Which blur reduction setup allows for variable framerates?

Ask about motion blur reduction in gaming monitors. Includes ULMB (Ultra Low Motion Blur), NVIDIA LightBoost, ASUS ELMB, BenQ/Zowie DyAc, Turbo240, ToastyX Strobelight, etc.
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SharpHawk
Posts: 3
Joined: 11 Jan 2017, 15:08

Which blur reduction setup allows for variable framerates?

Post by SharpHawk » 11 Jan 2017, 15:31

I'm currently using two Asus V248QE monitors (NOT upgraded to G-Sync) in 1920x1080 144 Hz mode. They were my first higher than 60 Hz monitors and the difference amazed me, both visually and in online gaming performance.

I'm now looking into blur reduction to see how much of a difference that makes. I'm looking for a monitor that I can configure once (however long that takes) and then have it "just work" regardless of what kind of content I feed it (60 fps games, 60-120 fps games, 24 fps video, etc.) without having to change settings (such as enabling/disabling blur reduction).

Here are my requirements:
1. Monitor must have blur reduction that works well for games with framerates varying in the range of 60 fps to 120 fps
2. Monitor must accept at least 120 Hz video.
3. Monitor must have a DisplayPort input.

Here are additional features that I would appreciate:
1. Resolution of 1920x1080 in order to keep framerates high.
2. Good color calibration options, since I own an i1 Display Pro.
3. Panel better than my V248QE's. 8-bit instead of 6-bit+FRC, for example

Currently I'm looking at the XL2430 and the XL2720 (both Zowie-branded products):
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/benq-zowie- ... Id=5514304
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/benq-zowie- ... Id=5514402

I've heard good things about the XL2720 but I'm a bit concerned by the fact that it's 1080 at 27" instead of 24". I've heard both monitors use the same panel as my V248QE, which makes me think it would be less of an upgrade than I would like. Additionally, I'm not sure how well the blur reduction on these monitors works when the framerate dips below the refresh rate.

I've also heard good things about the Dell S2716DG:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/dell-27-led ... Id=5293502

Unfortunately it's a 1440 panel which means lower framerates/graphics, but if the simultaneous G-Sync + ULMB hack works well for framerates varying between 60 fps and 144 fps it may still be the superior choice.

Questions:
1. Are there any monitors I haven't considered that would be better for my purposes?
2. Are the XL2430 and XL2720 equivalent in terms of features and performance (and bugs)?
3. Can the LG monitor G-Sync + ULMB hack be implemented without owning a 3D Vision kit (using ToastyX's utility, for example)?
4. Do games with framerates that vary between 60 fps and 144 fps cause problems for blur reduction technologies? Is there a monitor that has no problems with this use case? I'm guessing the LG S2716DG would be it. Do I need to cap the refresh rate at 144 fps? Do I need to manually set the monitor refresh rate to 60 Hz when playing 60 fps games with blur reduction enabled? Do I need to disable blur reduction when playing 24 fps videos?
5. Do any of the above monitors have better picture quality (post-calibration) than my V248QE?
6. Should I hold off on buying a new monitor until Nvidia adds official support for simultaneous G-Sync + ULMB, just like the LightBoost hack turned into ULMB?

Falkentyne
Posts: 2793
Joined: 26 Mar 2014, 07:23

Re: Which blur reduction setup allows for variable framerate

Post by Falkentyne » 11 Jan 2017, 16:38

All of the above mentioned monitors have better IQ than the old VG248QE.
NONE Of the monitors can do STROBING WITH VARIABLE REFRESH RATE simultaneously officially.

Only the two DELL 24 and 27" TN panels can do it successfully without any extra effort but it REQUIRES A 3d vision 2 kit and this seems to be due to a partial implementation of variable refresh rate strobing or a bug, although that is irrelevant.

All of the other monitors require a FIXED Refresh rate for strobing. Most or all of the Gsync monitors that support ULMB can strobe at 85hz. The official ULMB strobe frequencies are 85 100 and 120hz.

Only the Benq/Zowie XL2411Z, XL2420Z, XL2430T and XL2720Z can single strobe LOWER than 100hz. They can single strobe as low as 60hz if a service menu setting has been turned on (single strobe). All of the Benq monitors AFTER the XL2720 do NOT have the Single Strobe override option; the XL2735 and XL2540 will double strobe at 85hz and 60hz.

SharpHawk
Posts: 3
Joined: 11 Jan 2017, 15:08

Re: Which blur reduction setup allows for variable framerate

Post by SharpHawk » 11 Jan 2017, 17:01

First off, thanks Falkentyne for your answer. I've read a lot of your posts before making this thread; they were very informative.
Falkentyne wrote:All of the above mentioned monitors have better IQ than the old VG248QE.
Which ones would you say have better IQ, the BenQ Zowie monitors or the LG monitors? Does either company let you adjust gamma from the OSD?
Falkentyne wrote:NONE Of the monitors can do STROBING WITH VARIABLE REFRESH RATE simultaneously officially.
If I set the monitor refresh rate to 120 Hz (or the highest recommended for strobing) and then play a game with variable framerate (60-120) in borderless windowed mode, what will happen? How low can the framerate get before the resulting issues become unacceptable?
Falkentyne wrote:Only the Benq/Zowie XL2411Z, XL2420Z, XL2430T and XL2720Z can single strobe LOWER than 100hz. They can single strobe as low as 60hz if a service menu setting has been turned on (single strobe). All of the Benq monitors AFTER the XL2720 do NOT have the Single Strobe override option; the XL2735 and XL2540 will double strobe at 85hz and 60hz.
On the monitors that can single strobe down to 60 Hz, I would still want to manually change the refresh rate from 120 Hz to 60 Hz when playing games with a 60 fps cap, correct?

One last question: you mentioned no monitors officially support strobing with variable refresh rate, does this include monitors I haven't mentioned and monitors that have been announced for 2017?

Falkentyne
Posts: 2793
Joined: 26 Mar 2014, 07:23

Re: Which blur reduction setup allows for variable framerate

Post by Falkentyne » 13 Jan 2017, 17:16

I can't answer most of these questions. Sorry. I have never used a LG monitor nor have I ever used a variable refresh rate monitor.

Strobing only looks good if you have Vsync on and the framerate always matches the refresh rate.

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