AOC Agon AG352UCG. Just got delivered... something's not right. Help me understand what's going on.

zamardii12

2[H]4U
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Jun 6, 2014
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Short history... I ordered a Predator X34 a week ago and returned it after a day because the backlight glow was very distracting when playing dark games. The HP X34 seemed a little overprice imo, and the Predator Z35P is not out in the states yet to I ordered the AOC Agon 35.

So, I have been messing with the calibration settings and I got it to a reasonably good calibration but testing it in games and websites with my old monitor next to the new one it just looks... hazy. Like, a little washed out. The colors just don't look as good as they should and I don't know why. When I game, it feels as though I am looking through a slightly hazy, kind of washed-out filter.

My old monitor that is right next to my new one is strikingly more crisper than the new one. I have messed with every setting on the AOC and gone through the Windows display calibration and can't get it to look as good as the Benq I have next to the AOC.

(Btw, does anyone know what "Game Color" means in the settings? Can't see it explained anywhere online. It just appears to make the colors pop a little more)

Is it because the AOC is a VA panel and my Benq GW2765HT is IPS? Is it because the Benq is a 2560x1440 image at 27" and the AOC is a 3440x1440 image in a 35" screen?

I have attached some pictures below to try and illustrate the best that I can what I mean with some of my desktop wallpapers.

Let's compare some of these so you can see what I mean. This first photo is on my Benq. The second is the same picture on my new AOC. On the AOC you can see a clear line in the middle of the picture basically separating the dark and light sides of the photo.

Benq
QsMr6jy.jpg


AOC Agon
swuMvr2.jpg


Here is one more shot of a dark background with the earth on the bottom and the sun. On the AOC I see a huge halo effect around the sun in the picture... a hazy brightness extending out from the sun. On the Benq next to it, there is just the clear sun in view with no weird haze around it.

PnuhH3q.jpg


So is this just a visible representation in some way of the difference between VA and IPS, or is there something else going on here? Am I calibrated wrong? The pictures btw are all native 3440x1440.

I don't know what to think and am questioning returning this one too and just getting a standard monitor instead of constantly experimenting with these ultrawides. This is my first plunge into this sort of monitor territory... before this as you can see from the Benq I had, I never spent anywhere near this much on monitors. So perhaps my expectations for this kind of monitor are wrong? For $1000 i'd expect the monitor to be damn-near perfect, or at least better than the Benq.
 
Can you link the picture you're using as a background? I have an Asus MG24U 4k IPS and the HP Omen X35 so I can try to compare and narrow it down to being panel difference or a calibration problem.
 
the NASA pic makes it look like a weird bug. Which connection are you using? Is full rgb activated in nvidia display settings for color range?
 
Well the star one is really poor quality, with compression artifacts all over it, turning the glow into a big mess. The NASA one clearly has two distinct sides, with the left being more washed out with more brightness, lighter blacks, because of the glare.

It's also really hard to say how much your camera and lighting in the room is messing with the saturation and gain on those pictures, but the NASA picture is way less colorful than those photos show.

You should run both monitors through this http://www.lagom.nl/lcd-test/ and get them as neutral and accurate as possible, specifically gamma, contrast, brightness, saturation, and sharpness. If you prefer your shit overly saturated, you can screw with that later, but for now try to get everything as neutral as you can, and then compare.
 

Your AOC is showing the same picture that my HP and Asus are both showing, so your BenQ is the one that's actually off. This just seems strange but I'll show you the picture from my Asus MG24UQ. My monitors have been calibrated using an i1 display pro and DisplayCAL and they are both displaying the exact same thing so I'm pretty positive that the picture is accurate.

