Is it possible to dim an external IPS LED computer monitor below hardware brightness level zero (0)?

Question

My primary external IPS LED computer monitor is too bright, even when its hardware brightness is set to zero (0) and its contrast is turned down.

As such, I run a software tool that applies a translucent dark filter over the entire screen. This has 2 downsides:

1. It requires some CPU power, which results in other tasks being slightly slower, increases energy usage, and increases noise due to increased use of fans.
2. It wastes energy, as it doesn't actually reduce the display's backlight intensity.

For external LED computer displays, is there any way to reduce the brightness below zero (0)?

Answers that can be applied to Windows are preferred, but answers for all operating systems are welcome.

One option I've considered is applying a physical filter to the screen. My concern with doing this is reducing legibility of small text and possibly introducing more reflection.

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Note: This question is intentionally similar to Precise backlight control on windows, except that question is specifically asking about internal screens within laptops.

Answer 1

If you need true control over the light output then ANY LCD/TFT/IPS screen is going to be useless. LEDs typically have minimum on levels and PWM used to dim them can also only go so far before it starts to show an obvious flicker and cause eye strain.

On a "normal" screen, even when it is black, it will still have a bright white light behind the darkened pixels. Some screens might turn off or selectively dim sections of the screen, but there is still some minimal back-light brightness.

Turning the display below 0 should in theory simply turn the back-light off. Not a big help there.

What you might want to look for is a true OLED panel, where the colour is generated by the pixels themselves without a bright light behind it. These should, in theory have more control of the low-light output.

Alternatively there are many options for privacy filters which can cover screens and dim the display as a side effect. Or simply buying a sheet of tinted material of the type you would use to tint car windows would probably achieve a similar effect.