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Our HDR benchmarking uses Portrait Displays’ Calman software. To learn about our HDR testing, see our breakdown of how we test PC monitors.
HDR Brightness and Contrast
The Omen 27k supports HDR10 signals with an automatic switchover. All picture modes and controls are grayed out, but I found no need for adjustment. There is plenty of light output and dynamic contrast visibly improves image depth.
The Omen 27k is certified DisplayHDR 400 and is indeed very bright. It'll cost you more money if you want more light than this. There’s a little more juice here than in SDR mode and that helps highlight areas pop. The black level is higher than the other screens but since they have Mini LED backlights, it isn’t a fair fight. The edge zone-dimming feature is locked in the on position for HDR, so the contrast is a respectable 7,348.4:1. That puts the Omen 27k well above other budget HDR screens for HDR quality.
Grayscale, EOTF and Color
There is certainly no need for calibration in the Omen 27k’s HDR mode. Grayscale tracking is visually free of errors. The EOTF starts out a bit dark but hits the reference line by 50% brightness. That makes shadow areas a tad dark, but detail is still clearly rendered. The tone-map transition point is at 65%, which is correct for the measured black and white levels. There is nothing to complain about here.
In the HDR color test, you can see the same blue response observed in the SDR tests. The 20-80% points are fine, but 100% goes a little off hue and is under-saturated. Other colors track their hues correctly and are a bit over-saturated from zero to 80%. This is typical of the wide gamut monitors I’ve tested. It makes HDR look more vibrant than SDR, which is a good thing.
The Omen 27k can’t render all of Rec.2020 (almost no monitor can) but it keeps the saturation levels high until it runs out of color. This is the correct approach when processing Rec.2020 content. I can’t imagine anyone being dissatisfied with the Omen 27k’s HDR color.
Test Takeaway: Compared to other budget HDR screens, the Omen 27k comes ahead for contrast and color accuracy. It maintains high saturation, which makes the HDR picture more colorful than SDR, even when the wide gamut is used for SDR. Edge zone-dimming stretches image depth nicely, and high accuracy ensures that you’ll see every detail and nuance present in the original content. The Omen 27k is an exceptional performer at this price point.
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