Surface Pro Display Technology Shoot-Out
Microsoft Surface Pro 3
Dr. Raymond M. Soneira
President, DisplayMate Technologies
Corporation
Copyright © 1990-2014 by DisplayMate
Technologies Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
This article, or any part
thereof, may not be copied, reproduced, mirrored, distributed or incorporated
into any other work without
the prior written permission of DisplayMate Technologies Corporation
Introduction
The key element for a great Tablet has always been a truly innovative
and top performing display, and the best leading edge Tablets have always
flaunted their beautiful high tech displays.
With its third generation Surface Pro 3, Microsoft has produced an
excellent professional grade high performance display for Windows. In fact,
based on our extensive lab tests and measurements, the Surface Pro 3 has one of
the very best and most accurate displays available on any mobile platform and
OS. It joins near the top of a small set of Tablets that have excellent Top Tier
displays – for professionals that need a very accurate and high performance
display for their work, and for consumers that want and appreciate a really
nice and beautiful display. We’ll cover these issues and much more, with
in-depth comprehensive display tests, measurements and analysis that you will
find nowhere else.
Microsoft provided
DisplayMate Technologies with a production unit of the Surface Pro 3 so that we
could perform our well known objective and comprehensive display Lab tests,
measurements, and analysis, explaining the in-depth display performance results
for consumers, reviewers, and journalists.
The Display Shoot-Out
To examine the
performance of the Microsoft Surface Pro 3 Display
we ran our in-depth series of Mobile
Display Technology Shoot-Out Lab tests and measurements in order to
determine how it performs compared to other leading Tablets. We take display
quality very seriously and provide in-depth objective analysis based on
detailed laboratory tests and measurements and extensive viewing tests with
both test patterns, test images and test photos. To see how far LCD and OLED
mobile displays have progressed in just four years see our 2010 Smartphone
Display Shoot-Out, and for a real history lesson see our original 2006 Smartphone
Display Shoot-Out.
Results Highlights
In this Results section we provide Highlights of the
comprehensive DisplayMate Lab tests and measurements and extensive visual
comparisons using test photos, test images, and test patterns that are covered
in the advanced sections. The Display
Shoot-Out Comparison Table summarizes the Lab measurements in the following
categories: Screen
Reflections, Brightness
and Contrast, Colors
and Intensities, Viewing
Angles, LCD
Spectra, Display
Power. You can also skip these Highlights and go directly to the Conclusions.
12 inch Display with 3:2
Aspect Ratio
The Surface Pro 3 is
unusual in that it is designed to perform both as a large Tablet and a small
Laptop. With a 12 inch screen diagonal it is considerably larger most Tablets,
with a screen area that is 87% larger than the Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 8.9, 47%
larger than the Apple iPad Air, and 34% larger than the Samsung Galaxy Tab S
10.5. With its adjustable kickstand, the angle of the display can be adjusted
in the same way as a Laptop, an important viewing and working advantage.
The Screen’s 3:2 (1.50) Aspect Ratio is an excellent
compromise between the 4:3 (1.33) Aspect Ratio for most documents (the same as
8.5x11 inch paper with 0.5 inch borders, and also the iPad’s 4:3 (1.33) Aspect
Ratio) and 16:9 (1.78) Aspect Ratio for widescreen video content (and similar
to Android Tablets that have a 16:10 (1.60) Aspect Ratio).
Display Sharpness and
Sub-Pixel Rendering
The display’s 2160x1440 pixel resolution has 3.1 Mega
Pixels, 50 percent more than an HDTV, but on a 12 inch screen. The screen’s 216
pixels per inch (ppi) is Very Good but somewhat lower than on other full size
Tablets, like the Apple iPad Air with 264 ppi and the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5
with 287 ppi. However, because its 12 inch screen is larger it is also
typically held further away. At typical viewing distances of 16 inches or more
the pixels are not resolved with normal 20/20 Vision, so the display appears
perfectly sharp. In addition, the Surface Pro 3 uses Sub-Pixel Rendering
(called ClearType in Microsoft’s implementation) that significantly improves
the visual sharpness of text over standard Pixel Rendering that is used in most
mobile displays. For black and white and gray images with sub-pixel rendering,
there is up to a factor of 3 improvement in image sharpness.
Color Gamut and Absolute Color Accuracy
The Surface Pro 3 also has the most accurate on-screen colors
of any Tablet or Smartphone display that we have ever measured for the
sRGB/Rec.709 Standard that is used in virtually all current consumer content
for digital cameras, HDTVs, the internet, and computers, including photos,
videos, and movies. Its Color Gamut is 97 percent, very close to the Standard Gamut
as shown in this Figure.
