A chance to talk to FlatpanelsHD's reviewers.
By Myrmeleon
#5404
Hi,
I read the review on the Benq and wanted to ask some things.
I own this monitor and effectively FPS mode is incorrect.
Personally, I have set mode standard way they think best.
Why in the review have not used the Standard mode that allows you to change all the parameters of the RGB also?
Expected your own review to correctly set the RGB values as you did for the other monitor 120 hz but but was not published...
Can you get your rgb values obtained with the colorimeter to properly set these values?
I set my Benq like this:
Standard Mode
Brightness 30
Contrast 60
Sharpness 3
Gamma 2.2
AMA On
Instant mode On
RGB custom
R 98
G 89
B 90

P.S. The RGB colour is selectable in mode Standard, Gamers 1-2 and Eco....
:D :D
By tqz
#5406
Great to finally see the review. Shame about the backlight bleed, otherwise it looks like a decent monitor.

I just wish you'd also review the new 120 Hz Viewsonic... ;)

Got a question though: in the article you mentioned poor viewing angles. Are they bad even when compared to other TN panels? I got the impression than even the W2363D has better viewing angles, despite being a TN panel as well. How exactly does the BenQ compare to other TNs?
By Myrmeleon
#5409
Can you repeat the test calibration monitor using the Screen Mode Standard where you can set all the parameters of brightness, contrast, sharpness, gamma, color including RGB settings as you did with the LG monitor 2363D and Alienware AW2310?
All in order to standardize the results of various test!
thank's
8-)
By tqz
#5410
I have another question as well: what are the reasons you consider the LG W2363D better than the BenQ?

The LG has less backlight bleed and perhaps somewhat better viewing angles? The BenQ on the other hand has better contrast and black levels and is slightly bigger. Both are responsive monitors with zero lag. Is the backlight bleed of the BenQ so noticable that the better contrast doesn't really help its overall picture quality?

In the following photos the BenQ certainly seems to have deeper, more vibrant colors, although it could be just the camera settings.

BenQ:
Image

LG:
Image[/quote]
By djfunk
#5411
Thanks for another good review. I only wish I had it before getting the display :D

I have to agree with Myrmeleon with some of the points made perhaps needing justification in the review. That said having this display is a mixed bag for me because it has issues. I much like the sturdy and functional high quality build, the ‘green’ power consumption, the bundled stuff, the top notch gaming performance but in many areas I see the negative as well.

We have tons of picture modes in XL2410T but they are useless because most of the parameters have been greyed out (is this better than not having them at all is hard to say).

As Myrmeleon I quickly settled for ‘standard mode’ having the most controls available and here is my setup:

Brightness: 20
Contrast: 45
Sharpness 4
Gamma 2.2
AMA On
Instant mode On
RGB custom
R 89
G 80
B 88

By default the display is way too bright for my taste and as such it is perhaps better suited for brightly lit rooms because we have no control over the backlight (a shame). Default gamma of 2.2 is actually tracking 2.4 to 2.5 across the greyscale on my Spyder 3 but I managed to track perfect 2.2 by accessing Nvidia color scheme (GTX470) and making 1.15 adjustment to its gamma bar. We really should have 0.1 steps to the gamma on the display and without adjustment on the adapter side I think 2.0 is a better choice overall.

I like the sharpness of 4 a tad better on a text on web pages over the default 3.

Bright lit games like Bad Company 2 are a breeze to play but Stalker for example struggles to look even decent because shadow detail gets crushed and because the backlight glows trough and casts a blue tint across the whole bottom of the display (you can correct much of this however by adjusting the gamma within the game itself). I don’t think viewing angles are too bad unless you put your head too close or tilt the display up (my eyes are level with the top of the display looking down and the display turned vertical rather than tilted directly towards my face). Viewing the display head on results loosing shadow detail from the top to bottom but of course also depends on gamma.

