Test methodologyUpdatedDemo data
How We Test Monitors
The complete monitor test bench: which tests we run, what equipment each uses and how every result flows into a score.
HannahRev Test Bench · Published · Updated
Demo data. This article describes HannahRev's draft methodology using fictional demo products. Any figures are illustrative — they are not laboratory results.
Every monitor we review goes through the same test bench. Running identical tests on every unit is what lets us compare products fairly, and it is why each result on a review page links back to the section of this article that explains it.
This is draft methodology version 0.1-demo. The equipment list and procedures describe the planned HannahRev lab; the products tested with it on this site are fictional demo entries.
How a review is structured
A review is split into five categories: Design, Picture Quality, Motion, Inputs and Features. Each category holds a set of tests, and each test records one or more measurements with a unit, the conditions it was taken under and the date it was recorded.
Design
- StyleDocumented
- Build QualityScored
- ErgonomicsScored
- StandDocumented
- DisplayDocumented
- ControlsDocumented
- In The BoxDocumented
Picture Quality
- ContrastScored
- Local DimmingScored
- SDR BrightnessScored
- HDR BrightnessScored
- Gray UniformityScored
- Black UniformityScored
- Color AccuracyScored
- SDR Color GamutScored
- HDR Color VolumeScored
- Viewing AngleScored
- Text ClarityScored
- ReflectionsScored
- GradientScored
- Panel TechnologyDocumented
Motion
- Refresh RateScored
- Variable Refresh Rate (VRR)Scored
- Response Time @ Max Refresh RateScored
- Response Time @ 60HzScored
- Backlight Strobing (BFI)Scored
- Image FlickerScored
Inputs
- Input LagScored
- ResolutionScored
- Console CompatibilityScored
- InputsDocumented
- USBDocumented
Features
- Additional FeaturesDocumented
- On-Screen Display (OSD)Documented
Links open the matching section of an example review.
Methods and equipment
Each test references one reusable method, so a procedure is described once and applied the same way everywhere. When a method changes, its version number changes too, and the change is logged in the test bench changelog.
| Method | Version | Procedure | Used by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Structured visual inspection | 0.1-demo | A fixed checklist completed by the reviewer under standard room lighting. Assessed scores use the same 0–10 anchors for every product. | Style, Build Quality, Display, Controls, In The Box, Text Clarity, Gradient, Panel Technology, Resolution, Inputs, USB, Additional Features, On-Screen Display (OSD) |
| Stand adjustment measurement | 0.1-demo | Ranges measured with a steel rule and digital inclinometer from the stand's neutral position. | Ergonomics, Stand |
| Contrast measurement | 0.1-demo | Checkerboard pattern measured with a colorimeter in a dark room, local dimming off unless stated. | Contrast, Local Dimming |
| Luminance measurement | 0.1-demo | White windows of fixed size measured at the centre of the screen after a warm-up period, brightest calibrated picture mode. | SDR Brightness, HDR Brightness |
| Uniformity measurement | 0.1-demo | A 5 × 5 grid of luminance readings across a uniform test field; the result is the standard deviation from the mean. | Gray Uniformity, Black Uniformity |
| Colour measurement | 0.1-demo | Spectro-radiometer readings of a fixed patch set in the most accurate factory preset, compared against the target colour space. | Color Accuracy, SDR Color Gamut, HDR Color Volume |
| Viewing angle measurement | 0.1-demo | Readings taken at 5° increments off-axis until the change crosses a fixed visibility threshold. | Viewing Angle |
| Reflection measurement | 0.1-demo | Screen off, lit by a calibrated diffuse source; reflected luminance is expressed as a share of the incident light. | Reflections |
| Motion feature verification | 0.1-demo | Refresh, VRR and flicker behaviour verified with a photodiode and a signal generator. | Refresh Rate, Variable Refresh Rate (VRR), Backlight Strobing (BFI), Image Flicker |
| Response time measurement | 0.1-demo | Average of a fixed grid of gray-to-gray transitions captured with a photodiode and oscilloscope. | Response Time @ Max Refresh Rate, Response Time @ 60Hz |
| Input lag measurement | 0.1-demo | Time from signal output to a change at the centre of the screen, averaged over repeated captures. | Input Lag |
| Console signal verification | 0.1-demo | Each console output mode is selected and confirmed through the console's own video information screen. | Console Compatibility |
From measurements to scores
Scored measurements are mapped onto a 0–10 scale between a fixed worst and best anchor. Test scores roll up into usage scores such as PC Gaming or Office, and those roll up into the overall score. The full weighting is explained in How HannahRev Scores Work.
Related
Tests in an example review
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