Calibrating NEC LCD2490WUXi2: Tips needed.

G

Geolith

Limp Gawd
Joined
Apr 7, 2012
Messages
311
We have about a dozen of these monitors at work, they are about 1.5-2 years old and none of them has ever been calibrated. A couple of weeks ago we purchased i1Pro spectrophotometer in order to calibrate and profile them. None of us at work are really experienced in this area, although I have a little general experience -- I have Spyder4Pro at home and I know the basics of the process, mostly thanks to [H]ardForum. But my monitor is very different from the WUXi2, so this is a new territory for me and I would really appreciate any [H]elp I could get.

Anyway, if you have a calibrating/profiling experience with this particular model (LCD2490WUXi2), please share your insight. What should be the initial settings (brightness, contrast, etc.), what mode should I choose, and so on.
 
Don't you need either SpectraView or BasicColor to properly calibrate the pro NEC models? I think there is a free demo of BasicColor out there, which I guess would at least get you started.
 
Goodcoin,
Here are the target settings I would recommend for you.

Under Target Settings: Broadcast video
White Point: D65
Contrast Ratio: Monitor Default
Gamma 2.20
==========================================================================================



I owned a Spectraview 2690WUXI that contained polarizer. I compiled a collection of advice from varied resources. Here are some excerpts to aid you.

Also:



Here is some fact seeking dialogue with NEC from a few years back.

[FONT=&quot]QUESTION:[/FONT][FONT=&quot] After calibration I manually adjusted some of the monitor controls to get a better color match for my particular application. What happens the next time I calibrate the monitor?[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]ANSWER:[/FONT][FONT=&quot] The manual adjustments will be reset by the calibration process. In general it is not a good idea to manually adjust the monitor after calibration because it not only invalidates the calibration and ICC/ColorSync profile, but also means that the adjustments will be lost the next time the monitor is calibrated.
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]If you still feel it is necessary to tweak the display after calibration, a much better approach is to create a new Target file based from the measurements of the display after it has been manually adjusted. That way the monitor will be automatically calibrated to that particular set of characteristics the next time it is calibrated. Use the Custom White Point tool to measure and set the white point and Intensity values.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Q. What is the difference between the color sensor used in the SVII-KIT and the new SVII-PRO-KIT?[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]A. The new SVII-PRO-KIT includes the MDSVSENSOR2 an NEC branded X-Rite iOne Display V2 color sensor that is custom calibrated for increased measurement accuracy with our wide color gamut displays such as the LCD2690WUXi, LCD2690WUXi2, LCD3090WQXi, and P221W. It is backward compatible with standard color gamut displays. The SVII-KIT included an NEC branded X-Rite iOne Display V2 but did not have any custom calibration.[/FONT]
All LCD2690WUXI2-SV units ship with the new sensor.
The thing is, you [FONT=&quot]want[/FONT] the SpectraView II software to go with this display for two reasons. The first is the wonderful integration with the display. This is the best monitor calibration experience I've ever had. And being able to switch profile settings on the fly is quite nice. The second reason is that while you can use other calibration software to make a profile for this display, third party software can't access the hardware LUTs and therefore has to make all of its adjustments on the video card.
Well, it does produce a profile, but not one that does corrections. The profile specifies things like the white point, the color primaries and so on. However it then just specifies a linear lookup table. All corrections are applied to the monitor's internal LUT, which is higher resolutions (12-bit instead of 8-bit) and applies in all cases.
There is a setting called "Automatically Save Profile" in the Preferences that will allow you to manually name the profile each time. If you don't have this checked, you will be asked to enter a name each time you generate a profile.
Since only one profile is active at once, and SpectraView automatically generates and switches the active profile for you when you change Targets you do not normally need to manually name files.
SpectraView does not make any measurement or compensation for ambient light. It is assumed that you are working in a controlled environment. Trying to compensate for ambient light is like shooting a moving target. The whole aim of calibrating a monitor is to remove such variables.
However if you want to have 2 separate calibrations for the different lighting environments, just make 2 different Targets and calibrate each. As you select the different Targets again, SpectraView will automatically generate and load the correct profile for you. No need to worry about manually naming them.
Just be sure to have "Auto-load settings on Target change" selected in the Preferences.
The calibration should be taking 10 minutes not 90. You should be using the default 32 measurement points not 256. There is no advantage of using 256 points for normal applications. This will cause the calibration to take so long. Also if power saving starts or the sensor moves during the calibration it will have to be restarted. SpectraView disables the screen saver during the calibration process.
Also always make sure the monitor has been allowed at least 30 minutes to warm up before calibrating or you will see higher Delta-e values.

Will Hollingworth
Manager of OEM Product Design & Development Engineering
NEC Display Solutions of America, Inc.
 
Last edited:
I just got my i1 pro up and running with HCFR, which is free software. You'll need to download argyll and use the argyll drivers for it to work. HCFR also supports the spyder, so you can profile your spyder to the i1 pro and get the best of both worlds.
 
