRGB and so
it's just green shades which appear noticeably different.
In this mode we were still left with a small
discrepancy in gamma with a 2.3 average measured, leaving us a 3% deviance
from the target. White point was again close to 6000k which is quite possibly
the target for this mode. It was 6% out from our 6500k target we normally
measure to. The luminance was too high still with brightness set back at 100%,
but the static contrast ratio remained high for an IPS panel at 899:1. Colour
accuracy figures should be ignored in this test as they are comparing rendered
colours to the sRGB reference. Colour gradients remained smooth with no sign
of banding, only gradation in darker tones. If you want to work specifically
with the Adobe RGB colour space then this provides a decent enough emulation
mode, although you may want to calibrate the screen to tweak the setup
perhaps.
Colour Temperatures
The VP2772 features a range of 'colour adjust'
presets within the OSD menu as shown above. There are the sRGB, Adobe RGB and
native modes we've already tested in detail, but also a few other modes designed
to offer differing colour temperatures. We measured the screen
with the X-rite i1 Pro spectrophotometer in each of the preset modes to establish
their colour temperature / white point. All other settings were left at factory defaults and no
ICC profile was active. The results are recorded below:
Selected
Preset Mode |
Measured
Colour temperature (k) |
sRGB |
6094 |
Adobe RGB |
6080 |
Bluish |
8853 |
Cool |
7279 |
Native |
6586 |
Warm |
4901 |
User Color |
6418 |
The colour temperature modes didn't specify a
target white point but you can see that the bluish, cool and warm modes behave
as they should. It seems that the sRGB and Adobe RGB modes are likely factory
calibrated to 6000k deliberately. Good to see the Native and User modes offer
a default white point close to the 6500k target as well.
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.
Monitor OSD Option |
Calibrated Settings |
Brightness |
28 |
Contrast |
70 |
Color Adjust |
User Color |
RGB |
99, 94, 100 |
ViewSonic VP2772 - Calibrated Settings, Wide Gamut
|
Calibrated Settings, Wide
Gamut |
luminance (cd/m2) |
119 |
Black Point (cd/m2) |
0.13 |
Contrast Ratio |
910:1 |
We first of all reverted to the 'user color' mode in the OSD menu to allow us access to the individual RGB channels.
This preset uses the full native wide gamut colour space of the backlight as
well, extending beyond the emulated Adobe RGB mode as well. 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 met at 2.2 average. The
target white point was also now achieved at 6494k.
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 0.13 cd/m2 and retained a very good (for an
IPS panel) static contrast ratio of 910:1. Colour accuracy of the resulting
profile was excellent, with dE average of 0.3 and maximum of 0.9. LaCie would
consider colour fidelity to be excellent.
Testing the screen with various colour gradients
showed mostly smooth transitions. There was some slight gradation in darker tones
but no banding introduced due to the adjustments to the
graphics card LUT from the profilation of the screen which was pleasing.
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.
Monitor OSD Option |
Calibrated Settings |
Brightness |
23 |
Contrast |
70 |
Color Adjust |
Native |
RGB |
n/a |
ViewSonic VP2772 - Calibrated Settings, Standard Gamut
|
Calibrated Settings,
Standard Gamut |
luminance (cd/m2) |
120 |
Black Point (cd/m2) |
0.15 |
Contrast Ratio |
777:1 |
We also wanted to calibrate the screen in a mode
providing a standard sRGB gamut. The sRGB preset mode we left alone as you
cannot adjust the brightness setting at all, and so any attempt to achieve a
lower luminance through the calibration process would crush contrast
ratio. Instead we reverted to the 'native' preset mode knowing that this offered
us an sRGB gamut, and also allowed us to alter the brightness control in the OSD
menu.
After the profilation of the screen we were still
left with a minor 1% deviance in the gamma curve as we'd seen out of the box in
this preset mode too. White point had been correctly slightly from the already
very good default, but now bringing it to basically spot on our target at 6503k.
