Benq BL3200PT (32" 1440p)

My last VA was the 37" Westinghouse that was all the rage several years ago, and I was happy as a clam gaming on that behemoth, so my thinking is that the VA panels these days can only be better than those of years past.
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That was also my main monitor for 6+ years! I loved it and now its used as a TV. Still going strong and still looks great.

Sometimes I would get eye strain though from that one- I am sure it was because I was sitting too close. With this one I don't have that issue at all. I have been loving this monitor. Lately I have been playing watchdogs, ESO and Skyrim on it and the picture has been amazing.

I have not noticed input lag and have been able to run on max settings with my 6GB GTX 780.

I think you will be so happy with this you may not be looking to replace it for a good long while.
 
Well, the monitor looks big and it seems to be good. Colors are quite vivid, input lag is insignificant, and ghosting is minimal. Especially for an MVA you can say the ghosting is on the perfect side. Probably on par with an average IPS panel.
The bad: Nvidia graphics card (Titan GTX) will force full RGB range and the old registry tweak doesn't work. So you can only have it at native resolution in Full RGB mode, so you need to check that option in the OSD, because by default it comes in Limited RGB range, otherwise you will get ugly color reproduction on NVidia graphics cards. The AMD cards allow you to select which mode you want, as far as I know.

Now, the worst thing which will put away the majority of nitpicking buyers, is the vertical lines that are visible on some dark solid colors, and also become quite apparent in movement in games also on dark and middle-tone backgrounds. Like in the Reach region in Skyrim - you can clearly see them as you move the camera around. On the bright image with bright background they are not visible.

Actually that's the only bad thing I can say about this display so far. There is no backlight bleed or any kind of glow or clouding. I'd say that if not for the lines, that would be one hell of a monitor. Pretty damn ideal for an MVA.:)
7k3eBtc.jpg
 
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Murzilka said:
Now, the worst thing which will put away the majority of nitpicking buyers, is the vertical lines that are visible on some dark solid colors, and also become quite apparent in movement in games also on dark and middle-tone backgrounds. Like in the Reach region in Skyrim - you can clearly see them as you move the camera around. On the bright image with bright background they are not visible.

Actually that's the only bad thing I can say about this display so far. There is no backlight bleed or any kind of glow or clouding. I'd say that if not for the lines, that would be one hell of a monitor. Pretty damn ideal for an MVA.:)
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That's the first I've heard about the vertical lines. I wonder if that affects every one of these?

If so, hopefully I won't notice them...or if I do, they won't be bothersome. Really looking forward to playing dark games on this monitor that tend to suffer when used with TN and IPS panels due to glow and lack of true blacks.
 
imyourzero said:
That's the first I've heard about the vertical lines. I wonder if that affects every one of these?

If so, hopefully I won't notice them...or if I do, they won't be bothersome. Really looking forward to playing dark games on this monitor that tend to suffer when used with TN and IPS panels due to glow and lack of true blacks.
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I spent the last 20 minutes in Skyrim running around the reach attempting to find these vertical lines and I can't see any. Have not noticed that in any games I have played yet.
 
When you move the mouse from the left to the right you get horizontal lines. When you move it up and down you get vertical lines. It's like if the coating wasn't glued evenly on some parts of the screen. But in reality those are artifacts due to the panel overdrive. I will try a DP connection and will post if it would help. Most likely it will not...
 
Murzilka said:
When you move the mouse from the left to the right you get horizontal lines. When you move it up and down you get vertical lines. It's like if the coating wasn't glued evenly on some parts of the screen. But in reality those are artifacts due to the panel overdrive. I will try a DP connection and will post if it would help. Most likely it will not...
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It sounds like if I did that have that issue I would be able to notice it immediately, but I don't.

Using DP here so maybe that will help. Let us know what you discover!
 
Nope, via DP they are even more pronounced, but the monitor feels more responsive via DP...
You know, you can't see them just anywhere. Look at the sky at night and move your mouse around: left-right, up-down.

