Another new monitor being shown off at Computex that is under design and development is the new ASUS PB328QT. What makes this monitor special is it is the one of the first Technicolor certified monitors on the market. This is a pretty big deal as historically one of the key reasons users purchase higher end monitors is to ensure superior color accuracy and overall performance. So how does this help and what is so special about this?
Let’s find out a little bit directly from Technicolor
*from Technicolor
None of today’s display standards (sRGB, Rec. 709, Adobe RGB, etc.,) include a tolerance to describe when a device is actually “in-spec” or “out-of spec.” This distinction matters because a device that is supposedly tuned to sRGB may in fact display photos inaccurately. Displays purportedly tuned to Rec. 709 may actually cause a loss in contrast and detail in whites and blacks and inaccurate skin tones.
Technicolor Color Certified solves this problem by defining specifications, including tolerances, for a monitor’s color gamut, gammas, color fidelity, white point and backlight brightness that match the quality of today’s Blu-ray disks (ITU-R Recommendation BT.709).
Consumers don’t just watch videos & movies on their HD TVs, they also watch them on computer monitors, tablets, smartphones, and more. They then use these same devices to view videos and photos, play games, and peruse online shopping catalogs. What many consumers don’t realize, however, and which they often discover too late — particularly in the instance of online shopping –- is that each of those screens might be using different technology to display the image on the screen.
The image hereunder illustrates the differences in color when “Not certified” , including blue sky, flesh tones, etc
Since there are so many devices out there using different technologies and color standards, the consumer is left with a wide variety of device gamuts all claiming to support the sRGB color space. It can be very frustrating for the consumer when they discover that when they view the same content on different devices that they will experience that content completely differently, with no guarantee of what color the image really should be (see the “Not Certified” images above). That’s why Technicolor teamed up with Portrait Displays to create the Technicolor Color Certified program. Together, we are working with display manufacturers to ensure that the same kind of strict adherence to the color standard used in creating content is passed onto the consumer through displays that safeguard the integrity of the created content. Through certified displays, consumers will no longer have to endure loss of detail in the highlights and shadows and color shifts throughout the tonal range.
ASUS PB328T
Key specifications & features
*not all specifications / feature or functions are detailed.
- 32”
- 2560 x 1440 resolution
- 10 bit panel
- 100% color saturation sRGB
- Brightness 300cd
- Input/Output: DisplayPort, HDMI, DualDVI, D-sub
- Connectivity: Integrated 4 port USB 3.0 hub
- ASUS 5 way OSD navigation joystick
- ASUS QuickFit OSD
- ASUS VividPixel
- Low Blue Light operating modes ( ASUS Eye Care )
- Flicker Free operation ( ASUS Eye Care )
- Integrated 3 WATT stereo speaker
- Ergonomic adjustment including tilt, swivel and height adjustment
- Quick release design and VESA mount support
Product Name / Model Number:
ASUS PB328QT
*from Technicolor
WHAT ARE COLOR SPACES AND WHAT IS A GAMUT?
Gamut:
A gamut is the range of colors that a particular device can capture or show.
Color Space:
A color space is a predefined specification that delineates a particular group of colors.
A color space is mapped into a device’s gamut so the device’s colors correspond to real-world colors.
CIE 1931
The CIE 1931 chromaticity diagram was invented in 1931 by the International Commission on Illumination (CIE). The graph represents all of the colors that are visible to a human eye.
CIE 1976
An alternate diagram was developed by CIE in 1976 with the aim of taking into account all colors that are perceivable to the human eye. Known as LAB color, this graphs uses u’, v’ values instead of the more common x and y values of CIE 1931. The Technicolor specification refers to CIE 1931, which is more widely used in the display industry.
SRGB*
In 1996, the sRGB color space was developed as a standard for display technologies at that time. The black triangle in the graph below shows the sRGB color space.
REC. 709*
The advent of high-definition required yet another new diagram for color space, which came to be known as Rec. 709. Hollywood films that are reproduced on DVD or Blu-ray discs all use the Rec. 709 gamut.
*Technicolor Color Certified specifications are derived directly from the sRGB and Rec. 709 color spaces.
WHY THE DISPLAY INDUSTRY NEEDS COLOR CERTIFIED SPECIFICATIONS
Though consumers might not realize it until they look at screens side-by-side in a retail store, the sRGB standard can be implemented differently by different manufacturers. While the standard describes the shape of the triangle and its position on the graph, it does not specify a tolerance that a manufacturer must achieve when creating an sRGB device.
Many sRGB displays have gamuts without color-controlling tolerances. As a result, the same image, whether it is a product on a website or a movie being watched on a tablet or smartphone screen, can look completely different on different sRGB displays.
Initial impressions
Excited and impressed. As someone who is a display enthusiastic and looking to consistently have my experiences mirror those intended by the designer or developer of content this is a way of helping to ensure the experience of the images, videos / movies or games I play are they way they are intended to be. As a big fan of high quality content including BluRay and its support for the highest quality video content and soon to be expanded color range, HDR, HFS and 4K with the newest BD specification I am excited to see this certification process be put into display products or on the devices we use that feature displays.
For more information check out the links below
http://www.technicolor.com/en/solutions-services/technology/technology-licensing/image-color/color-certification/color-accurate-video-display
http://www.technicolor.com/en/solutions-services/technology/technology-licensing/image-color/color-certification/color-certification-process
http://www.technicolor.com/en/solutions-services/technology/technology-licensing/image-color/color-certification/color-certification-process/color-certification-specifications
http://www.technicolor.com/en/solutions-services/technology/technology-licensing/image-color/color-certification/color-certification-process/color-spaces