Videos:





Pics:
 

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I can only see the the artefacts if I look at my monitor from the sides, 27" AMVA+ Panel, but I remember having a similar problem with a Samsungs VA Monitor.
 
welcome to Vertically Aligned world!

here is copy/paste of my post from : https://hardforum.com/threads/tn-or-ips.1930760/#post-1042974101
it describe this issue I guess perfectly =0

VA - actually gave me most issues with black. Not only contrast ratio of all displays was completely fake but there was constant issue with levels of details of black and near black, gamma and image washout due to gamma being too low. After perfect calibration most of screen would have completely different gamma and difference between colors like #000000 and #010101 would be overblown to proportions where it would be obvious that part of image is black blob without any information inside it. Hard to use imagination to 'see' details when you can see there is cut-off where there cannot be any actual details. This also made compression artifacts to be beyond visible and obvious. Calibrating VA screen to any standard is completely useless exercise, especially when compared to better panels. Obviously VA are worst of the bunch when it comes to motion with most irritating black streaks. It is completely overrated technology imho.

zamardii12 said:
checked this in mage on my two A-TW IPS, CRT and PDP and image looks properly

it is all VA-ness that you see that make these images look broken
it kinda makes IPS black look vastly less noticeable and thus actually a lot better despite being brighter... doesn't it?....
 
The NASA one actually has a line of separation in the image itself, so the AOC is displaying it correctly. I can see it when I zoom in on the image.
 
I'm wondering what kind of settings are on the benq to completely mask it because on my Asus the halo and middle line are clear as day.
 
The NASA one actually has a line of separation in the image itself, so the AOC is displaying it correctly. I can see it when I zoom in on the image.
issue is not that AOC displays something that isn't there but in how it is displayed

on calibrated display without viewing angle issues this separation will be visible but it will be so faint that effectively it is not really visible

a while ago in 2013 I made picture specifically to reveal how bad VA tech is;
583351gammashifttestrecadr.png


and it resulted in anti-beautiful images like these:
FABEemOl.jpg


this post and direct comparison of 'similarities' these two images is best viewed on IPS/PDP/OLED/CRT ^_^

fun starts in this threat from page 9 =)
https://hardforum.com/threads/eizo-foris-fg2421-120hz-va-panel.1788465/page-9

with these kind of issues it should be obvious that calibrating VA displays is a myth. You calibrate single pixel at most and rest have wrong gamma XD

EDIT://
actually to be precise:
not single pixel but two pixels, each eye at any time will have one properly calibrated pixel,
as to which depend on your head position
even properly calibrated pixel for one eye will be seen with gamma shift by other eye
which make calibration impossible, even of one pixel, at least if you have and use two eyes

=)
 
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Your AOC is showing the same picture that my HP and Asus are both showing, so your BenQ is the one that's actually off. This just seems strange but I'll show you the picture from my Asus MG24UQ. My monitors have been calibrated using an i1 display pro and DisplayCAL and they are both displaying the exact same thing so I'm pretty positive that the picture is accurate.

Videos:





Pics:


I can only see the the artefacts if I look at my monitor from the sides, 27" AMVA+ Panel, but I remember having a similar problem with a Samsungs VA Monitor.

welcome to Vertically Aligned world!

here is copy/paste of my post from : https://hardforum.com/threads/tn-or-ips.1930760/#post-1042974101
it describe this issue I guess perfectly =0

VA - actually gave me most issues with black. Not only contrast ratio of all displays was completely fake but there was constant issue with levels of details of black and near black, gamma and image washout due to gamma being too low. After perfect calibration most of screen would have completely different gamma and difference between colors like #000000 and #010101 would be overblown to proportions where it would be obvious that part of image is black blob without any information inside it. Hard to use imagination to 'see' details when you can see there is cut-off where there cannot be any actual details. This also made compression artifacts to be beyond visible and obvious. Calibrating VA screen to any standard is completely useless exercise, especially when compared to better panels. Obviously VA are worst of the bunch when it comes to motion with most irritating black streaks. It is completely overrated technology imho.


checked this in mage on my two A-TW IPS, CRT and PDP and image looks properly

it is all VA-ness that you see that make these images look broken
it kinda makes IPS black look vastly less noticeable and thus actually a lot better despite being brighter... doesn't it?....

The NASA one actually has a line of separation in the image itself, so the AOC is displaying it correctly. I can see it when I zoom in on the image.

issue is not that AOC displays something that isn't there but in how it is displayed

on calibrated display without viewing angle issues this separation will be visible but it will be so faint that effectively it is not really visible

a while ago in 2013 I made picture specifically to reveal how bad VA tech is;

and it resulted in anti-beautiful images like these:


this post and direct comparison of 'similarities' these two images is best viewed on IPS/PDP/OLED/CRT ^_^

fun starts in this threat from page 9 =)
https://hardforum.com/threads/eizo-foris-fg2421-120hz-va-panel.1788465/page-9

with these kind of issues it should be obvious that calibrating VA displays is a myth. You calibrate single pixel at most and rest have wrong gamma XD

EDIT://
actually to be precise:
not single pixel but two pixels, each eye at any time will have one properly calibrated pixel,
as to which depend on your head position
even properly calibrated pixel for one eye will be seen with gamma shift by other eye
which make calibration impossible, even of one pixel, at least if you have and use two eyes

=)

This guy I have been messaging on Reddit about this issue sent me this and I was surprised with his results after using a Spyder5Pro calibration tool.

