[Tool] Native motion test suite (inspired by TestUFO) for Linux

[Slamy]

Howdy.

I'm new to this forum so maybe I should introduce myself first. My name is Slamy and I'm an embedded software engineer. I'm from Germany, which makes english not my native language. I'm sorry for small mistakes in the way of expressing myself.
As probably most of you I'm watching the monitor industry in expectation for innovation of motion blur reduction technology. Sadly this doesn't seems to be the main priority of manufacturers right now.

2 years ago I've made some failed attempts to buy some CRTs to play 60 FPS locked games without motion blur. It didn't go very well as most CRTs are worn out by now after heavy use over the years.
I'm a huge fan of the TestUFO tool but I had the feeling that a web browser might not be best suited for a tool like this. So, back then I've made my own tool. I never really advertised it but I have the feeling that it deserves some attention to help out the the Linux folks around here.

https://github.com/Slamy/motionTestSuite

The tool is not very user friendly at the moment as it is controlled by keyboard only to make it simple.
It not only offers a Pursuit camera, which is heavily inspired by the way, the TestUFO works but also a Strobe Cross Talk test.
There are also other tests, which are more designed for CRTs, like a cross hatch test pattern or a sharpness test inspired by http://www.lagom.nl/lcd-test/sharpness.php

I'm aware that I might not have the rights to use the official graphics of the test ufo, even so credit is given in the readme. So if this is a problem, I'm removing it and replacing it with something different. If there are any suggestions I’m eager to add them to make the tool even more useful.

Kind regards,
Slamy

PS: I’m currently using an Asus PG279QE and its ULMB is awful because of strobe cross talk

[Chief Blur Buster]

Appreciate posting here!

But one thing -- the trademarked UFO logo is copyright Blur Busters (Rejhon Technologies Inc), which I own and operate...

https://github.com/Slamy/motionTestSuit ... er/ufo.bmp

Please remove the UFO (including delete from commit history) and use a different graphic.

Thank you!

P.S. There's well known complaints and fixes for TestUFO on Linux, and some workarounds available:
viewtopic.php?f=19&t=3842
(I had offered a $2000 bounty for industry fixes, but things move too glacially.)

[Slamy]

But one thing -- the trademarked UFO logo is copyright Blur Busters (Rejhon Technologies Inc), which I own and operate...

https://github.com/Slamy/motionTestSuit ... er/ufo.bmp

Please remove the UFO (including delete from commit history) and use a different graphic.

Thank you!

I should have expected this and asked before actually including it. It is now removed from the commit history. Sorry about that.

P.S. There's well known complaints and fixes for TestUFO on Linux, and some workarounds available:
viewtopic.php?f=19&t=3842
(I had offered a $2000 bounty for industry fixes, but things move too glacially.)

Even so the workarounds exist, the message "VSYNC is not available on the Linux platform." still seems to be hard coded?
The analysis from https://www.testufo.com/animation-time-graph looks fine on my side. But I do have to admit that tinkering was required to achieve a flat line.
Considering the Linux driver side for Nvidia, Vsync seems to be more reliable when the OpenGL context is in "FLIP" mode instead of "BLIT" as it removes the desktop from the rendering chain. But Chrome doesn't make use of this feature sadly even when executed in full screen.

To be honest, Video gaming on Linux is sometimes still a mess. But I see progress with Valve pushing Proton with the Steam Deck.

[Chief Blur Buster]

Thank you!

As a “hobby-turned-business”, we love to incubate indie tests, all the apps are inspired by Blur Busters — RTING’s internal app, your app, ApertureGrille’s Frog Pursuit, and I think there are a couple others. All of them use the invention we released to public domain, the pursuit camera sync track.

My original inspiration was PixPerAn from prad.de but I replaced the racecar with the UFO graphic.

I like browsers because I can end arguments instantly with just a “see for yourself” motion test link. Millions visit TestUFO now… (well over 10M per year). None are as recognized as the UFO trademark, and I give universal free permission to all reviewers to show off photographs of the free TestUFO tests.

I have no issue with tests inspired by TestUFO, as long as they don’t use a UFO, as display tests involving a UFO is our trademark calling sign of Blur Busters. So we defend my art trademark that became the corporate logo of my hobby-turned-biz.

