Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Monitors with hybrid dimming of the backlight

Recently we have seen quite a few displays that employ both PWM and voltage regulation in order to dim the backlight. While it might not be an ideal solution, the fact that the PWM doesn't kick in until the brightness is set to 20% or less (in case of the new Eizo EcoView series) and considering that the ~ 75 cd/m² (which corresponds to the above stated brightness setting) should be comfortable enough to use even in case of night-time working, makes these displays worth looking into:
  • EIZO FlexScan EV2736WFS-BK
Although there seems to be some conflicting information regarding whether it's using an IPS (as advertised) or a PLS panel, that shouldn't really matter since the latter one has an almost identical properties to the In-Plane Switching technology. Like the most PLS screens so far, it has a soft coating, which is definitely a plus, because the too aggressive anti-glare filters are known for causing visual discomfort.
  • EIZO FlexScan EV2436W-FS
There are some reports about this monitor having an aggressive AG coating as well as utilizing FRC which can result in color flickering, so my advice would be to avoid it. Of course, it's up to you to decide.

Another monitors that rely on both PWM at the frequency of around 180Hz as well as on a voltage regulation are Samsung S27A850D and Samsung S27B970D. You should be aware that you might still notice flickering if you use any of these two monitors at low brightness settings.