VESA is launching DisplayHDR version 1.2 today, a major update to its widely adopted High-Performance Monitor and Display Compliance Test Specification (DisplayHDR) that includes not only significantly tighter performance requirements for luminance, color gamut, and bit depth, but also several new test requirements for color accuracy, contrast ratio, black levels, and subtitle flicker to address recent advances in display technology. The first DisplayHDR 1.2 certified products will be showcased by VESA at the Display Week Symposium and Exhibition in San Jose, CA, on May 14–16, 2024 at VESA booth #129 at the San Jose Convention Center.
Some of the noted changes include:
- Significantly tighter color gamut requirements for improved color accuracy
- Added DCI-P3 color gamut requirement for DisplayHDR 400 tier
- DCI-P3 requirement for 500, 600, and 1000 tiers increased to match 1400 tier
- Synchronizes color bit-depth requirement of 400 tier with all performance levels to require a minimum of 8 bit + 2 bit dithering using frame rate control (FRC)
- Improved white luminance level testing with center patch changes (10% center patch on black background to 8% center square test on non-black background)
A closer look at the updates:
DisplayHDR 1.2 is also introducing five new performance tests:
- “New comprehensive color accuracy test that measures the average Delta-TP of 96 different colors at each of three different luminance levels, testing the HDR color accuracy for a range of representative color tones. With this new test, the updated spec only permits a Delta-TP error of 8 on the 400, 500 and 600 tier levels, and an even tighter Delta-TP error of 6 on the 1000 tier level and above.”
- “New static contrast ratio tests that drive higher contrast ratio display hardware specification requirements at all levels, and additionally requiring 2D local dimming at DisplayHDR tiers 1000 and higher.”
- “New HDR vs SDR black-level test to help ensure premium black-level performance in HDR mode while reducing power consumption and improving battery life (e.g., in laptop displays)”
- “New black crush test to measure the accuracy of multiple black luminance levels to ensure displays have tremendous shadow detail for photo or video creation or consumption”
- “New subtitle luminance flicker test to help ensure ideal local dimming behavior when luminance levels adjust rapidly, such as when subtitles instantly appear and disappear on an otherwise dark movie scene.”
VESA noted:
Companies can begin certifying products under the new DisplayHDR 1.2 spec today. In addition, VESA will continue to allow products to be certified under the previous DisplayHDR 1.1 spec through the end of May 2025 for monitors, and May 2026 for laptops, to allow for products already in development that have been designed to meet the previous spec. To date, more than 3000 display models have been certified to the DisplayHDR standard.