Alienware AW2518HF Testing

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taisel
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Alienware AW2518HF Testing

Post by taisel » 07 Mar 2018, 15:20

I'll add more videos or stills as time goes on, the more the merrier with inferring true display capabilities.

Camera is the back camera of an iphone SE, no fancy slide rails.
https://imgur.com/a/odrD3 240hz w/ "fastest" overdrive setting.

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Re: Alienware AW2518HF Testing

Post by Chief Blur Buster » 07 Mar 2018, 20:20

Thanks for providing your video pursuit!

Video pursuits like yours are also an excellent way to capture a very close approximation to human-perceived (WYSIWYG) display motion blur. This is as long as camera behaviour is good (360-degree video shutter -- full frame duration shutter -- for reliable video pursuit camera capture).

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Re: Alienware AW2518HF Testing

Post by Chief Blur Buster » 07 Mar 2018, 20:28

P.S. Tips for hobbyist smartphone pursuit cameras (using your iPhone or Android):

Video pursuits can also be done with http://www.testufo.com/ghosting and attempting to make the ladder-track look good too. That said, that pattern doesn't have the stars texture of this one. (Perhaps I should also add a stars texture mode to Ghosting, too!) Freezeframes of video pursuits on that test (with fully intact Sync Track ladder) becomes the WYSIWYG display motion blur reference.

Example1: Sync Track get 'broken ladder' artifact
This is what happens when you pan your camera imperfectly at http://www.testufo.com/ghosting

Image
(LightBoost strobed mode, VG278H)

Example2: Sync Track looks correct
This is what happens when you pan your camera at the correct speed at http://www.testufo.com/ghosting (darn near exactly matching screen motion):

Image
(LightBoost strobed mode, VG278H)

An intact ladder being photographed (Sync Track) confirms you tracked your camera at (darn near) the exact speed of the moving UFO, and confirms that the amount of motion blur is exactly WYSIWYG.

When doing video pursuits of the Sync Track, the ladder will tilt/skew/break, but a few freezeframes will often essentially look perfect or nearly perfect. Meaning video makes easier pursuit camera photography (no sliding rail needed).

For everyday users, simple video pursuits are easy, and can capture a reasonable captured approximation of human-perceived display motion blur.

Display review websites, bloggers & more advanced users will probably want to study Pursuit Camera Instructions.

However, end users can just wave a smartphone camera just like what the original poster did above! Just simply videoing TestUFO motion via hand-waving a smartphone video recording along the motion of TestUFO -- can produce usefully shareable motion-blur results.
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taisel
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Re: Alienware AW2518HF Testing

Post by taisel » 07 Mar 2018, 21:06

More gifs:

https://imgur.com/a/jjHR8
https://imgur.com/a/vZeWV

https://imgur.com/a/4TSUJ

Still using the shaky iphone SE camera. Trying to do better. The phone is definitely adding blur to this due to autofocus and slightly mismatched speeds.
Last edited by taisel on 07 Mar 2018, 21:13, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Alienware AW2518HF Testing

Post by Chief Blur Buster » 07 Mar 2018, 21:11

From your video at https://imgur.com/a/jjHR8

Is a good freezeframe:
Image

Nice intact ladder!
That said, camera focus and exposure is off (blurred, overexposed).

If you plan to do more, here's some tips for the future:

To solve focus/exposure problem, prefocus your camera (while holding iPhone still at a specific planned distance from monitor) via tap-and-hold. That way, focus stops hunting and quality is much better.

After that, then begin your video pursuits. You can even wave your camera multiple times before stopping the video, then trimming your video to your best hand-wave (or few).

While landscape pursuits are preferred, it's understandably easier to hold an iPhone in portrait mode. Single-stepping through the video and finding the clearest freezeframe (intact ladder, sharpest focus) is something that can be done as easy end-user pursuit camera photography-by-iPhone.

Usually, generally, original .mp4 files are preferred, followed by YouTube (since it's embeddable in posts via [video] tags), but imgur is fine for quick and dirty.

