OSD Setup & Calibration
There are six picture modes, although you won’t find them in the main OSD. The far left key brings up the SmartImage menu. Off is the default and corresponds to the factory calibration data sheet. The other modes are task oriented and make various adjustments to white point and gamma to achieve their goals. All you have to know is leave SmartImage off for the most accurate out-of-box color you’ve ever seen.
The main OSD is divided into eight sub-menus starting with an input selector. Next is the Picture menu, which has the usual brightness and contrast sliders along with sharpness (leave it on its default to avoid ringing), five gamma presets, SmartResponse (overdrive), SmartContrast (dynamic contrast), and a Pixel Orbiter to prevent screen burn-in. This is not necessary with LCD panels.
PIP/PBP can display two video sources at once in either a side-by-side format or a windowed configuration. You can move the window to any corner you wish, size it, and swap sources in this menu.
Audio allows you to select a source: HDMI, DisplayPort, or analog; and adjust or mute the volume.
The Color menu has three choices for white balance control. Color Temperature lets you set the point at one of six values ranging from 5000K to 11500K. sRGB locks out further settings and fixes the temp at 6500K. User Define unlocks RGB sliders which work with decent precision. The BDM3270 is so good on the Color Temperature 6500K setting that we were unable to make any improvement when we calibrated the display ourselves.
In the OSD menu you can move the settings window around the screen, toggle its transparency, and set the timeout up to 60 seconds. Also there's an option for the bezel user key, which can be programmed to one of several functions.
Last we have the Setup menu, which lets you control the DisplayPort version. 1.1 is the default, so you should change it to 1.2 unless you have an older video card. You can also make image geometry adjustments for the VGA input. Finally, there is a factory reset that will return all settings to their defaults.
Calibration
When we took our initial measurements, we found our BDM3270 sample actually exceeded its factory calibration data sheet. Its out-of-box accuracy is nearly perfect in all areas. For ego’s sake we attempted a calibration in the User Define mode but were unable to match the default measurements. To replicate our results, leave SmartImage off and set brightness to taste. We’ve provided settings for popular output levels below along with our RGB values if you are inclined to tweak. Trust us, this monitor is best left alone. It’s that good.
| Philips BDM3270 Calibration Settings | |
|---|---|
| SmartImage | Off |
| Brightness 200cd/m2 | 57 |
| Brightness 120cd/m2 | 27 |
| Brightness 100cd/m2 | 19 |
| Brightness 80cd/m2 | 12 |
| Brightness 50cd/m2 | 1 |
| Contrast | 50 |
| Gamma | 2.2 |
| Color Temp RGB | Red 98, Green 100, Blue 98 |