The Absolute Color Accuracy for the Surface Pro 3 is an Excellent 2.1 JNCD, the
most color accurate display that we have ever measured for a Tablet or
Smartphone. See this Figure
for an explanation and visual definition of JNCD
and the Color Accuracy
Figures showing the measured Color Errors. See the Color
Accuracy section, the Color
Gamut Figure, and the Color
Accuracy Figures for measurements and details.
Color Accuracy is especially important for professional
imaging applications when you must be sure of the on-screen image colors, when
viewing photos from family and friends (because you often know exactly what
they actually should look like), for some TV shows, movies, and sporting events
with image content and colors that you are familiar with, and also for viewing
online merchandise, so you have a very good idea of exactly what colors you are
buying and are less likely to return them.
Intensity Scale and Accurate
Image Contrast
The
Intensity Scale (sometimes called the Gray Scale) not only controls the
contrast within all displayed images but it also controls how the Red, Green
and Blue primary colors mix to produce all of the on-screen colors. So if the
Intensity Scale doesn't follow the Standard that is used to produce virtually
all consumer content then the colors and intensities will be wrong everywhere
in all images. Unfortunately, many manufacturers are quite sloppy with the
Intensity Scale on their displays because it has to be set and measured
logarithmically (to a precise mathematical power-law). Fortunately, the
Intensity Scale on Surface Pro 3 is Very Good, although somewhat variable at
low signal levels under 25 percent. See this Figure for a plot of the
measured Intensity Scale and the Colors
and Intensities section for measurements and details.
Display Brightness
The Surface Pro 3 has a Peak Brightness of 371 cd/m2
(nits), which is Very Good, but somewhat lower than other Tablets like the Apple
iPad Air with 449 nits and the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 with 527 nits. High screen
Brightness is only needed when working in High Ambient Light, but since the
Surface Pro 3 is larger it is less likely to be opened outdoors in unshielded
high ambient light environments like Smartphones and smaller Tablets, so its
somewhat lower (but still Very Good) Peak Brightness should not be an issue for
most users and applications. See the Brightness
and Contrast section for measurements and details.
Screen Reflectance and Performance in Ambient Lighting
Displays are seldom used in absolute darkness, so their
Screen Reflectance and performance in Ambient Lighting is very important. For
the Surface Pro 3 it’s not as critical as with Smartphones and smaller Tablets
because its larger 12 inch screen is less likely to be opened outdoors in
unshielded high ambient light environments. The adjustable kickstand is
particularly useful for adjusting the display angle in order to minimize
reflections.
The Screen Reflectance for the Surface Pro 3 is 5.9
percent, which is Very Good and much better than most Tablets and Smartphones.
It is in between the 6.5 percent for the iPad Air and 5.0 percent for the
Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 8.9, but 26 percent higher than the record low 4.7
percent for the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5. The display’s Contrast Rating for High Ambient Light measures the
screen’s readability in Ambient Light and depends on both the Screen
Reflectance and Maximum Brightness. For the Surface Pro 3 it is 63, which is
again Very Good and better than most Tablets and Smartphones. It is again in
between the 61 for the iPad Air and 78 for the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9, but
significantly lower than a number of Tablets that have values over 100. Again,
this is less critical for the Surface Pro 3 because its larger 12 inch screen
it is less likely to be opened outdoors in unshielded high ambient light
environments. See the Screen
Reflections and Brightness
and Contrast sections for measurements and details.
Viewing Angle Performance
While Tablets are
primarily single viewer devices, the variation in display performance with
Viewing Angle is still very important because single viewers frequently hold
the display at a variety of viewing angles, plus they are large enough for
sharing the screen with others. The Viewing Angle can be very large if the
display is lying flat on a table or desk. One important advantage of the
Surface Pro 3 is its adjustable kickstand, which makes it possible to adjust
the Viewing Angle of the display in the same way as a Laptop. That is not only
convenient but also reduces any Viewing Angle effects.
The Surface Pro 3 has a
high performance IPS / PLS LCD display, so we expected it to show very small
color shifts with Viewing Angle, and our lab measurements confirmed its
excellent Viewing Angle performance, with no visually noticeable color shifts.
However, all LCDs, do have a strong decrease in Brightness (Luminance) with
Viewing Angle, and the Surface Pro 3 showed (as expected) slightly more than a
50 percent decrease in Brightness at a modest 30 degree viewing angle. See the Viewing
Angles section for measurements and details.
