Jump to content

is any HDR better than no HDR?

bobbster573

im looking for a new monitor. to be honest, itll probably be a while, but i want to make sure i know what monitor i should get.

 

i watch a decent amount of films on my pc (i dont really have any other way to watch them) and im thinking about partially upgrading to 4k blu ray. i know for certain im not going to get a 4k monitor, i think 1440p will do the trick for now, but the other big think that 4k blu ray has is HDR.

ive looked around and its a nightmare to find this info because websites dont usually have a "HDR" filter and even then it treats it as a binary thing. but one thing i do know is that its unlikely i can afford a displayhdr500 (or higher) certified monitor. ive heard that displayhdr400 isnt really worth it but in my eyes (which have never really seen hdr before), some hdr is better than no hdr, even if its not perfect, especally because ive heard that hdr video looks bad on sdr displays

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

In my opinion, no: https://www.tftcentral.co.uk/blog/why-your-hdr-monitor-is-probably-not-hdr-at-all-and-why-displayhdr-400-needs-to-go/

 

I find HDR to be one of those things where there isn't really an in between. Do it right or don't do it at all. After all, what's the point of High Dynamic Range if that high dynamic range is where the display is lacking. Also, without at least local dimming it's not worth it at all as all you can do is make the entire screen brighter, whereas the wow-factor of HDR is the variation in local levels of brightness.

 

The only "poor man's HDR" I have experienced is that on my Samsung MU6400 TV and while it's different, I wouldn't say I'm impressed at all. On my C9 OLED on the other hand it's amazing but that's top-tier expensive stuff.

 

2 hours ago, bobbster573 said:

because ive heard that hdr video looks bad on sdr displays

It looks bad if it's not properly tone mapped to SDR causing it to look washed out. Some players like MPC with madVR can tonemap HDR to SDR quite nicely, however, in my opinion.

Crystal: CPU: i7 7700K | Motherboard: Asus ROG Strix Z270F | RAM: GSkill 16 GB@3200MHz | GPU: Nvidia GTX 1080 Ti FE | Case: Corsair Crystal 570X (black) | PSU: EVGA Supernova G2 1000W | Monitor: Asus VG248QE 24"

Laptop: Dell XPS 13 9370 | CPU: i5 10510U | RAM: 16 GB

Server: CPU: i5 4690k | RAM: 16 GB | Case: Corsair Graphite 760T White | Storage: 19 TB

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

Depends on how u choose to measure brightness, e.g 2% peak, 50% peak, 10% sustained, 'real scene brightness' etc,

 

I'd say u want at least a 25% window sustained brightness of 300nits, and a Peak 10% window of 400nits to get noticeable HDR. This also usual means the display can do a HDR real scene of ~400nits.

Note that the HDR specification, eg HDR400, 600 and 1000, only requires a 'peak' nit figure to reach the target. So many HDR 400 display can hit say a 10% window peak of 400, but sustained figures and larger windows can be far below that, resulting in negligible HDR. So its important to check reviews. Not all HDR400 displays are created equal.

 

The biggest problem however is that the vast majority of monitors simply cant do 'good' HDR,

 

CPU: Intel i7 3930k w/OC & EK Supremacy EVO Block | Motherboard: Asus P9x79 Pro  | RAM: G.Skill 4x4 1866 CL9 | PSU: Seasonic Platinum 1000w Corsair RM 750w Gold (2021)|

VDU: Panasonic 42" Plasma | GPU: Gigabyte 1080ti Gaming OC & Barrow Block (RIP)...GTX 980ti | Sound: Asus Xonar D2X - Z5500 -FiiO X3K DAP/DAC - ATH-M50S | Case: Phantek Enthoo Primo White |

Storage: Samsung 850 Pro 1TB SSD + WD Blue 1TB SSD | Cooling: XSPC D5 Photon 270 Res & Pump | 2x XSPC AX240 White Rads | NexXxos Monsta 80x240 Rad P/P | NF-A12x25 fans |

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

×