Alienware announces the AW2725DF and AW3225QF (worlds first 4k 240hz and worlds first 1440p 360hz QD-OLED monitors - launches January 2024)

AW3225QF owners, have any of you had an issue with your monitor not turning on unless you unplug the power cable (sometimes for 10s, sometimes it requires leaving it unplugged for 48hrs). I've just had a replacement delivered so hopefully I was unlucky the first time.
I have just bought one and have had problems with it doing this. It usually does it if I don't switch the monitor off after a session.
 
I have just bought one and have had problems with it doing this. It usually does it if I don't switch the monitor off after a session.
Interesting. I always turned my off straight away when not in use. I had it RMA'd. Keep an eye on it. It got very frustrating when i wanted to game at the weekend and the monitor was dead until the Monday. Very strange.
 
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Ok so I have been doing some investigative work the last few days and have discovered a change that the recent Windows Update has had in the way colours are displayed when you siwtch to 10-bit colour output in Nvidia Control Panel vs the default 8-bit which on an Nvidia card uses FRC and is "technically" near 1:1 as native 10-bit, which has visually been the case for all these years from the AW3423DW to this QF.

It;s subtle enough to slip by but I did notice it as when things are even slightly off, I tend to notice those things and they bother me until I find the cause lol.

The change in whatever MS did seems to have affected the colours in that when using 10-bit now colours look washed out, most noticed in the green:

8-bit:
AW3225QF_9-bit.jpg


10-bit:
AW3225QF_10-bit.jpg



These are just phone pictures of the screen but it's good enough to demonstrated. I was originally going mad as could have sworn the colours were feeling washed out to my eyes. Checked ICC profiles, only the HDR calibrated one there which is only used in HDR mode, checked NV App and NVCPL settings, all good, checked DP cable, all good, reinstalled NV drivers, no change, checked OSD settings on the QF and all good.... It was this evening when I out on a whim decided to flick the bit depth to 8-bit (Default for Windows anyway) that it was back to the correct colours that I was seeing before when on 10-bit.

So either the QF has coincidentally started to ignore a 10-bit signal for some reason and make colours look washed out slightly at the exact same time a new major Windows Update came out, or MS are up to no good.

Can anyone else running the latest Win11 test this?

All you have to do is flick this to 8-bit if you are on 10 and apply and look at an image that has a lot of primary colours on (my test chart is below). If you already are on 8-bit then flick to 10 and compare.

SQ5AZ4Z.png




Chart image (PNG so lossless):

_Chart---Test-Image.png


For reference, I am in Creator mode in the OSD and using sRGB.


For clarity, this does not pose an issue as such, since 8-bit is more than fine on an Nvidia card so I will just continue using that until MS fix whatever it is they did assuming it's a MS issue and not coincidental.
 
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Can anyone else running the latest Win11 test this?

Have you looked at these in the latest update
  • New options are available for tuning intensity and color boost to the color filters. To do so, open Settings > Accessibility > Color Filters
  • A new Color management settings page located under Settings > System > Display > Color management. From this page, you can add or remove color profiles, set default color profiles for the connected displays and configure auto-color management


I don't have the 24H2 update installed yet
 
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Yeah colour filters are off and colour profiles still adopt the original settings before 24H2, I should note that I am not on about 24H2 but instead the last Patch Tuesday which contained a feature update. All colours were fine after updating to 24H2 back when it rolled out, so this is a recent change.
 
Yeah colour filters are off and colour profiles still adopt the original settings before 24H2, I should note that I am not on about 24H2 but instead the last Patch Tuesday which contained a feature update. All colours were fine after updating to 24H2 back when it rolled out, so this is a recent change.
Am downloading the 24H2 update now and i wlll install any other new MS updates available afterwards and then test for this problem on my Asus OLED
 
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@mrk

I just tested this now i updated and both 10-Bit & 12-Bit has way more faded colours then 8-Bit
I tested before i updated windows and this didn't happen

Maybe worth while you making a new thread about this to let everyone know as it seems like may effect all monitors ;)

Plus thanks for the heads up as i normally use 10-bit colour :)
 
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@mrk - what happens when you are in 10 bit mode and have HDR on in windows (and aren’t clamping to sRGB on your monitor)?

10 bit is usually HDR (I think?) and I noticed you said you were using an sRGB mode.

Also - might it be possible that DSC is causing issues if that’s not disabled?
 
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I wish Dell would bring some of the best features in their Ultrasharp range to the top end Alienware monitors, both the IPS and OLED monitors that they're releasing this year would be so much more appealing if they were the 'ultimate' monitor.

My wife was away last week so I was using her home office temporarily for work and she has 2 Ultrasharp monitors (1 x 24" 1080p 120hz & 1 x 27" 1440p 120hz) that are so good and I always forget how fantastic they are. The 1440p one is an IPS Black panel and has got some pretty good contrast to it (nothing like OLED but I'd say it rivals VA) but it's the feature set that's great, same across both the 1080p and 1440p models.

Built in KVMs, 90w of PD, Display Port in and out, Ethernet ports, 5 USB A ports, 2 USB C ports, zero coil whine, great minimal design with no huge chin or bezel. I'd love it if Dell/Alienware announced their next OLED or high end IPS models this year supporting all of the features.
 
@mrk

I just tested this now i updated and both 10-Bit & 12-Bit has way more faded colours then 8-Bit
I tested before i updated windows and this didn't happen

Maybe worth while you making a new thread about this to let everyone know as it seems like may effect all monitors ;)

Plus thanks for the heads up as i normally use 10-bit colour :)

Cheers for testing, glad that I wasn't going a bit mad!

So this is now down to MS to fix, which will probably take 12 years. At least those of us on Nvidia cards can benefit from an indistinguishable (+FRC output still to retain correct colurs. Not sure if AMD ever evolved to be similar.

@mrk - what happens when you are in 10 bit mode and have HDR on in windows (and aren’t clamping to sRGB on your monitor)?

10 bit is usually HDR (I think?) and I noticed you said you were using an sRGB mode.

Also - might it be possible that DSC is causing issues if that’s not disabled?
When flicking to HDR mode the issue is not observed, colours are punchier bit that is expected given that HDR is in use by the monitor which is expected.

We now know it's Windows Update so we have a cause, and a workaround solution for now until MS sort it out I guess.
 
Cheers for testing, glad that I wasn't going a bit mad!

So this is now down to MS to fix, which will probably take 12 years. At least those of us on Nvidia cards can benefit from an indistinguishable (+FRC output still to retain correct colurs. Not sure if AMD ever evolved to be similar.

I better point out i noticed i was running very different settings to you when i tried this
Am using a HDMI cable for connection and the wide gamut settings

But still got that washed out look when changing from 8-bit to 10-bit
 
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There still should not be a washed out output when flicking to 10-bit as this was never an issue before switching between them!
 
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