Edit: I think I am talking about stripes mentioned earlier in this thread...
 
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Murzilka said:
Nope, via DP they are even more pronounced, but the monitor feels more responsive via DP...
You know, you can't see them just anywhere. Look at the sky at night and move your mouse around: left-right, up-down.
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I just tried to test this: Skyrim, midnight in the reach, looking up and moving mouse all around. I can't see any vertical or horizontal lines of any kind. I upped the brightness of my monitor to 45, 65 and 80 and still didn't see any lines. I tried indoors and outdoors and then daylight also.

Played around with the monitor presets and the AMA setting and tested and could not get any lines to show.

If you are talking about the Banding issues from earlier in the thread it was a hit or miss from what I recall. Some had it some didn't.
 
jzodda said:
I just tried to test this: Skyrim, midnight in the reach, looking up and moving mouse all around. I can't see any vertical or horizontal lines of any kind. I upped the brightness of my monitor to 45, 65 and 80 and still didn't see any lines. I tried indoors and outdoors and then daylight also.

Played around with the monitor presets and the AMA setting and tested and could not get any lines to show.

If you are talking about the Banding issues from earlier in the thread it was a hit or miss from what I recall. Some had it some didn't.
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I guess you're lucky then. Yeah I'm definitely talking about the banding issue, here on this forum thread it is described pretty well what's that about:
http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?p=26366578

Especially this post, exactly my experience:
"yeha, really bummed out that mine had this. whenever the picture is moving, i.e. in a game, it looks like the screen is "smudged" with the lighter bands, couldn't stand it.... static images are pretty much perfect.

you can clearly see the bands when you take a MS paint window, fill the area in it with a grey tone and start moving the window around the desktop. my OCD got the better of me and i sent it back. "
 
Murzilka said:
I guess you're lucky then. Yeah I'm definitely talking about the banding issue, here on this forum thread it is described pretty well what's that about:
http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?p=26366578

Especially this post, exactly my experience:
"yeha, really bummed out that mine had this. whenever the picture is moving, i.e. in a game, it looks like the screen is "smudged" with the lighter bands, couldn't stand it.... static images are pretty much perfect.

you can clearly see the bands when you take a MS paint window, fill the area in it with a grey tone and start moving the window around the desktop. my OCD got the better of me and i sent it back. "
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that was me....i went through 3 units and then gave up on it. most people are ok with it, but i'm pretty OCD when it comes to these things.
 
skuko said:
that was me....i went through 3 units and then gave up on it. most people are ok with it, but i'm pretty OCD when it comes to these things.
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I see. I will return this monitor too and will not try another BenQ. Because I believe they all have this issue to a different extent, probably there are unique samples that don't do that, that they send to reviewers.

Instead I will get the Samsung S32D850T and see it is any different.

Like I said - this monitor could be a perfect MVA monitor with some serious future proof if not for that banding. I don't understand why east manufacturers invest in some fancy remotes, but can't warranty the quality across their monitors and issue monitors with such serious defects. Better invest in QC and improve testing and have a monitor that will be selling like hot cakes, instead of having a roundel remote with other bells and whistles and deal with endless returns and poor sales. I mean WTF.
 
After several weeks of owning this monitor, I can honestly say that the vertical banding doesn't bother me anymore. I don't know, but I think the brain just adapts and the bands are filtered out or something. I decided to keep the monitor because the perfect monitor just doesn't exist. Every monitor has issues and I can live with the faint banding.

But if you're still in the market for a 32" 1440p monitor, I can definitely understand why you would want to try the Samsung S32D850T to see if it is better. I would have done the same, but I didn't have that option. At the time, it wasn't even known that Samsung was going to bring out such a monitor too.

