Some questions about gradient on TN panels

[GhostWriter]

I recently got a BenQ XL2420Z and I have noticed a significant difference in the quality of gradient from my IPS panel.

I have found that Black eQualizer makes the gradient much worse (full of banding and blotchy colors), but even with that disabled it doesn't look great.

Pictures with blue going to deeper blue have a noticeable problem. http://i.imgur.com/JPkLsKs.jpg

The strange thing is that I don't see this problem in games very much. I have played several games with dark areas that don't show any gradient problems. But when I look up at the sky (which in some games, is an image) I can see the banding.

Why does the gradient look fine in games, but looks bad in images?

Settings:
"Standard Preset"
Brightness - 100
Contrast - 50
Low Blue Light - 0
Black eQualizer - N/A
Blur Reduction - On (4.5ms)
Color Temperature - Normal
Gamma - 5
Gamma also edited with Windows Display Calibration

[1112e]

I actually came here to ask the same question, but for my xl2430t.

Hope someone knows something about this

[Falkentyne]

Can you download AIDA64 extreme edition (the trial version should work) by finalwire, and please go to monitor diagnostics->color test ,and run the BLUE GRADIENT fill test?
The transition should be 100% perfectly smooth from black to blue.

It looks like yours will have very bad banding.

On my 2720Z, its perfectly smooth transition.

[1112e]

Actually I'm curious, may i ask what you are using to output to the monitor?

Edit: both of you actually, so i can compare

[Falkentyne]

I'm using DVI, on a AMD R9 290x.

Ghostwriter, can you take a picture of the blue gradient fill (on the aida64 monitor diagnostics color test) and upload it?
I'm NOT using ANY windows display calibration, so please disable that, also disable any ICC profiles and use the default one (make sure you click on "recalibrate display" in the icc area afterwards,

Then use the following settings I'm using:
Brightness 100
Contrast 43
RGB=100,98,96
Standard mode
Gamma 4
Blur reduction off (doesn't matter if it's on...just too dark).

If you REALLY REALLY want to make it apples to apples,
Go to ToastyX's custom resolution utilty (its really easy btw, you wont break ANYTHING), and make a 100hz custom refresh rate with the following values: ONLY change the value I list:

use 100hz refresh rate with the Vertical total tweak for 100hz for 1500 VT:
Click ADD: Detailed resolution: Manual:

active horizontal/vertical: 1920/1080
front porch 88/4, Sync width 44/5 (IF YOU ARE USING A 24" SCREEN AND NOT THE 2720Z OR 2720T, PLEASE USE 48/3 FOR FRONT PORCH AND 32/5 FOR SYNC WIDTH, AND 2080/1500 FOR THE HT/VT.
(fun fact: if you are using VT 1500 on the 27" at 120hz, you need to also use these values for 120hz or you will get swimming pixels (the normal values will give 396 MHz pixel clock instead of 374, and 374 is just in the limit, while 396 is just too much for the DVI link).

(back porch and blanking will fill in automatically)
Horizontal total=2200, Vertical Total=1500 for 2720Z/2720T, for 24" screens use 2080/1500.
Refresh:100hz.

Pixel bandwidth should be 330.00 exactly, so you should NOT need a pixel clock patcher.
(the 24" values should give 312'ish MHz)
Then press Ok, exit out, then run the 'restart.zip" experimental driver restarter on ToastyX's CRU page (will be on the front page), that way you don't need to reboot at all.

When you're all finished, you can just run reset-all.exe which is also part of CRU, then (again), run the restart.exe or restart64.exe.

I'm VERY curious what your blue gradient fill looks like. If it's banded then either the monitor or the cable may be faulty OR somehow you're in 16 bit color mode.
(edit: check the orange gradient too; make sure you don't see orange/yellow/pink alternating bands in it; you get that in 16 bit color; perfectly smooth in 32 bit).

[GhostWriter]

I didn't see your second post until after I had taken these pics. I will get pics with my monitor calibrated to match yours in a minute. For now, here is what it looks like with the current calibration.

AIDA64 - http://i.imgur.com/ylTutyE.jpg - Didn't see any problems.

http://www.drycreekphoto.com/Learn/Cali ... adient.htm - http://i.imgur.com/MJmDg9k.jpg - The banding here looks worse in person.

AC4 Sky - http://i.imgur.com/73qY0m5.jpg - Hard to see in the pic due to the refresh screwing up the camera.

AC4 Water - http://i.imgur.com/OtvzJGK.jpg - No banding

Actually I'm curious, may i ask what you are using to output to the monitor?

Edit: both of you actually, so i can compare

I'm using DisplayPort.

[Falkentyne]

Ugh...I wish you had the registered version of AIDA64...that "Trial version" is messing up the entire picture. I'm sending alternating bands of light/dark blue on it

Can you enter this code and see if it accepts it?
3DGK1CRXD6CNDSHFD2GYJ7JQJ

If it does take another screenshot.

Also can you use a DVI Connection?

[GhostWriter]

I'm using DVI, on a AMD R9 290x.

Ghostwriter, can you take a picture of the blue gradient fill (on the aida64 monitor diagnostics color test) and upload it?
I'm NOT using ANY windows display calibration, so please disable that, also disable any ICC profiles and use the default one (make sure you click on "recalibrate display" in the icc area afterwards,

Then use the following settings I'm using:
Brightness 100
Contrast 43
RGB=100,98,96
Standard mode
Gamma 4
Blur reduction off (doesn't matter if it's on...just too dark).