We had corrected the luminance nicely through the adjustment of the brightness
control to 23% in the OSD. One area which did suffer though oddly was the
contrast ratio, and it had dropped to 777:1 only (from 930:1 default). Something
is happening during the process which is causing the contrast ratio to fall.
Colour accuracy had improved to now offer a dE average of 0.7, but maximum of
1.7 so wasn't perfect. It looks like there are some issues perhaps with the
colour linearity in the 'native' preset meaning we can't quite correct some
shades and also resulting in a crushed contrast ratio when we do. Nothing too
major but a bit of a shame if you want to calibrate in a standard colour space.
You may actually be better just leaving it at default settings where contrast
ratio is higher and colour accuracy is still pretty good.
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 very good overall
as the screen was factory calibrated. Gamma and white point were both very close
to the targets with only a 1% deviance. Colour accuracy was also good with an
average dE of 2.0. This was in the default 'native' mode as well, and dE dropped
even lower to an average of 1.0 if you switched to the sRGB preset. However, in
that mode the brightness was locked and so it wasn't of much use day to day we
didn't feel. The default 'native' mode offered a standard gamut colour space and
so those wanting to work with normal sRGB content, or those who don't want to
contend with colour management complications of using a wide gamut screen should
probably stick with this mode. The factory setup was pleasing. The Adobe RGB
preset was also pretty good although the white point was set to a 6000k target
instead of 6500k.
The panel did well in terms of black depth and
contrast ratio for an IPS matrix, with a calibrated contrast ratio of 910:1
measured in the calibrated 'user' mode which used the full wide gamut of the backlight.
This couldn't compete with some of the AMVA based screens we've tested which
could reach up to 2000:1 static contrast ratios (BenQ GW2760HS) easily. However
it was a good result for IPS, achieving more than the Dell U2713H in fact which
uses the same LM270WQ3 panel (800:1). The contrast ratio of the VP2772 was
slightly behind a couple of other IPS models we've tested like the Dell P2414H
(1010:1) but not by much. A good result here from the panel.
Viewing Angles
Above: Viewing
angles shown from front and side, and from above and below. Click for
larger image
Viewing angles of the VP2772 were very good as you
would expect from an IPS based panel. Horizontally there was very little colour
tone shift until wide angles past about 45° although the image did get paler
from a wide angle. Shifts were slightly more noticeable in the vertical field
but overall they were very good, with some slight pink hue introduced as you get
to a wide angle. The screen offered the wide viewing angles of IPS technology
and was free from the very 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. All as
expected really from a modern IPS panel.
Above: View of an
all black screen from the side. Click for larger version
On a black image there is a characteristics IPS
white glow, but in normal working conditions this shouldn't present much
problem. In fact like we'd seen on the Dell U2713H, this was not a very pale
glow, but appeared more reddish in our photos as you can see here. The above
image was taken in a darkened room to demonstrate the white wide angle glow when
viewing a black screen. There is no A-TW polarizer on this panel which is rarely
used now in the market but was implemented on some older screens to improve the
off centre black viewing.
If you are viewing dark content from a close
position to the screen you can sometimes see this pale glow on parts of the
screen towards the sides and corners because of your proximity to the screen and
your line of sight. The edges of the screen are at an angle from your line of
sight which means you pick up this white glow to a smaller degree. This
disappears as you move backwards away from the screen where the line of sight
does not result in a wide angle view of parts of the screen and you can see the
screen largely from head on. This glow should not be mistaken for backlight
bleeding which would not disappear as you changed your line of sight or angle of
viewing.
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,
with some problem areas like the upper portion of the panel which was darker
than the lower regions. In the upper corners the luminance dropped down to a
minimum of 94 cd/m2 (-28%) as compared with a centrally
calibrated point of 120 cd/m2. Around 50% of the screen was
within a 10% deviance from the 120 cd/m2 target which wasn't that
good. We would have hoped for a bit better performance given the market
position of this screen and retail price. There is no uniformity compensation or correction
feature on this model, unlike some higher end competing models like the NEC
PA series for instance.
