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ViewSonic VP2772 27-Inch QHD Professional Monitor Review
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1. ViewSonic VP2772: 27", 2560x1440, 10-Bit Color, And Adobe RGB

We spent quite a bit of time this month working with expensive Ultra HD monitors. But the sweet spot for pixel density versus value is still 2560x1440, called Quad HD. The prices on those screens remain higher than their 1920x1080 counterparts. However, they're quite a bit more affordable than first-gen 4K displays.

Because they cost more and often incorporate quality-oriented value adds, QHD panels often target graphics pros and photographers more than gamers, who typically want speed above all else. Instead, Photoshop jockeys are looking for accurate color and high-end video performance. When you're trying to match the color from camera to a monitor and printer, every link in that chain needs to conform to industry standards and have the ability to be adjusted.

The VP2772 is part of ViewSonic’s professional line that still includes the VP2770-LED we reviewed last year (VP2770-LED Vs. S27B970D: 27" Monitors At 2560x1440). We were impressed with that display’s performance, but lamented its lack of a wide-gamut option. The newer model checks that box. Unfortunately, it simultaneously ups the asking price by $230. Everyone wants to see QHD panels become more affordable, but the market’s downward trend has slowed to a crawl. In fact, high-res displays really aren't budging right now.

Brand
ViewSonic
Model
VP2772
MSRP
$1020
Panel Type
AH-IPS
Backlight
GB-r-LED
Screen Size
27-inch
Max Resolution
2560x1440
Max Refresh Rate
60 Hz
Aspect Ratio
16:9
Native Color Depth
10-bit (8-bit w/FRC)
Native Color Gamut
Adobe RGB
Response Time (GTG)
12 ms
Brightness
350 cd/m2
Speakers
-
VGA
-
DVI
1
DisplayPort v1.2
1 standard, 1 mini, 1 out
HDMI v1.4
1
Audio In
-
Headphone
1
USB v3.0
1 up, 4 down
Media Card Reader
-
Panel Dimensions
W x H x D
25.3 x 18.5 x 13.7 in
643 x 470 x 348 mm
Panel Thickness
2.1 in / 53 mm
Weight
19.2 lbs / 8.7 kg
Warranty
Three years

Obviously, the Adobe RGB gamut is an important element for graphics work. And having a display able to render Adobe RGB and sRGB with better-than two Delta E accuracy is critical. The VP2772 satisfies that requirement, and we're hoping this flexibility becomes a trend. I've tested Adobe-only monitors in the past and found them to be accurate. But the inability to switch to sRGB hampers their versatility. Playing games or watching video in Adobe RGB just doesn’t look right. Green, which the human eye is most sensitive to, always looks off. And when you look at the CIE chart, you can see why.

Another specification we haven’t touched on is bit-depth. The vast majority of IPS monitors, in all sizes, employ natively eight-bit panels. Regardless of the incoming signal's big depth, the panel can only render a maximum of 16.7 million colors. In high-end graphics, obviously, the more colors the better. ViewSonic's VP2772 adds frame rate conversion to increase its input bit depth to 10. Then it adds a 12-bit processing stage and a 14-bit look-up table to the signal output.

How does that improve image quality? Quite simply, the more colors a monitor can render, the smoother gradations between those colors will be. A wide dynamic range is fairly easy to achieve in a flat panel, but a smooth tone in the sky or in flame, for example, is much more difficult. That is the challenge of digital imaging. Film has an infinite number of shades within the confines of its color gamut; digital pictures do not.

We’ve spoken before about banding artifacts. These are easy to see on six-bit TN-based panels. You'll probably never notice them on a monitor like the VP2772 though, unless the original image is highly compressed. And with the 14-bit LUT to further increase the output signal's bit-depth, you should see the smoothest and most lifelike images possible on a fixed-pixel display.

2. Packaging, Physical Layout, And Accessories

The VP2772 ships in a very stout double-corrugated carton with large Styrofoam blocks to keep everything in place. I can't imagine how it'd get damaged in shipping, unless someone was really trying to hurt it. Chances are good that if you buy the VP2772 online, it'll likely land at your door unscathed.

ViewSonic's accessory bundle is more complete than many competitors. Not only do you get USB 3.0 and DisplayPort cables, but HDMI and DVI are in there too. The power supply is contained in an external brick with a nice long cord, so you can put it on the floor if you want. Paper items include a Quick Start Guide and a factory calibration data sheet with details on color gamut, grayscale tracking, and gamma. Unlike other factory-calibrated monitors we’ve tested, there are no tests for screen uniformity.