Viewing Tests
With its relatively accurate Intensity Scale and very
accurate colors the Surface Pro 3 provides very nice, pleasing and accurate
colors, and picture quality. The very challenging set of DisplayMate Test and
Calibration Photos that we use to evaluate picture quality looked Beautiful, even to my experienced hyper-critical
eyes. However, viewers that like vivid or exaggerated colors and image contrast
may find the accurate Surface Pro 3 images to appear somewhat subdued.
Display Power Efficiency
While the Surface Pro 3 display is considerably larger in
area than the other Top Tier Tablets and would normally be expected to require
considerably more power, its display is more power efficient and it actually
uses less power than many smaller Tablets. For example, for an equivalent area
and display brightness the Apple iPad Air display uses 66 percent more display
power than the Surface Pro 3. This is due in part to its lower pixels per inch,
which affects the display’s power efficiency, but it is also the result of using
higher efficiency White LEDs and optical stack in the Surface Pro 3 display.
See the Display
Power section for measurements and details.
Surface Pro 3 Conclusions: An Excellent
Top Tier Display…
The primary goal of this Display Technology Shoot-Out
article series has always been to point out which manufactures and display
technologies are leading and advancing the state-of-the-art of displays by
performing comprehensive and objective Lab tests and measurements together with
in-depth analysis. We point out who is leading, who is behind, who is
improving, and sometimes (unfortunately) who is back pedaling… all based solely
on the extensive objective measurements that we also publish, so that everyone
can judge the data for themselves as well…
An Excellent Top Tier Display:
Based on our extensive Lab tests and measurements on the display for the
Surface Pro 3, Microsoft has produced an excellent professional grade high
performance display for Windows. In fact, the Surface Pro 3 has one of the very
best and most accurate displays available on any mobile platform and OS. It
joins near the top of a small set of Tablets that have excellent Top Tier
displays – ideal for professionals that need a very accurate high performance
display for their work, and for consumers that want and appreciate a really
nice and beautiful display.
The Surface Pro 3 delivers uniformly consistent all around Top Tier
display performance: it is only the second display to ever to get all
Green (Very Good to Excellent) Ratings in all test and measurement categories
(except for Brightness variation with Viewing Angle, which is the case for all
LCDs) since we started the Display Technology Shoot-Out article Series in 2006,
an impressive achievement for a display. See the Shoot-Out
Comparison Table for the detailed test and measurement results. Comparisons
with the other leading Tablets are examined below.
Most Accurate Colors:
The Surface Pro 3 also
has the most accurate on-screen colors of any Tablet or Smartphone display that
we have ever measured for all standard consumer content (sRGB/Rec.709). That is
another impressive achievement because everything in the display has to perform
just right in order to produce very accurate colors – it is the single most
challenging and important performance characteristic for a display. The
Absolute Color Accuracy for the Surface Pro 3 is an Excellent 2.1 JNCD. See the
Color
Accuracy section and Color
Accuracy Figures for measurements and details.
Color Accuracy is especially important for professional
imaging applications when you must be sure of the on-screen image colors, when
viewing photos from family and friends (because you often know exactly what
they actually should look like), for some TV shows, movies, and sporting events
with image content and colors that you are familiar with, and also for viewing
online merchandise, so you have a very good idea of exactly what colors you are
buying and are less likely to return them.
Comparisons with the Amazon Kindle Fire, Apple iPad Air, and
Samsung Galaxy Tab S:
First of all, the Surface Pro 3 is considerably larger in
screen area than the other Tablets: 87% larger than the Amazon Kindle Fire HDX
8.9, 47% larger than the Apple iPad Air, and 34% larger than the Samsung Galaxy
Tab S 10.5. The other Tablets have somewhat higher Peak Brightness, but since
the Surface Pro 3 is larger it is less likely to be opened outdoors in
unshielded high ambient light environments like Smartphones and smaller
Tablets, its somewhat lower (but still Very Good) Peak Brightness of 371 cd/m2
(nits) should not be an issue for most users and applications. With its
adjustable kickstand, the angle of the display can be adjusted in the same way
as a Laptop, an important viewing and working advantage.
In 2013 the Amazon Kindle Fire HDX
8.9 became the top performing Tablet display in our Display
Technology Shoot-Out series. It was the very first display to ever to get all
Green (Very Good to Excellent) Ratings in all categories (except for Brightness
variation with Viewing Angle, which is the case for all LCDs) since we started
the Display Technology Shoot-Out article Series in 2006. The Surface Pro 3 is
the only other display to ever accomplish this, an impressive achievement for a
display. Both are Excellent Top Tier Tablets, however, the Surface Pro 3 is
more accurately calibrated than the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9, with the best Absolute
Color Accuracy that we have ever measured, so it scores higher in overall
display performance.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab
S 10.5 remains the top performing mobile display in our Display Technology
Shoot-Out series, however, the Surface Pro 3 is neck-to-neck with the Galaxy
Tab S 10.5 in most performance categories. Both are tied for first place with
the best Absolute Color Accuracy that we have ever measured, which is the
single most challenging and important performance characteristic for a display.
