Acer XB273K - G-Sync, 144Hz, HDR 400

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Well this looks interesting... and suggests Nvidia aren't limiting their new (and expensive) G-Sync 1.4 module to 1000 nit panels.

https://www.pcworld.com/article/3301170/displays/acer4k-144hz-hdr-gaming-monitors-ifa.html

The also announced XV273K seems to be the first 4K 144Hz FreeSync monitor, which is nice.

And I must say, kudos to Acer for being so up front and honest ahead of time in respect to the BLB and Glow we should expect.

 

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VESA DisplayHDR 400 is a waste of time in my opinion. it's such a vague certification structure it's there mainly so manufacturers can advertise HDR, but in reality there's no decent/real HDR performance offered by those displays. When used, these really seem to offer is either a 10-bit colour depth support or a wider gamut (around 90 - 95% DCI-P3 common) or sometimes both. They don't really seem to have any local dimming support which is what makes higher dynamic ranges/contrast ratios possible in the first place. and there is no increaed peak luminance either, just a slightly higher than normal normal max brightness of around 400 cd/m2. So you do get some benefits from the wider colour space sometimes and perhaps the 10-bit colour depth, but the core of what makes HDR (the improved dynamic range) is not supported or offered.

Very true, but people are easily fooled. I've seen numerous comments online with people exclaiming the HDR 400 label to be a reason to get a certain monitor over another, when in reality it's such a low qualifying standard it will make little to no difference as you say. Clearly the whole HDR branding thing was getting out of hand, but I don't think the VESA solution has actually helped very much, most people are still very much in the dark. I guess it's a step in the right direction and it was all such a mess that VESA did the best they could.

 

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i kind of wish they hadn't bothered with the HDR 400 spec, and stuck with 600 and 1000 which do at least seem (at the moment) to represent models with some form of local dimming and improved HDR performance. The 400 spec always felt to me like the manufacturers ganged up on VESA to come up with something so low spec, and meaningless, just so they could certify their monitors and fool buyers in to thinking it's an HDR screen, when most of the time it really isn't. My full HDR article available here by the way: http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/articles/hdr.htm

I always suspected there was some sort of collusion going on there... the HDR 400 cert is just so virtually worthless, I can't believe anyone in the industry lends it serious credence. It's nothing more than a badge designed to fool consumers and shift more units.

 

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In German but gives you a good look at the monitor.