As shipped from the factory, the Fujitsu P55XHA30WS came close to optimum white balance right out of the box. But that depended on which combination of gamma and picture presets I selected. For example, the red, green, and blue settings labeled Standard in Natural mode were quite a bit different from the Standard RGB settings in Still mode.

The color-temperature settings can be varied in 500-kelvin steps by as much as +/-3000K. With an optical comparator, you can get close to 6500K using this method. With a color analyzer, you can do better by creating your own User settings. Note that all you can adjust on this monitor is RGB drive (contrast)—there are no RGB bias (brightness) adjustments.

I took preliminary measurements with the Progressive Labs CA-1 color analyzer in the Fujitsu's Natural, Conventional, and Still picture modes. The P55XHA30WS presented almost identical gray-scale tracks each time—only the upper and lower color-temperature readings changed.

Going into Still mode, I adjusted the panel for optimum gray scale (with about 0.6% white crush at the high end), and performed my own RGB calibration using a 50% gray test pattern from the AccuPel HDG2000. The resulting gray scale tracked between a low of 6150K and a high of 6670K.

That's a maximum shift of 520K—very good for a plasma display, and one that will show pictures that are quite pleasing to the eye. However, the measured x,y color coordinates for red (0.636, 0.358), green (0.261, 0.662), and blue (0.162, 0.086) on the P55XHA30WS were some distance from the SMPTE C phosphor (HD) standards (red 0.64/0.33, green 0.30/0.60, and blue 0.15/0.06).

After all gray-scale and white-balance adjustments were complete, I measured the Fujitsu's screen brightness as 17 footlamberts (full white screen), 29fL (50% white screen), and 52.6fL (small area). The monitor's contrast measured 289:1 ANSI lumens average and 315:1 peak (both measured on a checkerboard pattern, not peak on/peak off)—good numbers for a plasma monitor. Lower black levels would help raise them even higher.—PP