Where the Galaxy S leads is in providing Color Management for differently
calibrated screen modes, and for records in several categories for Tablet
display performance.
The Apple iPad Air,
which came in second after the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9, remains a Very Good Tablet
display, however, the Surface Pro 3 is more accurately calibrated than the
Apple iPad Air, with the best Absolute Color Accuracy that we have ever
measured. The iPad Air now moves into fourth place behind the three other Top
Tier Tablets.
You can
directly compare all of the display performance measurements and results for
these and other Tablets by referring to our 2013 Flagship Tablet
Display Shoot-Out, our 2014 Galaxy Tab S
10.5 Tablet Display Shoot-Out, and other articles in our Display Technology
Shoot-Out article series.
The Next Generation of Mobile Displays – Better Performance in Ambient Light:
What is
really impressive is that we are continuing to see visually significant
improvements in display performance in periods of under one year. With display
technology advancing rapidly on many different fronts this is likely to
continue and even accelerate in the near future as the result of multiple improvements
that are combined to work together, so expect many more major display
improvements in the near future…
The most
important developments for the upcoming generations of both LCD and OLED mobile
displays will come from improvements in their image and picture quality in real
world Ambient Light, which washes out the on-screen images, resulting in
reduced readability, image contrast, and color saturation and accuracy. The key
will be in enlarging the native Color Gamut and then dynamically changing the
display’s color management and intensity scales with the measured Ambient Light
level in order to automatically compensate for reflected glare and image wash
out from Ambient Light as discussed in our 2014
Innovative Displays and Display Technology and SID
Display Technology Shoot-Out articles. The
displays and technologies that succeed in implementing this new strategy will
take the lead in the next generations of mobile displays…
DisplayMate Display Optimization Technology
All
Smartphone and Tablet displays can be significantly improved using
DisplayMate’s proprietary very advanced scientific analysis and mathematical
display modeling and optimization of the display hardware, factory calibration,
and driver parameters. We help manufacturers with expert display procurement,
prototype development, testing displays to meet contract specifications, and
production quality control so that they don’t make mistakes similar to those
that are exposed in our public Display Technology Shoot-Out series for
consumers. This article is a lite version of our advanced scientific analysis –
before the benefits of our DisplayMate
Display Optimization Technology, which can correct or improve all of these
issues. If you are a display or product manufacturer and want to significantly
improve display performance for a competitive advantage then Contact DisplayMate Technologies.
Display Shoot-Out Comparison Table
Below we
examine in-depth the display on the Microsoft Surface
Pro 3 based on objective Lab
measurement data and criteria. For comparisons and additional background
information see our Flagship
Tablet LCD Display Technology Shoot-Out and our OLED Tablet
Display Technology Shoot-Out. For comparisons with the other leading
Tablet, Smartphone and Smart Watch displays see our Mobile Display Technology
Shoot-Out series.
Display Specifications
|
Categories
|
Microsoft
Surface Pro 3
|
Comments
|
|
Display Technology
|
12.0 inch
diagonal
IPS / PLS
LCD
|
The diagonal screen size.
In Plane Switching / Plane to Line Switching
|
|
Screen Shape
|
3:2 =
1.50
Aspect
Ratio
|
The 3:2 Aspect Ratio is between 4:3 for
documents
and 16:9 for widescreen video content.
|
|
Screen Area
|
66.5
Square inches
|
A better measure of size than the
diagonal length.
|
|
Display Pixel Resolution
|
2160 x
1440 pixels
|
Screen Pixel Resolution.
|
|
Total Number of Pixels
|
3.1 Mega
Pixels
|
Total Number of Pixels.
|
|
Pixels Per Inch
|
216 ppi
RGB Stripe
Pixels
with
ClearType Sub-Pixel Rendering
Very Good
|
Sharpness depends on the viewing distance
and ppi.
See this on
the visual acuity for a true Retina Display
|
|
20/20 Vision Distance
where Pixels or Sub-Pixels
are Not Resolved
|
15.9
inches
|
For 20/20 Vision the minimum Viewing
Distance
where the screen appears perfectly sharp
to the eye.
