Philips definitely thinks outside the box with some of its desktop monitors. The 40-inch BDM4065UC Ultra HD screen comes immediately to mind. Today, it announced a more mainstream product, the 272P4APJKEB, that caters to professionals seeking a wide-gamut IPS screen with QHD resolution and 12-bit color.
The panel is an AHVA part with extremely wide viewing angles. This is not to be confused with the high-contrast A M VA technology. A H VA stands for "Advanced Hyper Viewing Angle." We've reviewed a similar screen at 3DTested already, the BenQ BL3201PT. While AHVA offers the same color and contrast performance of standard IPS panels, it has visibly superior off-axis image quality.
Other features include a 10-bit native color depth with internal processing capable of 12-bit output. That should alleviate any banding found in content with subtle shades and gradations like images of sky and water. Of course, you'll need a 10-bit capable video card to take full advantage.
The backlight, which peaks at 350 cd/m2, is a constant-current design, which means it's free of the flicker caused by pulse-width modulation. This is a trend we're seeing in most new monitors, and we like it. Although the vast majority of users won't see a problem with a PWM screen, constant-current ensures minimal eye fatigue during long work sessions.
The 272P4APJKEB is available now at Best Buy, Amazon and B&H Photo for an MSRP of $899.
Christian Eberle is a Contributing Editor for 3DTested, covering Monitors and TVs.
