LG 34UM95 Monitor Review
by Chris Heinonen on June 18, 2014 7:00 AM ESTAll measurements are done using CalMAN 5.3 from SpectraCal and a custom workflow. An i1Pro and C6 meters are used to measure accurate colors and low light levels. For all test patterns I use APL 50% when possible to prevent backlight tricks and other things from skewing the results. Full field test patterns are used with the display uniformity testing.
With the backlight set to minimum the LG 34UM95 puts out 55 cd/m2 of light. That is a good number that is low enough to work for any dark environment, but not so low that you can’t use it. The brightness control operates in 1% steps giving you lots of room for adjustment. The maximum light level is 270 cd/m2. This is a bit lower than I would like to see, as direct sunlight will still wash things out, but it is decent. Most people likely will pick a setting in the middle of these and the brightness adjustment makes it easy to get the level you want.
Black levels are also very good. The minimum black level achieved is 0.0586 cd/m2 and the maximum level is 0.2724 cd/m2. The 21:9 monitors have been very good so far at getting low black levels and the 34UM95 is no exception.
These combine to give us a contrast ratio very close to 1,000:1. As this is now what I consider to be acceptable in a good IPS display, the LG 34UM95 does not disappoint.
So far, so good for the 34UM95. Let's move on to the color accuracy.
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Ubercake - Friday, June 20, 2014 - link
Put G-sync on a monitor with this resolution and I'd consider it. I've found the wider (in pixels) the monitor, the worse the perceivable tearing when gaming. I'd consider a 60Hz monitor only for productivity.JohnUSA - Friday, June 20, 2014 - link
Only 1 year warranty is no good.Should have been 3 years.
gochichi - Thursday, July 31, 2014 - link
You're absolutely right, if I spend $150 on a monitor, then sure 1-year is fine. But if I invest $1000, I want a 3-year advance exchange situation.LudumHair - Sunday, June 22, 2014 - link
I bought one of these yesterday but the backlight bleed is awful. There are two bright yellowish patches in the bottom left and right corners of the display that are barely noticeable in daylight and downright distracting during evening and night use. Even with brightness set to its lowest the patches are still clearly visible. Buyer beware with these panels - I'm requesting a repair from LG and will take back to the store if that doesn't pan out.arpiggies - Sunday, June 22, 2014 - link
I feared there would be some light bleed issues with this size panel. Usually happens with first few production runs before it's fixed. May I ask what vendor you procured yours from and do you know the manufacture date of your unit?LudumHair - Monday, June 23, 2014 - link
Sure, I bought it at Micro Center in NY. The manufacture date is May 2014 and there's a "(Rev 2)" by the serial/model number.Larzy - Monday, June 23, 2014 - link
Thanks for Sharing that, lets hope LG can iron out leakage in further revisions. I guess each of the manufacturers will be using this panel though, to make thier versions, so I think I'll wait a few months till they've all been reviewed.Laststop311 - Tuesday, June 24, 2014 - link
I don't like 21:9 makes you move your head too much. 16:10 32 inch 4k monitor with 120hz is my dream monitor.gochichi - Thursday, July 31, 2014 - link
That's a great dream. I'd certainly consider the monitor you describe. And if it came in at $1000, I'd actually buy it too.genomecop - Tuesday, June 24, 2014 - link
Seems the backlight bleed is a known problem. I copied this from the thread at HardOcp.com...We have asked our distributor. This product currently has an unknown delivery time. The LG screens are called back because of a fabrication error in the backlight. At the moment it is not known when this model will be available...