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.
There was no obvious backlight bleeding detectable to the naked eye. The camera
picked up some clouding in the upper left hand region and in the lower left hand
corner. Nothing too severe and nothing you should notice in day to day use.
General and Office Applications
The VP2772 feature a massive 2560 x 1440 WQHD
resolution which is only just a little bit less vertically than a 30" screen.
The pixel pitch of 0.231mm is very small as a result, and by comparison a
standard 16:10 format 24" model has a pixel pitch of 0.270mm and a 30" model has
0.250mm. These ultra-high resolution 27" models offer the tightest pixel pitch
and therefore the smallest text as well. We found it quite a change coming from
21.5 - 24" sized screens, even those offering quite high resolutions and small
pixel pitches. Some users may find the small text a little too small to read
comfortably, and we'd advise caution if you are coming from a 19" or 22" screen
for instance where the pixel pitch and text are much larger. I found a 30"
screen to be quite a change with text size when I first used one, and this is
very similar and even a little bit smaller! I still personally prefer the
slightly larger text of a 24" model myself, but I expect I could happily get
used to the added resolution on these models given time. The extra screen size
also takes some getting used to over a few days as there really is a lot of room
to work with.
The massive resolution is really good for office
and general use, giving you a really big screen area to work with. It is a
noticeable upgrade from a 24" 1920 x 1200 resolution, and it's good to see
ViewSonic have opted to stick with the high res panel here rather than reverting
to some other 1920 x 1200 / 1920 x 1080 res panel as you may find in other 27"
models. For those wanting a high resolution for CAD, design, photo work etc,
this is a really good option. The image was very sharp and crisp and text was
very clear.
With its WQHD display, you enjoy 77% more desktop space than a full HD screen to
spread out your windows and palettes.
The light AG coating is also very positive when it comes to these kind of uses and we had been pleased with the coating on
this model. The new lighter IPS panel coating ensures that white backgrounds of office
documents looked good, and did not suffer from the overly grainy and dirty feel
of some competing IPS panels featuring heavy, aggressive AG coating. It also
remained free from the reflections you might experience from a full glossy
solution so seems to be a good half-way between the two. The slight
cross-hatching pattern was only visible if you knew what to look for and was
very faint. It's not as obvious as on the Dell U2713HM for instance.
The
wide viewing
angles provided by the IPS 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 very good overall and should provide a decent
reliable setup for those who don't have access to a calibration device of their
own. The default mode operates with an emulated sRGB gamut, but there are also
the Adobe RGB emulation and the 'user' modes available if you want to work with
a wide gamut colour space instead. The contrast ratio was
very good for an IPS panel at 910:1 after calibration which was pleasing. The
brightness range of the screen was also very good, with the ability to offer a
luminance between approximately 316 and 47 cd/m2. This should mean the screen is perfectly useable in
a wide variety of ambient light conditions, including darkened rooms. A setting
of ~23 in the OSD brightness
control should return you a luminance close to 120 cd/m2.
The backlight regulation
is controlled without needing a normal PWM method (full off/on modulation), but
does have a very high frequency/low amplitude oscillation, not a full flicker
free DC method.
There was some
audible buzzing from the screen, but only when specifically looking for it
using test images with a large amount of text at once. This is a similar thing
to what we'd seen from the Dell U2713H as well. The screen remains
cool even during prolonged use. There is no specific 'text' preset mode available from the
menu or anything so you will need to set up one of the other modes to suit your
needs. You have the option to save three user defined preset modes as well in
the OSD menu, which means you can easily set something up to your liking.
The screen offers 4x USB 3.0 ports which can be
useful, and it was nice to see the new generation of USB being offered. Two are available on
the right hand edge of the screen for easy access which was nice. 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, although they were a bit stiff to move on the most part
so you won't want to be moving the screen around too much. The VESA mounting
support may also be useful to some people as well.
