Positive points
Comes with a cap to limit reflections
Excellent color fidelity for sRGB and AdobeRGB
5 year and 6 month zero dead pixel warranty
Comes with a cap
Integrated SD card reader
Bad points
Too much persistence for video processing
Color fidelity for video spaces
No more wired remote control to switch from one preset to another
No headphone output
Our review
Feature
The Taiwanese manufacturer BenQ has an appetite and in particular wants to stand out with screens cut both for photo editing, but also for calibration and video editing. Thus and after the PV3200PT which covers 100% of the Rec space. 709, here is the PV270. If the reference is shorter, this new 27-inch monitor is more versatile since it now covers:
100% sRGB
100% Rec. 709 (video)
99% Adobe RGB
96% DCI-P3 (video)
If we are used to Rec. 709 which is the display standard for HDTV television, the DCI-P3 is less common. It is the color space defined by the American cinema industry for the projection of films dev.rankuzz.com. It is slightly less wide in greens and cyans, but has more nuances in red and yellow tones.
It benefits from a factory calibration and has a hardware calibration system with the supplied Palette Master software (it does not, however, come with a probe that must be purchased). The colors are converted by a 14-bit 3D LUT.
In addition, by connecting a camera directly to the HDMI input, the BenQ PV270 can be transformed into a calibrated video return screen in order to be able to make the settings on a large screen. The screen is also Technicolor certified.
The BenQ PV270 is available at the recommended retail price of € 999, and guaranteed for 5 years (manufacturer) and 6 months without dead pixels
The screen is assembled in the blink of an eye with only two manipulations to be carried out: fix the arm to the foot using a wing nut and then fix the slab. A "guillotine" in the foot makes it possible to maintain the various cables along the foot.
The screen comes with a cap to limit reflections. It has a removable part to facilitate the passage of the probe. The slab has a fairly light matte finish which both preserves reflections while retaining an excellent level of readability.
The controls are conventionally located under the screen, on the right side. Unfortunately, the very practical remote control delivered with the PV3200PT or the SW2700PT is no longer there. All modifications must therefore be made directly on the screen.
The menus are fairly standard and fairly simple to understand.
As usual, the video connection is relegated under the monitor, with an HDMI input, a Display Port, a mini Display Port, a DVI-DL socket and two USB 3 connectors (one up, the other down).
On the side you will find the card reader as well as the two USB 3 ports.
The foot of the screen allows rotation in portrait mode, but also some inclinations:
Verdict
On paper, BenQ's PV270 presents really well, targeting both photographers and videographers, populations that are less and less distinct. On the photography side, the PV270 is a very good candidate with excellent color rendering (sRGB / Adobe RGB) with factory calibration and even better after calibration. The matte panel - but not too much - is nice and precise and you can connect most video sources except the aging VGA. You can also connect several accessories and have an SD card reader. You will also appreciate the cap which limits reflections.
On the video side, the picture is more mixed. Our measurements for the Rec. 709 and DCI-P3 with "house" profiles are good without being excellent, but it is especially in the afterglow that the BenQ screen disappoints the most. Despite the presence of an overdrive, the remanence time exceeds 20 ms and we have noted the presence of ghost images. In this area, BenQ still has to make progress.
In the end, the PV270 is a screen that will satisfy the photographer who takes some videos more than the videographer who sometimes retouches photographs. However, we will note a good manufacturing quality and especially a 5 year and 6 month warranty for zero dead pixels, which is always a guarantee of quality.
Specifications