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DCI-P3 vs Display P3: one triangle, two whites

By TechCompare · Updated · How we check

DCI-P3 and Display P3 have the same primaries, so a 95% DCI-P3 monitor is a 95% Display P3 monitor. The cinema version uses a slightly green white and a 2.6 gamma. Display P3 uses D65 white and the sRGB curve, like a normal monitor.

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CIE 1931 xy chart with sRGB and DCI-P3The curved outline holds every color people can see, with wavelengths in nanometers along its edge. Each standard is a triangle of its red, green and blue primaries. A larger triangle holds more saturated colors.
  • DCI-P3, the solid line
  • sRGB (BT.709): The web, most apps and SDR video. BT.709, the HDTV standard, has the same primaries.
DCI-P3 against each reference, in CIE 1931 xy
ReferenceCoverageArea
sRGB100.0%135.7%

Coverage is the part of the reference inside the triangle, so it stops at 100%. Area is the triangle's size next to the reference, and it can pass 100%. Spec sheets don't always say which one they print.

Open this chart in the Color Gamut Visualizer. Check any standard, enter a monitor's primaries or spec sheet numbers, and switch between CIE 1931 xy and u'v'.
Edit in the full tool

Monitor boxes say DCI-P3. Apple says Display P3. CSS says display-p3. They all mean the same triangle on the chart, since the red, green and blue corners match. What differs is the white point and the tone curve. Those change how colors look on screen, but not the range a coverage number measures.

Topic
DCI-P3 vs Display P3
Same primaries
On the chart
sRGB, DCI-P3
CIE 1931 xy

How this is calculated

DCI-P3 comes from the Digital Cinema Initiatives spec for movie projectors. Its white sits at x 0.314, y 0.351, a little toward green, a choice that suited the xenon lamps in cinema projectors. Its gamma is 2.6, for a dark room.

Apple made Display P3 for screens. It keeps the three primaries and swaps in D65, the same white as sRGB at x 0.3127, y 0.3290, plus the sRGB tone curve. Phones, laptops and monitors use it, and so do the web and CSS. Film and HDR work often use a third mix, P3 D65: the same primaries and white, with a 2.6 gamma or the HDR PQ curve.

Spec sheets say DCI-P3 because it's the better known name. Coverage only looks at the triangle, so the name doesn't change the number. The white and the curve matter when you pick a mode. If a monitor's DCI-P3 mode really uses the cinema white, it looks a little green next to everything else on your desk.

Verdict

Read DCI-P3 and Display P3 coverage as the same number. For everyday use, pick the monitor mode with D65 white, often called Display P3, P3 D65 or just the wide color mode. Keep a true DCI mode for checking film work meant for a cinema.

More Color Gamut Visualizer scenarios

sRGB vs DCI-P3
DCI-P3 holds all of sRGB and reaches further into red and green. Here's how big the gap is, and when it matters.
View details
DCI-P3 vs Adobe RGB
Two wide ranges of about the same size, pointed different ways. P3 reaches further into red, Adobe RGB into green and cyan.
View details
sRGB vs Adobe RGB
Adobe RGB keeps sRGB's red and blue and moves green far out. Here's what that adds for photos and print.
View details

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Pick web colors past sRGB.
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Line up white and tint on two screens.
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Frequently asked questions

Is Display P3 the same as P3 D65?
Nearly. Both use the P3 primaries and D65 white. Display P3 uses the sRGB tone curve, while P3 D65 in film and HDR work usually comes with a 2.6 gamma or the PQ curve.
Does CSS display-p3 work on an sRGB screen?
Yes. The browser maps each display-p3 color to the nearest one the screen can show, so the page looks like an sRGB page there. On a P3 screen the colors reach further.
Why does my monitor's DCI-P3 mode look green?
It may use the cinema white point, which sits a little toward green. Look for a Display P3 or P3 D65 mode instead, or set the white point to 6500K if the monitor lets you.

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