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%), for a more realistic view of color accuracy. Since there are no color management controls on either monitor, we're only showing the post-calibration graphs. They'd look pretty much the same out-of-the-box.
AOC I2757Fh
This is a pretty good result, with only small visible errors at the 80% and 100% levels for green and yellow. These Delta E numbers also account for luminance error, which you can see in more detail below.
Luminance levels have a far more visible impact on perceived color quality than the color measurements on our gamut chart. In the luminance chart, shorter bars are better. Bars above the line mean that color is too bright at a given stimulus level, while below the line means that the color is too dark.
The errors are slight, with only green cracking the Delta E level of three we've been watching for. Meanwhile, luminance values are excellent, with the exception of blue, which is about 20 percent too bright.
Viewsonic VX2770Smh
If you're thinking that it's odd to see gamut charts for both monitors looking the same, just remember that AOC and ViewSonic both utilize the same AH-IPS panel manufactured by LG. Again, this is excellent performance.
The VX2770Smh also does very well in the gamut tests. In fact, it’s pretty much identical to the AOC panel. Again, there are slight green errors and the blue luminance is around 20 percent too high.
Delta E works the same for color as it does for grayscale. Any value over three is considered to be visible. As you can see, all of the monitors we've tested lately are very accurate.
The AOC and ViewSonic monitors both compare favorably to their IPS-based competition. With the exception of the Dell U2412M, none of the panels have any visible chromaticity error.
Gamut Volume: Adobe RGB 1998
There are basically two categories of displays in use today: those that conform to the Adobe sRGB standard like HDTVs, and the professional-grade panels that show as much as 100 percent of the AdobeRGB 1998 spec.
The I2757Fh and VX2770Smh fall into the former category. Though they're not the best choices for high-end photo and graphics work, they are perfect for gaming and watching video content. Even out of the box, each screen's image will closely match the TV in your living room.
We use Gamutvision to calculate the gamut volume, based on an ICC profile created from actual measurements. Both monitors display typical performance for this price point. Monitors that display more of the AdobeRGB 1998 gamut will set you back an additional several hundred dollars, but they won’t look as good in movies or games due to their higher color saturation. Unless the content is actually mastered using the larger gamut (and none presently is), it won’t display correctly on a monitor designed to conform to AdobeRGB 1998. So, it’s important to select a monitor based on its intended use, rather than the scope of its color gamut.
