[Ai5]

Hello all

So I recently bought the AOC 24G2-BK monitor…I currently have the brightness set to zero..my room is well lit and it still feels blinding despite being dark enough… I just feel like I am seeing white spots the longer I look at it..Reading is really eye straining..It sometimes hurts my eyes and I just have to look away.The white color in specific is the most straining to my eyes. This is all more especially at night..I think at daytime with sun in the room I can manage… I tried adjusting RGB, brightness, dimming the brightness with external software like f.lux…playing with the frequency, the contrast, making low blue light mode. What helped a little was increasing my room’s lighting…making the monitor further away from me…and making brightness zero and using windows night mode, but I hate the yellow taint…

Since the aoc monitor doesn’t have PWM..and since I adjusted the frequency to be the same as old monitor, I excluded those as possible reasons for what’s hurting my eyes..I had my doubts about the anti-glare coating, ppl said it sometimes shimmers light..but even if I turn off the lights completely its still the same…(unless they mean that the anti glare coating causes problems with the light coming FROM the monitor)…

My old monitor was the samsung 943NW 19 inches. I had no problems with it at all. Its panel details can be found here

https://www.panelook.com/M190A1-L07_Innolux_19.0_LCM_overview_1851.html

And after doing some research and asking on reddit and blurbuster and such, someone referred me to PCMonitors article here

https://pcmonitors.info/articles/the-evolution-of-led-backlights/

So now I’m thinking the main culprit is the WLED backlight….And I also learned that AOC actually changed the panel of the 24g2 ?? Anyway my specific monitor has the TPM238WF1 panel but I can’t find info on it, but I know its WLED backlight ..

So I have two options I can think of atm:

1- buy and install a blue light filter on the monitor

2- sell this monitor and get another one 21-22 inches that still uses CCFL backlighting OR maybe “GB-LED (also known as GB-R LED or GB-r LED)” though I’m not sure if the GB-LED would be any kinder to my eyes…

As for IPS, TN, or VA being the factor that’s doing so, I am not sure, but I feel its probably the backlight..Anyway, any feedback or thoughts would be appreciated cause I can’t afford trying many monitors

[PCM2]

Hi Ai5,

If you refer to our article on viewing comfort, there are many factors to consider. Whether a monitor has a WLED backlight or not doesn’t really tell you the full story. It’s all about the spectrum of that backlight and any spectral sensitivity you have. You also need to give your eyes some time to try to adjust to a new screen, especially when it’s very different to your last. You could be sensitive to the spectrum of the backlight used, the blue diode energy peak could be causing you some bother, the fact it is using FRC dithering (unlikely issue, worth considering) or various other factors noted in the article. And yes, that includes screen surface due to the light emitted from the monitor not just due to how it handles glare and reflection.

But the most likely culprit or at least exacerbating factor in my view is that the monitor only goes down to 89 cd/m² at zero brightness, or at least my sample did, without loss of contrast. You may simply find it too bright in a dim room. Are you not able to improve the ambient lighting around the monitor, for example use a Philips Hue Play or similar solution to cast some light behind the monitor? I advise this sort of bias light solution not just for viewing comfort reasons in a dim room, but to enhance perceived contrast as well. Installing a blue light filter (edit for clarity: a physical screen or film in front of the monitor) that tints the image isn’t going to help if you dislike using Low Blue Light (LBL) settings due to a yellow tint. You can get filters or films for the screen which would filter out certain wavelengths of blue light or simply dull the image. Rather than trying to install something on the monitor, a pair of glasses which filter things out may be helpful (or not) – if they are, then consider a filter on the monitor. If you already wear glasses then obviously filtering glasses aren’t a practical option. For the LBL settings on the monitor, it might be worth activating them earlier than you think you need them. Giving your eyes more time to adjust to the changes made to the colour balance.