The manual is on a CD-ROM, which is not unusual. But it's fairly light. Basic setup procedures are covered. However, there are no details about the various menu items (only a brief overview). Experienced users should be able to figure this product out for themselves, but I’ve certainly seen more complete documentation included with other products, including ViewSonic’s own monitors.

Product 360

The VP2772 has a very industrial and purposeful appearance, with more emphasis on function than form. The front employs a squared-off bezel that measures 21 millimeters all around. It actually looks thicker due to a lack of taper or rounded corners. Touch-sensitive controls are in the lower-right corner and include a power toggle, two multi-function keys, and up/down arrows for menu navigation. The buttons are so sensitive that I occasionally tripped them accidentally. The entire chassis is made from a dark light-absorbing plastic that seems very scratch- and fingerprint-resistant. The screen’s anti-glare layer is good at rejecting light without compromising clarity or sharpness.

Ergonomic adjustments are plentiful. You get almost six inches of height, 28 degrees of tilt, and 60 degrees of swivel to either side. You can also rotate the panel to portrait mode. All of the movements are precise, characterized by a high-quality feel and firmness. This panel stays where you put it without any slop or wobble.

Most 27-inch monitors flip around into portrait mode nowadays, but it still looks impressive when you’re editing documents, especially with a high-pixel-density screen like the VP2772. Depending on your video card and its drivers, the image should flip automatically. If you want to use the OSD in portrait mode, you have to do that manually.

This display has a moderately slim profile, at just over two inches thick. Two of the USB 3.0 ports are on the right side of the bulge; they're just visible in the photo. The base has a fairly large desktop footprint. And you can see two cable management hooks on the upright.

Around back, you can see the 100 mm VESA mount. In the lower-left is a small anchor for a cable lock security system.

The VP2772 is yet another monitor that does without analog VGA input. At this price point, it seems unlikely anyone would miss it. ViewSonic does include dual-link DVI, which is nice. HDMI compatibility goes up to version 1.4, maxing out at 1920x1080 and 60 Hz. For native QHD signals, use the mini or full-sized DisplayPort connectors, or DVI.

There is also a DisplayPort output for daisy-chaining two screens together through one connection using a DP 1.2-compatible video card. The audio jack is an output for either headphones or powered speakers. You can feed sound in via HDMI or DisplayPort, too. The USB upstream port and two remaining downstream connections are also on the I/O panel.

3. OSD Setup And Calibration Of The ViewSonic VP2772

OSD Tour

The VP2772’s menu system is not entirely straightforward, but it has everything you need to tailor the monitor to your preferences. There are eight sub-menus starting with contrast and brightness sliders. Pressing the 1 key on the bezel brings it up.

Contrast is set to 70 by default, and you'll want to drop it down five clicks to avoid clipping. Backing it off also improves the accuracy of 100-percent white. Like most computer monitors, the Brightness control modulates the backlight, rather than actually changing the black level. Its stock setting is 70, which represents a little over 200 cd/m2 in every picture mode. We dropped it down to 67 for our tests.

Here is the input selector:

If you only connect one source, the VP2772 automatically selects it without user intervention. To access this menu directly, press the 2 key.

ViewSonic doesn't bundle speakers, but you can at least control the headphone jack's output volume.

Since audio signals can be carried over HDMI and DisplayPort, the Audio Input option lets you pick the source that comes through your headphones or powered speakers.

Next up are the picture modes.

I find the configuration process a little confusing. Aside from what you see in this menu, there are no other color temp or image modes. sRGB and Adobe RGB are just what you’d expect. Bluish, Cool, and Warm clearly change the color temperature within an sRGB color space. Native looks like a more saturated version of sRGB. Finally, User Color unlocks the RGB sliders, but skews the red portion of the color gamut towards over-saturation. We'll go into more depth on page seven.

When you see Manual Image Adjust, you might be looking for color temp, a CMS, and gamma controls. But this is only partially true.

The Sharpness slider has four settings: 0, 25, 50, and 100. Turning it off softens the image, so we left it at 25. Go any higher and you start experiencing edge enhancement.

