New HDR Settings, Relative Contrast Modes, and Additional Inputs Will Improve Display's Flexibility

Sony has set an October date for an update to its BVM-X300 OLED monitor, which has become an industry standard go-to for color-critical HDR playback.

New firmware will add new EOTF options, including a Hybrid Log Gamma setting that supports the ITU-R BT.2100 standard. A new S-Log 3 "Live HDR" setting simplifies camera control for live production, and a choice of relative contrast modes will allow the monitor to reach higher peak luminance when displaying HDR images.

Also due in October is a hardware upgrade that will add HDMI input to the X300 along with a second 3G/HD-SDI 4K input.

New BMV-X300 units including the upgrades will be available at a "revised" price point that Sony has yet to announce. Current BVM-X300 owners will have the option of having their hardware upgraded by a Sony service center at an additional cost. The firmware upgrade alone will be a free download for existing units, Sony said.

"This monitor has become the de facto reference standard for 4K and HDR grading in the post-production suite, and it's also making its way on set and into mobile production," said Sony's Gary Mandle, senior product manager for professional displays, in a prepared statement. "These new updates make the BVM-X300 even more adaptable as production requirements grow increasingly demanding."