Canon DP-V2730 27″ 4K HDR Reference Monitor – Hands-on Interview

September 11^th, 2022

by Jeff LochSeptember 11^th, 2022

During IBC 2022, we had the chance to look extensively at Canon’s latest HDR reference monitor: the Canon DP-V2730. This 27-inch 4K UHD display has a maximum brightness of 1.000nits, it has four SDI and one HDMI input, and nearly every monitoring tool you can ever wish to have. So let’s take a closer look at it during our extensive hands-on video!

Ahead of IBC 2022, Canon introduced a new 15-120mm T2.95-3.9 zoom lens, the Canon EU-V3 modular expansion unit and firmware update for the C500 Mark II & C300 Mark III, and four new 4K camcorders plus a PTZ camera. That was a big announcement day for the company, but a new fully-featured reference monitor caught our attention: the Canon DP-V2730.

Canon DP-V2730 features

Aron Randhawa from Canon took a bit of time on IBC 2022’s show floor to give us a tour of their latest DP-V2730 HDR reference monitor. In a nutshell, here are the main specifications:

27 inch/68.5cm 16:9 display with a 4K UHD 3840 x 2160 resolution.
The panel of the DP-V2730 is an a-Si TFT Active Matrix LCD with an LED Matrix Array backlight. It can reach deep black levels as low as 0.001 nits using local dimming.
It has a standard brightness of 100nits, the reference peak luminance level for SDR-grading. Furthermore, it has a peak brightness of 1.000nits for HDR grading.
Regarding video inputs, it has four SDI ports (12G SDI) and one HDMI port. You’ll also find four SDI outputs, built-in speakers, a headphone jack if needed, and two stereo mini-jacks at the front and back.
The DP-V2730 features one RJ-45 port and a USB A port.

As you can tell, this is a fully-featured professional reference monitor. But, regarding HDR color grading, this is where the Canon DP-V2730 shines.

HDR grading and monitoring tools

HDR grading is slowly becoming the new standard with the expansion of cinema cameras’ dynamic range. However, most filmmakers – myself included – still did not properly upgrade our studio monitoring tools to grade footage in HDR10/HLG color space. Indeed, the brightness levels and overall dynamic range are different from SDR.

To help colorists and post-production houses smoothly transition into the HDR world, Canon designed the DP-V2730 with many unique and valuable HDR monitoring functions, including:

HDR waveform/vectorscope.
HDR Histogram, False Colour, and over range checker.
Of course, you’ll still find the traditional RGB Parade Waveform.
A useful HDR/SDR comparison.
One handy multi-information view.
A unique pixel value checker to precisely look at the values of a zone.
Chromaticity display, frame luminance monitor, and BT.2020 outside of gamut view.

As you can tell, most of these monitoring tools are here to help you nail your grade and make sure you stay in the HDR grading zone.