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Last year, Apple introduced the all-new Pro Display XDR as a monitor designed for professionals who want to achieve the maximum. The company even stated directly on stage that its 6K Retina display offers an incredibly high image quality, which makes it equal even to the many times more expensive reference display from Sony.

It is precisely such displays that filmmakers use for color correction in their images, and it is by no means a cheap matter. More precisely, the Sony BVM-HX310 model costs 980 crowns, while the price of the display starts at 000 crowns for the standard version or 140 for the version with nanotextured glass. But is a seven times cheaper display really comparable to professional technology?

No, said professional display calibrator and reviewer Vincent Teoh. In a new video, he directly compared the  Pro Display XDR against the Sony BVM-HX310, the same display that Apple talked about on stage. On the video, you can see for yourself the comparison of image quality both using a specialized calibration technique and using a direct visual comparison.

Especially in dark scenes, we can see that the Pro Display XDR simply cannot match the reference display. Even when using the reference modes, we see that the image has problems with localized light fluctuations and suffers from artifacts, the black color is noticeably lighter. Teoh states that it is simply a regular IPS panel with 576 LEDs for local dimming (Local Dimming), while the reference monitor offers a specialized two-layer α-Si TFT Active Matrix LCD panel.

The video pro also says that the Pro Display XDR is simply great for viewing content, but not for creating it, and wondered what the effects in JJ Abrams movies would look like if he didn't have a really precise monitor at his disposal. Even so, the Pro Display XDR can be a great choice for YouTubers or producers with a lower budget who cannot afford a real reference panel for less than a million crowns.

 Pro Display XDR and Sony BVM-HX310 also differ in compatibility, connectivity and resolution. The monitor from Apple offers 6K resolution (6 x 016 pixels) with an aspect ratio of 3:384, while the reference monitor has a resolution of 16K (9×4) with a ratio of 4096:2160 (17:9). Sony's display can be connected to a variety of devices via HDMI, while the Pro Display XDR connects via Thunderbolt 1.89 and only to select Macs.

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