OLED Gradient & Quantization Test
Renders near-black to mid-gray and deep dark color transitions with continuous and stepped modes (16, 32, 64, 128 steps) to verify dithering and 10-bit processing precision.
Technical Scope & Limitations
Visual banding inspection. Distinguishes software quantized steps from panel-level quantization.
Browser rendering output can be influenced by OS display scaling, GPU driver color settings, and active HDR profiles.
- Inspect the gradual transition from pure black (0) to dark gray (32) and mid gray (128).
- Look for harsh horizontal/vertical lines where steps appear abrupt rather than smooth.
- Toggle between continuous mode and stepped modes (16, 32, 64, 128) to test display dithering.
What This Test Checks
- Near-black to mid-gray tonal smoothness (0 to 32 and 0 to 128).
- Quantization steps and color posterization in deep dark scenes.
- Display temporal/spatial dithering behavior when rendering smooth gradients.
How to Perform the Test
- Select Black-to-Dark-Gray or Black-to-Mid-Gray ramps.
- Inspect the continuous transition for discrete harsh contour lines.
- Toggle stepped quantization modes (16, 32, 64, 128) to test panel processing accuracy.
What to Look For
- Harsh vertical or horizontal contour stripes in continuous mode indicate color banding or crushed gamma bit-depth.
Common Display Problems & Diagnostic Guidance
8-bit vs 10-bit Color Output
Ensure your GPU control panel (NVIDIA Control Panel, AMD Adrenalin, or Apple Silicon display settings) is configured for 10-bit RGB output rather than 8-bit to prevent banding in near-black gradients.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do dark movie scenes show pixelated blocky gradients?
Streaming video compression (macro-blocking in low-bitrate video) is often the cause. This test uses uncompressed client-side procedural gradients to verify whether your display or source video is at fault.