Above: photo of
text at 2560x 1440 (top) and 1920 x 1080 (bottom)
The screen is designed to run at its native
resolution of 2560 x 1440 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 1920 x 1080 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 sharp as you can see from the top
photograph. When you switch to a lower resolution the text is larger of course
but still clear enough with only low amounts of overlap between pixels. 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
Quoted G2G Response Time |
6ms G2G |
Quoted ISO Response Time |
12ms |
Panel Manufacturer and
Technology |
LG.Display AH-IPS |
Panel Part |
LM270WQ3-SLB2 |
Overdrive Used |
Yes |
Overdrive Control Available to
User |
'Response Time' setting |
Overdrive Settings |
Standard, Advanced, Ultra Fast |
The VP2772 is rated by ViewSonic as having a 6ms G2G response time
and the panel uses
overdrive /
response time compensation (RTC) technology to boost pixel transitions
across grey to grey changes. There is control over the overdrive impulse
within the OSD menu using the 'Response Time' option, giving
the user some control over the aggressiveness of the overdrive. The
part
being used is the
LG.Display LM270QW3-SLB2 IPS 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.
Response Time Setting Comparison
We will first of all look at the differences in
response time and overshoot under the different 'Response Time' (overdrive) settings. These settings
are accessed via the 'manual image adjust' section of the OSD menu as shown
above.
First of all we took a series of measurements with
the response time set to 'standard'. Response times were moderate and we
achieved an average G2G figure of 13.3ms. On the plus side there was no
overshoot at all, and the overdrive impulse was clearly toned down to a very low
level here. Some rise times (changes from dark to light shades) were quite a bit
slower though at around 19 - 22ms though meaning this setting isn't really ideal
for dynamic content or gaming.
We then switched to the 'Advanced' response time
setting and took the same measurements. Average G2G response times were much
better now at 8ms, and the previously slow transitions were now sped up to around
7 - 10ms which was pleasing. Some overshoot was introduced as a result,
particularly affecting those same transitions which had been sped up through the
more aggressive overdrive impulse. There wasn't a huge RTC overshoot problem but
there were some issues here.
We finally switched to the 'Ultra Fast' setting
which boosted G2G response times even further to 7.0ms average. Interestingly
some of the transitions which had shown high overshoot before were now better,
but some severe overshoot was introduced on transitions to white (x >
255). The overdrive impulse operation seemed to be a bit different in this mode
but the overshoot was getting problematic and too noticeable. The slight
improvement in response times wasn't worth it we didn't feel. The middle
'Advanced' setting seemed to offer the best balance.
If we also carry out some subjective assessment of
the screen during gaming and with the use of the PixPerAn moving car tests, we
can also see the differences between each 'Response Time' mode easily enough with the naked
eye. These images taken of the moving car test
support what we've measured with the oscilloscope as well on the most part. With the setting at
'standard' there is a noticeable blur to the moving image as it moves across the
screen. You can spot the visual improvement as you switch to the 'Advanced' mode
and a lot of the blur is reduced and the moving image becomes sharper. However,
some overshoot is introduced in some circumstances. In these specific test
photos from PixPerAn you can see there is some slight dark trailing introduced
behind the speech bubble and head an some very faint pale trails behind the car
too. The Ultra Fast mode remains sharp and less blurry than the 'standard' mode.
In these specific transitions shown the overshoot is not manifested, but we know
it is there in certain cases from our oscilloscope tests. In fact running some
other tests, particularly with changes to and from white we can see obvious
halos and colour shadows introduced which are distracting. The 'Advanced' mode
seems to be the best balance, but if you find the overshoot at all problematic,
the 'standard' mode might still be ok as long as you can live with more
blurring.
