BenQ XL2720Z Firmware Issue

SC0TTRS

SC0TTRS

SC0TTRS

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Afternoon,

Been waiting for this model and it's great OCuk has now got it in stock. Unfortunately purchasing it would be a foolish decision because it's suffering from a known firmware problem....

http://forums.blurbusters.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=72&start=220

Would be great if someone that's bought it recently from OCuk's could confirm if it's running with a firmware version (not Nov 2013), please.

I did contact OCuk direct, but they didn't have any details.

Fingers crossed they are shipping with the update. :)

Thanks
 
There's only so much I can say about this as i'm still trying to confirm the position from BenQ on the whole situation. I can tell you that there aren't ANY units anywhere in the World (with the exception of Mark's at BlurBusters and mine at TFTCentral) using the new Rev 2 firmware. All stocks being shipped at the moment are original Rev 1 firmware and certainly everything in supply chains is.

To clear up any confusion, there isn't any "firmware issue" at all. The new firmware doesnt change anything on the screen in terms of performance. All it does it allow you to use third party applications and utilities like that produced by Blurbusters to make adjustments to the blur reduction strobe behaviour. This allows you to alter the strobe timing (to help control which parts of the screen show a clear image and which parts are blurry) and the length of the strobe "off" period (which impacts the clarity of the motion).

The gripe BlurBusters has is that the default strobe timing means that the clear sections of the screen (free from strobe cross-talk blur when using Blur Reduction mode) are at the top, but they feel the middle of the screen is more important for most gaming. So based on this they consider it a problem. You can't elmintate the blur completely, only "move" where it appears on the screen. The utility allows you to alter that. The new firmware allows you to use the utlity, but nothing more. The utility does also allow you to adjust the strobe off period if you want which can have some impact on motion clarity, but thats a bonus feature really, not something you have any control over on the screen itself.

Not everyone even wants to use the Blur Reduction feature, and not everyone finds the default strobe timing a problem. BenQ are working on a means to address any user concerns before Rev 2 firmwares start to appear in supply chains (probably a few months away). I'll have a full overview of the whole situation in my XL2720Z within the next few days hopefully, along with everything else being tested of course :)
 
Thanks for the update Baddass! :)

To anyone looking to buy one, would you recommend it at this stage?

Thanks again.
 
It's an excellent gaming screen for sure, very impressed with it. The ability to tweak the blur reduction settings is a useful extra, but not everyone will need/want it. There is likely to be a solution for that even with current stock, i'm just trying to confirm what :)
 
Having thoroughly tested the XL2420Z, I'd just like to echo what Baddass has said and add my own thoughts. I think this 'firmware issue' has been blown out of proportion to be honest and a lot of users have been unnecessarily deterred from buying the XL series 'Z' monitors. There are a minority of users who would actually notice the strobe crosstalk issue during normal gameplay.

Just like the 'inverse ghosting' artifacts the entire XL series is renowned for it would be nicer if the 'issue' wasn't there, so everyone is happy - but it's not something that should automatically put you off. You have to try it and see for yourself, you'll probably find it just fine.
 
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