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Brightness & Contrast
To read about our monitor tests in-depth, check out Display Testing Explained: How We Test Monitors and TVs. Information on Brightness and Contrast testing is on page two.
Uncalibrated – Maximum Backlight Level
To compare the S2719DM's performance, we have LG’s 32UD99, Acer’s PE320QK, BenQ’s EW277HDR and EW3270U and Dell’s UP2718Q, our reference professional screen. The Dell monitor is the only one with a full-array, zone-dimming backlight. All others make do with edge arrays.
The S2719DM has no problem nipping the underside of 400 nits in SDR mode. There aren’t many situations where one would need this much output for SDR material. It doesn’t increase native contrast, and it’s much too bright for any indoor environment. But this sort of output is necessary for the panel to have enough luminance to meet the HDR 400 certification and deliver the required bright highlights for HDR content.
Since we’re dealing with an in-plane switching (IPS) panel, native contrast is average for the category at 1073.2:1 (Acer and LG excel above average here with ratios on either side of 1400:1).
Uncalibrated – Minimum Backlight Level
The backlight’s output covers a broad range - all the way down to 35 nits, which is actually darker than necessary. The downside is that each click of the 100-step slider represents 3-4 nits, which is a bit extreme, making achieving precise output levels difficult. We’d rather see 2.5 nits per click, but this is a minor point. Contrast remains consistent at over 1000:1.
Ultimately, the S2719DM performs as it should here for the price.
After Calibration to 200 nits
We lowered the contrast slider, which reduces SDR dynamic range to 873.8:1. But that adjustment isn’t absolutely necessary. You could leave everything alone, select Standard mode and call it a day.
The main weakness is black level, which is bit higher than the other panels tested.
HDR Brightness & Contrast
While vertical alignment (VA) panels tested here offer the same peak brightness for HDR as they do for SDR, IPS panels can get quite a bit brighter.
With a well-engineered dynamic contrast algorithm in place, this monitor turns in 2513.6:1 contrast in HDR mode - very respectable.
ANSI Contrast Ratio
Our ANSI test is performed in SDR mode only. The S2719DM remains consistent with its sequential result at 838.5:1. If you opt to leave the contrast slider at its default setting, this result is just over 1000:1.
While not cheap, this monitor performs beyond its cost in this aspect. The panel used here is of very high quality, perhaps better than its price suggests.
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