More
Detailed Measurements
Response Time setting = Advanced
Having established that the 'Advanced' setting
returned the optimum results for pixel responsiveness, we went ahead and
measured a wider set of transitions for completeness. The average G2G response
time was measured at 8.8ms. The lowest response time we saw was 7.0 and the highest was
10.5 ms. Rise times (changes from darker to lighter shades)
were a little slower on average at 9.4ms, compared with fall times (changes from
lighter to darker shades) at 8.2ms average. All in all, a good performance
for an IPS panel really and about what you can expect from a modern matrix of
this type.
If we evaluate the RTC overshoot you can see that
on the whole it was at a moderate level, but not too bad. Here,
there were a hand full of transitions which had a high level of overshoot, most
noticeably when changing from black (0) to darker/medium grey shades.
All in all though, it wasn't too severe and we felt that the trade-off to get
the fast pixel response times which 'Advanced' mode provided was worth it, as
compared with the 'standard' setting.
Transition: 0-50-0 (scale = 20ms)
Above is an example of some of the overshoot we
saw on the rise times, here at 17.3%.
Transition: 100-200-100 (scale =
20ms)
Above is a fairly classic example of what we saw
for transitions with little to no overshoot being introduced. Rise and fall
times were comparable, and there was only some minor overshoot on the rise
(2.5%) and fall times (4.8%).
Transition: 150-255-150 (scale =
20ms)
While most of the overshoot seemed to occur on
changes from dark to light shades (rise times), above is an example of a
transition which showed a higher overshoot on the fall time instead (11.1%).
Display Comparisons
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 VP2772 performed well compared
with the other IPS panels here when it comes to response times. It wasn't as
fast as the
Dell U2713H which is its nearest competitor (7.2ms G2G average) but
the level of overshoot was quite a lot lower, making it more suitable overall
for any dynamic content and gaming. Some IPS panels like the
Dell P2414H have a
better balance still between fast (for IPS) response times and no real overshoot
problems. The TN Film models like the
BenQ XL2720Z achieve much faster overall
response times so if you're looking for a gaming screen you may want to consider
TN Film technology.
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"
6ms
G2G LG.Display AH-IPS (Response Time = Advanced)
In practice the ViewSonic VP2772 showed low
levels of blur when set at the optimum 'Response Time' setting of 'Advanced'. There was
minimal blurring
behind the moving car although some dark overshoot was introduced in places due
to the overdrive impulse.
27"
6ms
G2G LG.Display AH-IPS (Response Time = Advanced)
27" 6ms G2G LG.Display AH-IPS
27" 12ms G2G
Samsung PLS (Response Time = Advanced)
27" 8ms G2G
LG.Display AH-IPS
27" 5ms G2G
Samsung PLS (Trace Free = 40)
Firstly it is interesting to compare the VP2772 to some of the other popular 27"
models we have tested with 2560 x 1440 resolutions and IPS/PLS panels. You can
see first of all a comparison against the
Dell U2713H which is the other screen
using the same LM270WQ3 panel (albeit a slightly different revision), with
GB-r-LED backlighting. The motion blur is actually slightly lower on the
ViewSonic in these specific tests, but there is some overshoot introduced for
these certain colour transitions. We know the Dell U2713H suffers from even more
overshoot thanks to our oscilloscope tests but the transitions represented in
the PixPerAn software don't show it. That's why it's so useful to have both
methods for comparison and completeness. Overall motion clarity remained
quite comparable on the VP2772 with the older
ViewSonic VP2770-LED model. The
Dell U2713HM was a little faster but also remained free from overshoot which was
a bonus. The
Asus PB278Q was again a little faster than the VP2772 and although
it showed a little dark overshoot it was very slight. So the VP2772 remains
quite comparable to the older VP2770-LED model, perhaps being a little faster
but with a bit of overshoot introduced as a result. It is a little slower than
the U2713HM and PB278Q which are more geared towards multimedia and general
users.
