The BenQ EW2420: Too good to be true?

Hello,
I bought EW2420 few days ago and trying to calibrate colors on it. But I've faced problem with gamma settings... How did you set it for 2.2? I can change it only by 1 and the range is 1 to 5 (1, 2, 3, 4, 5):confused:
 
That sounds like the sharpness, not the gamma. The gamma settings on most EW2420 are a little off anyway (on mine they were pretty close to stated values but it does vary). Unless you have a colorimeter I wouldn't worry too much about changing this from the default 2.2. Some people prefer slightly different values anyway, just have a play.
 
zolten said:
Hello,
I bought EW2420 few days ago and trying to calibrate colors on it. But I've faced problem with gamma settings... How did you set it for 2.2? I can change it only by 1 and the range is 1 to 5 (1, 2, 3, 4, 5):confused:
Click to expand...

Taken from the TFTCentral review, try these settings:

Brightness - 64

Contrast - 50

R G B - 80, 96, 80

Colour mode - Standard

Colour temperature - User Mode

Gamma mode - 2.0

I reverted back to the standard preset mode but within the OSD I changed the 'colour temperature' setting to 'user mode'. This allowed me access to the RGB channels as part of the calibration process. I also remained in gamma mode 2.0 since that had provided the best starting point and eliminated the banding we had seen in the 2.2 setting.
Click to expand...

Edit:- To add to what PCM2 said, the Gamma option in the OSD is clearly labelled as such under the "Picture" section and should have an option for 2.2, with a range from 1.8 to 2.6. Extract from the manual:

 
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PCM2 said:
That sounds like the sharpness, not the gamma. The gamma settings on most EW2420 are a little off anyway (on mine they were pretty close to stated values but it does vary). Unless you have a colorimeter I wouldn't worry too much about changing this from the default 2.2. Some people prefer slightly different values anyway, just have a play.
Click to expand...
nope, it's gamma, not sharpness, but it has same values as sharpness (from 1 to 5) and default value is 3:confused:
I'll try to play with these settings later, when I will get back home and have more free time.

@crackerbear
I saw it in user manual, but range is from 1 to 5, so I'm confused now...
 
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Hello! I am also thinking about buying a new screen. I want LED screen with around 24" size. I found a EW2420 on discount for 199euros in my local store and a ViewSonic VX2420 on another one. Which one should I go for? Does the EW2420 have so much better colour that it beats Viewsonic's shorter response time.
 
The VX2450 (I assume you mean) has very good colour reproduction for a panel of its type. The main weakness of this 'TN' panel type, when it comes to colour reproduction, is variation across the screen. Whilst the EW2420 also suffers from this slightly it is a lot more significant on the VX2450. The 8-bit colour is also technically superior to the 6-bit + FRC (frame rate control, or dithering) of the VX2450 although the ViewSonic has quite a good algorithm for this. One area that the EW2420 trumps the VX2450, unquestionably, is contrast. This can make colours and blacks really stand out (especially when coupled with the semi-glossy coating on the screen).
 
Ubersturmfuhrer said:
Thank you for your help! I suppose I'll go for the EW2420. Seems like it's an outstanding screen for it's price. It's also easier to return if I come across any dead pixels or such.
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Hehehe.

You would think that wouldn't you?
Sadly, this is not the case. The QC of this screen seems to be very poor, which is whey many who buy it, are returning it for a refund. Have a quick scan through this thread and you will see that users appear to be unhappy with the QC more than anything else and are either returning the screen or accepting that they have been dealt a lemon and are living with it.

Ubersturmfuhrer said:
It's also easier to return if I come across any dead pixels or such.
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Dead pixels are not the problem with this monitor. The variance in quality of the screen is the problem...all QC related. Most of us can live with a few dead pixels here and there, but when we get such severe ghosting that even moving the mouse pointer shows ghost trails...this is unacceptable and beyond ridiculous.
 
Well I would have bought one today but the market had them sold out. Only one sample monitor was left. I could ask them to test the sample display on Bluray in the shop but would that show any of the possible faults such as ghosting?

I still have one week to look for a new screen before I get my new computer, so I might as well try to get the absolute best bargain.
 
Ghosting isn't a fault, it is a reality of a PVA monitor and to a lesser extent any LCD monitor. I can even notice overdrive trailing on most 120Hz LCD monitors with 2ms rated grey-to-grey. This is covered in depth in the review and this thread should you need something to look at. Obviously trying it out yourself is ideal. The inter-unit variability is indeed a significant issue with the EW2420 and that has been pointed out at many points in the thread and my website. There are many very happy users of the EW2420 and I hope you could be one of them. Needless to say if you are confident with your ability to return the product that is good.
 
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If I would test it in the shop on some Bluray stuff in the market, what should I look for in it? Aside from dead pixels that is. Only screen I have owned so far is the one on my 15,6inch laptop so I don't really know how the faults can be spotted.
 
