Results: Calibrated Brightness And Contrast
Since we consider 200 nits to be an ideal average for peak output, we calibrate all of our test monitors to that value. In a room with some ambient light (like an office), this brightness level provides a sharp, punchy image with maximum detail and minimum eye fatigue. It's also the typical sweet spot for gamma and grayscale tracking, which we'll look at over the next two pages.
While calibrating the On-Lap 2501M improves the grayscale measurements, which you’ll see later, it also slightly reduces the maximum white and contrast ratio. You’ll have to decide whether perfect white balance or maximum contrast is more important to you.
A drop in peak output after calibration is not unusual for any display. In this case it was only a seven-percent reduction. While the On-Lap can't quite get to 200 cd/m2, it only misses the mark by nine percent.
The black level rises substantially to over 0.5 cd/m2. Again this is not uncommon for any calibrated monitor.
The On-Lap finishes right in the middle of our pack for calibrated black level performance. It's only bested by one TN monitor, though. If you remove the IPS competition, the On-Lap does quite well.
Calibration reduces the contrast ratio by 19 percent versus the stock configuration. Again, you’ll have to decide if the compromise in grayscale performance is worth giving up some dynamic range.
When comparing the On-Lap to other TN-based monitors, it does fairly well; it's only beaten by the Dell. However, it lags well behind the IPS panels we’ve tested.
