Don’t Buy The Calibrite Display Pro HL (Updated)

We bought the Calibrite Display Pro HL, intending to use it to calibrate our LG 32EP950, MacBook Pro (late 2021) and LG 55CX HDR displays, only to learn later from Art Suwansang, an X-Rite Coloratti & Calibrite Ambassador, that the probe does not have HDR functionality. He writes:

3 Bullets points / Row down next to “HDR Support” Note that only the Display Plus HL is listed. Not the Pro HL. The pro can still calibrate high nits display but won’t be able to profile in HDR REC 2020. Also at this point in time there are various reference mode that can activate the XDR function but none of them are technically HDR reference mode and Apple has been extremely careful not to put this in. In addition to this, there are specific triggers to activate XDR / HDR functions that are not yet available in most calibration apps except for a few of the highend – pro variety when linked to any Apple XDR display. Simply put HDR for content creation even on Apple Displays is still the Wild West.

B&H has acknowledged that there is an error on their product page that needs to be corrected and said that they’ll make arrangements to issue a refund.

Photo Credit: Art Suwansang
From B&H Photo and Video’s product page
From the Q&A section for the Calibrite Display Pro HL page over at B&H Photo.

Update: Ted Aspiotis says that the Display Pro HL & Display Plus HL are both HDR capable and that Calibrite’s recommendations apply only to their own software; however, he does not recommend either colorimeter because of unsatisfactory low light performance, suggesting instead the earlier Calibrite ColorChecker Display Plus (2000 nits) for its superior low light ability.

“The comparison tables of X-Rite or Calibrite have to do ONLY with functions that each meter has when you are using it ONLY with X-Rite or Calibrite software.

You can calibrate HDR with any X-Rite colorimeter released in 2011 since now if you are using it with calibration software that supports HDR calibration/profiling…ignore X-Rite/Calibrate software.

(The first i1Display PRO released in 2011 had 1000 nits capability)

But for SDR, the new meters are not recommended.

The new models (3000/10000) have compromised in the low end; they are not able to read low light patches, and they fail to read them.

I don’t recommend to anyone those two new high-luminance meters because they are not good in low light.

The Calibrite ColorChecker Display Plus (2000 nits) has better low-level readings.

BTW some functions for the Calibrate software will be added in the future with a new software update, like the REC2020 HDR profiling, which is the most useless operation any professional can perform….since it’s based on ICC.

The LG Studio software can use 3D LUT, but its measures only a small number of colors.

https://www.avsforum.com/threads/i1d3-rev-a-vs-rev-b-low-light-handling.2909646/post-62700569

When you have a high-end monitor with over ~2600 nits peak, then you have to use a high-end colorimeter.

The 2000 nits colorimeters will not stop reading at exactly 2000 nits; it will be OK to about 2500-2600 with tiny deviations, so it’s okay to use until those nits.

They can measure higher nits also but with added errors so its not recommended.

X-Rite/Calibrate software are not recommended to being used for any form of professional calibration because they are using only ICCs.

The professional environment needs monitors with internal 3D LUTs, or external 3D LUT boxes… not ICCs or VCGT calibrations.”

Graeme Gill responds to Ted Aspiotis:

One thought on “Don’t Buy The Calibrite Display Pro HL (Updated)

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  1. I have the Display Plus HL already so am not affected by this, but nevertheless I think what is meant is that the Pro HL doesn’t support profiling HDR 2020 with the Calibrite software tools (which I have not used) but probaby can work ColorspaceZRO from LightIllusion (or others, HCFR, Calman) as Ted Aspiotis (ConnecTed) had told me that it was working with all the Calibrite colorimeters and most others. I went with ColorspaceZRO because it was inexpensive and supports using the BMD Decklink card as the pattern generator with Resolve, for an end-to-end throughput calibration method. I admit I have no knowledge whatsoever about Apple display, tablets, Macbook products. Display calibration is very important for HDR, more than SDR in my experience. Very small display errors are magnified. If you correct for them inside the grade instead of on the display where it originates, the error is baked in and the grade will display incorrectly on every correctly calibrated device.

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