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Results: Grayscale Tracking And Gamma Response
Our grayscale and gamma tests are described in detail here.
We love to see charts like this one. With no adjustment at all, the IX2850 only shows the slightest visible error at 100-percent brightness. There is no real need to calibrate the display to see an accurate high-contrast image.
After dropping the green slider down two clicks, we were able to raise the contrast control to 53 (from 50) without penalty. Keeping contrast high after calibration is a challenge for most computer monitors, but apparently not for the IX2850. The above chart looks like it came from one of our very expensive professional-grade screens.
Here is our comparison group:
An average error of 1.81 Delta E isn’t the lowest we’ve recorded, but at this price point it’s hard to do much better. The main culprit is the 30- to 80-percent brightness range. That’s a nitpick because only the 100-percent error is actually visible, and only barely.
Generally, we see only professional monitors calibrate to a <1 Delta E value. A few business-class screens have succeeded too, so the IX2850 joins that elite group. The other business-class product we reviewed from Planar, the PXL2790MW, also posted superb grayscale results of a mere .67 Delta E.
Gamma Response
Usually we see little to no change in gamma tracking during calibration. The adjustments we make are pretty small, so you wouldn’t expect a visible difference. Because we had more latitude with the contrast control, however, we saw a big improvement at the 90-percent brightness level. Before adjustment, it’s off by about 10cd/m2.
Dialing in the grayscale and upping the contrast reduces the luminance error at 90 percent to only 3.7cd/m2. It may seem like a small change, but precision is important regardless of application and we feel every monitor should perform well. The IX2850 is certainly a value choice in the Ultra HD category. Still, it's not cheap compared to the overall monitor market.
Here is our comparison group again:
If we only ranked the tracking from 20 to 80 percent, the IX2850 would be at or near zero in this test. We can’t complain about those small aberrations because they don’t detract from image quality at all. This is excellent performance. It’s just that the rest of the group tracks a little tighter.
We calculate gamma deviation by simply expressing the difference from 2.2 as a percentage.
Those small dips at 10 and 90 percent hurt the average gamma value. It’s 2.14 (2.72 percent away from 2.2) but the brightness range from 20 to 80 percent tracks 2.2 perfectly. Again, we’re being picky; no one will be dissatisfied with the depth of the IX2850’s image.
