Is An HDR Gaming Monitor Worth It? because now there are so many manufacturers that make monitors with HDR support. Are HDR monitors better?
Through this article, we will discuss various aspects of an HDR monitor both from its advantages and also what an HDR monitor can provide.
So, let’s get started!
What Is HDR For Monitors And Is It Worth It?
Are you debating whether to adopt the HDR monitor trend or are you concerned that this is just a fad? The issue with these hypes is that you might be persuaded to spend your money on these new products when, in actuality, they provide you absolutely no benefits. A buyer’s regret may result from explanations that are too technical for the average individual to understand.
While having items with superior specs and cutting-edge technology is generally preferable, you should consider whether you would gain anything from the change. Since you’ll have to spend money on a new monitor, you might as well get something useful. To respond to this query, you must first have a thorough understanding of HDR, particularly as it relates to monitors.
What Is HDR?
High Dynamic Range, or HDR, is a not at all new concept. Given that HDTVs enable HDR, you most certainly already have the technology at home. Although HDR has improved your viewing experience, it has taken longer for PCs and video games to adopt it.
The only goal of HDR is to increase the realism of the image. By retaining a wide color range and enhancing the contrast between dark and light, it does this. The image will appear more lifelike and you, the end user, will be able to notice more vibrant colors.
In particular, HDR enhances image quality in the areas listed below:
Luminance and Chrominance
These 2 elements clearly set “true HDR” apart from the competition. The term “luminance” describes the amount of light emitted from a surface, expressed as a unit. Better luminance results in a better picture since brightness has a significant impact on color accuracy.
The distinction between the color you see on a screen and the same color based on luminance is known as chrominance. Greater chrominance indicates a more realistic representation of colors on the monitor. When compared to SDR (Standard Dynamic Range) screens, HDR has higher brightness and chrominance, which results in better video quality.
Colour Space and Color Gamut
Displays map out the colors on the screen using color spacing, which is quantified in bits. More clearly defined colors result from better color separation. You can anticipate a better output in terms of image quality if the millions of color bits in your monitor are of higher quality. Additionally to enhancing this, HDR includes a new term for the quality called Color Gamut. This indicates that HDR monitors can display the entire color spectrum.
Shadows and Black Levels
The most favored aspect of HDR displays is the dark levels, especially because SDR displays had a specific issue with this. HDR gives impressive black levels and shadows in place of a bluish tone, which will enhance the overall picture quality.
Nits, Brightness, and Stops
Nits are a measurement of a monitor’s brightness levels; the more Nits it has, the brighter it may be. Additionally, with additional brightness, colors and hues can be represented more accurately. But since you’ll be seated much closer to the screen with a monitor, they can’t always provide the same brightness as an HDTV.
As a result, monitors employ a technique known as Stops to intercept or halt brightness before it completely penetrates the screen. Therefore, an HDR monitor has both a high Nit value and a number of stops (at least 1000 Nits and 7 Stops when it comes to HDR10 displays).
How does HRD work?
By expanding the contrast ratio, color palette, and peak brightness of compatible content, HDR monitors enhance the picture quality and bring the image closer to how its developer intended it.
There are many HDR formats, but HDR10 is the most important one for PC gaming because it is an open standard and is mainly adopted by video game developers and display makers.
You won’t have the same viewing experience on every HDR10 monitor. While some give noticeably higher visual quality, others only make a slight improvement.
HDR Certificates
It is not sufficient for a display to merely be “HDR-compatible” due to the lack of official certification for HDR capability of a specific monitor by their manufacturers.
When purchasing an HDR monitor, be sure to read the display’s specifications carefully, paying close attention to the peak brightness, color gamut, contrast ratio, and—unless the display is OLED—local dimming.
The DisplayHDR certification from VESA (Video Electronics Standards Association) is one approach to roughly understand what the HDR on the monitor entails.
If you’re buying a monitor just for HDR support, you should stay away from DisplayHDR 400 monitors because they have a little lower peak brightness than standard SDR panels.
If the monitor supports full-array local dimming, DisplayHDR 600 and 1000 can significantly outperform DisplayHDR 400.
One DisplayHDR 1000 display, for instance, might only have 32 edge-lit dimming zones, whereas another DisplayHDR 1000 monitor might have 1,000+ zones! As better backlight control is possible with HDR, it goes without saying that the model with more dimming zones will look significantly better.
The more dimming zones, the better, and a full-array local dimming solution is required for ‘real’ HDR picture quality on an LED-backlit display!
Therefore, search for the number of dimming zones and other criteria rather than depending on various HDR certifications. You may sort our list of HDR monitors by zone count and other specifications/features!
OLED monitors, on the other hand, emit their own light from each pixel and don’t require a backlight or local dimming, giving them true blacks and an infinite contrast ratio. Although some OLED displays may get just as bright as LED or micro LED LCDs, this also means that you’ll get incredible HDR image quality.
What is Fake HDR?
You’ve probably heard the terms “pseudo-HDR” or “fake HDR” used to describe specific HDR monitors.
Even with an increase in peak brightness like DisplayHDR 400, these displays can take and process the HDR signal, but their technology is unable to enhance the picture quality.
You would get a better experience overall from a greater resolution or refresh rate than you would from an HDR display with faux HDR in this situation.
What Is Compatible With An HDR Monitor?
HDR hasn’t been established as a common rendering technique because it’s brand-new. As a result, older media cannot support HDR. Some manufacturers are attempting to solve the problem by creating a form of simulated HDR, which enables non-compatible material to upgrade from the previous SDR quality. Real HDR still outperforms it, though.
Video games have been specifically designed for this type of technology, with the biggest brands being able to support HDR10. Therefore, if you own a gaming console, you can definitely make the most of your HDR monitor.
Currently, PC games do not support native HDR10. This indicates that while it is theoretically possible with Windows 10, the program is far from ideal. You’ll frequently encounter bugs and visual hitches. Once you’re in the game, the situation changes. Integration is simple and quick because HDR10 is a setting in the majority of Triple-A titles currently available.
In conclusion, if you enjoy gaming on your console or Windows, an HDR display will provide you with better video quality. You would be better suited watching on your HDTV if you wanted to watch other types of media on your PC, such streaming videos and movies.
Is An HDR Gaming Monitor Worth It?
The future belongs to HDR, thanks to the enormous popularity of HDTVs and the media’s embracing of technology. Who wouldn’t enjoy the enhanced image and video quality it provides, after all? Although it isn’t yet compatible with everything, you can already enjoy the games and movies that work well with it. Do you truly want to remain with SDR monitors’ poor contrast, reduced brightness, and overall worse image quality, is the question that matters in the end. Just why would you?
The cost is the only obstacle to be overcome. The majority of HDR10 displays also support 4K, resulting in a significantly higher price for a monitor upgrade that may not yet be available for all uses. It does not make sense to spend money on anything other than an HDR monitor, however, if you are in the market for an update after using your previous monitor for a long time. You will have to buy again once the entire industry accepts it and uses it on all future media. So avoid making two purchases and make the investment instead.
Conclusion
Overall, we advise getting an OLED display, like the Dell AW3423DW or the LG OLED48C1, if you’re searching for a monitor with good HDR image quality.
Whether an LCD is what you prefer, check to see if it has a suitable full-array local dimming solution. Given that they will be more superior and affordable than the most recent models, we advise choosing one of the approaching tiny LED monitors.
While certain edge-lit HDR monitors with local dimming do provide an improvement over SDR in some scenarios, they’re still a long way from providing the full HDR experience. If HDR is your primary goal, we do not advise using these.