Alternatively, the Eizo FlexScan EV2736W, with an PLS panel, might be an option for VA folks too. Many of these people buy VA panels to avoid IPS glow and the Eizo EV2736W has, surprisingly, almost no IPS glow! But the downside, of course, is the smaller screen size** and lower contrast.

http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/reviews/eizo_ev2736w.htm

** Debatable if this is really a downside, because the screen is substantially sharper due to the higher PPI.
 
Murzilka said:
I see. I will return this monitor too and will not try another BenQ. Because I believe they all have this issue to a different extent, probably there are unique samples that don't do that, that they send to reviewers.
.
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I can assure you I absolutely have none of this banding and I got mine from an online retail store, no special samples here.

And I know exactly what you are talking about because my Philips TV has the same issue but I hardly ever notice it.

Good luck with the Samsung.
 
Thanks, but I've read several impression of the first buyers and 3 of 4 of them mention the banding. Fuck me, is it so difficult to make a monitor without OBVIOUS flaws? A rhetoric question. Don't rush to answer it.
Maybe I should try another benq just for lulz.
 
Murzilka said:
Thanks, but I've read several impression of the first buyers and 3 of 4 of them mention the banding. Fuck me, is it so difficult to make a monitor without OBVIOUS flaws? A rhetoric question. Don't rush to answer it.
Maybe I should try another benq just for lulz.
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Well 4 is a very small sample size. I bet the vast vast majority of the BenQs don't have that issue.
 
kabobi said:
Well 4 is a very small sample size. I bet the vast vast majority of the BenQs don't have that issue.
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The majority doesn't care.

I wonder what this banding issue is related to? To me it looks like the problem with the AG layer. If I removed the coating, would the issue be solved? Interesting...
 
Murzilka said:
Thanks, but I've read several impression of the first buyers and 3 of 4 of them mention the banding. Fuck me, is it so difficult to make a monitor without OBVIOUS flaws? A rhetoric question. Don't rush to answer it.
Maybe I should try another benq just for lulz.
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As you know not everybody experiences this. Also this forum is not the only place that discusses this monitor. There are others out there without these issues. There may be something to the early units having more of this than later ones. Who knows?

I have no banding, and if I did I would have returned mine. It would not be acceptable to me. I would also probably not get another one and order something else if that happened to me. Good luck with whatever option you choose. If you do decide to order another I got mine (which has no issues) from NCIX Canada. I think they are onsale there till 7/30.
 
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jzodda said:
As you know not everybody experiences this. Also this forum is not the only place that discusses this monitor. There are others out there without these issues. There may be something to the early units having more of this than later ones. Who knows?

I have no banding, and if I did I would have returned mine. It would not be acceptable to me. I would also probably not get another one and order something else if that happened to me.
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I'll try the Acer, it has just appeared on the market in my city last week, if it has the same banding issues like Benq and Samsung, then the case of the 32" 1440p MVA monitor will be closed for me. Until a different manufacturer appears or there will be a revision of the panel.
 
Murzilka said:
I'll try the Acer, it has just appeared on the market in my city last week, if it has the same banding issues like Benq and Samsung, then the case of the 32" 1440p MVA monitor will be closed for me. Until a different manufacturer appears or there will be a revision of the panel.
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Where did you get the info that the Samsung had banding issues?
 
Just delivered my new Samsung S32D850, (I was tired to looking for the Benq without find an avaiable one) first impression is good, but unfortunately it shows the same darker bars issues of the BL3200pt...
Even if I can see them only in a few shades of gray, and probably if I were not just looking for them, I would not have ever noticed.

 
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Thanks for the report on the Samsung S32D850, Bestio.

I received my BL3200PT on Saturday and so far I am extremely impressed. I too have an ever-so-slight case of the "dark bars" issue that is being discussed here, but I wasn't aware of it before I purchased this monitor and to be honest I probably wouldn't have noticed unless I did some testing for it. Specifically, I can see it if i did what skuko suggested above (make a MS paint window, fill the area in it with a grey tone and start moving the window around the desktop). If I do that, the issue is more pronounced.