At 18 inches from the screen 20/20 Vision
is 191 ppi.
|
|
Display Sharpness
at Typical Viewing Distances
|
Display
appears Perfectly Sharp
Pixels are
not Resolved with 20/20 Vision
at Typical
Viewing Distances of
16 inches
or more
The
Sub-Pixel Rendering significantly improves Display Sharpness
|
The Typical Viewing Distances for this
screen size
are 16 inches or more.
|
|
Appears Perfectly Sharp
at Typical Viewing Distances
|
Yes
|
Typical Viewing Distances are 16 inches
or more.
|
|
Photo Viewer Color Depth
|
Full
24-bit Color
No
Dithering Visible
256
Intensity Levels
|
Many Android Smartphones and Tablets
still have some form of 16-bit color
depth in the Gallery Viewer.
The Surface Pro 3 does not have this
issue.
|
|
Overall Assessments
This section summarizes
the results for all of the extensive Lab Measurements and Viewing Tests
performed on the display
See Screen
Reflections, Brightness
and Contrast, Colors
and Intensities, Viewing
Angles, LCD
Spectra, Display
Power.
|
|
|
Surface
Pro 3
|
Comments
|
|
Viewing Tests
in Subdued Ambient Lighting
|
Very Good
Images
Photos and
Videos
have very
good color
and
accurate contrast
|
The Viewing Tests examine the accuracy
of
photographic images by comparing the
displays
to a calibrated studio monitor and HDTV.
|
|
Variation with Viewing Angle
Colors and Brightness
See Viewing
Angles
|
Small Color
Shifts
with
Viewing Angle
Large
Brightness Shift
with
Viewing Angle
Typical
for all LCDs
|
The Surface Pro 3 display has small
Color Shifts
with Viewing Angle.
All LCDs show a large Brightness shift
with angle.
See the Viewing
Angles
section for details.
|
|
Overall Display Assessment
Lab Tests and Measurements
|
Excellent
LCD Display
|
The Surface Pro 3 display performed very
well
in the Lab Tests and Measurements.
|
|
|
|
Absolute Color Accuracy
Measured over Entire Gamut
See Figure 2 and Colors
|
Excellent
Color Accuracy
Color
Errors are Small
Very
Accurate Display
|
Absolute
Color Accuracy is measured with a
Spectroradiometer
for 21 Reference Colors
uniformly
distributed within the entire Color Gamut.
See
Figure 2 and Colors
and Intensities for details.
|
|
Image Contrast Accuracy
See Figure 3 and Contrast
|
Very Good
Accuracy
Image
Contrast
Somewhat
Variable
|
The
Image Contrast Accuracy is determined by
measuring
the Log Intensity Scale and Gamma.
See
Figure 3 and Brightness
and Contrast for details.
|
|
Performance in Ambient Light
Display Brightness
Screen Reflectance
Contrast Rating
See Brightness
and Contrast
See Screen
Reflections
|
Very Good
Brightness
Low
Reflectance
Very Good
Contrast
Rating
in High
Ambient Light
|
Tablets
are seldom used in the dark.
Screen
Brightness and Reflectance determine
the
Contrast Rating for High Ambient Light.
See
the Brightness
and Contrast section for details.
See
the Screen
Reflections section for details.
|
|
Overall Display Calibration
Image and Picture Quality
Lab Tests and Viewing Tests
|
Excellent
Calibration
|
The Surface Pro 3 factory calibration
delivers
very accurate colors and excellent
overall
image and picture quality.
|
|
|
Overall Display Grade
Overall
Assessment
|
Overall Surface Pro 3 Display
Grade is A
Excellent Top Tier Mobile Display
|
The Surface Pro 3 is an excellent Top
Tier
professional grade high performance
display
that has one of the very best and most
accurate
displays available on any mobile platform
and OS.
|
|
|
Surface Pro 3
|
Comments
|
|
Screen Reflections
All display screens are mirrors good enough to use
for personal grooming – but that is actually a very bad feature…
We measured the light reflected from all directions
and also direct mirror (specular) reflections, which are much more
distracting and cause more eye strain. Many Tablets
still have greater than 10 percent reflections that make the
screen much harder to read even in moderate ambient
light levels, requiring ever higher brightness settings that waste
precious battery power. Hopefully manufacturers
will reduce the mirror reflections with anti-reflection coatings and
matte or haze surface finishes.
