[Kamares]

Hi PCM2,

We spoke a while ago on this thread and I decided to go for the EW2440L when my CRT’s finally die – which they have still not totally done ..

However, I have been looking at your threads most days – another Lurker, I guess, and am trying to summarise to myself the main elements affecting eye strain. To that end, I should like to ask for your clarification on the following since a lot of the comments seem to relate to gaming rather than bog standard day to day usage (MS Word / Excel / browsing / email / non-gamer type games):
(Apologies if I have misunderstood some points in the threads)

So, specifically re. Easy on the eyes topic:

1 – 120 / 140 Hz seem specifically for games and require (typically) that the frame rate be set the same. Is there any point having a 120 / 140 Hz monitor for regular day to day (as above)? Or, indeed any reason not to since 120 will presumably give a smoother image ?

2 – If there is a reason to go 120 Hz, is DVI or display port better for image clarity? (I have Nvidia cards with both).

3 – Low Blue light is on some monitors. I assume that I could simply lower it through the graphics card and get the same result? Although that would presumably change the colour temp as a result ?

4 – Blur Reduction. Newer models have a “Lightboost type” ULMB / Motion Blur Reduction ability. Would this have any effect on day to day work with 60 or 120 Hz, or is this really just for fast games? I note that, again, the frame rate should be the same as refresh rate but how does this relate to day to day work when frame rate is not something to be normally considered?

-As it happens, I borrowed the Hitachi that I mentioned before – for short periods as a test – and although no discomfort on static pages, the Motion Blur is very bad and I have to look away as my eyes get pulled if I try to follow moving objects. I know it’s an old tech … but, not being able, at the moment, to try one of the newer models to compare with, I now wonder if I should put Motion Blur as one of my considerations.

5 – The Blur Reduction uses a strobe. Since I can’t watch PWM, how similar would the effect of Blur Reduction be in terms of flicker?

6 – Some models have adaptive Blur Reduction like the Benq 2420G which drops down to 30Hz. Given that I cannot watch CRT below 85, would that 30 Hz have the same effect as 30Hz on a CRT? And, again, what interaction with Flicker Free and how to use the adaptive feature in, for example, web browsing or Excel?

– Benq XL2411Z web site says that it has Flicker Free and also Motion Blur Reduction. I suggests that these can be used together. Is this correct, and how do they interact?

7 – I looked at G-Sync but it seems that Flicker Free and G-Sync cannot be used together – so – I must go for Flicker Free (Unless you know of any future likelihood of a monitor that can support both). However, G-Sync seems to emulate a CRT in some ways – so, is Flicker Free still the way to go to avoid eye-strain or would G-Sync achieve a similar / better result?

8 And, I also see that the Benq 2455HM (for example) switches the AMA off when in non standard aspect mode. This would affect pixel response and maybe re-introduce blur, I guess …? I cannot find any comments on this for the Dell S2440L. Is it automatically turned off in all monitors? If so, it kind of defeats the purpose of re-setting the aspect.

9 – Some monitors (S2440L for example) say that they can be set to view 2 docs side by side. Does this mean that each window will be set at – say – 4:3, or are they reduced in size to fit the screen with AMA still active?

I hope this is not too much. Just trying to fill in the gaps in my understanding.

Regards,
Kamares

[Kamares]

PCM2,
Incidentally, I saw the comments on PWM in the review for the S2440L and contacted Dell Live Chat. I was first routed through to Dell.com – USA (by the UK site ??). The guy there would not confirm whether S2440L uses PWM or not. I then managed to get through to UK Live chat and they confirm that UK origin S2440L does not use PWM. Not sure why the difference …..

