Confirmation on the HP OMEN Transcend 32 Full Spec, Including it’s DisplayPort Version

Back at CES 2024 HP announced their new “OMEN Transcend 32″ monitor. This is a 31.5″ sized screen (32” class) with a 3840 x 2160 “4K” resolution and a 240Hz refresh rate like the wide range of other screens already announced. We’ve recently reviewed three of the first to market actually from Asus, MSI and Dell. HP’s model uses the same Samsung Display QD-OLED panel from their third generation and provides another alternative prospective buyers have their eye on.

One area of interest, but also confusion since the original announcement was around the DisplayPort connection type that would be featured on this screen. Some early teases before CES listed DisplayPort 2.1, but this was completely omitted from their official press release and we remained skeptical about its true capabilities since. We have now had confirmation from HP on what the situation is, which is covered below.

• Related content: Which is the Best 32″ OLED Monitor for You?

DisplayPort 2.1 is featured, but at only with UHBR10 speeds

We’ve now confirmed with HP that the screen will feature a DisplayPort 2.1 connection as originally suggested, but this will be limited to the lowest tier of the new UHBR speeds, that being UHBR10. This gives a total 40Gbps of bandwidth, half the maximum possible from DP 2.1 which can reach up to 80Gbps. At least it includes some of the new speeds, as this specification doesn’t actually require any UHBR speeds to be used as we talked about in our article here.

What does this mean then? It means the connection can support a total data rate (after overheads) of 38.69 Gbps, a fair bit higher than DP 1.4 which can reach 25.92 Gbps. It means it will only require you to use the lowest tier DP 2.1 cables which are more readily available and generally cheaper than the higher tier cable, and aren’t as challenging in terms of performance or length either.

With some consumer graphics cards from AMD being available already with DP 2.1 up to UHBR13.5 (and some pro cards now reaching UHBR20), it means HP can at least develop it with some level of testing and integration with source devices, namely PC graphics cards. We still have some concerns about the early adoption of DP 2.1 on monitors and displays at a time when the input devices are not mature, or in the case of NVIDIA, just simply not available yet. It’s a risk in terms of compatibility, performance and future support right now.

However, UHBR10 (38.69 Gbps data rate) is nowhere near fast enough to accommodate the 4K @ 240Hz of this screen without compression, namely DSC (Display Stream Compression). It would require around 68.56 Gbps to handle an uncompressed 4K @240Hz, so that would need the full UHBR20 speeds (80Gbps bandwidth = 77.37 Gbps data rate).

So ultimately this screen is still going to need to use DSC to reach the screen’s capabilities via its DisplayPort connection, so those looking to avoid DSC (for whatever reason) will not see any real benefit here over older DP 1.4 had it just used that instead. It’s possible this might create more headroom to allow NVIDIA DSR/DLDSR to function, but that is very hit and miss on any DSC monitor as explained in our news piece here. These technologies are also of questionable value on a 4K screen anyway, being more appropriate for lower resolution 1080p and 1440p monitors.

So will this really offer any benefit over just normal DP 1.4 connections? Probably not. It will still use DSC, it’s still unlikely to support DSR/DLDSR technologies and it probably also adds some risk around future system compatibility. Keep in mind it’s also slower than current HDMI 2.1 connections can manage (48Gbps bandwidth = 41.92 Gbps data rate) so it really brings in to question what the point of it even is?! Is it purely for marketing purposes?

We hope HP specifically list the UHBR speed when marketing this screen, otherwise consumers could easily become confused with what it supports when they list “DisplayPort 2.1” and make assumptions about its speeds.

• Related content: When is DisplayPort 2.1 Going to be Used on Monitors?
• Related content: The 5 Big Problems with DisplayPort 2.1

HP OMEN Transcend 32 Specs

Let’s recap the rest of the screen specs. It’s 31.5″ in size and has a 3840 x 2160 “4K” resolution and 240Hz refresh rate, which is supported by adaptive-sync for variable refresh rates (VRR) from compatible systems. It should be certified under the AMD ‘FreeSync Premium Pro’ and VESA ‘AdaptiveSync 240’ and ‘ClearMR’ schemes.

There’s also a 0.3ms G2G response time spec and 1.5 million:1 contrast ratio thanks to the OLED panel. It has a typical 250 nits brightness for SDR, 10-bit colour depth and a wide colour gamut covering 99% DCI-P3, 97.5% Adobe RGB and 80% BT.2020. It will come factory calibrated with a dE < 2 listed,

The screen has a 1000 nits peak brightness spec for HDR and even supports Dolby Vision content, alongside (we would assume) HDR10. It has been certified under the VESA ‘DisplayHDR True Black 400’ scheme, not to be confused with HDR400 for LCD’s.

HP also say that the screen will use “Omen Tempest Monitor Cooling Technology” that will apparently help reduce burn-in risk, with the screen also being backed by a 3-year warranty for peace of mind.

You can also “enjoy game audio and music to the fullest on the world’s first gaming monitor with audio tuned by HyperX  which includes a 10 band EQ that is fully customizable within OMEN Gaming Hub”.

Connectivity including USB type-C

As well as the DisplayPort 2.1 (UHBR10) connection we talked about earlier, the screen includes 1x USB type-C connection with DP Alt mode and a high 140W power delivery. A KVM switch function is also featured. There’s also 2x HDMI 2.1 ports although capabilities aren’t listed at the moment. There’s also 4x USB data ports and an additional USB-C data port (with 15W power delivery).

It also features the “ability to seamlessly switch between devices and drag and drop files between devices using patented OMEN Gear Switch technology.”

The stand will offer tilt, height and swivel functions (but no rotate it seems).

Pricing and Availability

The HP OMEN Transcend 32 Gaming Monitor is expected to be available later this year according to the original CES press release, but there’s no firmer date than that. Pricing will be shared closer to availability too they say.

Update 28 March 2024 – we are told by HP that in the UK at least, this screen isn’t expected to be released until December 2024 and will have a retail price of £1,199 GBP. More info on other regions when we get it.

Source: HP (original CES press release)

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