27"
6ms
G2G LG.Display AH-IPS (Response Time = Advanced)
27" 4ms G2G AU
Optronics AHVA (AMA Setting = High)
27" 8ms G2G
Samsung AD-PLS
23.8" 8ms G2G
LG.Display AH-IPS
We have provided a comparison of the VP2772 against a few
other IPS-type screens. The Dell
P2714H and
P2414H had impressed us considering their IPS/PLS panel technologies, and
represented about the best you can get from a modern IPS panel at the moment for
response times, without introducing any significant overshoot problems. In practice they
showed a slightly higher blur in these tests than the VP2772, which traded that
blur for some dark overshoot artefacts. The
BenQ BL2701PT with its AHVA panel technology was slightly slower than the
Dell models in practice, and showed a slightly more pronounced blur.
27"
6ms
G2G LG.Display AH-IPS (Response Time = Advanced)
27" 2ms G2G Chi
Mei Innolux TN Film +144Hz (Trace Free = 60)
27" 1ms G2G
AU Optronics TN Film + 144Hz (AMA = High)
23.5" 4ms G2G
Sharp MVA + 120Hz
We've also included a comparison above against
3 very fast 120Hz+ compatible screens we have tested. The other screens shown
here are all aimed primarily at gamers and have various features and extras
which make them more suitable overall for gaming.
Firstly there is a comparison against the
Asus VG278HE with its 144Hz refresh
rate and fast response time TN Film panel. 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 XL2720Z with another very fast TN Film panel and 144Hz refresh rate.
This showed very low levels of motion blur, but some dark overshoot was
introduced as a side-effect as you can see. This screen even includes a native
Blur Reduction mode to help eliminate further perceived motion blur.
Lastly there is the MVA based Eizo FG2421 screen
with a fast response time (especially for the panel technology being used) and
120Hz refresh rate support. There is also an additional 'Turbo 240' motion blur
reduction mode which really helps reduce the perceived motion blur in practice.
While these pixel response tests from PixPerAn show the
VP2772 to
have pretty fast pixel transitions for an IPS panel and a little overshoot, there is something else going on as well here which can't be picked out by the camera. All of these other
gaming models are
running at 120Hz (or higher) refresh rates, which allows for improved 120fps+ frame rates and
in some cases 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. Any additional extras to reduce perceived motion blur can also
have a real benefit in practical terms, and again not easy to pick out with this
camera method.
The overall gaming performance of the ViewSonic
VP2772 was
pretty good overall. The average G2G response time was about on par with the faster IPS and PLS models we have tested to
date, but there was some moderate overshoot introduced in certain transitions. The average 8.8ms G2G response time couldn't of course compete with fast
TN Film models, but for an IPS panel it was good. The screen should be able to handle some
fairly fast
gaming without too much problem, although the overshoot could still be an issue
in some cases. This screen certainly isn't aimed at the gaming market and 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, or perhaps something like the Eizo FG2421. Even better still would be models equipped with
LightBoost systems or other motion blur reduction backlights for optimum
motion blur elimination.
On another note many gamers like to use
exaggerated settings to make colours look brighter and more vivid. Wide gamut
screens can serve this purpose well as they natively produces more saturated
colours. This might not be strictly accurate but a lot of people prefer this
more vivid and cartoony appearance and so it's useful that the option is
available from the VP2772 from certain preset modes. There is also an sRGB emulation option if you want
to revert to standard gamut as well.
Additional Gaming Features
Aspect Ratio Control -
The ViewSonic VP2772 has a very limited range of
aspect ratio control options through the OSD 'Aspect Ratio' setting in the
'Manual Image Adjust' menu. There are only options for "4:3" aspect or "full".
There is no option to simply maintain the source aspect ratio, or offer support
for 5:4, 16:10 or any other ratio. There is also no 1:1 pixel mapping option
sadly. At least with the screen being a native 16:9 aspect ratio it should
handle a lot of content and external devices without much issue, as a lot of
content is in the same aspect ratio nowadays anyway. Would have been nice to see
more options available though.
Preset Modes -
There are no specific gaming preset modes
available in the OSD although you can save up to 3 user defined modes, so it
would be easy enough to set up a mode to suit your requirements for gaming.