Now...with that being said, that is the ONLY way that I have been able to observe the issue and it does not reflect real-world usage. It's not readily apparent if I'm just on a grey website like [H]ardForum or Imgur. It's not visible at all on brighter backgrounds, which I find kind of odd, but I'm certainly thankful for that. And I have yet to see it during a game.

Since I am only able to reproduce the issue under very specific circumstances that do not reflect how I'll use the monitor, I'm keeping it. I'm in awe of the colors and...DEM BLACKS. Oh my gosh, dem blacks...after using a TN and several IPS panels for so long, I forgot how lovely a VA panel is in this regard!

Motion is quite good for a VA panel; I had been gaming on a 120hz TN so I was prepared for the worst but this is quite livable. There is more blur, as is to be expected, but it's not jarring and doesn't take me out of the experience. In my opinion the blur is more than made up for by the rich color and deep black levels that this monitor offers.

I still plan to get the 34UM95 or AOC u3477Pqu because I feel as if I must experience a 34" 21:9 panel for myself, but will likely still keep the BL3200PT as it is taller, has no perceptible glow or backlight bleed unlike so many monitors today, and I love the large screen and sharp text on such a widely supported aspect ratio. Some owners/proponents of 27" 2560x1440 panels said that the pixel pitch on this monitor would be too large, but I strongly disagree. It's slightly larger than that of my previous 30" monitors, which sometimes made text feel a bit too small and the desktop or websites a bit too vacuous. There's still a ton of desktop real estate here, but only giving up 140 vertical pixels means you aren't scrolling endlessly like you do with 1080/1200 displays.
 
I played GTA5 a little on PS3, just to see how the S32D850 works with the console, (good scaler for a PC monitor!) but sadly I immediately noticed the dark bar in the cloudy sky.
Maybe It's a small flaw in a wonderful monitor, but when you spend much it's difficult to accept these issues. :(
But it is definitely less annoying than the glow of my previous IPS.
 
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I must say, Bestio, from the picture that you took, it definitely seems like you have a severe case. The dark band is very clearly visible in your picture. I don't know if it is just as pronounced in everyday use, but if it is, maybe try to switch the monitor and try your luck again. But there's of course always the risk that the new one is even worse, although you could ask the retailer to check for flaws first.

Or learn to live with it and accept that all monitors have flaws. Look around in some of the threads of other monitors. You will see everything from IPS glow, grainy coatings, green/yellow/pink tinting, severe motion blur, high pitched sounds, burn-in, backlight bleed and numerous technical issues. It's quite amazing that LCD manufacturers still can't make monitors without quality issues after +15 years.

Personally, I gave up looking for the perfect monitor. It just doesn't exist. I will just live with the flaws of whatever screen I have, unless it is a major defect. I don't like the dark banding either, and I wish it wasn't there, but I'd say it is 90-95 percent of the time not noticeable. And after several weeks of using this monitor, when it is visible, I don't mind it as much anymore as I did in the beginning.
 
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You are right, I'm still missing my old Trinitron CRT...
I can notice the band only in middle tone grey scale, I don't see them in dark greys like this forum colors, or light grey close to white.
In normal colored image I can't see it, but I noticed the bands in some shades of colors during the various colored screens showed by the Xrite calibration software.
 
I'll have the acer it 2 hours. Hope it's perfect.

Edit: Acer looks better than BenQ, but still, also has stripes, that are visible when you move your camera in Skyrim. BenQ had stripes, spots, lines all over the screen, Acer looks significally more homogenic. But not acceptable non the less.
In the end, no 32" MVA 1440p for me.
 
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I hope I have a better one amongst the batch.. reaaally crossing my fingers here. Should be in somewhere this week (if my vendor did not lie to me, was a custom order, not in stock..).