Dynamic Contrast, as always, plays havoc with gamma. It works fine for watching movies, but you’ll want to turn it off for graphics and photo work.

Response time is ViewSonic’s term for overdrive. Cranking it higher reduces motion blur at the expense of added color fringing around moving objects. It’s particularly annoying when you scroll quickly through text. If you’re gaming, turn it up. But for productivity-oriented tasks, leave it off.

I really got a kick out of the gamma presets. Almost surely, ViewSonic means “Gentle”. You get the idea, though. More seriously, the presets correspond to gamma values of 2.0, 2.2, and 2.4. You can change them in the Adobe RGB and sRGB modes, but for some reason they’re grayed-out in User Color.

The VP2772 has both picture-in-picture and picture-by-picture.

You're given complete control over the image placement from two sources simultaneously. With the extra resolution on a QHD screen, that can really come in handy. It'd be an even more useful feature if the VP2772’s HDMI input were MHL-compatible, so you could use your smartphone as a source. The best example I can come up with as-is would be watching a Blu-ray movie as you work on other tasks.

The following menu lists the available convenience options.

Language Select offers 11 choices for the OSD.

Resolution Notice conveys the input signal resolution whenever you turn on the monitor or switch sources.

OSD Position makes it easy to move the menu away from the center of the screen so it won’t interfere with test patterns. The Time Out can be as long as 60 seconds. Turning off the background makes the OSD semi-transparent. If you rotate the VP2772 to portrait mode, you’ll have to check the OSD Pivot box.

Auto Power Off shuts off the VP2772 after five minutes with no signal. Sleep has the same effect as pressing the front-panel power toggle.

Save As appears to offer three profile save slots, though we couldn't figure out how to recall them. Naturally, then, if you calibrate your VP2772, we recommend recording all of your adjustments.

Since this monitor includes DisplayPort input and output, you can use the multi-stream feature to daisy-chain two monitors to a single port on your computer. That function is activated here as well.

The following screenshot should serve as a warning. You might think Memory Recall is the way to restore saved settings, but it's not. It resets the VP2772 back to its factory configuration instead. And it does so without a warning dialog. Only select this if you want to reset the monitor!

ViewSonic VP2772 Calibration

The Adobe RGB mode has no available adjustments except for Brightness and Contrast, and those sliders are grayed-out in sRGB mode. However, there is a workaround if you want to control your light output in both modes. Select the User Color preset, adjust Brightness and Contrast to taste, and then re-select sRGB. Your light output preference carries over from User Color to sRGB. I discovered this purely by chance; it isn’t documented in the manual. Although User Color offers very precise and accurate grayscale tracking, its color gamut is not suitable for critical applications. To set the max output to 200 cd/m2 in Adobe and sRGB, we had to employ different Brightness settings. Here are our recommended values.

ViewSonic VP2772 Calibration Settings
Picture Mode
sRGB or Adobe RGB
Contrast
65
Brightness
60 (sRGB) / 67 (Adobe RGB)
Gamma
Standard
Sharpness
25


Remember, if you want to use the sRGB mode, make your brightness and contrast choices in User Color and switch back to sRGB. If you go with Adobe RGB, you’ll have access to brightness and contrast.

4. Measurement And Calibration Methodology: How We Test

To measure and calibrate monitors, we use an i1Pro spectrophotometer, a Spectracal C6 colorimeter, and version 5.2.0.1374 of SpectraCal’s CalMAN software.

For patterns, we employ an AccuPel DVG-5000 video signal generator. This approach removes video cards and drivers from the signal chain, allowing the display to receive true reference patterns. Connections are made via HDMI.

The AccuPel DVG-5000 is capable of generating all types of video signals at any resolution and refresh rate up to 1920x1080 at 60 Hz. It can also display motion patterns to evaluate a monitor's video processing capabilities, with 3D patterns available in every format. This allows us to measure color and grayscale performance, crosstalk, and ghosting in 3D content via the 3D glasses.

The i1Pro is placed at the center of the screen (unless we’re measuring uniformity) and sealed against it to block out any ambient light. The Accupel pattern generator (bottom-left) is controlled via USB by CalMAN, which is running on the Dell XPS laptop on the right.

Our version of CalMAN Ultimate allows me to design all of the screens and workflows to best suit the purpose at hand. To that end, we’ve created a display review workflow from scratch. This way, we can be sure and collect all the necessary data with a concise and efficient set of measurements.

