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Results: Grayscale Tracking And Gamma Response
Our grayscale and gamma tests are described in detail here.
To the naked eye, there aren’t any grayscale errors in Standard mode. The chart shows a maximum DeltaE of 3.22 at 50-percent brightness. That’s only a tad over the accepted threshold of three, where grayscale errors become visible. If you don’t wish to calibrate the BL3201PT, you’ll be perfectly satisfied with its grayscale accuracy.
Calibrating the User mode yields a decent improvement in grayscale performance. To get 100 percent under the 3dE line, we lowered the Contrast four clicks to remove a visible green tint. Otherwise, BenQ's business-class monitor delivers excellent performance.
Here is our comparison group:
A result of 2.25dE is perfectly acceptable for an un-calibrated monitor. A majority of users will enjoy the BL3201PT’s image quality by simply adjusting brightness to taste in the Standard mode.
Calibration brings the average error down to 1.38dE. That's not quite as low as the rest of the group, but you won’t be able to see a difference between any of these screens without instrumented measurements. The BL3201PT doesn't perform in what we'd consider the professional class, but it's not priced like those premium products either.
Gamma Response
The most accurate gamma tracking is found on the number-three preset. Whether you calibrate or not, this is the tracking you’ll see. Our adjustments didn’t make a difference. Aside from the tiniest dip at 10 percent, we record a perfect result.
Here is our comparison group again:
The .15 number comes from the above-mentioned dip in gamma at the 10-percent brightness level. All other values are within a whisker of 2.2.
We calculate gamma deviation by simply expressing the difference from 2.2 as a percentage.
This is only the third monitor we’ve measured in the past two years displaying a perfect average gamma result of 2.2. It doesn’t get any better. Gamma this accurate easily makes up for lower contrast by providing maximum punch in all types of content.
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