MSI has developed a solution to QD-OLED panel dimming, dubbed EOTF Boost. Available on its latest monitors, this feature pushes the brightness higher when a large bright scene is detected, countering the panel’s dimming as it occurs, without raising the black levels on dark scenes.
MSI’s EOTF Boost can be activated through the monitor’s OSD menu, offering you an option to stop or at least reduce panel dimming in Peak 1000 mode. The aim is to maintain 1,000nits in dark scenes and reasonable levels in the bright ones, without the need to change modes depending on the content you plan to consume at any given moment. In other words, EOTF Boost should give you the best black levels while blasting brightness at full screen. This should help HDR content look more impressive, getting QD-OLED monitors’ brightness closer to their LCD-based counterparts.
The brand’s first attempt had some issues, actually, as it only reversed the panel dimming in around 10% of the time, according to Monitors Unboxed testing. This second iteration is much better, able to precisely track the EOTF curve – the mathematical function that converts digital video signals into brightness levels. That said, occasionally, even this new implementation can produce some panel dimming, though less frequently.
The feature works best when the scene is at the brightest or darkest end of the scale, where accuracy is best. Its limitations mainly appear when getting closer to high APL (Average Picture Level) scenes, where it has a harder time reversing the panel dimming. This is understandable since this is simply an algorithm hack developed by MSI, which tries to brighten the image as the panel dims. In a way, it fights Samsung’s QD-OLED protections.
Monitors Unboxed tested these changes on the new MAG 272QP QD-OLED X50 500Hz monitor, which you can see in the video down below.
MSI has confirmed that its latest models, including the MAG 272QP QD-OLED X50 and the upcoming MPG 271QR QD-OLED X50, already come preloaded with the latest firmware containing the EOTF Boost option. The update will also gradually roll out to the remaining products starting in August, at least those that support firmware updating.
Now, while EOTF Boost is still not a perfect solution, it is the best currently available, especially compared to the other alternatives, which tend to overbrighten the scenes. If you like to set and forget your monitor, this seems to be a great option to enable regardless of the type of content you consume.