The charts show us the RGB levels, gamma response, and Delta E error for every brightness point from zero to 100 percent. The table shows us the raw data for each measurement. And the area in the upper-left tells us luminance, average gamma, Delta E, and contrast ratio. The individual charts can be copied to the Windows clipboard to easily create graphics for our reviews.

Every primary and secondary color is measured at 20-, 40-, 60-, 80-, and 100-percent saturation. The color saturation level is simply the distance from the white point on the CIE chart. You can see the targets moving out from white in a straight line. The further a point is from center, the greater the saturation until you hit 100 percent at the edge of the gamut triangle. This shows us the display’s response at a cross-section of color points. Many monitors score well when only the 100-percent saturations are measured. Hitting the targets at the lower saturations is more difficult, and factors into our average Delta E value (which explains why our Delta E values are sometimes higher than those reported by other publications).

5. Results: Brightness And Contrast

Uncalibrated

Before calibrating any panel, we measure zero- and 100-percent signals at both ends of the brightness control range. This shows us how contrast is affected at the extremes of a monitor's luminance capability. We do not increase the contrast control past the clipping point. While doing this would increase a monitor’s light output, the brightest signal levels would not be visible, resulting in crushed highlight detail. Our numbers show the maximum light level possible with no clipping of the signal.

Our comparison group is the last six monitors reviewed at Tom’s Hardware.

A 265.9127 cd/m2 result is far enough below ViewSonic’s spec of 350 cd/m2 that we went back and redid the max luminance measurements. The published number is indeed the highest we could attain in the Adobe RGB mode with the backlight set to 100. There is a little more light available in the Native mode (282.348 cd/m2), but gamma tracking and color are less accurate. Since you'd likely want the VP2772 for its correct Adobe RGB gamut, we’ll stick to that for all the luminance tests. Fortunately, there is still enough light for a majority of viewing environments.

The black level is right in the middle of the pack.

Considering that we're dealing with an IPS-based monitor, the black level result is reasonable. It’s helped by the fact that the max white level is lower than other screens. A reduced white level brings the max contrast number down a bit, too.

This is an average figure not only for this group, but for all of the screens we’ve tested in the past year. The best displays exceed 1000 to 1. As we move forward in the tests, we’ll be looking for consistency in contrast at all brightness levels.

We believe 50 cd/m2 is a practical minimum standard for screen brightness. Any lower and you risk eyestrain and fatigue. Some monitors, like the VP2772, measure under that level. We recorded a minimum white level of 39.1023 cd/m2 with the backlight turned all the way down. That's a bit too dim for practical use. Raising the brightness setting to four gets you 50 cd/m2.

Again, the black level is right in the middle of our group, nearly tied with a couple of Dell displays. If you increase the max brightness to 50 cd/m2, it still reads a low .0647 cd/m2. You can achieve extremely low black levels with the dynamic contrast feature, but then you give up detail at the dark end of the scale.

Are you ready for the contrast values?

A result of 769.9 to 1 is just what we’re looking for given the maximum number. While there are displays that offer better contrast, not all of them are as consistent. We're seeing this in more of the newest screens, and the trend pleases us. Just a year ago, most monitors we measured had a definite sweet spot where contrast and other performance metrics were at their best. Now, the VP2772 and a few others deliver their full potential at all brightness levels.

After Calibration

Since we consider 200 cd/m2 to be an ideal point for peak output, we calibrate all of our test monitors to that value. In a room with some ambient light (like an office), this brightness level provides a sharp, punchy image with maximum detail and minimum eye fatigue. It's also the sweet spot for gamma and grayscale tracking, which we'll look at on the next page. In a darkened room, many professionals prefer a 120 cd/m2 calibration. Whichever your preference, it makes little to no difference on the calibrated black level and contrast measurements.

The VP2772 is still right there with the UP2414Q after calibration to 200 cd/m2. You can see all of the screens in the group are quite close together in a range of less than .0856 cd/m2. If you line them all up next to each other, you’d have a hard time telling any difference using just your eyes. As far as black levels go, these screens would all satisfy most folks.

And the following are our final calibrated contrast numbers.

The VP2772’s consistency persists with a calibrated contrast ratio of 778.7 to 1. Out of our last 21 computer monitors tested, this one places thirteenth, which is frankly a below-average result. If you’re looking for high contrast, there are alternatives (though they might not be as consistent). Your best bet is to settle on a maximum output number and see if the screen you’re considering has good contrast at that level.