Readers, pursuit camera photography doesn't have to be complicated camera rails -- it can easily be a hand-waved iPhone.
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taisel
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Re: Alienware AW2518HF Testing

Post by taisel » 07 Mar 2018, 21:28

Some other things:
  • There's none of that freesync flicker, it supports freesync via HDMI @ 48-240 range with LFC.
  • 240hz is done via HDMI 2.0 (Not limited to displayport).
  • You can use Dell's software to control the display settings itself. The DDC/CI actually works on this.
  • TN/TFT colors like you'd expect, like a bit better than the AOC AG251FZ, marginally, might just be the same.
  • Shit viewing angles just like the other 240hz monitors, if not identical.
  • Stock gamma isn't fucked like the AOC AG251FZ but that was correctable on the AG251FZ setting it to gamma3.
  • Maximum overdrive somewhat works, it's more akin to a medium setting on the AG251FZ, but it does more on its top setting versus what the AG251FZ on medium. Basically not crazy fucked up overdrive colors, and still clearing up the image somewhat.
  • Overdrive doesn't totally go crazy if your framerate dips, it was a MAJOR issue on the AG251FZ.
  • I'm listing comparisons against the AOC AG251FZ because I had one but had to RMA it because it had a dead pixel that was only dead when the monitor was under 120hz (freesync or statically set, either).
  • It doesn't like CRU at all, any HDMI/DisplayPort link OC'ing doesn't register on it, same with the AG251FZ btw.
  • Basically it feels like a marginally refined AOC AG251FZ, like someone actually TESTED the firmware for at least a day before pushing it out the door.
What CRU lists:
Image

Audio Capabilities:
Image

Freesync Live Testing:
  • Monitor has an fps counter.
  • Sadly it's only one color, so I had white on white issues.
  • The counter is on the top left, barely visible but in large white text.
  • It's basically confirmed by this that there's no crazy overdrive issues in the lower framerate bracket (Looking at you AOC AG251FZ... bad overdrive + weird extra lag on that monitor when using 50/60 hz).
  • Dolphin-emu supports FreeSync w/ Directx 12 mode.
    Image

taisel
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Re: Alienware AW2518HF Testing

Post by taisel » 08 Mar 2018, 01:19

Just a heads up, lower contrast by one from "75" to "74". It deactivates some form of post-processing and corrects a few way off the mark colors. The ramp from 0 to 74 just controls the display colors between full and black. The ramp from 75 to 100 pulls up the blacks towards white. "75" is the default but it seems to be fucking with some colors. Fast scrolling text w/ overdrive is more legible with it set to 74. The deep dark blacks when scrolling simple black text on a white background at high speed is definitely here, less bleeding into grey now.

It almost feels like I unlocked better response times setting it to 74 instead of 75, identical to max overdrive AG251FZ, but with less overdrive shittiness.

The AG251FZ and the AW2518HF have the same exact TN panel from Optronics, this contrast fix confirms it. Same exact response rates now, just with less overdrive shittiness on the AW2518HF.

taisel
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Re: Alienware AW2518HF Testing

Post by taisel » 08 Mar 2018, 11:11

So I was able to change the timings, as long as the refresh rate itself stayed the same.

I'm using "LCD Reduced" timings now:
Image
Image

I was having the 300mhz clock bug in my driver (computer gpu issue, not the monitor's fault) corrupting the link, so doing this forces the memory clock to go high, keeping the connection stable and fixing it. This is 1000x better than needing to run clockbuster.

This finding suggests people can do the large vertical totals trick on the 144hz mode, although there is no point, as this isn't a strobing monitor. Maybe save it for a newer version that does when it comes out.

vladislavmedvednikov
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Re: Alienware AW2518HF Testing

Post by vladislavmedvednikov » 10 Mar 2018, 15:02

Is there any difference between using a DP cable over HDMI 2.0 that they include? Can input lag or artifacts be lower on DP due to higher bandwidth? I'm using MSI GTX 970.

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k2viper
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Re: Alienware AW2518HF Testing

Post by k2viper » 10 Mar 2018, 16:21

Generally modern monitors tend to have scalers with "direct" or "instant" mode through Displayport, and I beleive that HDMI is added to monitors mostly for compatibility (consoles etc). I doubt that there's a measured difference on some modern gaming monitor, though.

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