If the banding is not noticeable, I do not think I would really care. I can see some red-ish and green-ish tints in the lower areas of my screen (1/5th from bottom) on my current u2413 (wide gamut crap ips glow). I got used to the glow and to the tints, so if grey banding is all, I might be happy.

I also do not understand why it would be so difficult to manufacture a good 30" screen. Hell, even 27" seems to be too difficult. Where's the quality? Looks like it's only about sales and volume.
 
iLLucionist said:
...
I also do not understand why it would be so difficult to manufacture a good 30" screen. Hell, even 27" seems to be too difficult. Where's the quality? Looks like it's only about sales and volume.
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I think it's because since most people don't notice these "defects" anyway, it doesn't justify the added cost of having more stringent QC during production. If people buy the screens anyway, why bother?
 
Murzilka said:
I'll have the acer it 2 hours. Hope it's perfect.

Edit: Acer looks better than BenQ, but still, also has stripes, that are visible when you move your camera in Skyrim. BenQ had stripes, spots, lines all over the screen, Acer looks significally more homogenic. But not acceptable non the less.
In the end, no 32" MVA 1440p for me.
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So every AOC 32'' 1440p AMVA panels have banding issue... :(
But now I used a 32'' display I never could go back to a smaller monitor!

I do not know if my eyes have become accustomed, or it's the strength of resignation, but today the band seems less noticeable than yesterday ...
Maybe it's possible that over time the defect could decrease?

But using the monitor, is not the banding that annoy me, but the Backlight bleeding!
I purchased a VA to avoid IPS glow, but I recieved a display with a very strong bleeding, very similar to IPS glow! :(
If I move my head left or right, I see like a dark halo just in front of me, moving like a shadow of myself with my head, (and I'm in a totally dark room) with a glow around of it, it's difficult to explain.



I noticed the issue in dark games too, in this screenshot I see the ship nose very dark if my head is ahead the middle of the screen, but it become much brighter if I move my head left or right (maybe it's black crush?)



I think I'm obliged to use of the right of withdrawal, I am disappointed and saddened.
 
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Bestio said:
So every AOC 32'' 1440p AMVA panels have banding issue... :(
But now I used a 32'' display I never could go back to a smaller monitor!

I do not know if my eyes have become accustomed, or it's the strength of resignation, but today the band seems less noticeable than yesterday ...
Maybe it's possible that over time the defect could decrease?

But using the monitor, is not the banding that annoy me, but the Backlight bleeding!
I purchased a VA to avoid IPS glow, but I recieved a display with a very strong bleeding, very similar to IPS glow! :(
If I move my head left or right, I see like a dark halo just in front of me, moving like a shadow of myself with my head, (and I'm in a totally dark room) with a glow around of it, it's difficult to explain.



I noticed the issue in dark games too, in this screenshot I see the ship nose very dark if my head is ahead the middle of the screen, but it become much brighter if I move my head left or right (maybe it's black crush?)



I think I'm obliged to use of the right of withdrawal, I am disappointed and saddened.
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That does look pretty bad. Not from the screenshot but from the screen. Maybe it bothers you more since you know "its" there? Anyway, hopefully you find a display you are happy with!
 
I finally got mine setup.. I had some issues with the recessed VESA mounts vs my old monitors but with some creative use of spacers I was finally able to get them mounted.. the spacers meant they are not quite as even as my old HP's but its close enough that I'm not that concerned. Overall a nice upgrade and I'm pleased with the results. No monitor is perfect but I'm happy so far.

YTtvRg.jpg
 
Here you can notice how in the S32D850 the "glow" change with the point of view, even if it is highlighted due to long exposition time, compared to what you can see with the naked eye:







Is the same for the Benq?



 
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I wonder if that's the VA "viewing cone" that they sometimes talk about. On the large monitors I've had, whether TN or VA or IPS, I've noticed that sometimes the edges of the display will look slightly different than the middle. Depending on the monitor, sometimes they're darker or lighter or a slightly different color until you move in front of that spot...then the rest of the monitor that's not directly in front of you shifts to how the sides looked when you were in the middle. Just like what is seen in your pictures.