ANSI Contrast Ratio

Another important measure of contrast is ANSI. To perform this test, a checkerboard pattern of sixteen zero- and 100-percent squares is measured, yielding a somewhat more real-world result than on/off measurements that tests a display’s ability to simultaneously maintain both low black and full white levels, factoring in screen uniformity as well. The average of the eight full-white measurements is divided by the average of the eight full-black measurements to arrive at the ANSI result.

ViewSonic's ANSI result is only a tiny bit lower than the on/off outcome, denoting excellent performance. A monitor selling for more than a grand should be built from quality parts, and the VP2772 definitely is. A properly-made grid polarizer translates to no appreciable light leakage between the darkest and lightest parts of the image.

6. Results: Grayscale Tracking And Gamma Response

A majority of monitors, especially newer models, display excellent grayscale tracking (even at stock settings). It’s important that the color of white be consistently neutral at all light levels from darkest to brightest. Grayscale performance impacts color accuracy with regard to the secondary colors: cyan, magenta, and yellow. Since computer monitors typically have no color or tint adjustment, accurate grayscale is key.

The VP2772 only offers grayscale adjustments in the User Color mode. For reasons that you'll see on the next page, you simply cannot use that setting for color-critical applications. If you don’t mind oversaturated reds, however, you can adjust grayscale to a very accurate level.

There's a lot to like about the results I measured. Not only are the errors invisible to the naked eye, but only 10-percent brightness tops one Delta E. All it took to achieve this was a two-click reduction in green. The average error is .77 Delta E.

When you’re in the Adobe RGB mode, you can’t adjust the RGB values. That's not an issue, though.

A professional monitor shouldn’t require calibration, and ViewSonic's VP2772 doesn’t. The above chart represents 200 cd/m2, but we got pretty much the same results at 50 and 120 cd/m2. This is excellent out-of-box performance. You're going to pay a premium of course, but if accuracy is important, the VP2772 delivers.

Again, here's how the comparison group fares:

As ViewSonic's monitor is shipped, expect a 1.51 Delta E in Adobe RGB mode with the brightness maxed. That’s well below the generally-accepted threshold of three Delta E. Literally, all you have to do is unpack the VP2772 and turn it on. The only adjustment needed is setting your preferred light output level.

At 200 cd/m2, the error is a tiny bit lower.

Nobody will tell the difference between 1.51 and 1.43 Delta E. And we recorded similar results at 120 and 50 cd/m2. If you want greater accuracy, the User Color mode facilitates it, albeit with compromised gamma and color gamut values.

Gamma Response

Gamma is the measurement of luminance levels at every step in the brightness range from 0 to 100 percent. It's important because poor gamma can either crush detail at various points or wash it out, making the entire picture appear flat and dull. Correct gamma produces a more three-dimensional image, with a greater sense of depth and realism. Meanwhile, incorrect gamma negatively affects image quality, even in monitors with high contrast ratios.

In the gamma charts below, the yellow line represents 2.2, which is the most widely-accepted standard for television, film, and computer graphics production. The closer the white measurement trace comes to 2.2, the better.

This is the gamma trace from the User Color mode. It isn’t bad, but does trend low as brightness increases. When the measurement falls below the yellow line, those levels are too bright. Ideally, you want a flat trace from bottom to top. The image loses just a little pop in the mid-tones, as well as in highlights. The maximum error is at 70 percent, where light output is 8 cd/m2 above the target.

Gamma in Adobe RGB mode isn’t perfect, but it’s far better.

Once again, the culprit is 70 percent with a 4.5 cd/m2 error. The rest of the trace is quite a bit flatter, at least. This chart reflects the Standard preset. The other two options, Gentle and Steep, show the same line either below or above our target.

A .15 deviation represents tight tracking. All of the monitors in this group fare really well though, and none demonstrate gamma issues that'd cause us concern.

We calculate gamma deviation by simply expressing the difference from 2.2 as a percentage.

The average value of the Standard preset is a little low at 2.14. The numbers range from 2.06 to 2.21, and that's still solid performance. If you want a punchier image, select the Steep option and turn up the brightness a few clicks. It won’t be as true to most content, but you'll get a little extra depth.

