Dell

ColourSpace Integration

Dell monitor operation and function is controlled via the Hardware Options menu, accessed via the Profiling window.

Initial Setup

With ColourSpace, Dell monitor calibration can be performed without any need for any additional software, and it is not recommended to use Dell's DUCCS system, as it will potentially compromise the calibration accuracy achievable.

Connection Issues

Older Dell monitors have a rather unique signal path, with an unusual 3D LUT implementation where the grey axis is locked. This means a totally unique approach has to be adopted for 3D LUT based calibration, if potential artefacts and banding are to be avoided - something overlooked by alternative calibration systems. Newer Dell monitors do not have the same requirements, and can be calibrated normally with ColourSpace.

• If required, make sure the correct drivers are installed
  (If necessary, verify via Windows Device Manager)
• Connect the Dell monitor to the ColourSpace PC via a USB connection, as well as a direct video connection with valid signal, and start ColourSpace
• Open a ColourSpace Profiling window, and set the desired options via the Settings menu, as required
• Select Dell from the Hardware Options drop-down list, and select Connect, as well as the Colour Space slot to be calibrated
  Note: Only CAL slots can be calibrated, although additional slots can be selected, and their settings activated
• To make sure there is no existing calibration data active within the selected Colour Space slot, select Unity Bypass from the Select LUT option, and press Upload
  Selecting combination options, such as 3D + 1D, and uploading will load the 2 selected components and reset everything else, while selecting individual options, such as Matrix will load just the select component while leaving everything else as set
  The Pipeline text defines the signal processing path order, which with newer Dell monitors can be swapped via the Load drop-down selector
• With new monitors Panel mode and Gamma type select 300 SDR, 500 HDR & 1000 HDR modes, as well as SDR, PQ, & HLG modes respectively, which should be set to match the input signal
• Set the monitor's Peak Luma using the Interactive Controls while taking interactive measurements via the Manual Measure menu
  (The desired target value will depend on the accuracy of the white point colour temperature)

With Dell monitors, when Unity Bypass or real LUT data is Uploaded selecting combination options, such as 3D + 1D, will load the 2 selected components and reset everything else, while selecting individual options, such as Matrix will load just the select component while leaving everything else as set. Set necessary settings, such as Brightness/Contrast/Black-Level, before any LUT Upload.

Profiling & LUT Upload Operation

While Dell monitors do have an internal TPG, with older Dell monitors the TPG is located at the end of the signal path, meaning it cannot be used to measure the effect of the LUT contents. Because of the unique calibration requirements of older Dell monitors, profiling must therefore be performed via an external patch generator.

• Open a second ColourSpace Profiling window, select Hardware Options, and select the required TPG from the Hardware drop-down list
  (Refer to the relevant TPG User Guide for further operational information)
  Note: The keyboard 'O' key can be used within the Manual Measure and Hardware menus to quickly Disable/Enable the TPG
• The probe must be connected to the same Profiling Window as the TPG

Any patch generator can be used for SDR profiling, including direct HDMI/DVI/DisplayPort connection from the ColourSpace PC, with HDMI to SDI converter if required. For HDR/HLG/Dolby Vision, if applicable, correct metadata may be required within the video signal, requiring a dedicate TPG or metadata injector, unless the display can be manually forced into the required input format.
Additionally, if HDMI/DVI/DisplayPort connections are used the potential for EDID related issues must be understood.

From the Probes Options menu it is possible to select the internal Dell Probe from the available probes list. ColourSpace will then use the internal probe for patch measurements.
Note: Depending on monitors settings, after every change to any Dell control, for example via the ColourSpace Interactive Controls, the screen can flash R,G,B, W before making the real reading.

Due to older Dell monitors unique signal path, profiling must be performed twice, with an initial Native Colour Space LUT uploaded from the first profile, and then a second profile performed with the 3D + 1D Colour Space slot having been Uploaded. The second profile is use to generate a LUT targeting the required colour space, and uploaded into the 1D + Matrix Colour Space slot.

• Set the Dell to its native status using Upload to load a Unity Bypass LUT with 3D + 1D selected
• Profile the monitor as normal, using the required Characterisation option
• From the profile, Extract a new Colour Space that represents the Dell's native state, both Gamut and EOTF
• Generate a LUT targeting the extracted colour space, and Upload to the 3D + 1D slot
  Note: This step is critical due to the unique signal path within older Dell monitors Dell
• With the native colour space Upload complete, re-profile the monitor for a second time, using the required Characterisation option
• Generate a LUT targeting the required calibration colour space, and Upload to the 1D + Matrix slot

Due to the unique calibration requirements of older Dell monitors, the above approach effectively first volumetrically calibrates the monitor to itself, generating a perfect native colour space monitor, and then the second calibration pass performs a 1D and Matrix calibration, targeting the required target colour space - Gamut and EOTF. This is a necessary calibration workflow due Del's unusual signal path implementation, with the grey axis locked within the 3D LUT.

Newer Dell monitors can be calibrated as normal, without the above segmented calibration workflow.

Calibration Guides

3D LUT Calibration Manual Calibration