Here is what he sent me and using the same Earth/Sun picture as a reference on his HP Omen:




What I "thought" was properly calibrated. 42 brightness on the Omen (I didn't bother taking a pic at 100 brightness)


http://imgur.com/SLo7ngY

Here is with it PROPERLY CALIBRATED, same brightness - using the Spyder5Pro as my calibrating tool.


http://imgur.com/sVHxa8j

Omen X35, AOC, and Z35p ALL use the same panel. You're not going to see a difference in terms of quality (in my opinion - I got the Omen because of the bezel design).

Calibration makes worlds of difference.




I am hoping I can solve this issue somehow without having to dish out $120 on a calibration tool, but if I can't figure this out by the end of the week I think I am going to order that Spyder5Pro. There is no denying that proper calibration will make a difference, but knowing how and what to change is super important.
 
So the spyder5 is the better calibration tool? I've read around a bit and everyone seems real confident in the i1 display pro and displaycal software. Given the price tag on the i1 display pro I expected better results. Hmm
 
What do you expect from a 460kb image file. It is badly compressed, there does not appear to be a better version online. The artifacts disappear when near black shades get crushed or are too dark to be obvious.
Here is identical image with elevated gamma - this pushes the artifacts into the brighter levels. Only makes more obvious what was already always there.

https://s7.postimg.org/jxdyovzbd/image.png
 
so in the end: was it a calibration issue or a VA hell?

Calibration. It's still not perfect, but it's WAY better than when I first got it out the box. I am actually in the process of returning the AOC because of the fucking terrible customer service I have received from them. If anyone is interested, here is the story:


So, I got my AOC Agon 35" in the mail on Tuesday. I mount the guy up on my extending arm mount, plug the power in and nothing happens. I try different outlets to no avail. My friend grabs a old Dell laptop power supply because it has the same plug size, plug it in and boom the screen powers right up. So, brand new monitor out of the box has a defective power supply. Not a BIG deal since it is working right now even though it's probably not a good idea to use the thing a extended period of time with a lower-rated power supply)

First thing I do is contact AOC (because I think Amazon likely won't have a replacement). I talk to a guy that takes my info; serial # and so-on; I ask him if they could expedite the power supply to me and he said it would cost $60. I said forget that; i'll just wait the 5-10 day estimated delivery time for a replacement. He emails me a RMA form which I fill out with my Invoice attached. This is on Tuesday (the same day I received the monitor).

He responds after I sent back the RMA in about 30 minutes and said "Thanks, i'll check on availability." I am assuming he means that he's checking to see if they have extra power supplies to send me.

I don't hear anything for 24 hours. I email again and ask the status and don't hear back. So, I contact Amazon again to see what my options are and tell them that this is my second monitor that has been defective (had a Predator X34 the week before for a day before I returned it) in two weeks and I want to know what can be done about this. Amazon gave me 3 options; a credit to my account for the amount it would cost to replace the power supply (which doesn't help me b/c I still need one from AOC), a replacement sent out immediately and then send my old one back after I get the new one, or a full refund. So, after debating what I want to do for about 10 minutes I told the Amazon rep that I think I will wait until the end of the week to hear from AOC and if I don't hear from them by Friday afternoon then I will return the monitor.

So, I don't hear anything for another 24 hours. I email the AOc rep again and ask what is going on with my request. All I get is a response that says "Please send us your power supply to our location in California so we can diagnose the problem," and along with that he send me a shipping label.

I respond and ask, will you guys send me the replacement in the meantime so I can use my monitor? He responds "No, we need to see the defective unit first."