7. Results: Color Gamut And Performance

Color gamut is measured using a saturation sweep that samples the six main colors (red, green, blue, cyan, magenta, and yellow) at five saturation levels (20, 40, 60, 80, and 100%), yielding a more realistic view of color accuracy.

As we’ve already stated, if you want to adjust the white balance, you can only do it in User Color mode. The resulting color gamut is shown below.

Blue, cyan, green, and yellow look alright, but we’re not sure what’s going on with red and magenta. The goal is obviously Adobe RGB, given the extra green. However, red is over-saturated. The resulting Delta E number is kept in check by dropping the luminance. To me, reds look un-natural in User Color mode.

Fortunately, sRGB mode is very accurate.

Only slightly high luminance values prevent this from being a perfect result. The saturation and hue errors are all below one Delta E. Charts like the one above are what we expect from a professional-class monitor.

Adobe RGB mode is equally good.

Again, the color luminances are slightly elevated, preventing a perfect measurement. That's seriously nit-picking, though. Really, there's nothing to worry about from either chart.

It's time to check how ViewSonic's VP2772 stacks up against its competition.

When the average of 32 color measurements is this low, you know you’re getting the highest possible accuracy and precision. We’re quite happy to see another display added to the elite club of monitors with selectable color gamuts. There are plenty of good wide-gamut screens and plenty of good sRGB screens, but only a handful can deliver exceptional performance in both modes.

Gamut Volume: Adobe RGB 1998 And sRGB

There are basically two categories of displays in use today: those that conform to the sRGB/Rec. 709 standard like HDTVs, and wide-gamut panels that show as much as 100 percent of the Adobe RGB 1998 spec. We use Gamutvision to calculate the gamut volume, based on an ICC profile created from our actual measurements. Since the VP2772 offers sRGB and Adobe RGB, we plot both gamut volume percentages on the chart.

The VP2772 nearly unseats our gamut volume champ, Dell’s UP2141Q, missing by a scant .12% for sRGB and .16% for Adobe RGB. We could say it doesn't get any better, but clearly it does (if only by a hair). Seriously though, this kind of precision makes it easy to match your monitor to the printers and cameras in your production suite. If color accuracy is the deciding factor in your monitor purchase, you won’t be sorry to put ViewSonic's offering on your desk.

8. Results: Viewing Angles And Uniformity

The more monitors we test, the more we can see that off-axis viewing performance is dependent not only on pixel structure (IPS, PLS, TN, etc.), but backlight technology as well. The anti-glare layer makes a difference, too.

I've reviewed two other GB-r-LED displays, Asus’ PA279Q and Dell’s UP2414Q. Both showed a distinct red shift to the sides and a subtle blue shift in the vertical plane. But ViewSonic's VP2772 has the best horizontal off-axis image I've ever seen. There is practically no light falloff and no visible color change either. Even the red tint in the top and bottom photos is minimal. You can easily see the darkest three gray bars, meaning gamma and black levels are not significantly compromised. If you’re doing color-critical work on this panel, you won’t have to lock your head to the center of the screen to maintain visual accuracy.

Screen Uniformity: Luminance

In order to gauge screen uniformity, zero- and 100-percent full-field patterns are used, and nine points are sampled. We continue comparing the results to other monitors we’ve reviewed, too.

First, we establish a baseline result at the center of each screen. Then the surrounding eight points are measured. Their values get expressed as a percentage of that the baseline figure, either above or below. This number gets averaged. It is important to remember that we only test the review sample each vendor sends us. Other examples of the same monitor may measure differently.

First up is black field uniformity.

Some professional-class displays offer uniformity compensation, but not the VP2772. We always see a reduction in contrast when it’s turned on, so that feature is not missed in today's story; the uncorrected numbers are fine by us.

Raw measurements cover a .0512 cd/m2 range from high to low, which is imperceptible. The meter does say there's a slight hotspot in the center of the screen, though.

Here’s the white field measurement:

White field uniformity is also under our 10-percent standard, and we can't see any variations in tone here, either. Again, the brightest part of the panel, according to our C6 meter, is in the center.

Screen Uniformity: Color

To measure color uniformity, we display an 80-percent white field and measure the Delta E error of the same nine points on the screen. Then we subtract the lowest value from the highest to arrive at the result. A smaller number means a display is more uniform. Any value below three translates to a variation that is invisible to the naked eye.

