BenQ XL Series -- Display Mode

[SUOrange55]

Does anyone know how to get Display Mode to work?

Essentially I would like to scale down my XL27290Z to a 20-22" screen. The option is greyed out in every preset (whether in-game or not). Is it not available via DVI?

[masterotaku]

It's available in Standard mode, but I don't find it useful (it squashes the image, making text blurry). If you want less viewable area, you can create a custom resolution of 1778x1000 (or lower) and disable scaling, for example.

[randyyle]

i have that problem too, what i have found is that if i use 144hz i can't use display mode but if i use any other hz i can use display mode

[Falkentyne]

Does anyone know how to get Display Mode to work?

Essentially I would like to scale down my XL27290Z to a 20-22" screen. The option is greyed out in every preset (whether in-game or not). Is it not available via DVI?

Ok a few things you need to know.
#1: A bit unrelated but saying it anyway: 50 hz blur reduction (60 hz is fine) is BUGGED unless you use masterotaku's VT tweaks. It seems to work on the 24"'s just fine and works if you use a higher Vertical total (like 1260; this must be defined in a detail resolution for 50hz). It may NOT be bugged on the 24" screens as chief got it working just fine but it IS on the 27" (unknown if V3 firmware changes this). it basically acts identical to trying to use blur reduction on a T/TE (not 2430T) series that was flashed with Z firmware (strobemaster actually did this flash, on his article about the 2420Z); the voltage to the LED's get much higher (brightness goes too high, no strobing; monitor may shut off to protect itself and reset, or display nothing). This is only a problem if you're playing Crysis and Crysis 2, which incorrectly default to the lowest possible refresh rate, instead of 60 hz (Ultra street fighter 4, and Dark Souls, for example, both default to 60 correctly). You can fix that by making a 1920x1076@100 (or even 120) custom resolution and move it to the top slot in CRU.exe and use that in the game. Drawback is every resolution under 1920x1076 becomes a downsampled 1920x1076, so only that refresh rate will be even listed)

#2: The "display mode" options you see only work when using a resolution that is seen as a 'standard' resolution to windows, which gives this resolution to the monitor as a standarad res. The resolutions shown as standard are the ones that are listed in ToastyX's custom resolution utility, under "established, standard and detail." If you have one of these resolutions entered, then when you switch to one, the monitor will show on the right: "Suggested resolution: 1920x1080", which means it knows you're using a lower resolution. Then you can use the monitor's internal scaler to scale the aspect ratio and the screen.

Please note: Do NOT use Vertical total tweaks when using the monitor scaler, as VT tweaks trick the monitor into thinking you are using 60hz. Corruption or bizarre swimming can happen (might even cause damage). For example if you are using VT tweaks at 1920x1080, the scaling options all become ungrayed (they are supposed to be grayed as scaling should not be used at the native resolution) and cause a poorly distorted/wrong aspect picture to show up, sometimes with swimming pixels (usually if you're using a pixel bandwidth higher than 330). Naturally, theres no problem with lower resolutions that are entered in established and standard, but some specific resolutions cause OSD errors (this happens on both the VG248QE and Benq): 1280x1024@85 displays out of range, even though the picture is right there perfectly in range, 1024x768@120 displays swimming pixels on the far right (even on the VG248), 1280x1024@100, 120, 1680x1050@85/100 all display "Incorrect cable", etc, while all of the 60 hz resolutions work fine.

Funny enough, in the VG248QE, in CRU.exe, all of the 'standard resolutions' shown by default are 60hz only, while the Benq has 120hz (causes errors) resolutions shown. Entering those same resolutions/refresh rates on the VG248 will give the same strange errors.

No idea if this happens under Nvidia control panel's custom resolution utility. Might give toastyX a PM and ask him if he knows what's up, but I faintly remember him saying that those settings were originally for CRT's...

[SUOrange55]

Falkentyne,

Thank you for your response. I may be confusing different subjects here but are you saying to never use the VT tweak when doing any kind of scaling on the display? Right now (pre any Display Mode tweaks), I'm running the XL2720z in 1920x1080@120 but one of the games I play is aspect ratio scaled in 1280x720 (game is running in fullscreen). Is that an issue?

[Falkentyne]

If the monitor says "suggested resolution 1920x1080" when you start the game, it means it is NOT using your VT tweak of 1920x1080 but instead accepting the game's resolution (1280.720) as a standard resolution and scaling it directly. It will only do that, if that resolution and refresh rate is listed as a standard or detail resolution in CRU.exe.

if NOT, and its actually using 1920x1080 downsampled (if the screen OSD itself says 1920x1080) and you are using a VT tweak, then don't use the monitor display mode features. They should be grayed out anyway (VT tweaks cause the 1920x1080 downsampled ungrays them when they should be grayed)

[Falkentyne]

BTW
If you are NOT using vertical total tweaks, the display mode options are available (and working) at lower than 144hz, and they all seem to work fine, although if you are using an in game resolution lower than your desktop (like 1680x1050), and that resolution/refresh rate isn't defined as a custom resolution in ToastyX's CRU or Nvidia control panel, then you will want the video card to "scale image to full panel size" first, if you want the display mode aspect settings to make sense (e.g. scaling a game running at 1024x768@100, to 17" 4:3 through the OSD will be fine, OR having 1024x768@100 as a defined custom resolution in CRU, which will make the monitor accept that as a fullscreen res with resizing options, BUT having the videocard drivers scale lower resolutions to aspect ratios, and then having the monitor use the downscaled resolution, trying to 'aspect' it (your in game 1024x768) through the OSD or setting it to 17" 4:3 will look completely wrong, since that OSD setting is designed to change a FULL SCREEN image to 17" 4:3, so you'll want it to default to fullscreen first.

