Ignacy Giżyński
Imagine that instead of buying a monitor for several thousand zlotys, all you need is a gaming OLED from Media Expert to conduct professional eye research. Sounds like science fiction? The Germans claim it's already a reality.
Scientists from Technische Universität Darmstadt checked whether consumer OLED monitors – the ones you can 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?
Scientists from the Technische Universität Darmstadt decided to investigate whether consumer OLED monitors – primarily designed for gamers – could be used in advanced research on visual perception. Four devices were tested: a gaming Asus, a Samsung OLED television, a professional PROPixx projector, and one additional device.
The results were surprising. Asus ROG Swift PG27AQDM, which is available for commercial sale, demonstrated:
response time of less than 1 ms,
excellent brightness uniformity (max 4% deviation),
94% coverage of DCI-P3,
excellent color additivity (RGB mixed correctly).
In contrast, the Samsung television performed well in terms of brightness and colors but fell short on response time – delays reached up to 21 ms.
The professional PROPixx projector, although designed for research, had significant issues with luminance uniformity – differences reached up to 17% before calibration.
Colors? Every system is a winner
Interestingly, when it comes to color reproduction, all devices – whether it's Asus, Samsung, or VPixx – performed very well. The RGB additivity tests came out nearly perfect. This means that the colors were mixed correctly, without distortion.
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—especially where reaction 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 a limited budget. Equipment costing a few thousand zlotys not only "gets the job done"—in some aspects, it actually excels.
OLEDs are going for more – and not just for gaming
In summary: if you are researching visual perception, and your budget doesn't resemble NASA's – an OLED gaming monitor can be your ally. It may not yet fully replace professional equipment, but... it is approaching faster than you think. And that’s great news not only for scientists but also for anyone who wants a real screen without taking out a loan.
Source: DispplayDaily
