How much will I miss out on with a standard display vs the upcoming HDR ones

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DanNeely

Supreme [H]ardness
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I've been holding off on replacing my current 30" 2560x1600 display because I don't want to give up a significant amount of vertical height by going with a 27" model, and 32" 4k screens are expensive enough that whatever I bought would probably be my main screen for at least 4 years. Until fairly recently, the GTX 1080 (not Ti) being only marginally able to game at 4k urged restraint.

For much of this year I'd been eagerly awaiting displays built around AU Optronics 4k 32" 384 zone HDR panels. Unfortunately, like their 27" brethren getting production going at useful volumes has proven more difficult than expected and availability has slipped from the middle of this year to next.

I'd also assumed that the 32" version would be a 144hz model like the 27". However having done a bit more research I've discovered that because of how it was announced (ie not with gaming panels), TFT Central doesn't think it's going to be capable of more than 60 hz.

With that come down in capability, and having read in a number of places that the 1st gen HDR displays are going to be significantly more expensive, I'm beginning to wonder if I should just stop waiting and get an Acer Predator XB321HK now (only 4k 32" gsync display on the market) now since the monitor I really want is probably still at least a year or two out and next years upgrade option is likely to be painfully expensive and lacking in the one feature that would definitely be worth my paying a premium for.
 
After playing some HDR games on my OLED, I can definitely say get a "real" HDR screen. HDR is to picture quality like what G-Sync was to gaming/smoothness. Massive improvements.
 
Vega said:
After playing some HDR games on my OLED, I can definitely say get a "real" HDR screen. HDR is to picture quality like what G-Sync was to gaming/smoothness. Massive improvements.
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How much time are we REALLY looking at though. Display tech seems to be some of the slowest moving with promises of certain features being pushed further and further back, and often with big asterisks upon release.
 
Motley said:
Just get the Acer Predator XB321HK, its a badass monitor. And its on sale right now on ebay/newegg for $999 : http://www.ebay.com/itm/Acer-Predator-XB321HK-32-4K-UHD-IPS-NVIDIA-G-Sync-Black-Red-Gaming-Monitor-38/381530815104?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649
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Huh. Not on sale on the main newegg page, is there any catch with buying it from them on ebay?

I'm particularly concerned about any sort of return related issues since reviews for the monitor suggest it has higher than average QA/QC issues.
 
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DanNeely said:
Huh. Not on sale on the main newegg page, is there any catch with buying it from them on ebay?

I'm particularly concerned about any sort of return related issues since reviews for the monitor suggest it has higher than average QA/QC issues.
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Ya I saw that, and I have no idea. But no worries on returns, just because you buy it on ebay, you still get the newegg return policies.
 
Motley said:
Ya I saw that, and I have no idea. But no worries on returns, just because you buy it on ebay, you still get the newegg return policies.
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Newegg's standard return policy is 8 dead pixels, which strikes me as being a bit on the high side. Not sure if enough to to justify gambling on Amazon having a competitive sale price in 6 weeks or not though.
 
I only buy monitors from Amazon for that reason. They've crosshipped me monitors multiple times to get zero bad pixels on various models over the years , most recently my BenQ3201's a couple years ago.

Neweggs return policy is shit in comparison.
 
Out of curiosity if you are going to spend 1k why not get a samsung 4k for gaming? I love my 55"
 
My Js9000 does 4k 60hz at 4:4:4 chroma.

On a personal level, I feel unless you are doing gaming as a sport it does not make a huge difference. Just my 2 cents and my experience using this monitor for gaming. It beats all of the 30+" monitors I had and it can be used for everything.

If you are a heavy FPS gamer and you need the .001fps difference then yes go for a 120hz Gsync monitor hands down. Personal preferences as I do not do as much heavy FPS gaming anymore. More of a hobby
 
DanNeely said:
I'd also assumed that the 32" version would be a 144hz model like the 27". However having done a bit more research I've discovered that because of how it was announced (ie not with gaming panels), TFT Central doesn't think it's going to be capable of more than 60 hz.
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They seem to have a 32" 144 Hz model in the pipeline, but only late next year with displays probably on the market in 2019. See http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/news_archive/38.htm#auo_roadmap_oct17

Right now if you want over 1440p at high refresh rates your only real options are the upcoming 27" 4K models next year or you have to wait another year for the 32" models it seems. I don't feel like TVs are a suitable alternative because every single model is just too big, no model on the market supports over 60 Hz refresh rates or any variable refresh rate solutions. This might change if the planets align and a TV manufacturer releases a HDMI 2.1 compatible display at a small enough size and Nvidia/AMD get new GPUs on the market with HDMI 2.1 and VRR support over that connection.