Using VT tweaks at 100 and 120hz (actually at any refresh rate, including 60hz) make the monitor use the 60hz backlight pulse widths (single strobe must be enabled in that case, as you can NOT make changes to strobe phase/duty if single strobe is NOT Enabled when using the 60hz pulse widths) but will also play havoc with the Display Mode settings and make them inaccurate or unusuable. You'll find that if you are NOT using VT tweaks, you can change strobe phase/duty at higher than 75 hz refresh rate since its using 76hz+ pulse widths, and thus always single strobes, even if set to off in the service menu (this cutoff may be why masterotaku had to remove 76hz custom settings)

No idea why display mode aspect settings are not available at 144hz. According to benq's own faq and even their "suggested setups", they seem to imply that you can "set the screen to 144 hz, then change the display mode aspect settings to your liking....except..you can't. (need 120hz or lower, without VT tweaks).

[Q83Ia7ta]

No idea why display mode aspect settings are not available at 144hz. According to benq's own faq and even their "suggested setups", they seem to imply that you can "set the screen to 144 hz, then change the display mode aspect settings to your liking....except..you can't. (need 120hz or lower, without VT tweaks).

May be to rid of calculations caused by scaling and show best possible performance (input lag)?

[Falkentyne]

Actually I sort of figured it out.

At 640x480, 800x600, 1024x768 and 1280x1024, provided you did NOT remove all of the established and standard resolutions from CRU.exe, AND you do not have a 50hz refresh rate added in detail resolutions, one of the following two things happen in Direct X 10+ games ONLY (if you did remove all standard and established resolutions, it will only use the current desktop refresh rate):

if the only detailed resolution is the default (60hz), the monitor will use a refresh rate of its choosing for one of the lower 4:3 resolutions; usually 144hz for 800x600, 120hz for 1024x768 and 100hz for 1280x1024. Supposedly this is supposed to be calculated by the framerate of the application or something. Alt tabbing out and in makes it use the desktop refresh rate.

If you have other detailed resolutions, it seems to use the lowest one that isn't the default (if you have 60hz, 100, 120 and 144hz entered in detailed resolutions, it will use 100hz. If your 100hz had Vertical tweaks, it will use that). if you have 50, 60, 100 and 120, it will use 50hz.

I'm guessing that's what the "Gaming refresh rate Optimized management" is.

I find this somewhat worthless, because this works for directX 10 and newer games (did a bunch of tests in valley benchmark using both DX 9 and 10 modes). DX9 mode uses the refresh rates shown in standard (or established) resolutions in custom resolution utility. DX10 mode uses the first non 60hz refresh rate in detailed resolutions, and if none (except the 60hz one) exists in detailed resolutions, It will choose 144, 120 or 100 depending on res.

Display mode is supposed to 'cooperate' with this "GROM" feature, to let you choose an aspect ratio and screen size, to your liking.

Since no one uses 4:3 resolutions in DX10 games, I don't know why this refresh choosing doesn't work in DX9 stuff...would be great for games like CS Go, CSS, UT2004 and other DX9 games ...

*edit*
Yep, this is definitely part of Benq's "GROM".
I just tried the same thing on the Asus VG248QE--I unplugged the Benq, plugged in the VG248, ran toastyX's reset-all.exe, then ran restart64 to restart the videodriver, so it had all of the VG248''s default EDID info, unedited.

First thing I noticed is that the VG248 has 50hz by default (YUCK!!). The benq 2720Z does not.
But the Benq adds 50hz (or the AMD drivers do) after any change whatsoever in CRU...so 50hz was probably removed from the default EDID then gets readded after any change.

Then I ran Valley at 640x480, 800x600, 1024x768 and 1280x1024 in DX11 mode.
If the windows refresh rate were 100hz or higher, Valley used the windows refresh rate.

If the windows refresh rate were 60 hz...well....um.....

"Incorrect Cable. Please insert a dual-link DVI cable." Press menu to exit"
(why can't the benq do this? When Benq gives a cable error (funny enough the exact same resolutions/settings will cause the same errors on both screens), you cant get into the OSD; either the screen auto resets and tries to acquire another input source, or pressing any button brings up the list of inputs to select from. At least Asus got that right...

After I pressed menu, I still had full control of the OSD, image displayed just fine, and the Asus info said that the screen was running 1920x1080 @ 85 hz.

It was using 85hz for every resolution: 640x480, 800x600, 1024x768, 1280x1024. Yes they worked, but were all downsampled 1920x1080, @85hz, and all gave the annoying cable error (which unlike on the Benq, you can just press menu and remove, and can actually PLAY on that setting).

Just to test, I found that 1920x1080 @85hz was also selectable in the CCC (benq doesn't have this refresh rate in ccc for 1920x1080). selected it: cable error.

So Benq got THAT right.
Using 100, 120 or 144 hz (or the lowest non 60hz listed on detailed resolutions if any exist) for Benq's GROM instead of 85hz for Asus' preset decisions.

Done testing. Time to play some freaking GAMES.