LG 34UM95 Monitor Review
by Chris Heinonen on June 18, 2014 7:00 AM ESTPre-calibration I used the Warm color temperature preset and the Gamma 1 setting. This provided results closest to our targets of 200 cd/m2, sRGB color gamut, and a gamma of 2.2. The RGB balance is good overall and the largest issue is the gamma. Yellow and Green are slightly over-saturated but most of the color gamut is good overall.
| Pre-Calibration |
Post-Calibration, 200 cd/m^2 |
Post-Calibration, 80 cd/m^2 |
|
| White Level (cd/m^2) | 207.8 | 198.8 | 81.3 |
| Black Level (cd/m^2) | 0.2023 | 0.205 | 0.085 |
| Contrast Ratio | 1027:1 | 970:1 | 955:1 |
| Gamma (Average) | 1.98 | 2.20 | 2.37 |
| Color Temperature | 6791K | 6511K | 6494K |
| Grayscale dE2000 | 1.65 | 0.46 | 0.81 |
| Color Checker dE2000 | 2.08 | 1.30 | 1.34 |
| Saturations dE2000 | 2.84 | 1.15 | 1.20 |
Post-calibration the RGB Balance is nearly perfect and the gamma is ideal as well. Color errors are improved due to the more accurate gamma but the 100% yellow and green colors are still overly saturated. Our contrast ratio drops slightly but is still good. With our 80 cd/m2 target and sRGB gamma the 100% issues at Green and Yellow remain but other colors are much better.
With a white LED backlight system, the LG is limited to the sRGB gamut. Using the internal color management system you can correct the over-saturation in the yellow and green colors but I would advise against it. I did this and while 100% improved, every saturation below 100% is worse and and the color checker test is worse as well. It is nice of LG to include a CMS system, but it does not function correctly in my testing. I would much rather see a multi-point white balance, which does work correctly, to help correct for the RGB balance and gamma inside the display instead of in the video card LUT.
Post-calibration the LG 34UM95 is good but not excellent. For most people it should be just fine, but for graphics professionals the extra saturation will pose a problem. LG also provides their own calibration software but I was unable to get it to run correctly on my MacBook Pro or PC. Even when it detected the display correctly it is unable to use my i1Pro or i1DisplayPro meters to calibrate itself. Assuming this performs similar to my last experience using it, CalMAN will still provide superior results as the LG display lacks an internal LUT.
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blackmagnum - Wednesday, June 18, 2014 - link
The Koreans are on a roll with product diversity!SulianJeo - Wednesday, June 18, 2014 - link
I've always felt that the Korean companies seem to push for innovation the most. There are certainly some redundant releases (GS 5), but so many products are really game changing.weiran - Wednesday, June 18, 2014 - link
This is a nice idea using existing hardware and manufacturing with a very niche market.I fail to see where the innovation is.
darwinosx - Wednesday, June 18, 2014 - link
You should read the article you are commenting on then. Also it's hardly a niche market. That is an uninformed and laughable comment.chophshiy - Wednesday, June 18, 2014 - link
"Innovation" is becoming a meaningless word, thanks to marketing-speak. I agree with weiran; Making an obvious evolutionary step with tech that is easily available and understood should not be referred to as 'innovation'.inighthawki - Wednesday, June 18, 2014 - link
Sorry, these displays are definitely niche. Very few people see benefit of ultra widescreen displays. There are more people out there that want to go back to 4:3 than those who want to go to 21:9.FlyBri - Wednesday, June 18, 2014 - link
@inighthawki I would have to disagree that this monitor is "niche". Based on the form factor and resolution, it's actually quite versatile, and a better option than a 4K monitor at the moment (due to the current state of graphics cards). Many reviewers are saying how versatile this monitor is for both productivity and gaming. For instance, you can even use this monitor as a regular 1440p 27" monitor (with black bars, of course) if you so choose. One review I watched had the reviewer stating that he already had negative preconceived notions about this monitor and form factor, and ended up realizing how absolutely amazing it is and how he couldn't be without it now.I don't think it's niche because I think it genuinely could be a better alternative to a dual monitor setup, and I don't believe those to be niche. Not as prevalent? Yes. Niche? No. I would would say 4K monitors are more niche than this monitor.
fokka - Wednesday, June 18, 2014 - link
what you say makes sense, but i'd still call a 21:9 monitor with a unique resolution "niche". 4k is the future and will be the mainstream in a couple years. this? not so much.marcosears - Thursday, October 9, 2014 - link
I agree... Most people will want to get one of the top monitors at a more reasonable price range. /Marco at http://www.consumertop.com/best-monitor-guideMarthisdil - Wednesday, June 18, 2014 - link
It's niche because it's $1000