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Uncalibrated – Maximum Backlight Level
BenQ claims 400 nits for SDR and the EX270QM easily delivers. There is more than enough light output here for any environment including outdoor settings like a video production tent. The downside to this is that minimum brightness is around 70 nits which is a little much for dark room gameplay.
Black levels are typical of an IPS panel, so contrast is also typical at just over 1,000:1. There is no dynamic dimming feature available for SDR content, only HDR enjoys that option.
After Calibration to 200 nits
Contrast remains consistent after calibration at just over 1,000:1. This means you can switch between the Custom and RPG modes and see a similar picture. The difference will be in the gamma tracking, which I’ll discuss on the next page. Overall, the image is satisfying out of the box, and you can simply leave it in RPG mode and adjust the brightness to taste if you wish.
The EX270QM’s ANSI contrast performance is consistent, with only a slight drop from the static value. This is excellent performance that speaks of BenQ’s solid build and quality control.
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Prev Page Response, Input Lag, Viewing Angles and Uniformity Next Page Grayscale, Gamma and ColorChristian Eberle is a Contributing Editor for Tom's Hardware US. He's a veteran reviewer of A/V equipment, specializing in monitors. Christian began his obsession with tech when he built his first PC in 1991, a 286 running DOS 3.0 at a blazing 12MHz. In 2006, he undertook training from the Imaging Science Foundation in video calibration and testing and thus started a passion for precise imaging that persists to this day. He is also a professional musician with a degree from the New England Conservatory as a classical bassoonist which he used to good effect as a performer with the West Point Army Band from 1987 to 2013. He enjoys watching movies and listening to high-end audio in his custom-built home theater and can be seen riding trails near his home on a race-ready ICE VTX recumbent trike. Christian enjoys the endless summer in Florida where he lives with his wife and Chihuahua and plays with orchestras around the state.
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