The BDM3270 is not a gaming monitor, that much is plain. It runs at 60Hz and doesn’t offer any sort of adaptive-refresh. SmartResponse, or overdrive, works well at reducing motion blur, but that’s the only attention paid to video processing here. Philips’ efforts have all been spent on creating the most accurate monitor you can buy. And that’s without calibration. Our test results in the default 6500K image mode were better than what we see from just about any other professional display after adjustment.
And lest you think this all comes at a high price, think again. While we wouldn’t consider the BDM3270 inexpensive (what 32” monitor is?), it’s selling for less than $700 at this writing, clearly an excellent value. We might be tempted to deny it professional status because it doesn’t offer a wide gamut option, but with accuracy this good, we’re willing to make an exception. The BDM3270 is, quite simply, as close to perfect as we can possibly imagine. For class-leading contrast, amazing out-of-box accuracy, image clarity, and build quality, we’re giving it our Tom’s Hardware Editor’s Choice Award.
Verdict
Unless you need the extra speed and adaptive-refresh offered by a gaming monitor, or the wide gamut of a professional screen, the BDM3270 is an ideal product. Its prodigious size will demand a greater space commitment on your desk, but once you see that stunning image with its super accurate color and tremendous dynamic range, we think you’ll find a way to make room. Simply unpack, turn on, and set brightness to taste and you’ll see a picture that’s better than that of many premium displays. We just might be keeping this one around after the review is finished!