As I understand, NEC bundles this software with the same spectrometer we have, basically just rebranded. So I don't see why it should be incompatible.
 
OK, I had really hard time explaining to my boss why such an expensive piece of hardware needs extra investments in order to make it properly work. I went on about internal LUT and hardware calibration, but he doesn't seem to be convinced.

So for now let's stick to free solutions, please. I'm familiar with ArgyllCMS and I'm willing to give the aforementioned HCFR a shot.
 
Just to be clear: There is ABSOLUTELY no way the native i1Pro software (i1Profiler) can interact with the internal LUT of this particular monitor (or any other monitor, for that matter), did I get it correctly?

And if I did, one may wonder what's the point of such software. I mean, those who buy i1Pro must have professional monitors with internal LUTs, so I really fail to see the point here.
 
I too found this odd. Xrite can make the colorimeter that NEC uses to calibrate at 10 bits with NEC's software,
Click to expand...
That NEC doesn't provice an open interface to its LUT is normal (although basICColor 5 for example supports amongst others Eizo CG and NEC SpectraView models).

And if I did, one may wonder what's the point of such software. I mean, those who buy i1Pro must have professional monitors with internal LUTs, so I really fail to see the point here.
Click to expand...
Every screen has an internal LUT – apart from the variants driven directly via DisplayPort (and even here tables are used for the panel drivers). But only the prosumer models offer a programmable LUT. With standard calibration targets even a software calibration is quite satisfactory in combination with the NEC. Due to its extensive OSD and precise characteristics corrections via the videocard LUT will be marginal. A limiting factor – independent from the kind of calibration – is the low light capability of the i1 Pro which can lead to some discolouration in the shadows.

I just got my i1 pro up and running with HCFR, which is free software. You'll need to download argyll and use the argyll drivers for it to work. HCFR also supports the spyder, so you can profile your spyder to the i1 pro and get the best of both worlds.
Click to expand...
HCFR is an alternative for TV calibrations (but has some pitfalls, especially regardind its colorimetric workflow) and not designed for an ICC workflow which is intended to be used here.
 
Tips?

The process is pretty much a couple of click with Spectraview. You definitely, DEFINITELY want to go the Spectraview route to do this so that the internal hardware LUTs are used. Once you have an appropriate colorimeter (and have licensed Spectraview) it's a completely hands off process.

EDIT: you can get something like a used DTP-94 and use it with Spectraview. Mine works great with my 2490WUXi.
 
Last edited:
Sailor_Moon said:
Every screen has an internal LUT – apart from the variants driven directly via DisplayPort (and even here tables are used for the panel drivers). But only the prosumer models offer a programmable LUT.
Click to expand...

Yes, by "internal LUT" I basically meant "programmable internal LUT". Anyway, that's exactly my point: only pro models have programmable LUT and i1Profiler is pretty much useless for calibrating such monitors, if you want to fully benefit from high-end capabilities. I imagine nobody buys 1300 EUR hardware to calibrate cheap ass monitors, right?
 
Sailor_Moon said:
HCFR is an alternative for TV calibrations (but has some pitfalls, especially regardind its colorimetric workflow) and not designed for an ICC workflow which is intended to be used here.
Click to expand...

ahh, right. I was only thinking grayscale calibration and taking measurements.

I still haven't learned much about color management and ICC's etc., but supposing your primaries were on target (and a saturation sweep revealed that the colors tracked well across saturation), and supposing you were able to get a great grayscale balance by using OSD only, would you still need to make an ICC profile with modified LUTs?

Another question: suppose your colors were off. Would you be able to use some transformation matrices to calculate what transformations are necessary to make to the existing LUTs, and then use free software to implement those new LUT's? (and then remeasure of course)
 
Goodcoin said:
So for now let's stick to free solutions, please. I'm familiar with ArgyllCMS and I'm willing to give the aforementioned HCFR a shot.
Click to expand...

Besides SpectraView, I think BasicColor is compatible --

http://www.basiccolor.de/basiccolor-display-5-en/

Free demo (or at least there used to be one), so you could test it out to check compatibility. I haven't kept up with prices, but it could be a little cheaper than SpectraView.
 
spacediver said:
there's a "non pro" version?
Click to expand...

The X-Rite i1Display Pro replaced the discontinued X-Rite i1Display 2
http://www.xrite.com/i1display-2


====================================================================================================================
An August 2011 article published on the Luminous Landscape website.

"The i1Display Pro is both a new hardware device and also comes bundled with new profiling and calibration software. It is a more sophisticated piece of hardware than the previous i1 Display and i1Display 2 puck-shaped colorimeters from Gretag Macbeth and X-Rite. The i1Profiler software that comes with it is also new. The i1 Display Pro with i1Profiler sells for about $250 at B&H.

Sidebar: X-Rite has some of the most confusing naming conventions of any company. I know that it can make figuring out what a product is and what it does difficult. A visit to their web site will help clarify things (but only a bit).

