Results: Grayscale Tracking
All of the IPS panels we’ve recently tested 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 stock result is fairly cool in tone. And this error rises as the picture gets brighter. These measurements were taken using the monitor’s Standard picture mode and Normal color temp.
Setting the color temp to User unlocks the RGB sliders so the white balance can be improved.
The User setting produces an excellent result. The greatest error is at 40 percent, where it just barely cracks the 2 Delta-E mark. After calibration, the EQ276W has excellent grayscale accuracy and tracking.
Here’s how the Auria stacks up for out-of-box grayscale performance. While calibration is always a good idea, it’s important to know what to expect if you run your monitor stock.
With an average Delta-E value of 4.70, you’ll notice the blue tone to the Auria’s image. While it’s not a very high error, it is greater than the competition. For this and all future monitor reviews, we’re showing the grayscale Delta-E measurement as luminance-compensated. Previously, we factored luminance (brightness) into this value. Now, the number shows only the grayscale error, regardless of luminance accuracy. Since luminance is measured in the gamma test, we feel it’s redundant to include it in the grayscale error benchmark. Numbers for the other screens in this comparison have been recalculated in order to keep things accurate and consistent.
Calibration almost always results in a visible improvement to the image, especially in the area of white balance. We like to see a Delta-E value under three (the point at which errors become invisible).
Even though the EQ276W takes last place in the list, it still displays excellent grayscale accuracy with a low 1.25 Delta-E value. There’s no question that this monitor will benefit from instrumented calibration.
