to a predominantly dark scene with
bright highlights and you actually get that
brightness. You do still get some haloing
where the backlight can be seen brightening
the image around small bright objects
(the backlight zones are still much larger
than individual pixels), but in most games
and video, this isn’t really noticeable.
FALD displays really are the ultimate, and
we’d suggest only true, HDR experience
for LCD monitors, but unfortunately, they
don’t come cheap. What we’d really like to
see is monitors arriving on the market that
maybe drop the number of backlight zones
a little and get rid of the unnecessary 4K
resolution of the likes of the Asus PG27UQ so
that they’re at least a little more affordable.
Finally, using true per-pixel brightness
displays such as OLED is the ultimate
goal for HDR images. You get a totally
uncompromised contrast performance
where the very brightest individual pixel can
sit next to complete darkness. It really is a
shame that OLED monitors haven’t taken off.
The appeal of HDR will vary from person to
person. If you’re really into having a fun, bright,
vivid image, then the extended colour range
of even basic HDR displays will appeal to you,
and there’s plenty of cheap options out there.
However, if you care about having accurate
colour representation either for work or play
then at the very least you need a display that
can switch between colour modes and can
reduce its contrast to standard sRGB levels
when needed. These are a little rarer and
you’ll need to check the specs list or reviews
to find out.
Your decision will also depend on
whether you tend to watch movies and
other longer-form video on your PC or
whether you move to your TV for that.
Watching HDR content on the likes of the
PG27UQ or PG35VQ can look amazing but
HDRona
DisplayHDR 400
panelcangetvery
brightbutlacksthe
contrasttoshow
deepblacksatthe
sametime– see
thelowerportion
ofthescreenA DisplayHDR 1000
displaycanshow
amuch greater
range of brightness
at the same time- note the much
darker log and
foreground water
Should you buy an
HDR display?
therelativelysmall27inor35insizemeans
we’dalwaysratherjustgoandwatchona
(considerablycheaperyetsuperior)55in
OLEDTV.If youdon’thaveroomfora TVas
well,though,thenanHDRmonitormakes
moresenseforgettingthemostfromall
yourPChastooffer.
Meanwhile,forgaming,thebenefitsof
HDRvary massively. It’s not something we’d
use in competitive gaming (and indeed isn’t
supported in most such games) but only in
more cinematic titles where it’s a case of the
bigger, more visually impressive the screen the
better. With the right games, HDR can look truly
amazing and can add greatly to the overall
atmosphere. Crucially, though, with FALDdisplays, what you can often do is turn on
the variable backlight even for games that
don’t support HDR, giving you a more
engaging, high-contrast image. For non-
FALD displays, though, the extended colour
range is of less use in non-HDR games.
In the end, it still feels like the world of HDR
is bedding in a little. Right now, your choices
are still too split between displays that are
either a little underwhelming, due to a lack of
true HDR-like contrast, or are too expensive.
There’s still plenty of HDR fun to be had but
until we see OLED monitors become a viable
option, or FALD LCD displays start to come
down in price, the world of HDR remains one
that should be navigated with caution.