Our Lab Measurements include Average Reflectance
for Ambient Light from All Directions and for Mirror Reflections.
|
|
|
Surface
Pro 3
|
Comments
|
|
Average Screen Reflection
Light From All Directions
|
5.9
percent
Ambient
Light Reflections
Very Good
|
Measured using an Integrating Hemisphere
and
a Spectroradiometer. The best value we
have
ever measured for a Tablet is 4.7
percent.
|
|
Mirror Reflections
Percentage of Light Reflected
|
7.8 percent
for Mirror Reflections
Very Good
|
These are the most annoying types of
Reflections.
Measured using a Spectroradiometer and a
narrow
collimated pencil beam of light
reflected off the screen.
|
|
Brightness and Contrast
The Contrast Ratio
is the specification that gets the most attention, but it only applies for
low ambient light, which is seldom
the case for mobile displays. Much more important
is the Contrast Rating, which indicates how easy
it is to read the screen
under high ambient lighting and depends on both
the Maximum Brightness and the Screen Reflectance. The larger the better.
|
|
|
Surface
Pro 3
|
Comments
|
|
Measured Maximum Brightness
100% Full Screen White
|
Brightness
371 cd/m2
Very Good
|
This is the Brightness for a screen that
is entirely
all white with 100% Average Picture
Level.
|
|
Measured Peak Brightness
1% Full Screen White
|
Brightness
371 cd/m2
Very Good
|
This is the Peak Brightness for a screen
that
has only a tiny 1% Average Picture
Level.
|
|
Measured Maximum Brightness
with Automatic Brightness On
High Ambient Light
|
Brightness
371 cd/m2
Very Good
|
Some displays have higher Maximum
Brightness
in Automatic Brightness Mode.
|
|
Low Ambient Light
|
|
Lowest Peak Brightness
Brightness Slider to Minimum
|
8 cd/m2
Very Good
for Low Light
|
The Lowest Brightness with the Slider
set to Minimum. This is useful for working in very dark environments.
|
|
Black Brightness at 0 lux
at Maximum Brightness Setting
|
0.35 cd/m2
Very Good
for Mobile
|
Black Brightness is important for Low
Ambient Light,
which is seldom the case for mobile
devices.
|
|
Contrast Ratio at 0 lux
Relevant for Low Ambient Light
|
1,060
Very Good
for Mobile
|
Only relevant for Low Ambient Light,
which is seldom the case for mobile
devices.
|
|
High Ambient Light
|
|
Contrast Rating
for High Ambient Light
The Higher the Better
for Screen Readability
in High Ambient Light
|
63
Very Good
63
With Auto
Brightness
Very Good
|
Depends on the Screen Reflectance and
Brightness.
Defined as Maximum Brightness / Average Reflectance.
Some displays have higher Brightness
in Automatic Brightness Mode.
|
|
Screen Readability
in High Ambient Light
|
Very Good A –
Very Good A –
With Auto Brightness
|
Indicates how easy it is to read the
screen
under high ambient lighting. Depends on
both the Screen Reflectance and
Brightness.
See High
Ambient Light Screen Shots
|
|
Colors and Intensities
The Color Gamut, Intensity Scale, and White Point
determine the quality and accuracy of all displayed images and all
the image colors. Bigger is definitely Not Better
because the display needs to match all the standards that were used
when the content was produced. For LCDs a wider
Color Gamut reduces the power efficiency and the Intensity Scale
affects both image brightness and color mixture
accuracy.
|
|
|
Surface
Pro 3
|
Comments
|
|
Color of White
Color Temperature in degrees
Measured in the dark at 0 lux
See Figure 1
|
7,043 K
Slightly Too
Blue
1.7 JNCD
from D65 White
See Figure 1
|
D65 with 6,500 K is the standard color of
White
for most Consumer Content and needed for
accurate color reproduction of all
images.
See Figure 1
for the plotted White Points.
|
|
Color Gamut
Measured in the dark at 0 lux
See Figure 1
|
97
percent
sRGB /
Rec.709
Close to
Standard
See Figure 1
|
sRGB / Rec.709 is the color standard for
most
content and needed for accurate color
reproduction.
|
|
Color Accuracy
|
|
Absolute Color Accuracy
Average Color Error at 0 lux
For 21 Reference Colors
Just Noticeable Color Difference
See Figure 2
|
Average
Color Error
From sRGB
/ Rec.709
Δ(u’v’)
= 0.0084
2.1 JNCD
Excellent
Accuracy
See Figure 2
|
JNCD is a Just Noticeable Color Difference.
See Figure 2 for the
definition of JNCD and for
Accuracy Plots showing
the measured Color Errors.
Average Errors below 3.5 JNCD are Very
Good.
Average Errors 3.5 to 7.0 JNCD are
Good.
