Results: Viewing Angle And Uniformity
We saw some interesting results in this test from AOC's Q2963PM. Because of the extreme width of these screens, there is a greater possibility of color shift and brightness falloff when viewed more than 45 degrees off-center.
Like the AOC, we see a slight blue shift in the top and bottom photos, along with a fair amount of light falloff. All of the bars are still visible, which is a good thing. Side to side performance is very good, with no color shift and very little light falloff. IPS technology consistently sets the bar for LCD viewing angles. And it continues to improve.
To measure screen uniformity, zero percent and 100 percent full-field patterns are used, and nine points are sampled. In a change from previous reviews, we’re now comparing the results to other monitors we’ve measured. First, we establish a baseline measurement at the center of each screen. Then the surrounding eight points are measured and their values expressed as a percentage of the baseline, either above or below. This number gets averaged. It is important to remember that we only get to test one review unit, and other samples of the same monitor can measure differently in this metric.
First up is black field uniformity.
The upper-right and lower third of the screen really hurts the EA294WMi. These areas are visibly brighter than the center portion. As always, your mileage may vary.
Here’s the white field measurement.
The 100 percent white field looks great, with no areas visibly brighter or darker than the center region. We also looked at other brightness levels and found no visible issues until we got down to 20 percent.
Screen Uniformity: Color
Starting with our review of AOC's Q2963PM, we’re adding a new uniformity test to our benchmark suite: color. The above measurements only address luminance. Now, we’re measuring the white balance variation in an 80-percent white field pattern. The results are expressed as a variation in Delta E (or in other words, the difference between the highest and lowest value).
The EA294WMi comes out on top in this benchmark, yielding an excellent performance. LCD panels have come a long way in the last few years as far as color uniformity goes. Not long ago, it was normal for a screen to show visible color tints in different parts of a white field. Now, it’s much more rare. This monitor fares well and is unlikely to be eclipsed any time soon.