Lag
We have written an in depth article about
input lag and the various measurement techniques which are used to evaluate
this aspect of a display. It's important to first of all understand the
different methods available and also what this lag means to you as an end-user.
Input Lag vs. Display Lag vs. Signal
Processing
To avoid confusion with different terminology we
will refer to this section of our reviews as just "lag" from now on, as there
are a few different aspects to consider, and different interpretations of the
term "input lag". We will consider the following points here as much as
possible. The overall "display lag" is the first, that being the delay between
the image being shown on the TFT display and that being shown on a CRT. This is
what many people will know as input lag and originally was the measure made to
explain why the image is a little behind when using a CRT. The older stopwatch
based methods were the common way to measure this in the past, but through
advanced studies have been shown to be quite inaccurate. As a result, more
advanced tools like SMTT provide a method to measure that delay between a TFT
and CRT while removing the inaccuracies of older stopwatch methods.
In reality that lag / delay is caused by a
combination of two things - the signal processing delay caused by the TFT
electronics / scaler, and the response time of the pixels themselves. Most
"input lag" measurements over the years have always been based on the overall
display lag (signal processing + response time) and indeed the SMTT tool is
based on this visual difference between a CRT and TFT and so measures the
overall display lag. In practice the signal processing is the element which
gives the feel of lag to the user, and the response time of course can
impact blurring, and overall image quality in moving scenes. As people become
more aware of lag as a possible issue, we are of course keen to try and
understand the split between the two as much as possible to give a complete
picture.
The signal processing element within that is quite
hard to identify without extremely high end equipment and very complicated
methods. In fact the studies by Thomas Thiemann which really kicked this whole
thing off were based on equipment worth >100,1000 Euro, requiring extremely high
bandwidths and very complicated methods to trigger the correct behaviour and
accurately measure the signal processing on its own. Other techniques which are
being used since are not conducted by Thomas (he is a freelance writer) or based
on this equipment or technique, and may also be subject to other errors or
inaccuracies based on our conversations with him since. It's very hard as a
result to produce a technique which will measure just the signal processing on
its own unfortunately. Many measurement techniques are also not explained and so
it is important to try and get a picture from various sources if possible to
make an informed judgement about a display overall.
For our tests we will continue to use the SMTT
tool to measure the overall "display lag". From there we can use our
oscilloscope system to measure the response time across a wide range of grey to
grey (G2G) transitions as recorded in our
response time
tests. Since SMTT will not include the full response time within its
measurements, after speaking with Thomas further about the situation we will
subtract half of the average G2G response time from the total display lag. This should allow us to give a good estimation of
how much of the overall lag is attributable to the signal processing element on
its own.
Lag Classification
To help in this section we will also introduce a broader classification system
for these results to help categorise each screen as one of the following levels:
-
Class 1)
Less than 16ms / 1 frame lag - should be fine for gamers, even at high levels
-
Class
2)
A lag of 16 -
32ms / One to two frames - moderate lag but should be fine for many gamers.
Caution advised for serious gaming and FPS
-
Class
3)
A lag of more
than 32ms / more than 2 frames - Some noticeable lag in daily usage, not
suitable for high end gaming
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.
(Measurements in ms) |
User Mode |
Total Display Lag (SMTT
2) |
30.0 |
Pixel Response Time
Element |
4.4 |
Estimated Signal
Processing Lag |
25.6 |
Lag Classification |
2 |
|
Class 2 |
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 screen showed a total average display lag of
30.0ms as measured with SMTT 2. Taking into account half the average G2G
response time at 4.4ms, we can estimate that there is ~25.6ms of signal
processing lag on this screen. This is quite high and so might not be suitable
for fast FPS type gaming for many users. Remember, the screen isn't really
geared towards gamers, but this is still quite a high lag.
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.
