BENQ XL2411T and ASUS VG278H (user review)

    Guys, if you mainly use a computer monitor to play video games a lot (and your eyes were used to a CRT before, and didn't mind it), there's now a way to shatter the LCD pixel persistence barrier! CRT quality motion in an LCD!


    There's a recent discovered tweak/adjustment for a feature originally designed for 3D (LightBoost), that has an amazing side effect of completely eliminating perceptible motion blur for 2D!


    LightBoost HOWTO - If you own a newer-model ASUS or BENQ 120 Hz Monitor
    Samsung HOWTO - If you own a newer-model Samsung 120 Hz Monitor
    Media Coverage - Coverage by magazines, bloggers


    This high-speed video proof (1000 fps) demonstrate a specially configured LightBoost strobe backlight successfully bypassing pixel persistence as the motion blur limiting factor:


    Video:


    The backlight is turned off while waiting for pixel transitions (unseen by human eyes), and the backlight is strobed only on fully-refreshed LCD frames (seen by human eyes). The strobes can be shorter than pixel transitions, breaking the pixel persistence barrier!


    Although these backlights are normally used to brighten 3D images, they have a side effect of eliminating motion blur. As a result, many video gamers have started forcing LightBoost in 2D mode (even without the 3D glasses) to get the zero motion blur benefit. These superior modern strobe backlights such as LightBoost have recently been discovered by many users to successfully eliminate motion blur on LCD displays without flicker (unlike old BENQ AMA-Z 2006, primitive scanning backlights, etc). Most eyes can't see 120Hz flicker, and (at least within games, not desktop) it is potentially more pleasing than PWM because of lack of motion blur (there are people who gets headaches with PWM but not with CRT). (As a rule of thumb, if CRT flicker at 120 Hz does not bother you, then LightBoost will be fine for gaming, or you can just turn off LightBoost). Normally LightBoost was for 3D, but it's also useful for 2D too. Several 120 Hz monitors now have a strobe backlight feature that can be enabled, to allow CRT-quality motion on LCD. Eliminating even more motion blur on 120 Hz LCD monitors, give a better competitive advantage in online FPS gaming!


    PixPerAn Tests on BENQ XL2411T and ASUS VG278H


    baseline - 60 Hz mode (16.7ms frame samples)
    50% less motion blur (2x clearer) - 120 Hz mode (8.33ms frame samples)
    60% less motion blur (2.4x clearer) - 144 Hz mode (6.94ms frame samples)
    85% less motion blur (7x clearer) - 120 Hz mode with LightBoost set at 100% (2.4ms frame strobe flashes)
    92% less motion blur (12x clearer) - 120 Hz mode with LightBoost set at 10% (1.4ms frame strobe flashes)


    When enabling LightBoost (HOWTO) and then adjusting the LightBoost setting, I was amazed when I saw the 2ms ASUS VG278H monitor (hacked to force LightBoost for 2D) have an actual true PixPerAn measurement of 1.4ms in this special mode. Oscilloscope photodiode tests amazingly confirmed this. High-speed video confirmed this.


    Today, we are truly in a new era where pixel persistence is no longer the motion blur barrier! There are now LCD's that truly behave as impulse-driven displays similar to a CRT, for those people who absolutely need the clearest possible fast motion available today, above all else. It's a great time to be a gamer!


    NOTE: You can also turn on/off the CRT-style LightBoost strobe backlight mode, whenever you don't want it. Manufacturers should make it better advertised for motion blur, and easier to turn on/off!

    Several articles just appeared over the last few weeks -- and a few reviewers (e.g. pcmonitors.info) are now including testing of LightBoost in their next monitor reviews.


    TechNGaming Review Article
    Link: Eliminate Motion Blur While Gaming With nVidia LightBoost!


    3D Vision Blog
    Link: Taking Advantage of the Lightboost Technology for 2D 120Hz Gaming
    Link: Calibrating Picture of Lightboost For Better Color


    PC Games Hardware (German gaming magazine)
    Link: Nvidia Lightboost Strobe Hack


    PCMonitors.info (mentions the LightBoost effect)
    Link: Asus VG248QE Monitor Review


    Team Exile 5 (Professional sponsored competition gamers!)
    Link: nVidia GeForce GTX 660 Ti and nVidia LightBoost Technology


    prad.de needs to begin coverage of these amazing modern strobe backlights, beginning with their next testing article! Some professional gamers (e.g. Team Exile 5) are endorsing it now. The lack of motion blur provides a reaction time advantage, because you can see everything clearly during fast motion, allowing you to react to enemies faster in online fast-action FPS games. Team Fortress 2, Battlefield 3, Counter Strike, Quake Live, etc.


    Example of fast game play styles that benefit from zero motion blur:
    -- Fast 180-degree flick turns in FPS shooting.
    -- Shooting while turning, without stopping turning (easier on CRT or LightBoost)
    -- Close-up strafing, especially circle strafing, you aim better.
    -- Running while looking at the ground (e.g. hunting for tiny objects quickly).
    -- Identifying multiple far-away enemies or small targets, while turning fast
    -- Playing fast characters such as "Scout" in Team Fortress 2
    -- High-speed low passes, such as low helicoptor flybys in Battlefield 3, you aim better.


