[SOLVED] Color Depth and Dell U3219Q vs BenQ PD3220U

May 20, 2020
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Hi,

I'm looking for a 32-inch 4K monitor for programming/admin, web/creative, amateur but serious photo processing, and watching movies. I don't really game.

I'm down to the Dell U3219Q or the BenQ PD3220U. Wirecutter rates the Dell higher, whereas it used to recommend the older BenQ (PD3200U). I wish they had elaborated on their change of heart, but we're left to guess how the latest BenQ falls short in their eyes.

I see that the U3219Q has higher brightness and contrast ratios (400 vs 300 cd/m and 1300:1 vs 1000:1, respectively). That seems persuasive for picture quality. However, I see that the PD3220U has 10-bit color, as opposed to the Dell's 8-bit+FRC.

Can someone help me evaluate the difference between 8-bit and 10-bit color, in practical terms? I don't know if I should care. Also the BenQ has two Thunderbolt 3 ports; I assume that's good for future-proofing, but I'm not sure I can imagine a general use-case for it.

Thanks!
 
Solution
They're both 10-bits using 8-bit + FRC, so they're not native; however, in most applications, the differences are not too visible to the human eyes. Unless you're doing high-end professional work, 8-bit+FRC will be fine.
May 20, 2020
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They are both 10-bit. 8-bit + FRC is an implementation of 10-bit color depth.

Thank you for your reply!

I'm having a little trouble following. My impression is that the BenQ has a true 10-bit color implementation, whereas the Dell is 8-bit with added dithering that approximates 10-bit color. Is that wrong?
 

Bentp2019

Commendable
Dec 16, 2019
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They're both 10-bits using 8-bit + FRC, so they're not native; however, in most applications, the differences are not too visible to the human eyes. Unless you're doing high-end professional work, 8-bit+FRC will be fine.
 
Solution
May 20, 2020
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Thank you! I've seen a few sites, e.g. B&H, report native 10-bit for the BenQ. Not sure what to believe, but the important thing is that there doesn't seem to be a practical concern for my use case.
 
May 22, 2020
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Hi, I am also looking for a 32" 4K monitor and considering these 2 monitors.

I saw an youtube video showing really bad backlight for Dell U3219Q -
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uh83KwMZbZo
. Have you seen this? What do you think about the backlight issue shown in this video?

Have you considered Asus ProArt PA32UC? That seems to be close to BenQ PD3220U in price. If you have considered it, what are your thoughts?

Osho