Sunama - ghosting isn't a fault. Fault implies something that shouldn't be there. It is a reality of the panel type and to a lesser extent any LCD monitor (as I said).

@Ubersturmfuhrer

Don't go looking for the faults. You just need to look at it on the kind of things you'll be doing with it. If you can't see any problems then it's fine. The serious faults (actual faults and not inherent issues - there is a difference) can be spotted easily.
 
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PCM2, from the video which was posted by a previous buyer, it was pretty clear that his unit was either defective OR there is an inherent fault in the design of the monitor.

Unfortunately, he has taken down that video, but the ghosting is as bad as I have ever seen on any monitor, in my life. Granted, I am used to using mid-high end monitors, which means that my standards are VERY high, however, if you are moving your mouse pointer and you are seeing mouse trails (which is what that user reported), I would say something is definitely wrong and cannot be ignored.

With regards to saying that any LCD can show this problem - I disagree. I have used el cheapo laptop screens (which are about as bad as LCD screens get) and there has never been ghosting to a point where I am seeing mouse trails. I own 2 LCD screens and neither of them show ghost trails when moving the mouse pointer.
 
You have highlighted a very important point - how subjective responsiveness is. On a technical level, however, there are certain situations even the fastest TN panels will show signs of overdrive trailing - that's just part of how they work and how they reduce the grey to grey transition time. This is generally less noticeable but again comes down to subjectivity. Seeing noticeable trailing behind a mouse cursor, however, is quite a specific situation and would depend on the background colour behind the pointer. If you have had much experience with panels of this type (PVA) and understand the technicalities of that panel type you would know that the response time is slowest for high-contrast transitions.

For a TN panel they tend to apply more voltage here and although you may see some overdrive trailing it is not as severe as the 'black ghosting' you are referring to. For a TN panel this high-contrast transition occurs at a response time of up to 24ms (off the top of my head). For a VA panel there is a specific situation where certain colours that are a fair bit darker than the mouse cursor but not dark enough so that the 'black trail' blends in well can cause the aforementioned 'black ghosting'. The light blue parts of the Overclockers forums, for example, show this effect quite well. The dark blue not so much and the white space and blacks of the main website not very much. Thankfully the EW2420 has an overdrive algorithm to reduce the grey to grey transitions to much less noticeable values. Whilst you get the usual overdrive trailing it means that most transitions will appear relatively fast for a PVA panel. Again - this depends on exactly what you are doing and how sensitive you are to it. Generally if you aren't looking out for it you can filter it out quite easily and don't notice it.
 
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I might be wrong on this, but I've seen several people from different places post about the level of ghosting they've had on the EW2420 to be so appalling that it must of been a fault. Not just the normal level of minor dark trails on certain high contrast colours, but severe ghosting with anything they did.

I don't know where I read this from (as I've read way too many different forums about this monitor) so I can't back up my claim, but I do believe there might be a case where the ghosting can be a fault. I don't recall anyone getting a replacement to see if it'd fix the issue either, most were so disgusted by their first unit that they didn't even want a try for another.
 
I can't help thinking those people have spent their time purely looking out for response time issues because they are aware that it is supposed to be the EW2420's achilles heel. I knew what to expect from my vast experience with VA panels and this was one of the better ones. I'm sure you recall I was close to sending the EW2420 back myself but once I stopped actively seeking responsiveness issues the good points drowned it out. If it is seemingly unbearable in a lot of situations then I suppose it is possible that some of them have faults with the overdrive function. Either way the variability in this panel is worrying enough for me to have stopped promoting it so heavily. I think it is a good idea for people to give it a chance though and no amount of reading about it can compare to actual experience with the monitor. If that initial experience is particularly bad I can completely sympathise with somebody not wanting to try another. :)
 
Just out of interest I ran my 27" iyama next to the benq and was a bit surprised at the difference.

The Benq definately had better colour reproduction, blacker blacks, better screen uniformity with no bleed. However, the iyama was much MUCH brighter. Even running the benq at 100% brightness it still looked very dark compared to the iyama.

I played monsters vs aliens at the same time across both screens. The woman characters hair is brown but on the benq it looked almost black.

PCM2, did you find your panel was the same?
 
Not at all. I measured peak luminance on the EW2420 as 298 cd/m2 which is a lot brighter than you'd really want it to be. I have it set to '68' brightness and it's pretty bright - brighter than a lot of people would be comfortable with. It sounds like you might have a gamma issue on your EW2420. Try changing the gamma mode to 2.0 and 2.4 and comparing results to the default 2.2. It is possible to tweak this further on a software level using ICC profiles but some applications (games, movie players) will ignore or misinterpret these settings so it can be problematic. You could probably fiddle with the in-game gamma settings if you are having specific issues on particular titles, too. How have you got your EW2420 connected up and what else is connected up to it?
 
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