Review: Asus ProArt PA16USV portable display with 12G-SDI

Review unit on loan from Asus Singapore

The Asus ProArt PA16USV is a 15.6-inch 4K UHD portable display with support for 12G-SDI. The price at the time of review is SGD 1299.

I don't actually have a camera that uses SDI connection so I'm probably not the best person to review this product. You can think of this review as an overview rather than an in depth analysis by a professional.

Bottom line

The Asus ProArt PA16USV supports HDMI and USB-C video connection but the main selling feature is the 12G-SDI support for 4K 60Hz transmission for professional videographer.

This display is for professionals working with cameras that utilise SDI. It's a portable display that can be used out in the field although the 330 measured brightness may not be high enough. Display can be powered by a power bank that provides at least 65W charging.

From my basic testing, colour quality seems good. I measured 98% sRGB coverage. The included packaging box can be used as a shading hood outdoors to help control lighting conditions.

If you don't need SDI connection, you can actually find more affordable portable displays with better specifications than this.

Specifications

Things included

• Display
• Two feet
• 65W charger with USB-C connector
• Power cable for the charger
• Setup guide
• Warranty card
• Calman Verification card
• Colour calibration report
• USB-C to USB-C video cable
• Full-size HDMI to full-size HDMI cable

This double flat pin power plug has another cable for grounding.

The packing box can be used as a shading hood. There's a hole at the back for running cables.

The setup guide shows the shading hood used a tripod.

Design

The front of this display looks just like many other generic portable displays.

The power button located on the left does not have a power light indicator. The Light Sync sensor by the side can adjust the brightness and colour temperature according to ambient lighting. This feature is not available when HDR function is enabled.

OSD control buttons and a directional toggle button are located at the bottom right.

The OSD menu provides many display adjustment (see the manual), e.g. safety area, grid overlay, PIP, PBP, etc. Navigating through the options is easy with the directional toggle button.

Ports on this side are for 12G-SDI, HDMI and USB-C video. There's also a kensington lock at the bottom.

There's a plastic cover for the SDI connector.

On the other side, there's a USB-C port that provides 7.5W charging, and a USB 2 type A port, also with a cover.

There's a kickstand built into the back, and the small rubber feet provide good grip on the table. Above the kickstand is the 75 x 75mm VESA mount. The holes for the VESA mount are covered by rubber covers that can be removed.

It's not obvious in the photo above but there size small holes on the back covered by rubber covers. Three are on the left, and three on the right, arranged at the top, middle and bottom. These holes do not have screw threads so I'm not sure what they are for.

The display actually has many holes covered by rubber covers, and the SDI connector and USB A port have plastic covers. You'll need to find a box or pouch to store all those if you don't want to lose them.

Bottom of the display has a tripod mount. I'm don't know the dimensions of the tripod mount but it's the small one, not the big one.

By the sides are two big holes for the detachable feet.

The top of the display also has a tripod mount. There are four more small holes without screw threads on this side.

Display

I do not have a camera that has SDI so I'm just testing this monitor with my Windows laptop.

I measured colour support for 98% sRGB, 68% NTSC, 73% P3, 73% AdobeRGB, and a maximum brightness of 331 nits out of the advertised 400 nits.

Colour quality looks good to me.

Average delta E is 0.61 according to the colour calibration report/ Average delta E is the variance between the input colour and measured output colour. Anything less than 2 is good, less than 1 is terrific.

Display has 4K UHD resolution so visual look sharp without pixelation. Refresh rate is 60Hz and response time is 5ms GtG.

The anti-glare is quite effective. Brightness may not be high enough if reflected light is strong, so you may have to use that packaging box as a shading hood.

Conclusion

The Asus ProArt PA16USV works as advertised.

If you need a portable display that supports 12G-SDI, this is the one you can consider.

Pros and cons at a glance
+ Supports HDMI, USB-C and 12G-SDI video connection
+ Almost 100% sRGB coverage
+ Measured 331 nits of brightness
+ Effective anti-glare
+ Packaging box can work as a shading hood
+ Can be powered by power bank
+ OSD menu is easy to navigate
+ OSD menu has many display options
+ Has tripod mount on the top and bottom of the display
+ Build in kickstand is useful
+ 75 x 75mm VESA mount
- No displayPort
- Many removable covers for holes that can be lost easily
- More expensive than displays without SDI support

Availability

The Asus ProArt PA16USV is available from the Asus Singapore online store and other retailers.