I copy the UK log for info below – may be of interest to others … (although seeing is believing ..):

=================================
This is an automated email sent from Dell Chat. The following information is a log of your session. Please save the log for

your records.
Your session ID for this incident is ………..
Time Details
03/17/2014 01:10:23PM Session Started with Agent (Lawrence_Xavier)
03/17/2014 01:10:23PM “I need some monitors for a home office. Can I be 100% sure that the S2440L from Amazon UK will be PWM free and not use PWM backlight”
03/17/2014 01:10:34PM Agent (Lawrence_Xavier): “Thank you for contacting Dell Chat Sales. This is Lawrence, your sales advisor for today.”
03/17/2014 01:10:37PM Agent (Lawrence_Xavier): “Hello ”
03/17/2014 01:10:54PM “Hi Lawrence”
03/17/2014 01:11:15PM Agent (Lawrence_Xavier): “I have read your query.”
03/17/2014 01:11:16PM Agent (Lawrence_Xavier): “please give me moment while i check this for you.”
03/17/2014 01:18:54PM Agent (Lawrence_Xavier): “thanks for waiting”
03/17/2014 01:19:07PM Agent (Lawrence_Xavier): “the S2440L we sell is PWM free”
03/17/2014 01:19:46PM “OK, any chance that Amazon will have one of the PWM models ??”
03/17/2014 01:20:15PM Agent (Lawrence_Xavier): “S2440L we make is PWM free”
03/17/2014 01:20:19PM Agent (Lawrence_Xavier): “they should be the same”
03/17/2014 01:20:46PM “OK, so RMA if they are not. Yes ??”
03/17/2014 01:22:05PM “And, also, the 2440L has the ability to reset the aspect to 4:3. I have, for example, an old game that is 4:3. Will this display in its own box or will it be an overlay?”
03/17/2014 01:25:20PM Agent (Lawrence_Xavier): “checking, please bear with me.”
03/17/2014 01:26:40PM Agent (Lawrence_Xavier): “well it will have white stripes on the sides to make the 4:3 ratio”
03/17/2014 01:28:46PM “OK, so, you confirm that UK origin / Amazon UK S2440L does not use PWM at any level and that a 4:3 source will display correctly. Please confirm again and I shall leave you ..”
03/17/2014 01:29:33PM Agent (Lawrence_Xavier): “The S2440L we sell are PWM”
03/17/2014 01:30:17PM “Lawrence – did you just change your mind ?????????”
03/17/2014 01:30:42PM Agent (Lawrence_Xavier): “sorry ?”
03/17/2014 01:31:13PM “You just said the ones you sell ARE PWM. Did you mean NOT PWM ?”
03/17/2014 01:31:21PM Agent (Lawrence_Xavier): “the S2440L we sell is PWM free”
03/17/2014 01:31:40PM Agent (Lawrence_Xavier): “our monitors do not flicker”
03/17/2014 01:31:51PM “OK, misprint at my end ..”
03/17/2014 01:32:07PM “It’s the flicker I cannot handle at any level.”
03/17/2014 01:32:24PM Agent (Lawrence_Xavier): “i understand.”
03/17/2014 01:32:53PM “OK, I guess we are done. Thanks for your time. Regards …….”
03/17/2014 01:33:00PM Agent (Lawrence_Xavier): “your welcome”
03/17/2014 01:33:02PM Agent (Lawrence_Xavier): “Thank you for contacting Dell Sales Chat and allowing me the opportunity to assist you. Have a wonderful Day ahead.”
03/17/2014 01:35:14PM Session Ended
If you require further assistance, please visit us at support.euro.dell.com
=================================

Regards,

Kamares

[PCM2]

Hi Kamares,

Some great questions there. I’ll get right down to answering them as succinctly as I can.

1 – The increased motion fluidity (decreased motion blur, more ‘connected feeling’) is the only benefit. It’s a fairly significant benefit when gaming but can also be beneficial when just browsing around on the desktop. It would be a push to suggest people experience eyestrain doing normal work on a computer at highly responsive 60Hz LCD that they wouldn’t experience at 120Hz+ on an LCD monitor, however. From a viewing comfort perspective this isn’t really something I’d prioritise unless you were gaming. The obvious downside to going down the high refresh rate route is that you are restricting your choice of monitors greatly – to ones which are generally set up badly and can create more problems in terms of viewing comfort than they solve unless correctly calibrated.

