Nvidia accused of Rigging The SDR vs HDR Monitor Comparison at Computex

At Computex 2017, Nvidia did a side by side comparison to showcase the visual quality offered by the latest HDR (High Dynamic Range) monitors. The company exhibited two otherwise similar panels – one with HDR and one without – both running BioWare’s Mass Effect: Andromeda gameplay footage. The HDR monitor appeared to deliver much better looking pixels with brighter, more vibrant colors.

However, a follow-up video report by HardwareCanucks reveals Nvidia’s demonstration might have been rigged to make HDR look better than it really does.

According to HardwareCanucks reporter, Dmitry Novoselov, he got the chance to poke around the comparison systems and access monitor settings. As it turns out, the brightness and contrast on the SDR monitor had been toned down. The gama settings were also strangely altered to ensure a superior picture on the HDR display.

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After Novoselov performed a factory reset on the non-HDR monitor, the SDR looked much better and even surpassed the HDR display in some scenes. The YouTuber thus accused Nvidia of being “sneaky” in “tinkering with the settings.” There has been no comment from the graphics giant as yet.

It should be noted that the game used for the demo, that was Mass Effect: Andromeda, has an HDR profile. So, in theory, it should favor an HDR display which it does, but there are areas where the scenes are overexposed, and at times look muted versus SDR.

Long story short, HDR may not provide as far superior image as Nvidia demoed at Computex. If you’re planning to make a purchase, it would be worth waiting for the issues to get ironed out before you jump on the HDR hype.

Check out the SDR vs HDR monitor comparison for yourself and tell us what you think.