Average Errors above 7.0 JNCD are
Poor.
|
|
Absolute Color Accuracy
Largest Color Error at 0 lux
For 21 Reference Colors
Just Noticeable Color Difference
See Figure 2
|
Largest Color Error
From sRGB
/ Rec.709
Δ(u’v’)
= 0.0155
3.9 JNCD
for Red
Very Good
Accuracy
See Figure 2
|
JNCD is a Just Noticeable Color Difference.
See Figure 2 for the
definition of JNCD and for
Accuracy Plots showing
the measured Color Errors.
Largest Errors below 7.0 JNCD are
Very Good.
Largest Errors 7.0 to 14.0 JNCD are
Good.
Largest Errors above 14.0 JNCD are
Poor.
This is twice the limit for the Average
Error.
|
|
Intensity Scale
|
|
Dynamic Brightness
Luminance Decrease with
Average Picture Level APL
|
No
Decrease
Excellent
|
This is the percent Brightness decrease
with APL
Average Picture Level. Ideally should be
0 percent.
|
|
Intensity Scale and
Image Contrast
See Figure 3
|
Smooth but
Somewhat
Variable
See Figure 3
|
The Intensity Scale controls image
contrast needed
for accurate Image Contrast and Color
reproduction.
See Figure 3
|
|
Gamma for the Intensity Scale
Larger has more Image Contrast
See Figure 3
|
Average
2.30
Varies
2.09 to 2.41
Standard
is 2.20
Somewhat
Variable
|
Gamma is the log slope of the Intensity
Scale.
Gamma of 2.20 is the standard and needed
for
accurate Image Contrast and Color
reproduction.
See Figure 3
|
|
Image Contrast Accuracy
|
Very Good
|
See Figure 3
|
|
Viewing Angles
The variation of
Brightness, Contrast, and Color with Viewing Angle is especially important
for Tablets because
of their larger screen
and multiple viewers. The typical manufacturer 176+ degree specification for
LCD Viewing Angle
is nonsense because that
is where the Contrast Ratio falls to a miniscule 10. For most LCDs there are
substantial
degradations at less
than ±30 degrees, which is not an atypical Viewing Angle for Tablets and
Smartphones.
Note that the Viewing
Angle performance is also very important for a single viewer because the
Viewing Angle can vary
significantly based on
how the Tablet is held. The Viewing Angle can be very large if the display is
lying flat on a table or desk.
|
|
|
Surface
Pro 3
|
Comments
|
|
Brightness Decrease
at a 30 degree Viewing Angle
|
52
percent Decrease
Large
Decrease
Typical
for all LCDs
|
Most screens become less bright when
tilted.
LCD decrease is generally greater than 50
percent.
|
|
Contrast Ratio at 0 lux
at a 30 degree Viewing Angle
|
771
for Landscape
497 for
Portrait
Very Good
for Mobile
|
A measure of screen readability when the
screen
is tilted under low ambient lighting.
|
|
White Point Color Shift
at a 30 degree Viewing Angle
|
Small Color
Shift
Δ(u’v’)
= 0.0030
0.8 JNCD
|
JNCD is a Just Noticeable Color Difference.
See Figure 2 for the
definition of JNCD.
|
|
Primary Color Shifts
Largest Color Shift for R,G,B
at a 30 degree Viewing Angle
|
Small Color
Shift
Largest Δ(u’v’) = 0.0066
for Blue
1.7 JNCD
|
JNCD is a Just Noticeable Color Difference.
See Figure 2 for the
definition of JNCD.
|
|
Color Shifts for Color Mixtures
at a 30 degree Viewing Angle
Reference Brown (255, 128, 0)
|
Small Color
Shift
Δ(u’v’)
= 0.0100
2.5 JNCD
|
JNCD is a Just Noticeable Color Difference.
Color Shifts for non-IPS LCDs are about 10
JNCD.
Reference Brown is a good indicator of
color shifts
with angle because of unequal drive
levels and
roughly equal luminance contributions
from Red
and Green. See Figure 2 for the
definition of JNCD.
|
|
Display Power Consumption
The display power was
measured using a Linear Regression between Luminance and AC Power with a
fully charged battery.
Since the displays all have different screen sizes
and maximum brightness, the values were also scaled to the
same screen brightness (Luminance) and same screen
area in order to compare their Relative Power Efficiency.
LCDs are typically more power efficient for images with
mostly white content (like text screens, for example), while OLEDs
are more power efficient for mixed image content
because they are emissive displays so their power varies with the
Average Picture Level (average Brightness) of the image
content. For LCDs the display power is independent of image content.
