Display Enlightment by NCX

All TN panels have very restrictive viewing angles and suffer from vertical gamma shift, therefore all TN panels have bad image quality. AHVA/IPS/PLS panel glow is not a problem if viewed correctly, and not in the dark with the brightness cranked:


Since TN panels suffer from vertical gamma shift, their colors and shades are uneven from top (top quarter is too dark) to bottom (bottom half is washed out), as well tend to have more banding, and always have vastly less wide, or more restrictive viewing angles, though all LCD panel types look the worst when viewed from above, or looked down at.

It does not matter if one sits directly in front of their TN panel (correct way to view a TN), or how much one pays, especially since the majority (excluding Dell S2716DG & S2719DGF) of the most expensive 27" 1440p TN panels use grainier/sparklier matte coatings than AHVA/IPS/PLS panels. Calibration can vastly improve inaccurate TN panels, but a TN is a TN, and all TN suffer from obvious vertical gamma shift.


Calibrated with an X-Rite i1 display pro colorimeter with ICC profile activated to correct the gamma in 2015.


Calibrated but connected to a PS4 so there's no gamma correction; both monitors have non-linear and low-ish gamma below the target of linear 2.2


I reviewed the Dell S2719DGF (144hz 2560x1440 8 bit AUO TN from 2018) which has better image quality than the S2716DG (144hz 2560x1440 8 bit AUO TN from 2015) , but has worse image quality than the BenQ Zowie RL2460 since it can properly cover SDR (HTDV/REC 709 & sRGB) color spaces while both Dell monitors over and under-saturate colors, as well as can come with low preset gamma (the S2719DGF I tested came with sub 2.0 preset gamma):





The BenQ Zowie (6 bit +FRC AUO TN panel) can fully cover both SDR color spaces (HDTV/REC709 & sRGB) without any under-saturation and only a bit of under-saturation while the Dell S2719DGF significantly over and under-saturates some colors compared to both the HDTV/REC 709 and sRGB color space, and does so significantly more when un-calibrated.  When un-calibrated it significantly over and under-saturates some colors compared to both the HDTV/REC 709 and sRGB color space.  The top left side of the triangle (HDTV/REC 709 color gamut) falls short resulting in the under-saturation of blue and medium to dark greens. Medium to light greens, yellows, oranges and some reds are all over-saturated, a phenomenon typical of AUO panels, including both their 27" 2560x1440 and 32" 3840x2160 AHVA (more balanced or pure) panels which also over-saturate the same colors resulting in green and yellow tints to browns, greys and whites, even after calibration.


Keep in mind that the S2719DGF is calibrated and has its gamma fixed in the below comparison versus being too low out-of-the-box and significantly more washed out.  Click here to see comparisons of the Dell pre-calibration or un-calibrated versus calibrated to see what a unit with low-preset gamma looks like.