And I’m not sure where you got information about AOC changing the panel used in the 24G2(U) from. It uses the TPM238WF1, which is based around a Panda panel. Or more specifically uses a Panda CELL with a custom backlight then added by TPV. Have you seen something else reported or confirmed? They always stick with the same backlighting solution in the CELL as that defines characteristics such as the gamut. It’s possible a slightly newer version of that Panda panel is now used, but I’m not aware of this being the case.

[Ai5]

Hello,

Thank you for your feedback. I consider my room to be well lit..It’s a small room and I have 4 white light bulbs installed in the ceiling fan at the center..I even only had only 3 bulbs installed then got 4 strong white ones..It’s pretty well lit to me…And the pc desk is in the corner exposed to the light (the monitor is facing the light I mean, with its back to the wall). The philips hue play is really expensive here..I can search for cheaper alternatives although I’m still not sure if I need more light..As for blue light filters..there’s this known brand that claims to be the only one medically validated and they claim their filters do not cause tint..I mean if it does darken the screen a little, I’ll just increase the brightness to compensate but hopefully the white spots and this strange glare I’m seeing when I’m looking at the screen disappear..

“You can get filters which filter out certain wavelengths of blue light or simply dull the image.” Do u mean softwares or external physical filters?? Well I already tried f.lux but I didn’t really feel an impact dimming the screen with it…I mean it made the screen darker but still not comfortable… And I hated the yellow taint it made with its color temperature filter..I think I can try the glasses option before setting out to buy a filter, cause I’ll have to get the filter from abroad and there will be shipping and such so it will be costly..

As for the FRC dithering issue, I could’ve sworn the monitor changed the brightness by itself at some points, but that’s only during certain instances (Unless I understood FRC dithering wrong, in that case, just completely ignore this comment)

Regarding the panel change, I saw it in this video

https://youtu.be/JMVg3k1HjDo?t=629

[PCM2]

The filter I was suggesting was actually a physical screen or film you’d put in front of the monitor. I have no experience with these so can’t recommend anything specific or comment on how well they might work for you. They’d affect the image no doubt, that’s unavoidable when you place an additional layer in front of the screen. It’s good that you feel your room is well lit, but you also stated you found things better during the daylight so I think there’s more you can do in that respect. And lighting behind the monitor is important rather than just point sources of light in the room. There are certainly cheaper solutions than Philips Hue Play to achieve this, that’s just a particularly elegant and flexible solution.

That reviewer seems to be confusing the CELL used in the 24G2U (which is the Panda LC238LF1F) with the panel, which combines that CELL with a custom backlight solution. This combination of Panda CELL and custom backlight is a TPV part, the TPM238WF1 (which may include additional suffixes). That’s the case on all units – including ours and including his. I don’t blame him, the semantics of “panel” and “CELL’ are very confusing and for most users don’t matter. In my more recent reviews I tend to refer to things being “based on X panel” rather than using the term CELL. Regardless, he still makes a compelling case that something is very different with his unit and the contrast differences and pixel response behaviour differences are beyond what you’d typically expect if the exact same panel were used. It’s likely still based on a Panda panel (CELL), possibly a different variant. And perhaps some other changes have been made in the firmware.

Edit: Turns out there has actually been a switch from the Panda-based panel to a BOE-based panel. More information in this post.

[Ai5]

I see.. Well I had this monitor for 2 weeks now.. I’m nowhere near comfortable with it and I don’t even like its viewing angles despite it being IPS..I think I’ll just most probably sell it and buy a cheaper 21-22 inch panel with hopefully less brightness and better colors and viewing angels…I don’t need the 144 hz I’m not even a gamer anyway…I’ll check the reviews here , and if you have any recommendations that would be great (I’m aware there are no 100% safe bets). And once again, many thanks for the feedback.

[PCM2]

You may find the thread covering budget monitor recommendations helpful. There are quite a few that should fit the bill, but the main one I’d recommend is the Dell P2219H. It ticks plenty of viewing comfort boxes and according to feedback I’ve received offers decent brightness adjustment range and is as you’d expect from an IPS-type panel in terms of viewing angle performance. Nice solid build and ergonomics as well, decent 60Hz responsiveness. I agree and indeed note in the review of the AOC 24G2(U) that it’s a bit weak for an IPS-type panel in that respect, so I’m with you on that one.

