Black Level Test (PLUGE Test Pattern) Instructions:

This test is very difficult to accurately adjust in bright lighting. It is easier to calibrate in total darkness at night, or in a totally dark room, especially if using 10-bit mode. When testing a mobile display (e.g. laptop), bring it to a dark room such as an interior room. Long-exposure photography may also be used. Also useful for OLED banding tests.

  1. The purpose of this test pattern is to help you adjust your display settings until you barely can see moving black squares on a dim-grey background. They're RGB(0,0,0) versus RGB(1,1,1) in the bit depth you choose.
  2. Adjust your display's picture settings (Black Levels, Contrast, Brightness) until all three conditions meet:
    • Row #1: You can barely see blocks containing numbers simultaneously.
    • Row #2: You can barely see the moving black blocks on dim background.
    • Row #3: You can barely see the moving dim blocks on black background.
    • Row #4: You can barely see a gap between 2 stationary blocks (PLUGE) with a gap in between.

This test also has a white level (Clipping) mode, for calibrating your white level clipping. Calibrating both black and white levels will help maximize color gamut without clipping. This test supports both SDR (sRGB) for 8-bit greyscale, and HDR (Rec.2020) for 10-bit greyscale. 10-bit can test for banding artifacts in browser / OS / display chain.

Note about Guide Outlines Feature Upon Click/Tap

You can click/tap the screen to see square boundaries briefly appear; these are simply guide lines to let you know where they are on the screen. The guide lines are there to assist you in locating difficult-to-find rectangles, and are not part of the calibration. Double clicking will enter full screen mode.