Has anyone found the service menu for the XB253Q version of the Acer Predator 240hz monitors?

[TTT]

But how have you actually calibrated the monitor?

If you turn dark boost to 0 and have the gamma on the lowest setting 1.8, the grey scale is 50% solid black and theres no other setting to alter it. The only thing that makes it right is having dark boost on default 5.

I use a puck and calibration software.

Post your settings for XB3 I'll see what they look like on mine.

Might not be ideal, as all monitors are different but:

Dark boost off

Brightness 34 (for 150 cd/m2)

Red 50

Green 46

Blue 47

Super sharpness off

I still don't get how your black levels are normal with that.

If I have dark boost 0 with default 2.2 gamma I lose 50% off all grey scale, its just pitch black. Even if I lower gamma to lowest setting 1.8 I lose the top 1/4.

Gamma on 1.8 and dark boost default 5 the black levels are perfect.

Also this monitor is 6-axis colour, not only red/green/blue?

Can you screeny and post what you are seeing on this page: http://www.lagom.nl/lcd-test/black.php

[STOPchris]

I use a puck and calibration software.

Post your settings for XB3 I'll see what they look like on mine.

Might not be ideal, as all monitors are different but:

Dark boost off

Brightness 34 (for 150 cd/m2)

Red 50

Green 46

Blue 47

Super sharpness off

I still don't get how your black levels are normal with that.

If I have dark boost 0 with default 2.2 gamma I lose 50% off all grey scale, its just pitch black. Even if I lower gamma to lowest setting 1.8 I lose the top 1/4.

Gamma on 1.8 and dark boost default 5 the black levels are perfect.

Also this monitor is 6-axis colour, not only red/green/blue?

Can you screeny and post what you are seeing on this page: http://www.lagom.nl/lcd-test/black.php

Are you actually calibrating your monitor, or just plugging in values and going on how it looks?

[TTT]

Post your settings for XB3 I'll see what they look like on mine.

Might not be ideal, as all monitors are different but:

Dark boost off

Brightness 34 (for 150 cd/m2)

Red 50

Green 46

Blue 47

Super sharpness off

I still don't get how your black levels are normal with that.

If I have dark boost 0 with default 2.2 gamma I lose 50% off all grey scale, its just pitch black. Even if I lower gamma to lowest setting 1.8 I lose the top 1/4.

Gamma on 1.8 and dark boost default 5 the black levels are perfect.

Also this monitor is 6-axis colour, not only red/green/blue?

Can you screeny and post what you are seeing on this page: http://www.lagom.nl/lcd-test/black.php

Are you actually calibrating your monitor, or just plugging in values and going on how it looks?

Thats irrelevant, I'm just talking about being able to see the grey scale on that page.

If you can't see it your black calibration isn't right, and going off what mine is like I can't see how it is.

You do have the 240hz IPS right?

[STOPchris]

Might not be ideal, as all monitors are different but:

Dark boost off

Brightness 34 (for 150 cd/m2)

Red 50

Green 46

Blue 47

Super sharpness off

I still don't get how your black levels are normal with that.

If I have dark boost 0 with default 2.2 gamma I lose 50% off all grey scale, its just pitch black. Even if I lower gamma to lowest setting 1.8 I lose the top 1/4.

Gamma on 1.8 and dark boost default 5 the black levels are perfect.

Also this monitor is 6-axis colour, not only red/green/blue?

Can you screeny and post what you are seeing on this page: http://www.lagom.nl/lcd-test/black.php

Are you actually calibrating your monitor, or just plugging in values and going on how it looks?

Thats irrelevant, I'm just talking about being able to see the grey scale on that page.

If you can't see it your black calibration isn't right, and going off what mine is like I can't see how it is.

You do have the 240hz IPS right?

The calibration software fixes this.

[TTT]

I still don't get how your black levels are normal with that.

If I have dark boost 0 with default 2.2 gamma I lose 50% off all grey scale, its just pitch black. Even if I lower gamma to lowest setting 1.8 I lose the top 1/4.

Gamma on 1.8 and dark boost default 5 the black levels are perfect.

Also this monitor is 6-axis colour, not only red/green/blue?

Can you screeny and post what you are seeing on this page: http://www.lagom.nl/lcd-test/black.php

Are you actually calibrating your monitor, or just plugging in values and going on how it looks?

Thats irrelevant, I'm just talking about being able to see the grey scale on that page.

If you can't see it your black calibration isn't right, and going off what mine is like I can't see how it is.

