Acer XB273U GX (270Hz 1440p IPS) review

[Chief Blur Buster]

I think this is a firmware bug with the LCD inversion logic.

Let me cross post why image retention occurs.

Right now, it looks like the inversion algorithm on this LCD may have a bug.

A firmware upgrade probably could fix this problem, but I don't think everybody realizes that it's an scaler/TCON bug on the inversion algorithm.

Why Image Retention / Burn-In Sometimes Occur On LCDs

Crossposting here.

Dang. Thats the weirdest thing ever. I've had the same static image on the screen for hours at a time, never had a issue. Wow, I'm amazed this happened in such a short time. Furthermore, omg that retention in general is loud and bold ! Most bold IR I've ever seen. How high do you have your brightness ? IMO 99% of people use their monitors way too bright, in which could be culprit to image retention quicker. It is also why they see outrageous screen bloom and backlight bleed.

Image Retention ("Temporary Burn-In")
From Temporary Static Electricity Buildup In Pixels

Flicker patterns such as:
- Emulator black-frame insertion
- 3D-glasses software
- Certain motion tests (including but not just TestUFO's Sync Track)
- Anything that does exactly a half-Hz or quarter-Hz flicker with no dropped frames for a sustained period

Can create temporary LCD image retention. It's a static-electricity behavior when a flicker goes in sync with the positive-negative voltage inversion algorithm, and creates this inversion-related image retention.

This is temporary and you just display video full-screen, or some other thing that really exercise the whole screen -- e.g.
This gets rid of the per-pixel static electricity buildups.

You also get the same problem in anything that flickers pixels in-phase with the positive-negative voltages of the LCD inversion algorithm.

https://www.google.com/search?q=techmind+LCD+inversion

Voltages inverts to try to balance the electricity buildup in the panel, but flicker patterns that go in sync with this, can cause a voltage unbalance = static electricity build up, as an LCD pixels can accidentally behave as capacitors.

The layered nature of an LCD unfortunately creates unavoidable capacitance effects that interfere with operation.



Modern LCDs try to avoid this by using spatial and temporal alternating voltage (positive voltage, then negative voltage, then positive voltage, then negative voltage, and so on)



It's often in a chessboard pattern spatially, which sometimes produces an inversion artifact. Normally this is invisible when the positive voltages are perfectly balanced with negative voltages. But the voltage balancing is not always perfect, so you see this:



However, this is also done temporally -- the voltages swap (like an inverted chessboard) at the next refresh cycle.

Now, if you flicker perfectly (at half Hz), then pixels that gets the "higher voltage" (different brightnesses = different voltages) are always getting negative voltages or always getting positive voltages = static electricity buildup = image retention.

• The chessboard artifact is the quirk from spatial component of the inversion algorithm.
• The image retention is the quirk from temporal component of the inversion algorithm.

Not all screens use the same inversion pattern / inversion algorithm, so some LCDs don't get image retention easily, while others do. In an ideal world, we would be now using error-diffusion temporal dithering or some randomized dithered inversion algorithm, to be fully immune to all material. But in the real world, the panel makers don't do that, and just settle for simple patterned inversion algorithms which are easier to do at high refresh rates (complex invisible inversion processing can be costly). Historically, this is why inversion patterns often have showed up more commonly on high-Hz monitors -- for example, the early ASUS VG278HE (one of the first-ever 27 inch 144Hz monitors) was particularly known for its chessboard artifact during 3D glasses operation.

Thusly, I am not surprised that the world's first panels of a specific refresh rate has some "inversion-related quirks". Every single 240Hz 1ms IPS panel currently has this pixel-as-capacitors quirk at the moment, that only shows up with sustained exact-Hz flicker patterns. As time passes, I'm sure this will improve, wit h improved inversion algorithms.

Since the pixels have inadvertently behaved like capacitors because of the layered nature of an LCD worked against proper pixel operation. Now you got to drain the charge -- the built-up static electricity stored in the pixel.

Draining the pixel static electricity charge is best done by playing highly active video material. If you want to erase image retention faster, use full screen random-color flashing (fully randomized colors).

HOW TO FIX FIX: Play highly active fullscreen video or animation.
Play pixel fixer software https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39HUG7QrQi8 (play at 2X speed, it's too slow)
Or simulated analog TV noise https://www.shadertoy.com/view/tdXXRM -- this usually erases image retention faster.
I prefer simulated analog TV noise as a quick burn-in eraser.
Make sure to click the full screen button

While a technology quirk, it is not an RMA defect at all.

Also, if you want to keep using emulator BFI, use the new 180Hz BFI feature now found in some emulators, a 3-cycle flicker pattern never produces image retention on majority of monitors -- RetroArch is building this feature in now.

NOTE: Some old LCDs had inversion-algorithms bugs tj(firmware bugs or hardware bugs) that caused burn-in even with stationary images, especially at certain picture settings. Also, certain manoevers such as overclocking an LCD may cause inversion algorithms to fail, creating a more image-retention-sensitive LCD. You will immediately know if image retention occurs with stationary images instaed of moving images.

