Monitor Preset modes question

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12 Jul 2010
Posts
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Hi, I just wondered if anyone knows what settings change between monitor preset modes? I am tinkering with my Dell U2311H (yep, still have it - something must be right about it :) ) , trying to observe the colour variation between modes, and I've noticed the following (via pictures, video and colour gamut diagrams):

Standard mode: Colours seem a bit more saturated/glowy, reds slightly pinker, yellows slightly darker. (Overall the best mode I think, for all-round use, as games/videos seem a bit richer, although reds not quite so 'pure').

Multimedia mode: Definitely a more noticeable cyan/blue tinge - why is that better for 'multimedia'? I don't think pictures/videos benefit really.

Game mode: The yellow range seems to be widened/emphasised, again not sure why this is better for games.

Warm/cool: Just increases/decreases the individual rgb levels. Neither really suitable.

Custom (RGB) : Colours seem a bit purer and more even on the color gamut diagrams, with less gradient/banding visible. I think purples and reds seem a tiny bit more prominent. But also less 'glow' around colours so not so vibrant. What do they do to create that glow effect?

So are these modes actually choosing a different selection of colours from the available gamut space? They seem to alter how colours look on screen (when nothing has changed on the graphics card/pc, and no change to brightness/contrast settings on the monitor). I haven't used the calibration equipment, but I presume these settings are hard-coded into the factory settings on the monitor and can't be changed? Just curious really about what exactly is changing from mode to mode to achieve those colour changes. I'm not entirely satisfied with any of the modes so it would have been nice to be able to alter them, but I think the standard mode is probably best overall.

(And I still don't see any monitors that particularly appeal at the moment, the Dell is a bit old and rubbish for watching films/videos, but excellent for internet, text and gaming/responsiveness, so I'm sticking with it for the time being). Thx
 
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The preset modes simply have different rgb settings. You can duplicate them in Custom(RGB) if you knew the values. Holding the top 2 buttons while powering on will bring up the service menu. Be careful in here. It will show you the rgb values used for each preset mode.

I used a Dell u2311h for the past cpl of days. It was a refurb replacement for a 2209wa, but I decided to keep my buzzing monitor and send the u2311h back. I simply couldn't get the colours right. In every mode reds were oversaturated, regardless of any changes I made in the OSD.

The best option on Dell monitors is always Custom(RGB). Depending on age of screen you may need to make some signficant changes to red/green, as the ccfl colour temperature changes with age. If doing manually, bring up a white block (ie notepad) and adjust colours until white looks how you want it.
 
Hi sbt, interesting I went into the factory menu and it showed this (no mention of RGB values for Standard, Multimedia, Game):

DELL2311H GW6PP M3B101
QISDA
EXIT SVN 234C

AUTOCOLOR
BURNIN OFF
CLEARUSER


OFFSET R 134 G 133 B 131
GAIN R 107 G 102 B 95
COLORTEMP:
COOL R 183 G 196 B 254
DESKTOP R 255 G 255 B 255
WARM R 235 G 214 B 209
USER R 255 G 255 B 255
DCR OFF OD ON
SBRI 75
SCON
BANK SCALER
ADDR 00 VALUE 0F
PANELSSC 06
IIC SLAVE ADDR 7C
RESETTIMER
TIME 5681H 25M
DEBUGMEG OFF


I know the Offset and Gain affect greyscale colour, but do they affect RGB colour aswell? I don't think so, but I don't want to change anything to mess it up. I just don't see where the values for the Standard/Multimedia/Game are listed. So who knows what settings they are using? I presume that User mode is Custom mode, but what about Desktop? They are both the same, at 100% RGB (of 255), so Desktop can't be one of the 3 missing modes. Very strange. The only other option is Autocolor, which I don't want to select in case it screws things up!

I think the custom/user mode is better (colour accuracy wise), but it lacks the nice glow that the Standard mode has. I wish I could mix and match the modes to pick the best colours! What's your 2209wa like for colours/ghosting?
 
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I don't know if I'm going crazy, but I just fiddled with the modes on my U2311H, and I swear that the video mode for 'Nature' has the best looking colours! It's subtle, but the shades of colour alter slightly from the other graphics/video modes. Looking at a colour gamut chart or colourful picture, I can see the shades of colour change a bit. The nature mode has slightly brighter more vivid colours, which kind of makes sense I suppose if you're watching a nature video. It's a bit oversaturated in fact, but I just turned down the saturation on the graphics card. I think I will play games in this mode from now on. It just didn't occur to me to use that one for games though lol.
 
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