2 – DVI and DisplayPort provide the same image quality. Some users prefer DP because the connector head is smaller and the cable can be thinner than the required Dual-Link DVI cable. DisplayPort is required for G-SYNC on compatible monitors (something you mentioned further down your questions).

3 – Low Blue Light modes work primarily by adjusting (reducing) the blue colour channel, in essence lowering colour temperature and greatly decreasing blue light emission from the monitor. You can achieve a good degree of blue light reduction by making adjustments on the graphics driver or using a program like F.lux – although for maximum blue light reduction addressing the filter directly (reducing the blue colour channel on the monitor) is preferable. I do like the idea of having a ‘Low Blue Light’ preset that’s easy to access – it is implemented well on the EW2740L for example but not so well on the XL2420Z. You’ll see on the XL2420Z that it was easier to create your own ‘Low Blue Light’ mode by reducing the blue colour channel and assigning it to a ‘Gamer Preset’ – easily accessed using the S-Switch controller.

4 and 5 – As with increased refresh rate, a strobe backlight can decrease motion blur during movements of windows, the mouse and other animations in applications. The enhanced refresh rate alone is usually preferred as there are really diminishing returns using a strobe backlight unless you’re gaming. There is also no such thing as ‘flicker free’ strobe backlight as that would be impossible – strobe backlights work by flickering. The flickering isn’t the same as PWM and some users find the strobing behaviour fine on the eyes but dislike PWM. You’d be better off using a PWM-free normal backlight operating mode (no strobing) for work. The only possible advantage comes on monitors where PWM is used in the normal operating mode as the strobe backlight may actually be kinder on the eyes.

6 and 7 – G-SYNC is an adaptive refresh rate technology and can’t currently be combined with a strobe backlight technology. Where the backlight is not strobing (i.e. during normal operation, using G-SYNC) the refresh rate does not influence flicker in any way. G-SYNC can’t be used outside of gaming as far as I’m aware, you’d just have a static refresh rate there.

8 – Different monitors handle non-native aspect ratios differently. AMA (Advanced Motion Acceleration) or any form of grey to grey acceleration used by other manufacturers being disabled would indeed decrease pixel responsiveness.

9 – Monitors with abilities to ‘snap to view’ documents just use software on the computer to force the operating system to arrange windows in a certain way. There is no clever hardware-based magic going on. On the Dell it’s called ‘Easy Arrange’ and to be honest it isn’t much easier than the default behaviour on current Windows versions (dragging a window to the side of the screen so it automatically resizes to fill half the screen).

As for Dell’s comments on PWM, I’m not really sure how much I’d trust that. I’ve had users in the US saying they are sensitive to flickering but convinced that the S2440L they’ve bought is PWM-free. One confirmed this using a sensitive camera. Maybe UK batches are always PWM-free but US batches may or may not be. I agree it’s odd.

[Vargulf]

Hello, I really value my eyesight and have read this thread page 1-9 and just want to say thanks to PCM2 bringing people up to speed on these tech details so selflessly. Theres alot of posts to answer here! Secondly I’d gladly buy from Amazon but I’ve never found anything they will ship internationally to Australia (grumble).

So…anyways I have a eye disease at 26yrs old and want to give them the best fighting chance. I have decided on Benq from this thread and am amazed personally that Benq is the only one doing this now considering that when we’re not on a monitor we are on a tv/laptop/tablet/smartphone etc.

Benq doesn’t seem to do much to differentiate their products and I’m lost in the changing model names! I need a productivity monitor thats optimum for eyes = VA, bluelight reduction & PWM-free. Size isn’t an issue (24’+) nor price within reason. It’s the first of what I will eventually make a dual monitor setup because I gather VA still isn’t optimal for gaming?

So what is recommended now in 2014 as a premium Benq eye care monitor that aces movies and productivity tasks and can be adjusted for ergonomics? Thanks so much again.

