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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.
The NG17FGQ supports HDR but does not offer any extra contrast or wide-gamut color. However, within those limitations, it processes the signals correctly.
HDR Brightness and Contrast
The NG17FGQ offers a little more light for HDR content, 296 versus the 273 nits I measured in SDR mode. This will lend a tad more punch to bright highlights but not much more than that. Black levels are about the same since there’s no dynamic option, so the contrast ratio is also similar at 1,157.1:1. HDR signals are processed just fine; there’s just not much improvement in image depth or punch. HDR looks only subtly better than SDR.
Grayscale, EOTF and Color
Grayscale accuracy is fair in HDR mode with some slight errors above 35% brightness. The picture is a little cool but not egregiously so. The luminance curve tracks a little lightly at first, then sticks close to the reference line with a soft transition to tone mapping at 60%. This is typical performance for a low output display that does not have dynamic contrast.
Color tracks very well within the NG17FGQ’s sRGB limit. When compared to DCI-P3, the points are on target until the display runs out of color just shy of 80% saturation. Hue tracks well for all six colors. HDR may not offer much in the way of a dynamic image here, but its color accuracy is very good.
Christian 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.