Review of Titan Army's C34A1R 34-inch WQHD gaming monitor: Affordable, high-refreshrate display with a wide aspect ratio
The Titan Army C34A1R monitor, a budget-friendly HDR offering, delivers excellent brightness and contrast, boasting a high peak output and low black levels. However, its color accuracy shows slight issues, particularly in grayscale performance, which appears visibly green-tinged from 30% to 100% luminance, causing a dulling effect on cool tones.
In comparison to higher-end monitors like the Alienware AW3425DW, the C34A1R's grayscale tracking is less accurate. The AW3425DW exhibits near-perfect grayscale and luminance tracking with neutral tones free of tints, and very accurate color performance with wide gamut coverage and slight, linear oversaturation for HDR content.
The C34A1R's color gamut coverage is quite strong for its price range, with close adherence to hue and saturation targets and slight oversaturation that does not detract from image quality, especially rendering warm colors like red and orange more vividly. However, its grayscale performance falls short of the AW3425DW, resulting in a greenish tinge that can be noticeable in cool tones.
Despite its color accuracy issues, the C34A1R's HDR400 certification and its color volume (~122% sRGB, 98% Adobe RGB) are solid, providing good HDR performance for its price. However, they do not reach the exceptional levels provided by specialized OLED monitors, which offer superior grayscale fidelity and EOTF (Electro-Optical Transfer Function) tracking ideal for HDR.
In summary, the Titan Army C34A1R offers good HDR performance for its price range but falls short of the more professional or premium HDR monitors that achieve excellent grayscale and color fidelity. It delivers better HDR than expected for its price, with excellent EOTF tracking and a smooth tone map transition. However, its grayscale performance could be improved, particularly in HDR mode, where adjustments are not currently available.
Tests on the C34A1R were run on the Auto setting, and it supports HDR10 signals. In the BT.2020 test, color on the C34A1R runs out at 85% red, 70% green, and 90% blue. Warm tones like red, yellow, and orange on the C34A1R are closer to the mark, while cool tones show a greenish tint. The C34A1R is the brightest HDR monitor in the test, aside from the Mini LED Philips. It also features an automatic format switch and an HDR400 certification.
For typical use in its price range, the C34A1R offers a solid HDR experience, with vibrant warm colors and excellent brightness and contrast. However, its grayscale issues may be a concern for those seeking more precise color accuracy. Adjusting grayscale in HDR mode could potentially improve the color result on the C34A1R, making it a worthwhile consideration for users looking for a budget-friendly HDR monitor with room for improvement.
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- The C34A1R's highlights lie in its smart-home-device integration, allowing users to control the monitor using gadgets and voice commands, leveraging the latest technology.
- For a budget-friendly HDR offering, the C34A1R boasts smart-home compatibility beyond its expected features, making it an appealing gadget for tech enthusiasts seeking a fusion of home and entertainment technology.