X-Rite Product Manager Steve Rankin posted the following on the ColorSync list Aug 19, 2011.

As the product manager for our Display Solutions at X-Rite, let me try to clarify a few things regarding OEM and 3rd party developer support for our new i1D3 based colorimeters. There seems to be lot’s of confusion here. First and foremost, X-Rite absolutely does allow OEMs and 3rd party developers access to our i1Display Pro retail instruments. Karl Koch already mentioned it here on the ColorSync List that BasICColor will support our retail product and I now have permission from Eizo to announce that a soon to be released version of ColorNavigator software will also support our retail i1Display Pro device. In addition, while I cannot mention their names, I can tell you that there are more OEMs & developers currently working on integrating our channel device into their software solutions. So, for any other OEMs or third party developers that wish to also support our retail i1Display Pro device, please contact [email protected] and ask for our “i1Display Pro License Request Form”. Second, regarding support of OEM versions of i1D3, this is not an X-Rite issue at all. Any software developer who wishes to support an OEM version of the i1D3 device must contact and obtain this ability from that OEM. I hope this clarifies things for all.

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/accessories/i1display_pro.shtml
 
Last edited:
Supersnake said:
The X-Rite i1Display Pro replaced the discontinued X-Rite i1Display 2
Click to expand...

The i1 display pro is not a spectrophotometer - it is a colorimeter (albeit a very good one with a good set of calibration matrices).

The i1 pro is a spectrophotometer.

See this excellent brief white paper from X-Rite for more information about the differences between these two technologies:
 
I still haven't learned much about color management and ICC's etc., but supposing your primaries were on target (and a saturation sweep revealed that the colors tracked well across saturation), and supposing you were able to get a great grayscale balance by using OSD only, would you still need to make an ICC profile with modified LUTs?
Click to expand...
Yes. The ICC profile describes the actual state of the screen so that a CMM in color managed applications can carry out color space transformations with respect to all participating profiles in a device independent color space (the PCS). The calibration data – stored in a more or less proprietary tag (vcgt) or in the display LUT itself – only linearizes the display with respect to the calibration target (whitepoint, gradation).

The i1 display pro is not a spectrophotometer - it is a colorimeter (albeit a very good one with a good set of calibration matrices).
Click to expand...
The measurement process of the i1 Display Pro is more sophisticated. Spectral characterizations are used as reference. The measurement data is determined in conjunction with the known filter characteristic and the color matching functions of the standard observer. While the i1 Pro is a good probe and can be used for spectral radiometric measurements it is mainly intendend for reflective measurements of surface colors with its integrated light source. If only display measurements are needed the i1 Display Pro (or basICColor Discus to mention a very capable consumer colorimeter) can be a better choice due to an advantageous behaviour in the shadows. The loss of absolute precision is acceptable.
 
Last edited:
Suppose you calibrate, using only OSD, and are in perfect Rec. 709 spec. Primaries are perfect, grayscale/whitepoint is perfect, etc.

Now suppose an application wishes to transform the output to sRGB, for example. Are you saying that the ICC profile contains information concerning the chromaticities of the display as it currently is (Rec. 709 standards), and the application can use that data to calculate the necessary transformations?
 
Suppose you calibrate, using only OSD, and are in perfect Rec. 709 spec
Click to expand...
You will usually calibrate with native display color space. The color space emulations of some higher end displays are used for non color aware software. In this case the display must reproduce the desired characteristic by itself (like a TV).

Are you saying that the ICC profile contains information concerning the chromaticities of the display as it currently is
Click to expand...
Yes. A simple matrix profile contains in particular the tristimulus values of the primaries (adapted to D50) and the tonal curve for all channels. A CMM calculates the gamut boundary and transforms the source tonal values in a best possible way (out-of-gamut colors to the boundary, in-gamut colors precise). LUT profiles (not to confuse with the vcgt informations for the videocard LUT) contain tables in (AtoB) and from (BtoA) the PCS with different intents.
 
Last edited:
Yes, for example, my FW900 has a native color space that isn't quite Rec. 709, so I'm hoping to learn how to implement some gamut correction in the near future.

But IF the native color space happened to match Rec. 709, would you still need ICC's and the like?

I appreciate your patience btw!
 
If I only want to view content on my monitor, and am not interested in using a scanner, or camera, or printer, is it still necessary to have an ICC profile to enjoy things like blu-rays, mkvs, web content, etc.?
 
spacediver said:
If I only want to view content on my monitor, and am not interested in using a scanner, or camera, or printer, is it still necessary to have an ICC profile to enjoy things like blu-rays, mkvs, web content, etc.?
Click to expand...

I'll try to fill in. Basically, just to enjoy entertainment and web content, the factory settings on most pro and semi-pro monitors should be absolutely enough. In some cases you may need manual calibration, adjusting color temperature, primaries, gamma and such, but only that, no ICC profiling.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top