[Kamares]

Hi PCM2,

Thanks for the clarifications. Much appreciated ..

Regards

[PCM2]

@ Kamares – no problem.

@ Vargulf

Welcome to the forum!

I would worry too much about the panel type, specifically. Whilst I still maintain that VA is a good choice due to the high contrast and I personally get on with them, some users actually prefer viewing text on IPS models. Because of how VA panels operate the pixels tilt to various degrees towards the viewer when displaying different shades – with the greatest relative difference observed between ‘black’ and ‘white’. This can give a very subtle ‘3D’ effect (for lack of a better word) which some users find a little uncomfortable to view. I haven’t come across many people who dislike this aspect but there are some users who don’t like it. For viewing comfort, good ergonomic adjustability and strong productivity credentials (1920 x 1200 resolution) I’d recommend looking at the BL2411PT.

BenQ don’t really have any new VA-based ‘eye-care’ models that feature fully adjustable stands, although some (like the GW2760HS) feature VESA mounting capabilities so you can put them on your own adjustable stand. Some users have reported that the new revision GW2760HS models have ‘Low Blue Light’ modes. I’m not sure if this is true and how you’d know which revision you were getting exactly, but the ‘Reading Mode’ on the original GW2760HS has exactly the same effect, reducing blue light output significantly. See my reply to Kamares above (specifically point 3).

[Vargulf]

For me the single most distracting and fatiguing things are the flicker and the IPS ‘glow’. Thanks for your heads up though, I’ll try and find a VA screen in a store first to see if this 3D like effect bothers me.

I got f.lux last night and I’m already addicted, another great tip from this forum. The low blue light function def seems to be a function that I will also use. The GW2760HS may fit the bill. The BL2411PT had ok-ish reviews, I tend to try to get the TOTL models if they deserve the $ and was hoping for a recommendation of the standout VA monitor right now (anything that has got a review over 84% from this site)? If not VA then maybe an IPS so long as that ‘glow’ can be eradicated, and its PWM-free…

Thx

[Vargulf]

Btw the stand adjustment is a secondary thing for me not at all a primary consideration.

[PCM2]

Currently the GW2760HS + VESA stand if you feel it’s necessary (can be bought later) would be my main recommendation. There aren’t really any better VA models out there for your uses. Manufacturers don’t make super expensive VA models with all the trimmings any more, they focus their higher end efforts on IPS-type panels generally. If you don’t like glow, which is understandable, then the GW2760HS is an excellent choice.

[Vargulf]

Just started looking round for the GW2760HS…just to be clear this monitor should definitely be PWM-free, and have the Benq bluelight filter? Neither are mentioned by most sellers. Guess I’ll have to dig.

EW2740L was not suggested, wondering why as it got a slightly higher review here at PC Monitors?

[PCM2]

As I said in my initial post, ‘Low Blue Light’ is not guaranteed with the GW2760HS and just something that a user reported is now a feature on the monitor. As I said it doesn’t really matter either way as similar results can be achieved regardless of this. The GW2760HS always has and always will be PWM free – it is referred to as ‘flicker free’ by BenQ and is a feature shared with all monitor in their ‘eye-care’ range.

As for the EW2740L, it’s a great monitor. I really enjoyed using and reviewing it. The only reason I didn’t specifically recommend it for you was that it has no VESA mounting so you are stick with a tilt-only stand. If that really isn’t a problem for you then it’s definitely one to strongly consider.

[Goodie]

Hi everybody,

currently, I am thinking about buying a new monitor for my job, basically reading, programming, internet, documents, and I would like to be advised of which are the best monitors with the following features:

– 24 inches
– flicker free
– matte surface (i am really confused about if there is any difference between light coating surfaces and matte ones. Currently, I have a Benq XL2410 without flicker free, totally matte, and I am satisfied with it, but I also have a laptop with glossy screen and I perceive how the light reflects off the screen. It doesn´t bother me really much, but I prefer my BENQ´s matte surface.

