Creating a software overdrive driver (for slow panels)

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GammaTron
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Creating a software overdrive driver (for slow panels)

Post by GammaTron » 02 Nov 2018, 18:37

Like many laptop panels, there isnt much in the way of firmware or driver utilities, so how then would I over drive my panel? It has a latency of 16ms, making for some definite ghosting, so Any recommendations to lower the response time, and lower ghosting? Here is the panel NV156FHM-N4B

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Re: How do I do laptop panel overdrive?

Post by Chief Blur Buster » 03 Nov 2018, 17:40

Adding overdrive to a panel without overdrive can only be done via software-based overdrive techniques.

There was a graphics driver technique more than ten years ago called "ATI Radeon Overdrive" in the days when LCDs were still extremely slow-responding and didn't have hardware-based overdrive techniques.

There are ways to simulate overdrive via GPU shader programming to reduce ghosting, but this is not a very common use case anymore.

NOTE: For businesses/commercial/manufacturers: I have the skills (and code) to create an overdrive driver if necessary, but it would cost about one week worth of programming work. Which would cost more than the cost of a new monitor. However, if there is a commercial use case (e.g. 100 displays needing a Windows based overdrive driver), please contact me mark[at]blurbusters.com for contract software development work. I also do overdrive tuning work & strobe tuning work for display manufacturers.
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GammaTron
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Re: How do I do laptop panel overdrive?

Post by GammaTron » 03 Nov 2018, 19:56

Chief Blur Buster wrote:Adding overdrive to a panel without overdrive can only be done via software-based overdrive techniques.

There was a graphics driver technique more than ten years ago called "ATI Radeon Overdrive" in the days when LCDs were still extremely slow-responding and didn't have hardware-based overdrive techniques.

There are ways to simulate overdrive via GPU shader programming to reduce ghosting, but this is not a very common use case anymore.

NOTE: For businesses/commercial/manufacturers: I have the skills (and code) to create an overdrive driver if necessary, but it would cost about one week worth of programming work. Which would cost more than the cost of a new monitor. However, if there is a commercial use case (e.g. 100 displays needing a Windows based overdrive driver), please contact me mark[at]blurbusters.com for contract software development work. I also do overdrive tuning work & strobe tuning work for display manufacturers.
Do you have a link to that "ATI Radeon Overdrive" program? I assume that only works with AMD gpu's and mine is an Nvidia Gtx1070 mobile, or is the software just made by ati? Maybe that GPU shader program would work better? Any links to it? I am willing to try out

Here are my specs

Mech-15hs w/ windows 10
i7-7700hq
gtx 1070
32gb ram 2666mhz cl15


How much are we talking for a custom piece of driver software that would do this? Maybe just modifying one of the two programs above is all that is needed? I know however a number of people that would be interested in Panel overdriver software for laptops, and may be willing to do a little crowd funding possibly since ghosting is a frequent complaint about laptop panels, but thats depends on what you have to show. Asus does make a 1ms panel at 144hz, but its sold specifically to a model, and I could not find any third party vendors.

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Creating a software overdrive driver (for slow panels)

Post by Chief Blur Buster » 04 Nov 2018, 14:45

GammaTron wrote:Do you have a link to that "ATI Radeon Overdrive" program? I assume that only works with AMD gpu's and mine is an Nvidia Gtx1070 mobile, or is the software just made by ati? Maybe that GPU shader program would work better? Any links to it? I am willing to try out.
It was only built into graphics drivers designed for 15-year-old ATI Radeon GPU's from before AMD purchased ATI. Such old drivers won't even run on today's Windows on today's GPU's for today's games.
GammaTron wrote:How much are we talking for a custom piece of driver software that would do this? Maybe just modifying one of the two programs above is all that is needed? I know however a number of people that would be interested in Panel overdriver software for laptops, and may be willing to do a little crowd funding possibly since ghosting is a frequent complaint about laptop panels, but thats depends on what you have to show. Asus does make a 1ms panel at 144hz, but its sold specifically to a model, and I could not find any third party vendors.
One biggie: Windows Driver signing certificates are really expensive. I don't want to use/borrow somebody else's driver signing certificate, or get only a 1-year certificate -- that risks making my software going obsolete too quickly. If I start such a project, I need to own a 3-year device driver code signing certificate -- those are several hundred per year.

Yes, I have the skills & parts of source code to create a clone of ATI Radeon Overdrive
I have done some overdrive tuning for some manufacturers, already have easy end-user strobe tuning software in the form of Blur Busters Strobe Utility that can easily be adapted into a different Overdrive Tuning utility user interface -- and I now also have to have the workings of virtual display driver software (unsigned, private). So I've got the pieces to glue together with a couple weeks work.

Know a business that needs something similar done for them? Or wants one released to the public?
.... If you do, then have them reach out to me at mark[at]blurbusters.com
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Q83Ia7ta
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Re: How do I do laptop panel overdrive?

Post by Q83Ia7ta » 05 Nov 2018, 20:55

Chief Blur Buster wrote:I also do overdrive tuning work & strobe tuning work for display manufacturers.[/i]
Wanna know which manufacturers? (Which monitors are better :))

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Re: Creating a software overdrive driver (for slow panels)

Post by Chief Blur Buster » 05 Nov 2018, 22:56

There's quite a variety that's not even gaming monitor related:
-- Some of the work I did was for an augumented reality LCD.
-- Some of the tuning stuff I do are for other panel types such as IPS and VA. Working with VA overdrive is extremely tough, even the best overdrive tuning for VA can't compete with a good TN panel.
-- Some of you are familiar with the strobe tuning utility I've done for BenQ/Zowie
-- I'm currently doing strobe tuning for other monitors now, keep tuned (pun intended)

(Most are small contract stuff. Mind you, I'm always looking for more business with manufacturers as this is something I wouldn't mind doing full-time to put food on the table.)
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Re: Creating a software overdrive driver (for slow panels)

Post by GammaTron » 08 Nov 2018, 02:10

Chief Blur Buster wrote:There's quite a variety that's not even gaming monitor related:
-- Some of the work I did was for an augumented reality LCD.
-- Some of the tuning stuff I do are for other panel types such as IPS and VA. Working with VA overdrive is extremely tough, even the best overdrive tuning for VA can't compete with a good TN panel.
-- Some of you are familiar with the strobe tuning utility I've done for BenQ/Zowie
-- I'm currently doing strobe tuning for other monitors now, keep tuned (pun intended)

(Most are small contract stuff. Mind you, I'm always looking for more business with manufacturers as this is something I wouldn't mind doing full-time to put food on the table.)
I see how most all the panels in the list here are TN, and my panel is an IPS. I do have one thing maybe you can help me with easily. So my laptops display is dgpu driven from the 1070, instead of from the igpu like in most laptops. My laptop does not have optimus, but it doesnt have g-sync either interestingly enough. Is there maybe a way to enable gsync?

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Re: Creating a software overdrive driver (for slow panels)

Post by Chief Blur Buster » 16 Nov 2018, 02:00

No, although many laptop panels are VRR-tolerant because of power management -- many are able to lower Hz during idle moments. Some of these may work with unofficial FreeSync (e.g. forcing FreeSync via undocumented tweaks) but this only has been done with AMD at this time.

I have not heard of a way to hack VRR support via Intel+NVIDIA Optimus, though.
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