In comparison I have my old Viewsonic VP930 with IPS panel. I managed to run these two in dual mode and clearly Viewsonic has the edge on shadow detail by a huge margin and no backlight issues what so ever. On the other hand 120Hz on the BenQ enables me to jump around other players and shoot them down in Bad Company 2 like never before. No more need for a sniper scope with BenQ.

The verdict: If you play online and just want to have a frag then BenQ may be the perfect choice for you or… just maybe there are still better 120Hz monitors out there for the buck (for me probably not because I got a real bargain here). If you play single as in Stalker I’d suggest get an IPS or VA instead. For any movies I certainly prefer the BenQ for its size and aspect ratio over my old Viewsonic.

Notes:

- I have some weird artefacts on the bottom of the display one directly at the centre line and another on the bottom right corner measuring one pixel high and about 10 wide. Anybody else having these marginally brighter bars?

- The calibration is better made after having the display on for a solid hour or two because everything shifts up to the point.
By tqz
#5412
Thanks for the informative post, djfunk.

You said you prefer the BenQ over the IPS VP930 when it comes to movies, but isn't the backlight bleed of the BenQ annoying, especially in dark scenes or movies with a 2.35:1 aspect ratio (in which case I imagine you would have a glowing bluish bar on the bottom)?
By djfunk
#5414
I would say depends highly on the content and viewing conditions. Most movies are of different aspect ratio so no real issue there unless watched in total darkness, but series are mostly 2.35:1 so definitely you notice it up to about 40IRE with my settings. The bleed is however quite narrow, about 1:40 of the total vertical area so personally I don’t see it as a deal breaker with movies and is something you may get used to over time.

I would really like someone to hack into the OS of this thing and come up with a way to adjust the backlight. This could turn the tables once and for all. So far I’ve managed to access the factory menu by pressing the ‘menu’ button while powering up the display and then accessing the menu in a normal fashion but all I get is some input presets and a timer for the display and backlight.
By DarkUltra
#5416
djfunk wrote:Bright lit games like Bad Company 2 are a breeze to play but Stalker for example struggles to look even decent because shadow detail gets crushed
I think this is more important than what was presented in the review. On the bottom it should be listed in the negative list. Most games allow to adjust brightness so you can see the details in the shadows, but how about desktop use? Artists would really appreciate their viewers seeing everything. I guess i'll skip the benq and wait for a better 23.6" 120hz monitor.
Or mayhaps a 24" 1920x1200 appears :love:

The LG w2363d does better here

- On W2363D I can distinguish almost all shadow of dark grey except for the 1-2 darkest shades. This is a good shadow detail results and W2363D maintains a lot of detailing in dark scenes in games and movies. This is positive.
http://www.flatpanelshd.com/review.php? ... 1280136712
User avatar
By Rasmus Larsen
#5418
Myrmeleon wrote:Hi,
I read the review on the Benq and wanted to ask some things.
I own this monitor and effectively FPS mode is incorrect.
Personally, I have set mode standard way they think best.
Why in the review have not used the Standard mode that allows you to change all the parameters of the RGB also?
Expected your own review to correctly set the RGB values as you did for the other monitor 120 hz but but was not published...
Can you get your rgb values obtained with the colorimeter to properly set these values?
I set my Benq like this:
Standard Mode
Brightness 30
Contrast 60
Sharpness 3
Gamma 2.2
AMA On
Instant mode On
RGB custom
R 98
G 89
B 90

P.S. The RGB colour is selectable in mode Standard, Gamers 1-2 and Eco....
:D :D
I still have the monitor. I'll try to measure in the Standard preset in this weekend or on monday. I'll return with the results. :)
User avatar
By Rasmus Larsen
#5419
tqz wrote:Great to finally see the review. Shame about the backlight bleed, otherwise it looks like a decent monitor.