My response" Then forget it. I'll just return the monitor. That's ridiculous and terrible customer service. I open up a brand new $900 monitor and then a $5 power supply is defective, and you guys can't send me a replacement? Thanks for nothing. Regards,..."

I tell you what guys I am exhausted by all this bullshit and am about ready to give up on Ultrawides... have had a lot of great discussions with people in this forum and others about the monitors and as all of you know there are sacrifices you have to put up with no matter which UW you get. Some of you may be thinking that I should just get Amazon to have swapped me out while continuing to use the Dell power supply; well that's not the point though is it? What happens when my 30 days is up with Amazon and I have to deal with AOC again? Why can't they take care of their customers? Why fret over a 5 to 10 dollar power supply for a brand new monitor of their's I just purchased? I am happy with the screen quality and everything, but if I am going to be using this monitor long-term then I need to think about support after Amazon's return policy is up.

My last shot in the dark is the HP Omen. I like the design more, but I am not thrilled having to spend the extra money for essentially the same panel; and also when the same monitor was under $1000 just a month ago.

Anyway /rant and I don't think i'll be dealing with AOC again. The value of that monitor is not worth the frustration and anxiety associated with potentially having to deal with their customer "service" again.
 
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Sucks to hear AOC has bad customer service. If you can find the Omen for $965 again it'll be a good buy. So how did you get it properly calibrated? Is a Spyder5 really the best option? I bought i1 display pro hoping I wouldnt need anything else...or maybe displaycal software isnt as accurate?
 
Sucks to hear AOC has bad customer service. If you can find the Omen for $965 again it'll be a good buy. So how did you get it properly calibrated? Is a Spyder5 really the best option? I bought i1 display pro hoping I wouldnt need anything else...or maybe displaycal software isnt as accurate?

Well, people were trying to talk me into the Spyder5 but I honestly couldn't justify it. I had other folks use their's and then they posted their monitors settings for me which I know is a crap-shoot, but it worked along with some helpful calibration websites and what my eyes saw as acceptable. I am also color-blind to certain colors so that doesn't help. I didn't want to spend over $100 on a device just for a one-use thing. I use the monitor for games and video editing and that's it, so I couldn't tell you if one device is better than the other.
 
I can't believe this... AOC actually just responded to my last email and told me to return the monitor. After my last "stern" email the rep told me he will forward it to a service manager. 2 hours later I get "The service manager said that is the best thing to do return it for a refund." They would rather me return the monitor and lose me as a customer than to just mail me a new power supply. Unbelievable. That's basically a fuck you.
 
Geez AOC. I hope HP is better if I ever happen to have problems with my omen.

I hope so too. I tried to get Amazon to do something about the price of the Omen since it was only 3 weeks ago on the 21st of April the thing was selling for $965. Now it's 3 weeks later and it's up over $300. Best they could do is give me an account credit of $20. So i'm returning the AOC and going to wait for the Predator Z35P to release state-side.
 
My response" Then forget it. I'll just return the monitor. That's ridiculous and terrible customer service. I open up a brand new $900 monitor and then a $5 power supply is defective, and you guys can't send me a replacement? Thanks for nothing. Regards,..."

AOC lost a chance to improve their Brand and receive some free press on t[H]is community, for $5!
 
All display companies suck....the cf791 is the best ultrawide...but no gsync :-(
 
All display companies suck....the cf791 is the best ultrawide...but no gsync :-(

I haven't been able to find a solid answer on how Freesync monitors work with Nvidia graphics cards. Like, would it be safe to say that as long as the FPS is (in the case of the cf791) under 100fps then it should be fine or would I still see tearing? I am not quite familiar with how it works.
 
.the cf791 is the best ultrawide

I hope this is not a flame bait, because i am biting!

I was in love with the 34CF791 reviews, until Agon and Omen reviews came out:

-35"s are significantly bigger than 34"s, and they are the same price point.
-35"s showed less blur in pursuit camera tests
- GSYNC is a better solution for 3440x1440 gaming at 100Hz- a resolution that begs for 1080Ti. Unless Vega surprise us, it will be at least 2 generations before AMD can run 34x14 at 100Hz with a single card.
- sure, quantum dots look gimmick, but what usage scenario will benefit from quantum dots on a VA panel? web authoring is 99,99999% in sRGB, and VA gamma shift makes using VA for professional work unreliable, to say the least.
 
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