However, if a stationary (non flickering) image causes image retention on this panel, then there is a definite bug with the inversion algorithm and it cannot be fixed without a firmware upgrade.

They need to release a firmware upgrade ASAP.

In theory an RMA can be avoided if:
(A) Quarantine until firmware fix
(B) Install new firmware
(C) A long retention-undo by playing some active imagery (full screen action video) for hours, at a time proportionate (~10x as long as you displayed something that caused image retention).

Then the panel should be pretty clean, without needing to pay for shipping.

But this is contingent on Acer releasing a firmware fix that can be installed by users. This is one of the mandatory requirements of the Blur Busters Approved program, a commitment to release bugfix firmware upgrades.

[STOPchris]

I think this is a firmware bug with the LCD inversion logic.
[...]

It's not just this monitor from Acer, they have several others that have the same issue.

[ax111]

Just got mine today. It looks pretty amazing and performs great. I do not have any dead pixels and have not experienced the burn in issue and hopefully never will but here's to hoping Acer corrects the issues with a firmware update.

If you order this from Acer's website (in stock at the time of this writing), be sure to use the discount code "PRED10" for $70 off.

[CheekiWeeb]

Just got mine today. It looks pretty amazing and performs great. I do not have any dead pixels and have not experienced the burn in issue and hopefully never will but here's to hoping Acer corrects the issues with a firmware update.

If you order this from Acer's website (in stock at the time of this writing), be sure to use the discount code "PRED10" for $70 off.

One person I spoke with had the issue happen a week after using it so I would keep my eye out still.
I hope you don't have to go through what me and some other users have.
Also, I hope these panel go through more closer QC checks and hopefully the issue is fixable via firmware like chief says.

[StuckIn2003]

It's not just this monitor from Acer, they have several others that have the same issue.

Wouldn't that point to the fact it can be fixed by a firmware update?

[STOPchris]

I bet if you guys lower the black boost, the problem goes away. Not a permanent solution, but it should work.

[z28yeti]

I just got mine from microcenter on sunday... Disappointed is a word... The amount of BLB is so atrocious it actually hurts my eyes.

For reference I'm coming from a Dell s2716DGR and predator xb252q. (I just sent my xb252q to my brother so I'm stuck with this pos for 240hz until I return it)

I have to drive 1.5 hours each way to microcenter, but luckily my friend lives a mile away so I can demo the exchange panel at his house, and do a full return if it's as hot garbage as this one. I was weary of BLB and ips glow coming from TN panels... but this... this is something else, it is like a flourescent flashlight blasting me in the eyes from the lower right and left of the screen. I have to have it at a 60-75 degree angle just to make it usable.

I added attachments, sorry if they're not in the actual post... but one is dark room, one is lit. The left lower left of the screen is actually much worse than the lower right, but I forgot to unplug my keyboard and it is illuminating that side of the screen so less orange is showing, and the other images are too large.

Someone talk me down from thinking IPS technology is trash garbage that shouldn't exist lol. How could you use this for color work?

As soon as I turned it on I couldn't even appreciate the colors because the lower left of the screen was hurting my eye.

I've tested both black and white screen with no image retention, so that's a plus. I guess I should have just got the alienware? I googled a ton of reviews for it and the amount of BLB and ips glow "defects" I saw for that were nothing compared to this.

[Chief Blur Buster]

This looks unusually bad for IPS. -- you have both IPS glow *and* blacklight bleed combined on that exposure.

Also, some panels are less prone to IPS glow than others.

I have much better high-Hz IPS panels here in terms of black uniformity.

[ax111]

I've had the monitor for 5 or 6 days now, and today I experienced the first case of image retention. Today is also the first day I turned the black boost up to 10. The image retention wasn't on the screen for very long after I backed the black boost down to 5. Also, the image that retended (that isn't a word, but it should be) wasn't even on my screen for very long.

So I think STOPchris is right:

I bet if you guys lower the black boost, the problem goes away. Not a permanent solution, but it should work.

I just got mine from microcenter on sunday... Disappointed is a word... The amount of BLB is so atrocious it actually hurts my eyes

Wow, mine looks nothing like what your picture shows, but I do notice some IPS glow in dark areas and I think that is the biggest hurdle I am having coming from a TN panel. But I did a side by side comparison to my old monitor (AOC G2460PG) and wow, the colors are just so night and day different. I hadn't realized just how washed out and muted the TN panel looked until I had it next to the Acer.

So I have a decision to make. Do I keep this panel or not? The image retention incident has me a bit worried but it did resolve pretty quickly and it seems to be induced by a high black boost value. The IPS glow is something that comes along with the technology, and having used TN panels for ~15 years, I am just not used to it. The performance and colors of the Acer are amazing though. Clearly no panel is perfect and concessions will have to be made.

[Chief Blur Buster]

From a bug perspective, this is interesting/unusual from an engineering POV.

A high Black Boost value must have created a bug in the LCD inversion algorithm (supposed to prevent LCD image retention) and/or excessive pixel drive voltages.

Acer should modify their QA test procedure to include
1. Set Black Boost to maximum
2. Display stationary content for an hour.
3. Go to other screens to observe the artifacts.