Ignacy Giżyński
Imagine that instead of buying a monitor for several thousand dollars, all you need is a gaming OLED from Media Expert to conduct professional vision research. Sounds like science fiction? The Germans claim it's already a reality.
Researchers from Technische Universität Darmstadt checked whether consumer OLED monitors – the ones you might have on your desk at home – can compete with expensive scientific displays. The results? Surprisingly good.
Budget OLED Surprises Scientists – Cheaper and Better than Professional Equipment?
Researchers from Technische Universität Darmstadt decided to investigate whether consumer OLED monitors – primarily designed for gamers – could be used in advanced studies of visual perception. Four devices were tested: Asus gaming monitor, Samsung OLED TV, professional projector PROPixx, and one additional device.
The results were surprising. Asus ROG Swift PG27AQDM, a monitor available for commercial sale, demonstrated:
response time below 1 ms,
excellent brightness uniformity (max 4% deviation),
94% coverage of DCI-P3,
outstanding colour additivity (RGB mixed correctly).
On the other hand, the Samsung TV performed well in terms of brightness and colours, but let down on response time – delays reached up to 21 ms.
Professional projector PROPixx, although designed for research, faced significant issues with luminance uniformity – differences reached as much as 17% before calibration.
Colours? Every system is a winner
Interestingly, when it comes to colour reproduction, all devices – whether it’s Asus, Samsung, or VPixx – performed very well. The RGB additive tests were almost perfect. This means that the colours were mixed correctly, without any distortions.
What does this mean?
Researchers from TU Darmstadt do not suggest that a gaming monitor will 100% replace a professional projector in every research scenario. But in many cases – particularly where response speed, image uniformity, and cost matter – consumer-grade OLED monitors can successfully be used instead of more expensive solutions.
This is great news for small research teams, students, and even institutes with limited budgets. Equipment costing a few thousand zlotys not only "holds up" – in some aspects, it even outperforms.
OLEDs are aiming for more – and it's not just for gaming
In summary: if you're conducting research on visual perception and your budget doesn't resemble NASA's – a gaming OLED could be your ally. It won't yet fully replace professional equipment, but... it's getting there faster than you think. And that's great news not just for scientists, but for anyone wanting a proper display without getting into debt.
Source: DispplayDaily
