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To test today, we are using a LaCie calibration gun along with specific software to accurately measure the readings.
We also tested the PA248Q under ‘real world conditions' via the DisplayPort connector paired up with a high end Core i7 laptop featuring Nvidia Quadro 4000M discrete graphics.
The screen surface does not include a high gloss coating, but it is vibrant enough to ensure that high definition media is great to view. Thanks to the design decision it is not reflective, even with a fairly strong backlight situated behind the user.
We measured the Gamut out of the box and the PA248Q ProArt panel returned a reading of 2.21 which is an excellent result. We manually adjusted the gamma to 1.8 and the screen returned an accurate 1.79 result.
Colour response from this panel was exemplary, with only a very minor 0.9% red cast across the image area. Panel linearity was also exceptional. We measured 100% coverage of sRGB which indicates excellent colour performance for artists and designers.
Colour accuracy throughout testing was superlative and as good as the best 24 inch IPS panels we have tested. Off axis performance is strong and we measured 178° angles without any colour shift.
Asus have also incorporated a custom colour adjustment to allow the user to tweak six colours, red, green, blue, cyan, magenta and yellow. CMY (K-black key colour) is normally associated with physical press reproduction for magazines and newspapers, but by including this option it is possible to tweak the colours to improve the results without ruining the overall balance.
Asus highlight the above image by adjusting the red colour balance. On a ‘conventional' monitor this can influence the colour of the white background. As we would expect this is a rather dramatic visual representation, however there are some noticeable benefits when fine tuning colours on the PA248Q monitor.
Black Definition is excellent, well above average. We recorded a panel variance around 5% across the full width, with the outer region registering up to 10%, specifically in the corners. This may be noticeable in our visual representation, but under real world conditions it is extremely hard to notice, even with high definition media featuring black backgrounds, such as science fiction material. This is in the top 10% of results we have recorded to date.
We tested under real world conditions with the bluray disc of Sunshine and were impressed with the black consistency across the full width of the panel. There are several small patches close to the edges mid height which read around 8% – a couple of percent higher than the blackest sections, although they aren't noticeable to the naked eye.
Asus use a system called Smart Contrast Ratio which is said to deliver 80,000,000:1 and 300 Cd/m² of brightness.
White purity yet again registered as excellent. There is a 5 percent measurement across most of the panel, indicating very intense white reproduction with a variety of material. At the edges this rises to around 10% with some areas close to the corners around 13%. There is very little pooling, although is it recordable in the extreme edges, like almost every mainstream screen available today.
Uniformity was well above average and bleeding is not a concern. Colour Fluctuation is maintained very well across the full width of the panel, with close to 1% variance via the red channel.
For gaming, I didn't notice any concerns to the naked eye. ASUS rate the panel at 6ms (GTG). The colour reproduction of the screen is exceptional for gaming, especially when viewing three quarter tones, close to black. The detail is brought out exceptionally well and colours are both rich and well saturated. Lesser panels can have a problem with very dark scenes, losing detail in those zones completely.
We measured brightness of 302 cd/m².
The Asus PA248Q ProArt Monitor requires 56 watts after we calibrated it which is a decent result for an IPS screen.