-
2560 x
1440 resolution can support full 1080 HD resolution content
-
Digital interface support HDCP for any encrypted and protected content
-
DVI, DisplayPort, Mini
DisplayPort and
HDMI
connections available, offering great connectivity choices for modern DVD
players, Blu-ray, consoles etc.
-
Cables provided in the box
for DVI, DisplayPort and HDMI which was nice to see.
-
Light
AG coating provides clear enough images with no major graininess, and without
the unwanted reflections of a glossy solution.
-
Wide
brightness range adjustment possible from the display, including high maximum
luminance of ~316
cd/m2 and a good minimum luminance of
~47 cd/m2. This should afford you very good control for different
lighting conditions. Contrast ratio remains stable across that adjustment
range as well.
-
Black
depth and contrast ratio are very good for an IPS panel at 910:1 after
calibration. Detail in darker scenes should not be lost as a result, and
shadow detail should be good.
-
There
is no specific 'movie' preset mode available for movies or video but you could
set up one of the user defined modes if you wanted to.
-
Good
pixel responsiveness which can handle fast moving scenes in movies without
issue. Some overshoot issues on some transitions when using the optimum
Response Time mode. If they prove distracting in movies, switching it to
'Standard' might be an option worth trying.
-
Wide viewing angles thanks to IPS panel
technology meaning several people could view the screen at once comfortable
and from a whole host of different angles.
-
No
particularly noticeable backlight leakage, although some glow from the left
hand corners could be detected in darkened conditions
-
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. They are a bit stiff to operate though.
-
No
integrated stereo speakers on this model but there is a headphone jack if
sending sound to the screen over HDMI.
-
Limited
range of
hardware aspect ratio options with only 4:3 and 'full' being available. At
least the screen is natively 16:9 aspect ratio.
-
Picture in picture (PiP) and Picture By Picture (PbP) are not available.
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Conclusion
The VP2772 left us with some mixed feelings if
we're honest. It was interesting to test another high resolution 27" model using
the latest AH-IPS panel and GB-r-LED backlighting and overall we felt there was
more good than bad to be said. On the positive side, from a colour point of view
the screen performed very well. Default setup was very good and represented a
decent factory calibration. There was support for 10-bit content, a 14-bit LUT
and wide gamut colour space support from the backlight system for those who need
it. The sRGB and Adobe RGB emulation options were also present thankfully. The
use of an IPS panel provided the usual wide viewing angles and stable image you
would expect from this technology, and even the contrast ratio was very good
which was pleasing.
However, it did feel like ViewSonic had come up a
little short in some regards, not quite making it a premium screen in all
regards. The screen lacked a programmable LUT like most of its competitors (Dell
U2713H and NEC PA272W for instance), and so hardware calibration and the control
which that offers a user was not an option here. It also missed any uniformity
correction feature which would have been useful since the uniformity wasn't
great. The sRGB preset mode offered a very low deltaE out of the box, but the
locking of the brightness/contrast controls was an odd choice, and meant it
wasn't that practical to use this mode. Away from the colour quality analysis
the stand offered a very good range of adjustments, but they were quite stiff to
use and the stand seemed a bit dated and too industrial in design. The
brightness control offered a wide backlight adjustment
range and a stable contrast ratio thankfully. The OSD menu software was a bit
old-fashioned in design, the aspect ratio control options were very limited and
the input lag was also a bit too high for our liking. At least the pixel
response times were good and the 'Response Time' setting was useful to have.
Connectivity of the screen was also very good with all the options you could
need and the additional USB 3.0 ports provided as well.
The VP2772 we would classify as a
semi-professional screen and it certainly retails for a lower cost than some
high end NEC and Eizo models for instance. It has a few weak areas but if you
want a decent wide gamut screen for colour critical and image work, at a modest
price point, then this would be worth looking at.
Pros |
Cons |
Good default setup and
accuracy |
Missing competitor features
like hardware calibration and uniformity correction |
Very good connectivity options |
Limited aspect ratio control |
Good pixel response times and
overdrive control |
Stand is a bit too industrial
and chunky |
|
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