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HDR Performance

Our HDR benchmarking uses Portrait Displays’ Calman software. To learn about our HDR testing, see our breakdown of how we test PC monitors.

The XG341C-2K, like other Mini LED monitors, can display very bright highlights in HDR mode. When an HDR10 signal is applied, it switches automatically and opens up three HDR-specific picture presets. I found them very similar in look and measurement, so I did my tests in the default DisplayHDR mode.

HDR Brightness and Contrast

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ViewSonic Elite XG341C-2K — (Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

The XG341C-2K is certified DisplayHDR 1400, and it manages that feat when measuring a 25% window pattern. This shows that it has more than enough power to deliver super-bright highlights in HDR mode. Most LCD panels with traditional LED backlights struggle to provide this much light from any onscreen object bigger than a few pixels. To achieve this, I had to engage local dimming. Any level from 1 to 5 will engage the full dynamic range. That means when a 0% black pattern is displayed, the backlight is turned off, rendering contrast infinite. Even displaying a small white object like an info bug won’t turn on the LEDs in the surrounding zones. ViewSonic has implemented its Mini LED technology extremely well here.

Grayscale, EOTF and Color

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The XG341C-2K’s HDR grayscale tracking runs a bit warm in brightness steps above 55%. This is a more excusable error than blue or green because red is less visible in practice. All three HDR modes exhibit the same behavior. The EOTF runs slightly dark but not enough so that detail is obscured. The tone-map transition point is 75% which means more of the content meta-data can be used to determine luminance levels. This always bodes well for picture quality, which is excellent.

The XG341C-2K shows some over-saturation in HDR mode in the red, magenta and blue areas of the gamut. This warms up the image in a good way. Though not completely accurate, the picture is pleasing and natural, with vivid color and depth. With such low black levels, well-mastered content looks three-dimensional. You can see in the Rec.2020 chart that the XG341C-2K covers a good portion of that large gamut, coming up short only in green and cyan.

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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.

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