The effect is less pronounced on smaller monitors, so it would seem that this is more of an issue with large displays. I've noticed it a little bit with my BenQ, but not enough to bother me. I don't think it's as bad on mine as what your pictures show, but I do think that this is an inherent property of a large VA panel.
 
kabobi said:
I think it's because since most people don't notice these "defects" anyway, it doesn't justify the added cost of having more stringent QC during production. If people buy the screens anyway, why bother?
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Yeah, you're probably right. Times are gone when people were somehow aware of the internals of stuff. In the 90's even friends of my parents asked me "it's no cyrix right? Just a real Pentium right? Does it still have a math co processor? Do you have ISA or PCI?" Now it's more like "check my wallpaper, Win 7 is soo cool and awesome. Best thing ever. Love piece fist broh. *insert kittens*"
 
Bestio said:
But using the monitor, is not the banding that annoy me, but the Backlight bleeding!
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Severe backlight bleeding is not normal. I have hardly any on my BenQ BL3200PT. Just a tiny bit in my lower left corner, only visible on a completely dark background.

I purchased a VA to avoid IPS glow, but I recieved a display with a very strong bleeding, very similar to IPS glow! :( If I move my head left or right, I see like a dark halo just in front of me, moving like a shadow of myself with my head, (and I'm in a totally dark room) with a glow around of it, it's difficult to explain.
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If this is not backlight bleeding, it is probably the VA contrast shift. This is, sadly, inherent to the technology. But it certainly should not be as pronounced as IPS glow. Real IPS glow should be much, much worse. I had an IPS monitor previously (HP ZR24w) and it had horrendous white glow. My BenQ BL3200PT has some glow too, but it's nothing compared to what I previously had.

There's not much you can do about it, all VA panels have it to some extent, and it is easier to see on large monitors. But perhaps you're sitting too close to the monitor. The glow effect should become less pronounced from a distance. Also remember that VA panels have slightly inferior viewing angles compared to IPS panels.

I noticed the issue in dark games too, in this screenshot I see the ship nose very dark if my head is ahead the middle of the screen, but it become much brighter if I move my head left or right (maybe it's black crush?)
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This should be black crush. You could try to alleviate this somewhat with proper calibration, but I doubt you can eliminate it entirely. It doesn't really bother me, to be honest.
 
Tales of Vesperia on my Xbox 360, connected with DVI cable:

91ey55.jpg


Tales of Vesperia again, now with 1:1 pixel mapping on in the menu:

6ypssp.jpg


Trine on my PlayStation 3, connected with HDMI cable:

2dt15cp.jpg


Game of Thrones blu-ray on PS3. 1080p image interpolated to 1440p:

et9wkn.jpg


Game of Thrones blu-ray on PS3. 1080p image interpolated to 1440p:

2dlnfc0.jpg


Game of Thrones blu-ray on PS3. 1080p image interpolated to 1440p:

2zh4i7n.jpg


Game of Thrones blu-ray on PS3. 1080p image interpolated to 1440p:

6iv2c6.jpg


Apologies for the terrible picture quality. I'm unable to take better pics with my budget camera. Although my photography skills aren't the best either, I admit.
 
Bestio said:
Just delivered my new Samsung S32D850, (I was tired to looking for the Benq without find an avaiable one) first impression is good, but unfortunately it shows the same darker bars issues of the BL3200pt...
Even if I can see them only in a few shades of gray, and probably if I were not just looking for them, I would not have ever noticed.

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Same panel, to be expected. Its not something that can be corrected with firmware.
 
nanobeast said:
Is the banding issue present on all of these panels or only a few?
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At least a couple of people here have reported that they don't have the banding issue. That is likely because of different extent of banding and different perceptions of it.
 
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