I'm wondering how bright and punchy my whites should be on my monitor? I've got an EW2420 which up until yesterday I was very happy with, but I've just received back my 4-year old Eizo IPS monitor on a warranty repair which has had a brand new LCD screen fitted and i'm amazed at how much more rich and vibrant the colours are... oranges, reds, blues. The white inparticular stands out... on the Benq it almost seems grey in comparison, but I never really questioned it before, it's just when I see them side by side. Obviously being an IPS screen, the Eizo is always going to have better colour reproduction I guess, so it's an unfair comparison, but I'm wondering if there is a standard.
How bright should the white be?
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I don't know if it's a colour balance issue or something but the whites on my EW2420 are VERY impressive. A lot better than any IPS monitor that I have used (and I've used many - including Eizos). Is your Eizo broad gamut? This could account for the differences you are experiencing in terms of vibrancy. The EW2420 offers superior vibrancy to the Dell U2211H et al. when correctly set up, partly due to the lack of such an aggressive matte coating. You could have a duff unit.
Interesting. Is there a way I would know if it's duff or not? It's definitely consistent, no patchiness or anything. The Eizo I have is a FlexScan S2110W. Is that broad gamut? It certainly strikes me looking side by side, that the Eizo has a much more vibrant and whiter white. But when i look at the EW2420 on its own, I don't feel that the white is a problem.
It is indeed broad gamut - it's also an S-PVA panel, not IPS. 
. It has a very high luminance - which is probably one of the reasons why things seem to pop out at you a bit more (particularly making the whites look brighter). Having said that the EW2420 I have, after being set up correctly, has an outstanding 'pop' factor and the overall contrast is better than the Eizo. I suspect you need to tweak your settings some more (in particular the colour temperature).
Tell me - what do you have the brightness and contrast set to? Did you change anything else? What graphics card do you have?
. It has a very high luminance - which is probably one of the reasons why things seem to pop out at you a bit more (particularly making the whites look brighter). Having said that the EW2420 I have, after being set up correctly, has an outstanding 'pop' factor and the overall contrast is better than the Eizo. I suspect you need to tweak your settings some more (in particular the colour temperature).Tell me - what do you have the brightness and contrast set to? Did you change anything else? What graphics card do you have?
From the photo the whites on the EW2420 look 'dirty' in comparison. I know some of this depends on the camera and of course what monitor you're vieiwng the photo on - but since I'm viewing it on an EW2420 myself I can probably make a fair comparison. Do the whites really look as 'dirty' as on the photo?
Ah, my mistake... thought it was IPS for some reason.
I've been playing with settings on the Benq trying to get it better, but can't seem to get it. On the Benq, my settings at the moment are as follows;
Standard picture mode
Brightness: 80
Contrast: 65
Sharpness: 2
Gamma: 2.2
AMA: On
Colour: all on 100
The colour temp on the Eizo is set to 6500k.
I've been playing with settings on the Benq trying to get it better, but can't seem to get it. On the Benq, my settings at the moment are as follows;
Standard picture mode
Brightness: 80
Contrast: 65
Sharpness: 2
Gamma: 2.2
AMA: On
Colour: all on 100
The colour temp on the Eizo is set to 6500k.
HDMI you say? Connect the BenQ with the Eizo's DVI cable, on its own, and see if things are different. I would also suggest altering the colour temperature in the graphics driver but I have no idea how to do this on Nvidia cards. Mine is currently set to 6600K on my 5850 and looks fantastic. It sounds as if the colour temperature is wrong on your EW2420. The other alternative is that the backlight is underpowered (i.e. you got a duff one). It will never be as bright as the Eizo, but I have to set mine to 68% brightness or its just too bright - and as long-time readers of my review knows I do like my monitors to be bright when I'm gaming. The only we you'll know if the latter case applies to the monitor is to measure the peak luminance using an accurate light meter. A colorimeter that measures luminance should also suffice although they aren't generally quite as accurate as dedicated lux meters.
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Done... well, I'd say it's the same... but without the direct comparison side by side, it's hard to say for certain. Can't say I notice any great difference though. It's not that on its own I ever had a problem with it... it was just when I saw them side by side, the difference was very noticeable, and no matter how much I played with the settings, I couldn't get it as vibrant.
There is a 'digital vibrance' setting in the Nvidia control panel which helps somewhat. Can't see anything about colour temp though. I wouldn't say looking at the monitor that I have an issue with the brightness exactly. As you say, it will never be as bright as the Eizo, and having had that for the past few years, I'm obviously well used to it. Even then, when I got the EW2420, I wasn't unhappy. It's only when I see a side by side comparison.
Incidentally, don't know if you'd know, but what is my Eizo worth, given it's just had a brand new LCD panel fitted? I put a thread up in the price check forum, but I figure if anyone would know, you would?
Incidentally, don't know if you'd know, but what is my Eizo worth, given it's just had a brand new LCD panel fitted? I put a thread up in the price check forum, but I figure if anyone would know, you would?
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Well I know exactly what you mean. When I was reviewing the EW2420 I had it sat next to a Samsung XL24 with a coloured-array LED backlight. The EW2420 simply can't produce some of the shades that this thing can as it can't break the laws of physics - but it still offered a good level of vibrancy for a 'standard gamut' panel. I know it's very tempting to compare things but I'm sure there are some things you prefer about the BenQ. The deeper blacks perhaps?
I couldn't really say what you Eizo is worth as it is a good 4 years old. It cost around £700-£800 back then if I remember correctly. I would imagine you could sell it for £300 or so to the right buyer but I could be mistaken.
I couldn't really say what you Eizo is worth as it is a good 4 years old. It cost around £700-£800 back then if I remember correctly. I would imagine you could sell it for £300 or so to the right buyer but I could be mistaken.
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Absolutely, I do like plenty about the EW2420... blacks certainly are better, as are the aesthetics compared to the Eizo which has never been completely to my taste (although I can't argue with the build quality, it's fantastic). I was aware while 'comparing' that I was being stupid, as they are obviously using different technology and I can't expect them to perform at the same level.
If I could get anywhere near that I'd be happy, although I highly doubt i'd get that here and it's more of a specialised monitor that gamers and overclockers aren't going to be that bothered about. Perhaps i'll take it to the bay and see.
If I could get anywhere near that I'd be happy, although I highly doubt i'd get that here and it's more of a specialised monitor that gamers and overclockers aren't going to be that bothered about. Perhaps i'll take it to the bay and see.
