In mid-2015, I wrote about monitors for high quality imaging work. Obviously, these kinds of monitors are not frequent purchases, so I have not kept track of that scene for some time. Visiting Image Science‘s website again recently, I noticed that NEC apparently changed its dead pixel policy for the worse in 2017. Previously, NEC had a ‘zero dead pixel policy’ in place; together with the high quality of its monitors and their lower prices compared to Eizo monitors, this made NEC a leading challenger to Eizo in this market.
NEC Australia’s FAQ does not say anything about NEC’s dead pixel policy, and (so far) I have not been able to find any other relevant information on NEC Australia’s website. NEC’s global FAQ notes that NEC monitors comply with an ISO standard that does allow a certain number of dead or otherwise malfunctioning pixels. For professional-level equipment, this is bad—and I dare say most professional photographers and visual artists would consider it to be simply unacceptable.
Does this mean ‘farewell to NEC’ as a serious contender in the professional monitor market? I think so. But I do hope that they will review their decision, and go back to their previous dead pixel policy.