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OSD Setup And Calibration
The menu system in the XB270HU is identical to the one we encountered in the XB280HK; which is a little different than the OSD from the XG270HU FreeSync display. The XB screens omit the color management system and low blue light controls but otherwise offer the same features, except this one includes motion blur-reduction, which for us is a first in an IPS screen.
OSD Tour
Pressing any key brings up a quick menu. From the left we have picture modes, brightness, overdrive, ULMB (blur-reduction) and main OSD. ULMB is an on/off feature with no slider for pulse width. You'll take a 71 percent hit to light output when using it plus you have to turn off G-Sync and run at 120, 100 or 85Hz.
The picture modes, from left, include User, Eco, Standard (default), Gaming and Movie. If you make any changes, even if it's just Brightness, the mode automatically changes to User.
Acer eColor Management is just another way to access the picture modes. Brightness modulates the flicker-free backlight without changing the contrast ratio. The Contrast control must be reduced two clicks to achieve optimal grayscale accuracy. Gamma works perfectly at the 2.2 preset. And Color Temp has three settings plus an adjustable User mode.
We had to make a few tweaks to the RGB sliders for best grayscale tracking but since they start in the center of their ranges, there's very little effect on contrast.
The OSD is available in 15 languages and its timeout can be as long as 2 minutes, which is very convenient during calibration.
The input selector and DDC/CI options are grayed out since there's only a single DisplayPort connector. Overdrive has three settings, Off, Normal and Extreme; we used Extreme for the best panel response. ULMB is grayed out here because G-Sync and 144Hz are engaged. To use the blur-reduction, turn off G-Sync and set the refresh rate to 120, 100 or 85Hz. The refresh rate bar appears in the lower left corner and slides up and down to show the changing frame rate during G-Sync use. There are no numbers to tell you what's happening but once you use it awhile, you'll get a feel for what your current rate is. It's less intrusive than FRAPS.
Reset will return all settings to the factory defaults. And the Power-off USB Charge option leaves the USB ports on when the monitor is in standby so you can charge mobile devices.
Here is the resolution and refresh rate info. You also get an indicator when a G-Sync card is installed and enabled. Otherwise the Mode field says Normal.
Calibration
The Standard picture mode measures reasonably well out of the box but a calibration will get the XB270HU to perform its best. Changing any setting will switch the monitor to its User mode. The Warm color temp preset is a little cooler than D65 so we engaged the User setting and tweaked the RGB sliders. Once done, grayscale tracking and color gamut accuracy compete well with other similarly-priced gaming monitors while gamma is among the best we've seen of late. Using the ULMB option reduces light output by 71.5 percent but does not affect contrast. There is no adjustable pulse-width slider so the max brightness available with ULMB on is around 102cd/m2.
Please try our settings below to optimize your XB270HU.
| Acer XB270HU Calibration Settings | |
|---|---|
| Brightness 200 cd/m2 | 49 |
| Brightness 120 cd/m2 | 25 |
| Brightness 100 cd/m2 | 20 |
| Brightness 80 cd/m2 | 16 |
| Brightness 50 cd/m2 | 9 |
| Contrast | 48 |
| Gamma | 2.2 |
| Color Temp User | Red 53, Green 49, Blue 47 |