I have a 65" Samsung KS7005 (Nordic KS8000) and don't feel the input lag is a real issue. I have an ASUS PG278Q as my desktop monitor and despite the ~3ms vs ~21ms difference I haven't noticed any real difference. I don't play twitch shooters though. The ASUS does have less motion blur due to the much lower response time and high refresh rate but even then I am pretty happy playing on the Samsung. I use it mostly for slower paced games that my 980 Ti can run at 4K as well as games on my PS4 Pro.

HDR is already great on consoles but so far seems to be in its infancy on the PC with only a handful of games supporting it. When it works it makes a marked difference in visuals, we just need better support for it.
 
CrazyRob said:
gsync, reduced input lag, and native 4k 60hz 4:4:4 seem to be some obvious reasons.
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... all of those, but also not wanting a massively larger display because moving corner huds farther into the periphery of my field of view would make one of the games I play a lot suck. For non-gaming purposes also because it'd mean my main monitor and other screens (30" 2560x1600 and 20" 1200x1600) would be badlly mismatched in height. The latter is why I want a 32" monitor over a 27", it'll only be about a third or a half inch shorter than my other screens.
 
kasakka said:
They seem to have a 32" 144 Hz model in the pipeline, but only late next year with displays probably on the market in 2019. See http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/news_archive/38.htm#auo_roadmap_oct17

Right now if you want over 1440p at high refresh rates your only real options are the upcoming 27" 4K models next year or you have to wait another year for the 32" models it seems. I don't feel like TVs are a suitable alternative because every single model is just too big, no model on the market supports over 60 Hz refresh rates or any variable refresh rate solutions. This might change if the planets align and a TV manufacturer releases a HDMI 2.1 compatible display at a small enough size and Nvidia/AMD get new GPUs on the market with HDMI 2.1 and VRR support over that connection.

I have a 65" Samsung KS7005 (Nordic KS8000) and don't feel the input lag is a real issue. I have an ASUS PG278Q as my desktop monitor and despite the ~3ms vs ~21ms difference I haven't noticed any real difference. I don't play twitch shooters though. The ASUS does have less motion blur due to the much lower response time and high refresh rate but even then I am pretty happy playing on the Samsung. I use it mostly for slower paced games that my 980 Ti can run at 4K as well as games on my PS4 Pro.

HDR is already great on consoles but so far seems to be in its infancy on the PC with only a handful of games supporting it. When it works it makes a marked difference in visuals, we just need better support for it.
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Thank you for finding that. If it's going to be at least another year for the 32" 144hz model I think I'll pull the trigger on the 60hz one in the near future. Being DVI only my current 1600p panel has only a limited useful lifespan remaining anyway.
 
Vega said:
After playing some HDR games on my OLED, I can definitely say get a "real" HDR screen. HDR is to picture quality like what G-Sync was to gaming/smoothness. Massive improvements.
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Dunno, I can't really tell much difference in Destiny 2 in HDR mode vs non HDR mode on my KS8000 (driven by my PC). Verified that HDR is working via the display itself.

Haven't tried any other games. Is there a list of other games that currently support HDR somewhere I can check to see if I have any?
 
jdempsey said:
Dunno, I can't really tell much difference in Destiny 2 in HDR mode vs non HDR mode on my KS8000 (driven by my PC). Verified that HDR is working via the display itself.
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I don't know much about the quality of Destiny 2's HDR, and I'm deeply skeptical about the ability of an edge-lit LCD TV to do justice to HDR, but at the very least, Gran Turismo HDR should let you know what the issue is.



It looks *amazing* to me on OLED HDR, the tail lights, highlights, and lighting sources in particular pop fantastically more on HDR than SDR, it's awesome. Rise of the Tomb Raider is also pretty good, the shadow detail and the pop of the glow stick on HDR makes it almost look 3D compared to SDR.