[Ai5]

Alright I’ll check it out but I can’t find a detailed review for it here cause I wanted to check the brightness levels. I was also drawn by the BENQ GW2280. It’s only drawback for me would be the lack of control for height, rotation, spinning and tilt. However they’re all W-LED backlighting, which still makes me worried, but as you said I could be sensitive to the spectrum of the backlight used, which I don’t know if it differs from monitor to monitor even if they all use W-LED as it appears to be the standard nowadays.

I’m currently at daytime in my room and what I noticed is that the colored images are much more comfortable than at night, but the white color is still tiring (such as in browsing, fb, this site…etc)… I suppose a smaller screen with better viewing angels and cheaper price is still a better option, and more likely to be less eye straining just from the smaller size aspect, but I’ll try to find detailed reviews for these monitors so I can hopefully make a well studied decision.

[benn]

Hi, congratulations for the site and the articles. I read a lot of articles in the forum regarding the visual disturbances that displays can cause, but I didn’t understand, I wasn’t able to understand well. I recently bought an asus PA248CRV monitor compared to the 21.5 a huion style pen touch monitor, by the way the old monitor had an external power supply. With Asus something else was very nice and above all I understood what a good monitor means, I saw my photos much better, as they should be, but I had to return it because it bothered my eyes. after a month with different settings I couldn’t get used to it. I’m 55 years old and I wear glasses. My question is this: is there a 27 inch monitor that doesn’t cause problems for people like me who are very sensitive. I apologize for I don’t speak English, I had to use a translator. Thank you

[PCM2]

Hi Benn,

I’ve merged your thread with this one as it’s a suitable place and my advice for you is the same. There is no direct single issue that causes eyestrain when using a monitor, it is a complex mixture of factors – and here are some of the main ones to consider. I’m not sure if the PA248CRV uses PWM to dim the backlight, you may have found the screen surface problematic, the pixel density, brightness you were using or simply not got along with the backlight due to spectral sensitivity. Viewing comfort is considered with various models recommended on the website, including for productivity. It’s quite a case of trial and error I’m afraid – the BenQ PD2705Q listed there has a good smooth screen surface, is truly flicker-free (DC dimming) and is a model people generally find comfortable based on feedback I’ve received. It also has good potential for photo editing.

[benn]

Thank you

[benn]

while I was looking for the subject of dc dimmer on the internet I saw that my Huawei p30 phone has the possibility of enabling this function or not, in fact I noticed that it is always enabled, which is why perhaps I never had problems reading on the screen for several hours and I had no problems. trying to remove the DC dimmer, I noticed a slight discomfort, the eyelids tended to close more. I saw that on the eizo website the monitors have a hybrid system, DC and PWM, in fact many users in the reviews praise the fact that they are not tiring displays for the eye. there is a site where all the specifications, including the type of power supply, are specified. another question during the production of the panels the manufacturers can take other types of panels from the display manufacturers and therefore also change the DC or PWM system. Thank you

[PCM2]

I’m not sure if this is what you’re asking, but I believe you were wondering if the usage of PWM or DC dimming depends on the panel used or whether the manufacturer can alter that? The manufacturer can alter the dimming behaviour, it doesn’t depend on the panel used.

[boomkeg]

I experience similar symptoms, for me the cause is likely my astigmatism, particularly the white/brighter shades are bothersome (feels like the screen has a glowlike quality to it despite lowering the backlight brightness), also mostly occurs during evening/night when there is low ambient light.

Similarly my old TN is comfortable, likely because it has “limited” dynamic range and low contrast ratio so the brightest whites are less bright and blacks are more of a dark grey compared to more modern panels.

You could try simulating this by lowering contrast slider to different values in NVCP and/or setting output dynamic range to limited, it will sacrifice image quality but maybe it will somewhat alleviate your symptoms.

[Author]

Posts