The Kindle Fire and iPad Air power
measurements are from our 2013
Flagship Tablet Display Shoot-Out.
|
|
|
Microsoft
Surface
Pro 3
|
Amazon
Kindle
Fire HDX 8.9
|
Apple
iPad Air
|
Comments
|
|
Maximum Display Power
Full White Screen
at Maximum Brightness
|
3.5 watts
371 cd/m2
66.5 inch2
Screen Area
|
3.4 watts
527 cd/m2
35.6 inch2
Screen Area
|
4.8 watts
449 cd/m2
45.2 inch2
Screen Area
|
This measures the display power for a
screen that
is entirely at Peak White for Maximum
Brightness.
|
|
Relative Power Efficiency
Display Power Scaled to the:
Same Luminance 371 cd/m2 Same
Screen Area 66.5 inch2
|
3.5 watts
216 Pixels
Per Inch
|
4.5 watts
339 Pixels Per Inch
|
5.8 watts
264 Pixels Per Inch
|
This compares the Relative Power
Efficiency
by scaling to the same screen brightness
and
same screen area as the Surface Pro 3.
Higher Pixels Per Inch lowers the Power
Efficiency.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
About the Author
Dr. Raymond Soneira is
President of DisplayMate Technologies Corporation of Amherst, New Hampshire,
which produces display calibration, evaluation, and diagnostic products for
consumers, technicians, and manufacturers. See www.displaymate.com. He is a research
scientist with a career that spans physics, computer science, and television
system design. Dr. Soneira obtained his Ph.D. in Theoretical Physics from
Princeton University, spent 5 years as a Long-Term Member of the world famous
Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, another 5 years as a Principal
Investigator in the Computer Systems Research Laboratory at AT&T Bell
Laboratories, and has also designed, tested, and installed color television
broadcast equipment for the CBS Television Network Engineering and Development
Department. He has authored over 35 research articles in scientific journals in
physics and computer science, including Scientific American. If you have any
comments or questions about the article, you can contact him at dtso.info@displaymate.com.
DisplayMate Display Optimization Technology
All
Smartphone and Tablets displays can be significantly improved using DisplayMate’s
proprietary very advanced scientific analysis and mathematical display modeling
and optimization of the display hardware, factory calibration, and driver
parameters. We help manufacturers with expert display procurement, prototype
development, testing displays to meet contract specifications, and production
quality control so that they don’t make mistakes similar to those that are
exposed in our public Display Technology Shoot-Out series for consumers. This
article is a lite version of our advanced scientific analysis – before the
benefits of our DisplayMate
Display Optimization Technology, which can correct or improve all of these
issues. If you are a display or product manufacturer and want to significantly
improve display performance for a competitive advantage then Contact DisplayMate Technologies.
About DisplayMate Technologies
DisplayMate Technologies specializes in proprietary advanced
scientific display calibration and mathematical display optimization to deliver
unsurpassed objective performance, picture quality and accuracy for all types
of displays including video and computer monitors, projectors, HDTVs, mobile
displays such as Smartphones and Tablets, and all display technologies
including LCD, OLED, 3D, LED, LCoS, Plasma, DLP and CRT. This article is a lite version of
our intensive scientific analysis of Smartphone and Tablet mobile displays –
before the benefits of our advanced mathematical DisplayMate Display Optimization
Technology, which can correct or improve many of the display deficiencies. We offer DisplayMate display calibration
software for consumers and advanced DisplayMate display diagnostic and
calibration software for technicians and test labs.
For
manufacturers we offer Consulting Services that include advanced Lab testing
and evaluations, confidential Shoot-Outs with competing products, calibration
and optimization for displays, cameras and their User Interface, plus on-site
and factory visits. We help manufacturers with expert display procurement,
prototype development, and production quality control so they don’t make
mistakes similar to those that are exposed in our Display Technology Shoot-Out
series. See our world renown Display
Technology Shoot-Out public article series for an introduction and preview.
DisplayMate’s
advanced scientific optimizations can make lower cost panels look as good or
better than more expensive higher performance displays. If you are a display or
product manufacturer and want to turn your display into a spectacular one to
surpass your competition then Contact
DisplayMate Technologies to learn more.
Article Links: Flagship
Tablet LCD Display Technology Shoot-Out
Article Links: Display Technology Shoot-Out
Article Series Overview and Home Page
Copyright © 1990-2014 by DisplayMate
Technologies Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
This article, or any part
thereof, may not be copied, reproduced, mirrored, distributed or incorporated
into any other work without
the prior written permission of DisplayMate Technologies Corporation
