display in half in one axis and into rows or
columns in the other. This gets us closer
to meaningful backlight control but, as
we’ve seen with the Samsung CHG90,
it still has major drawbacks. Displays
that are rated for DisplayHDR 500 or
600 tend to use this type of backlight.
Finally, you can get some displays
where the LEDs are mounted directly
behind the LCD in a grid pattern, allowing
control of individual blocks of the backlight.
These are known as full array local
dimming (FALD) displays. These provide
the closest approximation to the true
individual pixel control of OLEDs and make
for the best HDR experience. However,
they tend to be thick and expensive.
What’s more, while you tend to need
this type of control to achieve DisplayHDR
1000 certification, it’s not required. Also,
to get a really good HDR effect, you want
several hundred of these zones, whereas
only a dozen or so are required to meet
the DisplayHDR 1000 standard.
All told, in order to really learn about a
display’s capabilities, you’ll have to check
its DisplayHDR rating then hunt around
reviews or specs lists to find out how many
backlight zones it has and exactly what
colour depth it can produce. It’s a shame
the industry has made it that difficult.
At least if a display doesn’t carry any
DisplayHDR label, it’s a pretty surefire bet
that any supposed HDR features it has
don’t amount to much – it’ll probably have a
slightly extended colour range and dynamic
full-backlight control and not much else.
The experience you’ll get from an HDR
display obviously depends on what class of
HDR display it is. If you’re using a display with
only screen-level dimming then what you’ll
tend to find is games or video just ramp up
in overall brightness in certain scenes and
darken in others. Again, this is essentially like
the dynamic contrast settings we’ve seen onWhat does HDR look
& feel like?
DisplayHDR 400
monitors in their standard
mode should just look like
any other decent quality
non-HDR displayTurn on HDR and colour
saturation should go
up but contrast stays
the same, making for
a less impactful HDR
experience overallmonitors and TVs for many years, but the higher
peak brightness and extra colour information
can make its impact a little more worthwhile.
For instance, in the opening sequence of
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, as Senua is floating
down the river backlit by hazy sunshine, the
likes of the DisplayHDR 400-capable BenQ
EX2780Q up the brightness to emulate the
bright sunshine. This has the effect of also
brightening the dark areas of the image, so the
overall static contrast isn’t all that great, but the
dazzling effect can work surprisingly well.
However, this is a scene that really shows
such displays at their best. Flip to something
that’s predominantly dark but with some bright
highlights and while the screen brightness does
dim a little, adding to the overall atmosphere,
the punch is lost from any bright highlights.
What you will still tend to get with such
displays, though, is the extended colour range.This can look great – there’s just more
vibrancy and realism to certain colours.
Watch something like a nature documentary
where there are vivid greens from foliage
and reds from birds of paradise set against
a bright blue sky and everything feels just
a little more alive. However, a lot of the
time, the effect can be far more subtle –
especially with the dreary colour palettes
so beloved of many games and movies- so the extended colour alone has never
really been enough to sell us on HDR.
Step up to a proper FALD LCD display such
as the Asus PG27UQ and you immediately
see what you’ve been missing out on with
screen-level dimming displays. Again,
taking that opening to Senua’s Sacrifice
as an example and, as well as the bright
sun dazzling you, you still get the true
darkness and shadows. Likewise, moving
FEATURE/ ANALYSIS