- 1.0%sRGB In ICtCp
- 1.0%Adobe RGB In ICtCp
A monitor's SDR color volume defines the range of colors it displays at various luminance levels. Having good color volume provides good picture quality, as it can show bright and dark colors well, while colors on a monitor with limited color volume look washed out.
We no longer measure the SDR color volume as of recent test benches, but monitors on older test benches still include the test. We measured the color volume in two common SDR color spaces, sRGB and Adobe RGB, after fully calibrating the monitor. We also published graphs of the color volume in each color space.
You can learn more about our SDR color volume testing with TVs.
Test Methodology Coverage
We measured the SDR Color Volume from Test Bench 1.0 through Test Bench 1.2. While testing was the same on each test bench, the scoring weight changed in 1.2, so the scores aren't comparable to older test benches. We removed this test as part of Test Bench 2.0 because most monitors have similar SDR color volume.
| Tests | 1.0 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 2.0 and newer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| sRGB in ICtCp | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Adobe RGB in ICtCp | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Scoring Weight | 50% sRGB in ICtCp 50% Adobe RGB in ICtCp |
50% sRGB in ICtCp 50% Adobe RGB in ICtCp |
80% sRGB in ICtCp 20% Adobe RGB in ICtCp |
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You can also learn how our test benches and scoring system work, and how we test monitors.
When It Matters
As the SDR color volume helps define the range of colors a monitor displays, it's important to know if you want something with good picture quality. A monitor with good color volume means it displays bright and dark colors well, while something with limited color volume means those colors looked washed out. That said, many monitors display a wide range of colors in sRGB, which is the color space used in most web content. Knowing the Adobe RGB color volume is more important if you're a content creator who works in that color space.
Our Tests
To measure the SDR color volume, we calibrated the monitor and then used a Colorimetry Research CR-100 colorimeter to measure the color volume in the sRGB and Adobe RGB color spaces. We also used a computer program to generate the graphs.
The graphs represent a 3D bubble of colors, with the brightest colors being at the top and the darkest at the bottom. The y-axis is the luminance, and the x-axis is the range of colors. Our graphs include different views of the same color volume bubble, and below you can see an example showing where each color is to help you better understand our test results. A monitor with perfect color volume entirely fills out the bubble with the black lines.
sRGB In ICtCp
We first measured the color volume in the sRGB color space. This test shows how much of the monitor's sRGB color gamut it can display at any given luminance level. Most monitors have well above 90% sRGB color volume, with only a few outliers. There are a few factors that impact this, like a monitor's brightness and contrast ratio. These can help the monitor display dark and bright colors well.
In the examples below, the Samsung has a better contrast ratio and is able to display dark colors better, which you can see towards the bottom of the bubble. The Gigabyte fills out more of the bubble, and it has better overall color volume, including with bright colors towards the top of the bubble.
| sRGB In ICtCp: 79.7% | sRGB In ICtCp: 99.6% |
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As of Test Bench 1.1, we also listed which picture mode we used for the test.
Adobe RGB in ICtCp
We repeated the same process, but with the Adobe RGB color space. This is more important if you're a content creator that works with this color space. Using the same two monitors from the example above, you can see that the Samsung is better at displaying dark colors, while the Gigabyte has far superior overall color volume.
| sRGB In ICtCp: 67.4% | sRGB In ICtCp: 92.4% |
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As of Test Bench 1.1, we also listed which picture mode we used for the test.
Additional Information
Color Gamut vs. Color Volume
Although a monitor's color volume and color gamut are similar, and we tested them at the same time, they represent different things. The color volume is the colors a monitor displays at various luminance levels, and the color gamut is the range of colors it displays. Essentially, the color gamut is the colors it displays at a certain luminance level, so it's like a slice of the color volume bubble. We measure the color gamut with a 75% luminance, meaning the gamut is 75% up the y-axis in the color volume graph.
Overall, a good color gamut and color volume help improve the picture quality in SDR, as that means it can display a wide range of colors and make them look vivid.
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We still test for the SDR color gamut. You can also learn more about our HDR color volume testing.
How To Get The Best Results
There's nothing that you can do to improve a monitor's color volume, as it's part of its performance. Although certain picture modes may seem to provide bright and vivid colors, this comes at the cost of accuracy. There are certain panel types that have better color volume, like OLEDs with their deep blacks or Mini LEDs with their bright highlights. If you want the best colors and picture quality in SDR, it's better to go for one of these panel types. Otherwise, most monitors have at least decent SDR color volume.
Also see our recommendations for the best OLED monitors.
Conclusion
A monitor's SDR color volume defines the range of colors it displays at various luminance levels. This is different from color gamut because that represents the range of colors at a certain luminance level. Having good color volume helps provide good picture quality, as it means the monitor can display bright and dark colors well, and some factors contribute to having good color volume, like contrast and brightness. Because of this, certain panel types offer better color volume, as OLEDs and Mini LED displays have the best picture quality. While we don't measure the SDR color volume on monitors anymore, as most have good color volume, we used to do so in the sRGB and Adobe RGB color spaces.