 
Dahkoht said:
I only buy monitors from Amazon for that reason. They've crosshipped me monitors multiple times to get zero bad pixels on various models over the years , most recently my BenQ3201's a couple years ago.

Neweggs return policy is shit in comparison.
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I disagree.

I returned stuff for free to Newegg and got my full refund back.
 
Sancus said:
I don't know much about the quality of Destiny 2's HDR, and I'm deeply skeptical about the ability of an edge-lit LCD TV to do justice to HDR, but at the very least, Gran Turismo HDR should let you know what the issue is.



It looks *amazing* to me on OLED HDR, the tail lights, highlights, and lighting sources in particular pop fantastically more on HDR than SDR, it's awesome. Rise of the Tomb Raider is also pretty good, the shadow detail and the pop of the glow stick on HDR makes it almost look 3D compared to SDR.

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Well I can't speak for games, but HDR Video is exceedingly apparent, and quite substantial in my experience.



I have seen on discussions related to destiny 2 specifically that others have felt the same with various displays, so maybe it's just their implementation.



I've seen 4k film with HDR on this TV that looks so much better than any cinema experience I've had, to make me remiss to ever go to a regular theater again.


Hmmm I'll check if any of my PS4 games have it either.
 
Well the links I posted are just captured game footage, so they should look the same as the games would look like if run on the same hardware(I assume both were run on PS4, probably a Pro). If those videos look like good HDR to you and Destiny 2 doesn't, I suspect the problem is either with Destiny 2 or a video card driver issue. HDR support on Windows has been kind of flaky with newer drives and updates frequently changing things.

At least one person has recently reported getting Tomb Raider to work on the KS8000 in HDR on PC, at the least.
 
I have no data to back this up, but it wouldn't surprise me if HDR hasn't actually been implemented on the PC version of Destiny 2, even though the switch is there. I don't think they've released it for consoles yet, and they've talked about having platform parity regarding content. It's not quite content, but it wouldn't surprise me if they don't want to release it on PC before their native platform of PS4.
 
CrazyRob said:
I have no data to back this up, but it wouldn't surprise me if HDR hasn't actually been implemented on the PC version of Destiny 2, even though the switch is there. I don't think they've released it for consoles yet, and they've talked about having platform parity regarding content. It's not quite content, but it wouldn't surprise me if they don't want to release it on PC before their native platform of PS4.
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It's very possible. I will say that before the nvidia gameready driver update of release day, even the switch didn't register with the display. After the update, turning on HDR does make the display recognize it as HDR content, and it "seemed" to do some minor contrasty type changes, turning it on, but it may be tied up with some other setting that's simply making changes in anticipation of HDR being implemented.

I will try and check some other HDR content games today to see if it's more apparent.

Although I'll admit to not wanting to care, because I'm trying to talk myself into an AW3418DW, and don't want to wait until some mysterious point next year for a similar display with HDR, but will be hard pressed to be able to justify an upgrade then, after paying for such an egregiously priced monitor. ;~(

LOL, digressing into nostalgia, I find it kind of ironic that I think a $1300ish (street price) monitor is outrageous now, when I wouldn't have hesitated 20 years ago (in fact, paid more for my first LCD, at 15").. How times change lol.
 
If you're looking at the AW3418DW I would personally wait for the tftcentral review, which is coming soon.
 
Sancus said:
If you're looking at the AW3418DW I would personally wait for the tftcentral review, which is coming soon.
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I am. Trying to hold off in hopes of a BF sale also. I was gonna just jump on it when I heard people were haggling Dell down toward $1k, but I tried a couple times and had zero luck. Apparently it's easier overseas or with a corp dell rep.

Assuming the reviews are good though, consider the resale value of the X34's and similar, I'm guessing I could get much of my money back, if I get a sale price, when the competitive displays pop up. My concern waiting on those is simply that they keep getting pushed back.

Had a deal on an X34 locally, but buyer "changed his mind", which I understand, but still pissed me off royally. ;) If I'm gonna pay $999 for a new one, may as well spend the extra $300 for the AW, assuming it meets expectations.
 
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