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UltraSharp monitors, hardware color calibration
Hi,
In our office we have 7 Dell Ultrasharp monitors consisting of the following models:
U2417Ht
U2412Mb
UP2516D
U2518D
Their colours have noticeably shifted from each other, and our solution of a ColorMunki Smile we bought long ago has proven ineffective in our computer hot-swapping environment, as the ICC profiles don't carry over between Windows accounts. What we need is something that will apply to all users after running it once per monitor.
Looking into it, it sounds like all Ultrasharps support hardware-based colour calibration that stores the profile in the monitor itself, independent of the operating system. Is this a correct understanding?
The DUCCS FAQ seems to indicate that the X-Rite i1PRO2 would be the appropriate hardware to purchase (please correct me if I'm wrong), and I'd just like to make sure it will achieve the above goal on at least most of our monitors before spending money on it.
Any advice is appreciated.
Thanks,
Joe
yumichan
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July 16th, 2018 02:00
The DUCCS FAQ seems to indicate that the X-Rite i1PRO2 would be the appropriate hardware to purchase (please correct me if I'm wrong), and I'd just like to make sure it will achieve the above goal on at least most of our monitors before spending money on it.
i1DisplayPro is 1/5 the price and will do the work faster and with better low light readings.
i1Pro2 is a good solution to profile PRINTERS but a 10nm spectrophotometer won't be may first choice to measure displays with "known" LED backlights like these.
Their colours have noticeably shifted from each other, and our solution of a ColorMunki Smile we bought long ago has proven ineffective in our computer hot-swapping environment, as the ICC profiles don't carry over between Windows accounts. What we need is something that will apply to all users after running it once per monitor.
[...]
I've had another look at the Windows 10 color settings and have found a way to set color profiles as defaults for all users, which appears to be working. However, it has plenty of room for human error so I'd be interested to know if DUCCS or any other software provides a simpler means of doing so as part of the color calibration process.
DUCCS, i1Profiler (DUCCS is a custom i1Profiler that writes calibration on some Dell models instead of just write a calibration for graphics card) or 3rd party applications like DisplayCAL register the profile in color management settings in Windows at the end of the profiling process.
I do not know if profile registration in DUCCS/i1Profiler is applied to all users or just current one, but as you said and if it does not configure it for all users, each user just need to configure it once per calibration
There are good reasons to avoid this kind of global configuration: each OSD mode or CAL1/CAL2 in Dell monitors with HW calibration need their own profile, active when/after you change form an OSD mote to another. Other users in WIndows may not use the same OSD mode as you...
For monitors that do not support DUCCS or the usage of other 3rd party software, no idea. Read this.
There is a lot or wrong information in that site... almost in every article written there.
Too long for explaining here but for example what they call "tone breaking" may have other sources different from "a bad quality panel", even a "near perfect calibration" may show it. "Banding" inside color managed apps could be caused by profile information, that's why you can choose "profile type", to "cheat" color managed apps so they cause less rounding errors when they are not able to use 10bit or they do not use diterhing.
For newbies:
Monitors with no hardware calibration = use DisplayCAL, best solution and it's free. There is no choice after you try it.
DELL-Chris M
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July 11th, 2018 06:00
DUCCS (Dell UltraSharp Color Calibration System) qualified monitors (UP3218K, UP3216Q, UP3214Q, UP3017, U3014, UP2718Q, UP2716D, UP2715K, U2713H, UP2516D, UP2414Q, U2413) have in their OSD (On Screen Display) -Color -Preset Modes, two color spaces called CAL1 and CAL2. You would use these two color spaces to "save" the X-Rite i1 Display Pro colorimeter hardware calibrations into the monitor.
Of those monitors you listed, only the UP2516D has the CAL1 and CAL2. For the other three, you would only be doing a software calibration (using software like DisplayCAL) which is saved in the specific PC operating system that the monitor was connected.
Hopefully, our resident calibration professional, yumichan, can add his thoughts.
Floodlight Media
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July 12th, 2018 05:00
Thanks for that. I wrote a whole reply earlier, but apparently it got marked for no imaginable reason, and is completely hidden from even me. Yay. Anyway, here goes again:
How would I tell if a monitor supports hardware calibration when buying one? I can't see anything in the Technical Specifications page of our one applicable monitor that suggests it exists. Is it a standard feature of PremierColor?
I've had another look at the Windows 10 color settings and have found a way to set color profiles as defaults for all users, which appears to be working. However, it has plenty of room for human error so I'd be interested to know if DUCCS or any other software provides a simpler means of doing so as part of the color calibration process.
Thanks,
Joe
DELL-Chris M
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54.7K Posts
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July 12th, 2018 06:00
How would I tell if a monitor supports hardware calibration when buying one?
* It should show on the sales page. For example, go to the UP3218K sales page.
* Under the Dell PremierColor section, it states, "X-Rite i1Display Pro colorimeter"
* Under Accessories it shows the X-Rite i1Display Pro Colorimeter
But the easiest way is to identify a possible monitor model to purchase. Go to that models driver page and open Drivers & downloads. If you see X-Rite or DUCCS, then you know that the model supports hardware calibration.
I've had another look at the Windows 10 color settings and have found a way to set color profiles as defaults for all users, which appears to be working. However, it has plenty of room for human error so I'd be interested to know if DUCCS or any other software provides a simpler means of doing so as part of the color calibration process.
For the validated monitor UP2516D, I think it is subjective if DUCCS is simpler than a Windows 10 color profile tweak. For monitors that do not support DUCCS or the usage of other 3rd party software, no idea. Read this.
Floodlight Media
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July 22nd, 2018 20:00
Great info. Thanks guys!
ellenadam
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March 27th, 2019 10:00
Dear Chris,
I was wondering if you could help me. I am a photographer and I want to buy a monitor which has a hardware calibrated system inside the monitor (like f.ex. a EIZO screen has). I read that there are some who might have it, but is it build into the monitor or do you need to put a hardware device on the monitor to calibrate it (like f.ex. a spider)? The EIZO monitor has it build in the monitor and corrects its colors itself, every month or so... I called the technical help center, but they didn't know the answer.
Thank you for your answer.
kind regards
Ellen
DELL-Chris M
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March 27th, 2019 11:00
Ellen,
Unfortunately, none of our Dell monitors have a built-in color calibration system. The Dell UltraSharp monitor line uses the X-Rite i1Display Pro colorimeter and our DUCCS (Dell UltraSharp Color Calibration System) software to color calibrate.
ellenadam
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March 28th, 2019 03:00