I just wish you'd also review the new 120 Hz Viewsonic... ;)

Got a question though: in the article you mentioned poor viewing angles. Are they bad even when compared to other TN panels? I got the impression than even the W2363D has better viewing angles, despite being a TN panel as well. How exactly does the BenQ compare to other TNs?
The vertical angles are comparable to typical TN panels but not as wide as the best TN panels today. The vertical angles on the other hand, are worse. From the top the panel gets very milky.
User avatar
By Rasmus Larsen
#5421
tqz wrote:I have another question as well: what are the reasons you consider the LG W2363D better than the BenQ?

The LG has less backlight bleed and perhaps somewhat better viewing angles? The BenQ on the other hand has better contrast and black levels and is slightly bigger. Both are responsive monitors with zero lag. Is the backlight bleed of the BenQ so noticable that the better contrast doesn't really help its overall picture quality?

In the following photos the BenQ certainly seems to have deeper, more vibrant colors, although it could be just the camera settings.

BenQ:
Image

LG:
Image
[/quote]

I don't see the LG as the far superior choice but it's just my opinion based on these factors:
- LG is cheaper here in my country.
- LG has less visible overdrive trailing (the two monitors are placed side-by-side on my desktop at the moment)
- LG has better color reproduction

On the other hand BenQ has:
- Better contrast because of deeper black
- Height, tilt, swivel and pivot

The backlight bleeding on XL2410T is worse but bleeding often varies from model to model so I can't say anything decisive.

About viewing angles: The vertical viewing angles are slightly better on W2363D but not much. The vertical angles are definitely better on W2363D. Yeah, I see what you mean from the images but in a side-by-side comparison the difference is noticeable :)
User avatar
By Rasmus Larsen
#5422
djfunk wrote:Thanks for another good review. I only wish I had it before getting the display :D

I have to agree with Myrmeleon with some of the points made perhaps needing justification in the review. That said having this display is a mixed bag for me because it has issues. I much like the sturdy and functional high quality build, the ‘green’ power consumption, the bundled stuff, the top notch gaming performance but in many areas I see the negative as well.

....
Wow, great feedback there! You should really copy and paste this mini review into the "user reviews" section here in the forums. I'm sure many users will appreciate your feedback and thoughts. By posting in the user reviews section a link will also automatically show up on the front page in the right menu bar.

Yeah, I'll post an update about the Standard preset :)
User avatar
By Rasmus Larsen
#5423
DarkUltra wrote:
djfunk wrote:Bright lit games like Bad Company 2 are a breeze to play but Stalker for example struggles to look even decent because shadow detail gets crushed
I think this is more important than what was presented in the review. On the bottom it should be listed in the negative list. Most games allow to adjust brightness so you can see the details in the shadows, but how about desktop use? Artists would really appreciate their viewers seeing everything. I guess i'll skip the benq and wait for a better 23.6" 120hz monitor.
Or mayhaps a 24" 1920x1200 appears :love:
You're right. I have added this to the negative list in the last section of the review. :)
By Myrmeleon
#5425
Rasmus Larsen wrote:
Myrmeleon wrote:Hi,
I read the review on the Benq and wanted to ask some things.
I own this monitor and effectively FPS mode is incorrect.
Personally, I have set mode standard way they think best.
Why in the review have not used the Standard mode that allows you to change all the parameters of the RGB also?
Expected your own review to correctly set the RGB values as you did for the other monitor 120 hz but but was not published...
Can you get your rgb values obtained with the colorimeter to properly set these values?
I set my Benq like this:
Standard Mode
Brightness 30
Contrast 60
Sharpness 3
Gamma 2.2
AMA On
Instant mode On
RGB custom
R 98
G 89
B 90

P.S. The RGB colour is selectable in mode Standard, Gamers 1-2 and Eco....
:D :D
I still have the monitor. I'll try to measure in the Standard preset in this weekend or on monday. I'll return with the results. :)
Thank's!
Surely in Standard Mode things improve a lot!
I look trust your RGB settings made with the colorimeter to set them on my Benq!
P.S. I personally do not see any kind of problem of halos on the characters or icons with AMA (overdrive) ON!!
:D :roll: