Other than a wide gamut (DCP-P3 vs. Adobe RGB (1998) ) gamut which is rather small, there's nothing at all special about the Apple displays and no, they really can't hold a candle to the SpectraView line:
1. Nearly all if not all current SpectraView displays are wide gamut, Apple's and most other's are not (sRGB like gamut)
with the exception of the newer iMac DCI-P3 displays. But SpectraView can emulate sRGB with a push of a button. The new P3 iMac
cannot. Best of both worlds!
2. SpectraView uses a high bit internal processing path (at least 10-bit) with internal 3D LUTs, many other's do not. These
high bit LUTs allow precise adjustments to be made to the display’s Tone Response Curve without reducing the number of
displayable colors or introducing color banding artifacts.
3. Newer NEC SpectraView's use GBr LED which produce far more precise control of White Point, run cooler, use less energy, run
far longer than CCFL.
4. SpectraView has 3-4 year on site warranty.
5. SpectraView panels are hand selected from the manufacturer line (pick of the litter).
6. SpectraView has electric technologies like ColorComp, which adjusts and improves screen (brightness) uniformity using
individually measured matrices for each display at the factory. All done high bit with compension for operating time and
temperature.
7. SpectraView has electric technologies like GammaComp, to adjust the monitor's internal 10-bit gamma Look-Up-Table, allowing
various custom display gamma or Tone-Response-Curves to be achieved. Apple and many other's don't have anything like this.
8. SpectraView is a smart display system that integrates custom software for calibration including multiple target
calibration's which can be loaded to adjust the display while loading the associated ICC profile, Apple (and few other
products aside from Eizo) cannot do this. To quote from the manual: “SpectraView communicates with the display monitors using
Display Data Channel - Command Interface (DDC/CI) which is a two-way communications link between the video graphics adapter
and display monitor using the normal video signal cable. No extra cables are necessary. All adjustments to the monitor
settings are done automatically using this communications link. It is not necessary to manually configure the monitor as all
of the necessary settings are made by the software“. Apple and other's has nothing like this, nor can 3rd party software you
have to pay for extra do this. This is an attribute built from the ground up in SpectraView to serve as a 'reference display
system' ala Barco, PressView, Sony Artisan of the past.
9. SpectraView will bundle a custom mated Colorimeter with their software for calibration. The price you pay for software and
colorimeter with the SpectraView, depending on what country you live in costs significantly less than buying the hardware and
software for a non SpectraView. And that extra money will not provide a fraction of the capabilities outlined.
10. SpectraView PA series offer the ability to calibrate WITHOUT a Colorimeter with the FREE Multiprofiler software since each
panel is measured with a very expensive spectroradiometer and that data is embedded in a chip in the panel. It can update the
calibration as the unit ages to ensure calibration.
11. SpectraView can emulate with a single click other behaviors, again on the fly, so it can simulate a non wide gamut display
(sRGB) among other standardized behaviors (Broadcast Video DICOM, etc)
12. SpectraView has internal electronic control over contrast ratio, few others can provide this control over black. Real
useful for soft proofing on media that has differing contrast ratio's (matt vs. glossy papers).
13. SpectraView has Network support (Windows only).
14. SpectraView has provisions to lock the display controls so no accidental alteration to behavior by mistake.
15. SpectraView displays allow the user to raise and lower the display for best viewing position AND it can be rotated 90
degrees for Portrait.
16. Several SpectraView's support Picture in Picture (you can have two differing calibration's per picture).
More differences in the two (PA vs. EA):
On the USB side, the PA272W has a 2 port KVM switch while the EA Series do not.
The PA272W has a backlight sensor to keep the brightness and white point stable; the EA Series do not.
The Picture Modes on the PA272W are infinitely customizable (with or without MultiProfiler), the EA Series are limited
The uniformity control on the PA272W is 5 levels (4 + off), the EA is on or off.
ColorComp = Uniformity control (on/off on EA, more advanced control on P/PA)
No 3D LUT on any EA model (only P and PA).
GammComp I'm told is outdated terminology.
Now a big difference; EA or other displays that doesn’t have a “SpectraView Engine” (color processor). What's that? In short it does:
1. Uniformity correction
2. Aging compensation
3. Temperature compensation
4. Orientation compensation
5. 3x 1D LUTs
6. 3D LUTs
7. Color gamut mapping
8. Gamma correction
9. Black level correction
10. Ambient light measurement and compensation
11. Backlight luminance measurement and stabilization
12. Picture-in-Picture / Picture-by-Picture
13. Color blindness simulation
14. Metamerism correction
15. Hue/Saturation/Offset adjustment