Coming back to the core of the topic, my favourite options are:

BENQ BL2411PT (24, flicker free, light matte? Does anyone buy or try it?, 1920×1200)

DELL U2414H (24, flicker free, light AG coating matte? 1920×1080)

BENQ XL2420Z (24, flicker free, Matte medium AG?, 1920×1080)

Any other option that you recommend.

Thank you for your time,

Goodie

[PCM2]

Hi Goodie and welcome,

I am assuming you have read our extensive reviews of these three monitors? They all talk quite extensively about the nature of the screen surface and how it affects the image. If you would like me to explain about this more specifically I’d be happy to do so.

I’ve added your post to this thread as all of these monitors have been talked about and compared. I would be happy to summarise where they all stand in relation to one another if you find it’s necessary. I know it can be difficult to search through this wealth of information to find specific posts that are relevant. 😉

[Goodie]

Thank you PCM2.

I have been reading XL2420Z, which I have not read before in this web, and it uses a medium-light surface.

What monitor would you recomend between XL2420Z and BL2411PT?

BL has light coating surface, which is nice, but I have never had an IPS monitor and fortunately I am not familiar with IPS glown, due to my actual monitor is a BENQ XL2410.

Is it something to consider?

About colors and contrast, which is better XL or BL?

Thank you for your time doing the reviews and replying me.

Goodie.

[Goodie]

I have check on the reviews that, overall, luminance desviation is greater for XL2420Z than BL2411PT.

Could you confirm this?

Maybe BL2411PT can be the best option for what I want.

I wait your opinion or anyone´s one. Thank you.

[PCM2]

The XL2420Z and BL2411PT are very different monitors, featuring different panel types with different refresh rates and resolutions. For viewing comfort and bearing in mind that your uses are mainly focused around productivity and desktop tasks the BL2411PT would be my main recommendation. It provides a much nicer image ‘out of the box’ and due to its panel provides superior colour output. I feel the extra resolution would be useful from a productivity perspective, too, and feel that the main attributes of the XL2420Z (its high refresh rate and excellent responsiveness) are really going to be of less use to you than the attractive image performance characteristics of the BL2411PT.

The matte anti-glare surface is slightly lighter on the BL2411PT, although this difference isn’t exactly huge. It does provide a slightly less grainy image (clearer and more vibrant) whilst handling glare just as well during general use.

[Goodie]

Thank you very much for your recommendation PCM2.

Due to my needs, It is likely that my purchase will be a BENQ BL2411PT.

Goodie.

[Vargulf]

Hi, back again. I have been looking locally and the GW2760HS is pretty difficult to find sadly. I have found a GW2760HM insead of HS… In comparison on the BenQ site it seems to have some differences such as a fatter bezel and slower m/s response time. Any advice? Funnily the shopkeeper had a GW2760HS in the past and was saying he still remebered the clarity of the picture.

The two previously recommended screens are 27″ just wondered if there were some equally reccomended 24″ BenQ VA screens to broaden the range ?

Cheers

[PCM2]

Hi again Vargulf,

The HM uses a different panel to the HS. It lacks the semi-glossy screen surface and although not really relevant to your uses has less impressive colour performance. The original revision of the GW2760HM also lacked a flicker-free backlight, but for quite some time now BenQ have included flicker-free backlights (P/N for the flicker free model is 9H.L9LLA.DBE). So it doesn’t really offer quite the same performance as the HS model but can still provide a comfortable viewing experience. Did the retailer have the EW2740L in stock as an alternative?

As for 24″ alternatives, one that sticks out is the BenQ EW2440L. Not a model I’ve tested myself yet as BenQ have been unable to provide a sample so far but users suggest it may not have a semi-glossy screen surface. It should still provide a comfortable viewing experience, however.

[Vargulf]

No he had neither unfortunately and I’ve searched alot of other local retailers with similar luck. I’ll try the 2440L maybe someone will have that, can’t wait for less eye strain!

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