You do have the 240hz IPS right?

The calibration software fixes this.

Oh right, so without that turning darkboost down to 0 makes most of the greys pitch black though. Can't find any way around it.

[STOPchris]

Are you actually calibrating your monitor, or just plugging in values and going on how it looks?

Thats irrelevant, I'm just talking about being able to see the grey scale on that page.

If you can't see it your black calibration isn't right, and going off what mine is like I can't see how it is.

You do have the 240hz IPS right?

The calibration software fixes this.

Oh right, so without that turning darkboost down to 0 makes most of the greys pitch black though. Can't find any way around it.

Yeah, it was on the dark side before I calibrated it. It really is a shame, because the monitor is supposed to work fine at 5 dark boost. I would send it back if I thought they would actually fix it.

[TTT]

Thats irrelevant, I'm just talking about being able to see the grey scale on that page.

If you can't see it your black calibration isn't right, and going off what mine is like I can't see how it is.

You do have the 240hz IPS right?

The calibration software fixes this.

Oh right, so without that turning darkboost down to 0 makes most of the greys pitch black though. Can't find any way around it.

Yeah, it was on the dark side before I calibrated it. It really is a shame, because the monitor is supposed to work fine at 5 dark boost. I would send it back if I thought they would actually fix it.

To be fair its fine with 5 dark boost and 1.8 gamma and I up the in game brightness a bit more than I would usually, the colour and picture quality is still way better than the 240hz TN.

I know generally the warm preset is closest to calibrated settings with the slightly off white tint but I find in actual games it mushes the colours together too much, I find it harder to see people in quick fps games as well. I've just always used the normal preset and then altered the contrast/gamma.

[STOPchris]

The calibration software fixes this.

Oh right, so without that turning darkboost down to 0 makes most of the greys pitch black though. Can't find any way around it.

Yeah, it was on the dark side before I calibrated it. It really is a shame, because the monitor is supposed to work fine at 5 dark boost. I would send it back if I thought they would actually fix it.

To be fair its fine with 5 dark boost and 1.8 gamma and I up the in game brightness a bit more than I would usually, the colour and picture quality is still way better than the 240hz TN.

I know generally the warm preset is closest to calibrated settings with the slightly off white tint but I find in actual games it mushes the colours together too much, I find it harder to see people in quick fps games as well. I've just always used the normal preset and then altered the contrast/gamma.

I usually use the default settings as well, then adjust according to the calibration software/hardware. The problem here is that I am working around the image retention issue, which is solved for me by turning off the dark boost.

[koladonia1]

XV253QX owner here also interested in finding out what the goddamn button combination activates the service menu as I suppose XB253QGX is pretty much the same monitor, at the very least OSD functions and the panel are the same.

Gotta admit that even though I tried my best to calibrate to 6500k (pretty much the same as normal option with more settings available) and 2.2 gamma, I have hard time getting my whites not crushed to hell with any gamma value except for 2.6, yet on lagom white test I still can't see the last square without tweaking stuff in graphics driver.

Btw, if you create in CRU extension blocks a CVT - reduced blank resolution with 240.000hz refresh rate, 10bpc color depth becomes available in the driver options and it also completely fixes the retention issue on 240hz (GSync still works awfully cause overdrive - normal and retention on 60hz are intolerable in case you ever drop down there). As a bonus it slightly shifts overdrive settings and the best one becomes Normal instead of Off on 240hz.

[Chief Blur Buster]

Service Menu on Many Acer Gaming Monitors

Acer gaming monitors such as XB273K, it's button sequence:

4,4,3,3,2,2

On other models such as XN253QX, it is button sequence:

3,3,2,2,1,1

Based on this patterning -- I suspect it is consistent in pressing the last three buttons twice each (in reverse order) -- the last three buttons excluding joystick and excluding power button.

This brings up the factory menu. This information was discovered by users elsewhere on the Internet, and often works on different models of Acer gaming monitors.

Disclaimer: We're not responsible if you screw up your monitor by fiddling in menus meant to be used only by calibration/repair technicians. Certain settings can theoretically eventually damage a monitor, such as overrides to inversion or backlight strobe overvoltage-boost adjustments. Much like overclocking a CPU with raised voltages. Know what each factory-menu setting does first! Fortunately generally, "Overdrive Gain" or "OD Gain" is typically safe since it just a voltage-clipped math multiplier to an existing overdrive algorithm. That said, you've been warned about adjusting unfamiliar settings.