    For a long time, some gamers have noticed that CRT 60fps@60Hz still has less motion blur than LCD 120fps@120Hz. Not anymore: The CRT-quality perfect motion now available on LightBoost LCD displays, is a huge benefit for those gamers who have played on a CRT for a long time, and have never found a "good enough LCD" without motion blur.

    One very interesting behaviour of LightBoost monitors (especially the new 1ms panels) is the complete lack of double-image effect in PixPerAn motion tests. And a PixPerAn readability score of 30 on these LCD's!
    No blur, no trailing, no ghosting, no coronas.


    With my BENQ XL2411T (1ms), setting a camera to 1/120sec exposure, taking 100 repeated photographs of PixPerAn, result in exactly the same image. It does not deviate (not possible to capture anything worse than this image). There's no noticeable blending between frames at all. There is a very faint afterimage effect that is almost impossible to see from a normal viewing distance; all ghosting/blur/coronas/trailing completely disappear when LigthBoost is enabled.


    [Blocked Image: http://www.oc-burner.de/ftp/tw…enQ_XL2420T___3D-Mode.JPG]
    (Credit: HardForum post by OC_Burner)


    The PixPerAn "I NEED MORE SOCKS" is perfectly readable even at Tempo 8, and higher, during 120 Hz; I can even count the number of pixels; like I can on a CRT -- even though the car is moving fast at half a screen width per second. If I lower the LightBoost OSD setting to 10% (not "OFF"), the strobe length gets shorter and even higher tempos are very clear.


    I am able to read a PixPerAn readability test of 30 !!!!!!!!!!!
    That's CRT league score. No other LCD can pull this off.


    Competition gamer Team Exile 5 also confirms PixPerAn reability 30 this in their blog video.

    There are many testimonials on many forums at the moment, so there's been many, many reports from enthusiac video gamers. It does not benefit other usage much (e.g. programming, web design, PhotoShop), but if you're a big time gamer who have used CRT's, then LightBoost is finally making some CRT die-hard's happy:

    Quote

    original post (Transsive)
    Then yesterday I, for some reason, disabled the 3d and noticed there was no ghosting to be spotted at all in titan quest. It's like playing on my old CRT.

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    original post (Inu)
    I can confirm this works on BENQ XL2420TX
    EDIT: And OMG i can play scout so much better now in TF2, this is borderline cheating.

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    original post (TerrorHead)
    Thanks for this, it really works! Just tried it on my VG278H. Its like a CRT now!

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    original post (Vega)
    Oh my, I just got Skyrim AFK camera spinning (which I used to test LCD's versus the [Sony CRT] FW900) to run without stutters and VSYNC locked to 120. This Benq with Lightboost is just as crystal clear if not clearer than the FW900 motion. I am in awe. More testing tomorrow. Any of my doubts about this Lightboost technology have been vaporized! I've been playing around with this fluid motion on this monitor for like 6-hours straight, that is how impressive it is.

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    OCN post (Baxter299)
    way to go vega enjoyed your review and pics ..thanks for taking the time .got my VG248QE last friday .replacing my fw900 witch is finally taking a rest in my closet .

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    OCN post (Romir)
    Thanks for the timely review Vega.
    I went ahead and opened mine and WOW, it really does feel like my FW900. I haven't tried a game yet but it's down right eerie seeing 2d text move without going blurry.

    The FW900 is a famous 24" widescreen CRT that has been a long-time favourite of CRT die-hards. If you were used to CRT gaming in the past -- and is very sensitive to motion blur -- the motion blur problem has now been fully solved on these LightBoost monitors!


    One warning though, you do need a very powerful GPU capable of running at 120fps@120Hz, or you don't get the full benefits of LightBoost during video games. And yes, it's TN color quality, not as good as IPS color quality. But again, we're talking about the best possible motion clarity here! And for users who need that!

    Ooops, the previous post has incorrect links. Here are fixed links:


    Check this out:

    Quote

    TFTCentral has tested LightBoost with their equipment and found
    LightBoost outperforms all past scanning backlights they have ever tested,
    including the old BENQ AMA-Z and Samsung MPA from 2006.


    [Blocked Image: http://www.blurbusters.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/tftcentral.jpg]


    Check out TFTCentral's Motion Blur Reduction Backlights article!


    Also, ASUS and NewEgg reps now talks about LightBoost motion blur elimination in their YouTube Video. Even doing a Google search for "LightBoost" returns the 2D zero motion blur benefit of LightBoost, rather than the original 3D Vision purpose. Amazon (USA) customer reviews from users seem to be mentioning LightBoost for the 2D blur elimination purpose rather than for its original 3D purpose. It seems to be getting popular, at least on the HardForum / OCN forums.

    Here's some new Blur Busters articles:


    New comparision -- PHOTOS: 60Hz vs 120Hz vs LightBoost:


    [Blocked Image: http://www.blurbusters.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/CROPPED_60Hz-300x99.jpg] Standard 60 Hz LCD


    [Blocked Image: http://www.blurbusters.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/CROPPED_100Hz-300x99.jpg] Standard 120 Hz LCD : 50% less motion blur


    [Blocked Image: http://www.blurbusters.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/CROPPED_LightBoost50-300x100.jpg] 120 Hz LightBoost : ~90% less motion blur


    And here's a chart from the same page:


    [Blocked Image: http://www.blurbusters.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/motion-blur-graph.png]