At this year’s National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) trade show, HP showed off two new professional-targeted displays as part of its DreamColor range. They vary widely in price and are targeted at opposite ends of the spectrum, though features are strong across both monitors.
While it may often seem like gaming-focused displays might have the most cutting edge technology incorporated in them, when it comes to color accuracy, displays aimed at animation often take pole position. In that market, HP’s DreamColor range is impressive, with some 80 percent of academy award winners for visual effects utilizing the displays over the past six years (thanks Toms).
With that in mind, launching some new DreamColor monitors is quite a big deal. The first is called the Z31x and it’s a 31-inch, true 10-bit IPS panel, with a resolution of 4,096 x 2,160. That might not seem like your typical 4K resolution and that’s because it’s actually a little wider than that, using an aspect ratio of 17:9 — the same kind used in cinema screens.
The refresh rate maxes out at 60Hz, but that’s no bother for commercial movie and TV development. It has a wide, 178-degree viewing angle, a brightness of 250 cd/m2 and a 1,500:1 static contrast ratio. Response time is as high as 10ms, though outside of high-speed gaming that’s not really a problem.
It is in color support that this display really stands out. With 100-percent support for sRGB, BT.709, AdobeRGB and 99-percent support for DCI-P3, it covers the whole gamut. In terms of connectivity, it has twin DisplayPort 1.2 connectors, twin HDMI 2.0 ports and a USB Type-C connector, along with five other USB 3.0 ports.
All of those features do come at a price though: $4,000.
For something a little more affordable and perhaps what HP hopes visual effects firms will kit out all of their animators with, the HP DreamColor Z24x G2 offers decent features, but at a price of just $560.
It measures in at 24 inches diagonally at a resolution of 1,920 x 1,200. It too operates at 60Hz, though its color depth is 8 bit + FRC — which should offer comparable visuals to full 10bit support, without added cost. Its brightness is measured at 300 cd/m2, with a contrast ratio of 1,000:1. Response time is six milliseconds and its color support is still 100 percent of sRGB and BT.709, with 99 percent support for Adobe RGB.
Connection options include twin DisplayPort 1.2 connectors, an HDMI 1.4 port and a single DVI-D connector, along with five USB 3.0 ports.
The smaller Z24X G2 is set to go on sale in June, while its bigger brother will arrive sometime later this year.
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