On Sep 12, 2019, at 2:27 PM, Dean Mackey via colorsync-users <colorsync-users@lists.apple.com> wrote:
We need to replace the display at one of our graphic design stations; and are trying to narrow down the best choice. The rest of our stations are running NEC MultiSync PA242W displays; which we have been quite happy with. However, our IT department is telling us that those are no longer available. They claim that the closest thing to the PA242W are the following:
NEC MultiSync EA271U ($849.00 USD)
MultiSync PA271Q-BK ($1,299.00 USD)
The PA271Q-BK appears to have much of the same features that I remember looking at when we purchased our existing 24” displays. Is this display a newer generation; just in a 27” version? There is a distinct price difference between the two; but I’m willing to fight for the PA271 if it is the best choice from a color-management standpoint.
1.Nearly all if not all current SpectraView displays are wide gamut, Apple's and most other's are not (sRGB like gamut) with the exception of the new iMac P3 displays. But SpectraView can emulate sRGB with a push of a button. The new P3 iMac cannot. Best of both worlds! 2.SpectraView uses a high bit internal processing path (at least 10-bit) with internal 3D LUTs, many other's do not. These high bit LUTs allow precise adjustments to be made to the displays Tone Response Curve without reducing the number of displayable colors or introducing color banding artifacts. 3. Newer NEC SpectraView's use GBr LED which produce far more precise control of White Point, run cooler, use less energy, run far longer than CCFL. 4. SpectraView has 3-4 year on site warranty. 5. SpectraView panels are hand selected from the manufacturer line (pick of the litter). 6. SpectraView has electric technologies like ColorComp, which adjusts and improves screen (brightness) uniformity using individually measured matrices for each display at the factory. All done high bit with compension for operating time and temperature. 7. SpectraView has electric technologies like GammaComp, to adjust the monitor's internal 10-bit gamma Look-Up-Table, allowing various custom display gamma or Tone-Response-Curves to be achieved. Apple and many other's don't have anything like this. 8. SpectraView is a smart display system that integrates custom software for calibration including multiple target calibration's which can be loaded to adjust the display while loading the associated ICC profile, Apple (and few other products aside from Eizo) cannot do this. To quote from the manual: “SpectraView communicates with the display monitors using Display Data Channel - Command Interface (DDC/CI) which is a two-way communications link between the video graphics adapter and display monitor using the normal video signal cable. No extra cables are necessary. All adjustments to the monitor settings are done automatically using this communications link. It is not necessary to manually configure the monitor as all of the necessary settings are made by the software“. Apple and other's has nothing like this, nor can 3rd party software you have to pay for extra do this. This is an attribute built from the ground up in SpectraView to serve as a 'reference display system' ala Barco, PressView, Sony Artisan of the past. 9. SpectraView will bundle a custom mated Colorimeter with their software for calibration. The price you pay for software and colorimeter with the SpectraView, depending on what country you live in costs significantly less than buying the hardware and software for a non SpectraView. And that extra money will not provide a fraction of the capabilities outlined. 10. SpectraView PA series offer the ability to calibrate WITHOUT a Colorimeter with the FREE Multiprofiler software since each panel is measured with a very expensive spectroradiometer and that data is embedded in a chip in the panel. It can update the calibration as the unit ages to ensure calibration. 11. SpectraView can emulate with a single click other behaviors, again on the fly, so it can simulate a non wide gamut display (sRGB) among other standardized behaviors (Broadcast Video DICOM, etc) 12. SpectraView has internal electronic control over contrast ratio, few others can provide this control over black. Real useful for soft proofing on media that has differing contrast ratio's (matt vs. glossy papers). 13. SpectraView has Network support (Windows only). 14. SpectraView has provisions to lock the display controls so no accidental alteration to behavior by mistake. 15. SpectraView displays allow the user to raise and lower the display for best viewing position AND it can be rotated 90 degrees for Portrait. 16. Several SpectraView's support Picture in Picture (you can have two differing calibration's per picture). More differences in the two (PA vs. EA): On the USB side, the PA272W has a 2 port KVM switch while the EA Series do not. The PA272W has a backlight sensor to keep the brightness and white point stable; the EA Series do not. The Picture Modes on the PA272W are infinitely customizable (with or without MultiProfiler), the EA Series are limited The uniformity control on the PA272W is 5 levels (4 + off), the EA is on or off. ColorComp = Uniformity control (on/off on EA, more advanced control on P/PA) No 3D LUT on any EA model (only P and PA). GammComp I'm told is outdated terminology. Now a big difference; EA or other displays that doesn’t have a “SpectraView Engine†(color processor). What's that? In short it does: 1. Uniformity correction 2. Aging compensation 3. Temperature compensation 4. Orientation compensation 5. 3x 1D LUTs 6. 3D LUTs 7. Color gamut mapping 8. Gamma correction 9. Black level correction 10. Ambient light measurement and compensation 11. Backlight luminance measurement and stabilization 12. Picture-in-Picture / Picture-by-Picture 13. Color blindness simulation 14. Metamerism correction 15. Hue/Saturation/Offset adjustment Andrew Rodney http://www.digitaldog.net/