Color uniformity from the VP2772 isn't as good as some of the other monitors we've tested. There's a faint green tint on either side of the center, and an even fainter red hue in the lower-right corner. Observing this phenomenon in actual content is difficult (a white field pattern is an extreme test). But if you are sensitive to the issue, consider finding a dealer that will let you hand-pick your monitor, since every sample will be different.

9. Results: Pixel Response And Input Lag

To perform these tests, we use a high-speed camera that shoots at 1000 frames per second. Analyzing the video frame-by-frame allows us to observe the exact time it takes to go from a zero-percent signal to a 100% white field.

The pattern generator is placed at the base of the monitor so our camera can capture the precise moment its front-panel LED lights up, indicating that a video signal is being received by the monitor. With this camera placement, we can easily see how long it takes to fully display a pattern after pressing the button on the generator’s remote. This testing methodology allows for accurate and repeatable results when comparing panels.

Here’s a shot of our test setup. Click on the photo to enlarge.

The brighter section of the camera’s screen is what will actually appear in the video. You can see the lights of the pattern generator in the bottom of the viewfinder. We flash the pattern on and off five times and average the results.

Below, you have the screen draw result.

The draw time of IPS panels is so predictable that we almost don’t have to measure it (though, since there are exceptions, we're going to continue to do so). TN screens are typically faster. Most folks simply don't see the perceptible difference. Only those who are extra-sensitive to motion blur are able to tell.

Here are the lag results:

The input lag result falls under the average category among all of the IPS monitors we’ve tested. Unless you can push your refresh rate to 120 Hz, you’re still better off playing fast-motion games on a TN screen. With the introduction of G-Sync, there are new gaming products on the horizon and we’ll be testing them as soon as possible. For the VP2772 and its IPS/QHD brethren, modding is still the only option available to those needing more speed.

10. A Pro Monitor That Delivers The Last One-Percent

After testing and using the VP2772, we came away fairly impressed. On the surface, that's a lot of money to shell out for a 27-inch QHD screen. But upon closer examination, ViewSonic does offer a very good product.

Selectable color gamuts are a fairly new feature that we’ve only seen on a few displays like this one. It doesn’t seem like a big deal to most, but if you need both Adobe RGB and sRGB, your choices are otherwise fairly limited. Out of all of the monitors I've reviewed, only the Dell 24- and 32-inch UHD models, along with Asus' PA279Q, have this option.

The VP2772's other selling point is its native 10-bit color with 14-bit LUT. To fully take advantage of this, you need a 10-bit signal, which, even on high-end graphics workstations is a rarity. But with a more-common 8-bit source, the built-in processing power does make a visible difference in image quality.

Measured performance is fairly impressive. ViewSonic claims errors of less than three Delta E (the generally accepted threshold of visibility), and it meets that goal. Without calibration, our press sample hit all of the marks (1.31 for Adobe RGB, 1.37 for sRGB, 1.43 for grayscale, and 2.14 for gamma). Those are all fantastic numbers.

My only nitpick is that you can’t calibrate this display to an even higher standard. I feel strongly that a professional monitor should include high and low grayscale controls; a CMS with hue, saturation, and luminance controls for all colors; and a multi-point gamma adjustment. Furthermore, there should be multiple user memories where different configurations can be saved in addition to the preset picture modes.

A large part of the VP2772’s appeal is its beautiful smooth-toned picture. I can’t measure or even show you that quality, but it can be seen with the naked eye. In my review of the Planar PXL2790MX, clarity played a major role in the evaluation. At Tom’s Hardware, we try to avoid reporting opinion in product reviews. But in a few cases, we have to. In this review, smoothness is the adjective I used most often, and it’s something that separates this display from others.

There is a reason some people prefer the look of film, just like some prefer analog audio over digital. It’s the smoothness that comes from an infinite number of color gradations possible in a chemical medium. When you digitize those colors, you’re limited by the bit depth of your signal chain. While it may seem incredible to say that 16.7 million colors aren’t enough to accurately render an image, the human eye can see billions of colors.

In discussions about monitors like this, price is inevitably the hottest topic. To that I can only say this: many value-oriented products offer excellent performance up to the ninety-ninth percentile. And the vast majority of users will be more than satisfied with that 99 percent. But if you want that last one percent, and some invariably do, it will cost you. It’s not worth the premium to everyone. However, to those who want that one percent, the VP2772 can deliver it.