If you REALLY REALLY want to make it apples to apples,
Go to ToastyX's custom resolution utilty (its really easy btw, you wont break ANYTHING), and make a 100hz custom refresh rate with the following values: ONLY change the value I list:

use 100hz refresh rate with the Vertical total tweak for 100hz for 1500 VT:
Click ADD: Detailed resolution: Manual:

active horizontal/vertical: 1920/1080
front porch 88/4, Sync width 44/5 (IF YOU ARE USING A 24" SCREEN AND NOT THE 2720Z OR 2720T, PLEASE USE 48/3 FOR FRONT PORCH AND 32/5 FOR SYNC WIDTH, AND 2080/1500 FOR THE HT/VT.
(fun fact: if you are using VT 1500 on the 27" at 120hz, you need to also use these values for 120hz or you will get swimming pixels (the normal values will give 396 MHz pixel clock instead of 374, and 374 is just in the limit, while 396 is just too much for the DVI link).

(back porch and blanking will fill in automatically)
Horizontal total=2200, Vertical Total=1500 for 2720Z/2720T, for 24" screens use 2080/1500.
Refresh:100hz.

Pixel bandwidth should be 330.00 exactly, so you should NOT need a pixel clock patcher.
(the 24" values should give 312'ish MHz)
Then press Ok, exit out, then run the 'restart.zip" experimental driver restarter on ToastyX's CRU page (will be on the front page), that way you don't need to reboot at all.

When you're all finished, you can just run reset-all.exe which is also part of CRU, then (again), run the restart.exe or restart64.exe.

I'm VERY curious what your blue gradient fill looks like. If it's banded then either the monitor or the cable may be faulty OR somehow you're in 16 bit color mode.
(edit: check the orange gradient too; make sure you don't see orange/yellow/pink alternating bands in it; you get that in 16 bit color; perfectly smooth in 32 bit).

- Everything in Color Management is set to default.

- "Windows Calibrate Display Color" reset.

- Matched your settings (Although I can't edit the RGB Color Ratio with Standard Mode)

- Ran ToastyX the way you said to. (What does this do? Why is it set to 100Hz?)

Pics:

AIDA64 - http://i.imgur.com/pH7G9yG.jpg

AC4 Sky (I think the sky in this game may be it's own problem. Most likely shoddy Ubisoft work) - http://i.imgur.com/BqWXR8q.jpg

Dry Creek Photo Monitor Grayscale Test Image - http://i.imgur.com/VGQfvpH.jpg

Steam - http://i.imgur.com/ojl9Kkj.jpg

This didn't seem to change much. The only difference I am seeing is that the gamma makes the banding slightly lighter in coloration. Can you post pics of "drycreekphoto.com/Learn/Calibration/monitor_gradient.htm" and "store.steampowered.com"?

What is going on here? Is there a way I can check if I am running the wrong color settings? (16 bit) Is this a DisplayPort issue? Is my monitor defective?

[Falkentyne]

Ok I think you can disregard whatever is happening.
My 'store.steampowered.com' looks just as yucky as yours.
But it's ONLY that page.
I never realized steam looked that horrible.

I see absolutely NOTHING like that horrible banding on this lagom test:
http://www.lagom.nl/lcd-test/gradient.p ... ient-h.png <--looks perfectly smooth to me.

Steam looks awful.

How does this look?
http://www.colorsimulator.com/Patterns/ ... attern.jpg
I see some nice banding effects in FPS mode (since FPS seems to have some very strange saturation and color settings that don't match standard mode even at same RGB), but perfectly smooth in standard mode.

Hardforum ( http://hardforum.com/ ) and overclock.net ( http://www.overclock.net/f/44/monitors-and-displays ) look fine too.
if this looks fine then I think you can relax.

[GhostWriter]

Ugh...I wish you had the registered version of AIDA64...that "Trial version" is messing up the entire picture. I'm sending alternating bands of light/dark blue on it

Can you enter this code and see if it accepts it?
3DGK1CRXD6CNDSHFD2GYJ7JQJ

If it does take another screenshot.

Also can you use a DVI Connection?

I appreciate the code, but it isn't accepting it.

Just tried DVI-D. It caps my monitor to 60hz and there are no other Hz options to switch to.

Ok I think you can disregard whatever is happening.
My 'store.steampowered.com' looks just as yucky as yours.
But it's ONLY that page.
I never realized steam looked that horrible.

I see absolutely NOTHING like that horrible banding on this lagom test:
http://www.lagom.nl/lcd-test/gradient.p ... ient-h.png <--looks perfectly smooth to me.

Steam looks awful.

How does this look?
http://www.colorsimulator.com/Patterns/ ... attern.jpg
I see some nice banding effects in FPS mode (since FPS seems to have some very strange saturation and color settings that don't match standard mode even at same RGB), but perfectly smooth in standard mode.

Hardforum ( http://hardforum.com/ ) and overclock.net ( http://www.overclock.net/f/44/monitors-and-displays ) look fine too.
if this looks fine then I think you can relax.

All of those pages look fine on my end.

The only banding I'm seeing is some minor stuff here: http://www.drycreekphoto.com/Learn/Cali ... adient.htm

I also can see some on the clouds on my desktop wallpaper (Look closely near the top right corner): http://i.imgur.com/nq38v8G.png

Let me know if you see anything on those. Otherwise, thank you very much for the help.

I think I am just noticing the slight differences since this was my wallpaper on my IPS panel before I switched. Steam didn't look as bad on the IPS, but I'm thinking that must just be the difference between the two.