Being said, no binary (yours or Frog Pursuit) can ever be as popular as a web app in teaching/replying to Hz skeptics, one tweet-size reply at a time. None of the binary apps can do a quick tweet-sized micdrop reply, and that’s why I once offered a bounty for the Linux VSYNC ecosystem issue.

However, as long as acknowledged as “inspired by Blur Busters” and crediting the pursuit camera paper, I like to see more indies copy the camera sync track. That part is public domain.

I even wonder if Blur Busters should up the ante and offer a $10,000 Linux bounty, under the same strigent criteria - as long as someone else chips in $5000 and I will dollar-match that.

For me, binaries indeed has a great role (solve a Linux problem differently, thank you) — but can’t do the Hz advocacy/education “in just a link” that we need to keep mythbusting the Hz skeptics, even if binaries have a place for offline tests, prosumers, experienced scripters, reviewers, Linux distro users, and the like.

I need to show people a motion test on any device almost instantly. Show a motion test faster than starting to play the beginning of one TikTok video. Nothing but a webapp can ever meet Blur Busters advocacy needs.

I can trust TestUFO on screens running on Windows, Mac, Android, 60Hz iOS, Fire TV, Apple TV, Roku Browser, newer Chromebooks, Steam Deck. Out of the box, straight out of the shrink wrap.

But guess what is missing?

None of the top 5 Linux distros could do perfect high-Hz browser vsync out of the box.

At least in 2021 with no user interventions (fiddling the software & settings & installing more stuff). Although I hear one of the distros (just one) seems to be doing it occasionally/rarely if you’re lucky with the right graphics card and it automatically uses the right driver and right settings — up from 0%. Averaged across the top 5 distros, (0%,0%,0%,0%,15%), I’d guesstimate we are 2%-5% of bounty completion. Android recently reached >90% VSYNC reliability (within a few seconds if no background apps), so that’s the Linux king of high Hz browser VSYNC.

This micdrops why I offer a bounty.

The top 5 distributions gaining perfect browser Hz sync out of the box on any 144Hz and 240Hz monitor with no further configuring. That requires the distro vendors to fix the issues. That offer probably will not be enough, but can try. I’m ready to try a $10,000 bounty for relible VSYNC in Linux distro browsers, if funded 50%:50% by us and others.

[Chief Blur Buster]

Fortunately VSYNC on Android and Steam Deck work great with TestUFO, so some Linux+based systems are in line.

It’s just those distributions / driver vendors / Gnome / kwin / browser programmers don’t always bother to fix high-Hz VSYNC in the full chain. In many cases only small code commits to multiple packages are needed to fix VSYNC in a Linux distribution.

The dominoes can be fixed. The new kwin-lowlatency fork, combined with some drivers, combined with Chrome, does if well now. But FireFox needs to do it too, and all other major browsers. And in more distributions. And in all the major video drivers. And in other window managers such as Gnome. Developers will need to whack-a-mole all the “High Hz” bugs out of Linux.

Maybe a bit to kwin, a bit to an AMD driver, a bit to the FireFox browser source code, then voila.

But another problem is distro vendors take years to validate and accept code changes, since they’re used in mission critical systems that have nothing to do with gaming, too. Some of the changes are already in pipeline (contributions by the excellent kwin-lowlafency fork) but still filtering slowly. But Firefox is missing a code change, I believe.

Readers: If anyone wants to dollar match a potential upsized bounty to fix the independent Linux distro ecosystem (other than Android variants and SteamOS, which are now fixed), contact me by PM or via www.blurbusters.com/contact …. I’ll dollar match up to $5K, to create a brand new $10K bounty under Blur Busters’ strict scientific-reliability VSYNC conditions now taken for granted on Windows systems (and even most Macs, 60Hz iOS devices, and newer Android of any Hz).

TL:DR: Linux Browser VSYNC has been a longtime bone of contention reducing trust in web-based motion tests on Linux. My new potential bounty offer (if dollar-matching donor found) aims long-term to eventually allow web browser VSYNC-ON to work instantly out of box for 90%+ of Linux distro users.