Benq BL3200PT (32" 1440p)

dimab00 said:
For bringing up the service menu the steps are:
1. Turn off your monitor (tap power and then wait 5 seconds) if it is already on.
2. Cover the MENU touch button (the 4th touch button out of 5, excluding power touch button)
3. While covering the MENU touch button, tap the power button.
4. Nothing will happen for 2 seconds. Ignore this hesistation.
5. All lights will flash simultaneously.
6. Release your finger off the MENU touch button.
7. Monitor will power up. Wait for the monitor to power on.
8. When the monitor is displaying computer desktop, tap the MENU button
9. Service menu will appear, showing firmware version of your monitor. If the service menu doesn’t show up, something might be wrong. But try the above first.
file
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Both my panels are identical except for S/N.

Model: BL3200PT
Vendor: Qisda
Panel: AUM320DVN01.0
Scaler: MST 9687D
F/W Version: V04/20141126
 
MONITOR_zpsxz3oauh4.jpg


Just got one set up after Christmas and I can't say I'm too impressed, very uneven brightness on mid to dark greys, the screenshot is both my monitors with the same dark grey colour swatch. I thought it might be my reflection but I took the picture standing off to the side and it was still bad. It's ok on lighter colours or really dark ones but it stands out when you've got a dark work background like after effects or photoshop.

There is also a strange silvery/glowy quality on dark colours too, hard to explain but if you think of the glow of a grey on a tn panel once the angle goes up, it's like that. Might be a product of the anti reflective coating but the greys on my other monitor (HP ZR2440W) are much flatter and nicer to look at.

Think it's going back.
 
I posted this in another thread as well:
Hey guys,so I got a benq bl3200pt. No dead or stuck pixels but it seems that there is some slight banding on a grey screen. Or for instance when im playing a flight sim and in a clear sky i can see it slightly while turning. My question is should I try and get another one or should i just be happy? is it very hit and miss with the banding? I should also mention this is my second one. My first one was a refurb direct from benq for $380. that one had terrible banding and a few stuck pixels. so benq was kind enough to send me a brand new one for replacement. the build date on the replacement was oct 2015. So i guess I just dont know how much i should expect and for $380 on top of that.

the main area is directly under the color selected on ms paint. note that there is obvious gama shift going on at the bottom so that is not of a concern.
hs8bDG3.jpg
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For several days the audio headphone right channel is not working (the one located on the right edge of the monitor).
I tried different cables and headphones without luck. The PC audio output it is OK. I tested it with speakers and headphones, so it's not a problem of software but a problem of audio headphone port on the monitor.
Is there anything I can do to fix it?
Thank you.
 
MACK-ATTACK said:
I posted this in another thread as well:
Hey guys,so I got a benq bl3200pt. No dead or stuck pixels but it seems that there is some slight banding on a grey screen. Or for instance when im playing a flight sim and in a clear sky i can see it slightly while turning. My question is should I try and get another one or should i just be happy? is it very hit and miss with the banding? I should also mention this is my second one. My first one was a refurb direct from benq for $380. that one had terrible banding and a few stuck pixels. so benq was kind enough to send me a brand new one for replacement. the build date on the replacement was oct 2015. So i guess I just dont know how much i should expect and for $380 on top of that.

the main area is directly under the color selected on ms paint. note that there is obvious gama shift going on at the bottom so that is not of a concern.
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They all have the banding issue to some extent. It's either something you can live with, or you return it (like I did). I don't think you're going to get one without banding.
 
Man this is so hard to know what to do. I guess ill just have to play with it more to zee if i can over look it.
 
Did anyone actually get a panel that doesn't flicker in some games? I'm not referring to the original whole screen white-ish flicker they originally had (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWePQOYIEHc) but a more subtle one mostly visible on vegetation in games: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8B9C_nko4yc

I can confirm that banding is present on all these panels to some extent (had 2 from philips and 1 from aoc all using the same panel as bl3200pt and all had banding, with the second philips showing the least (but that one had dust under screen and horrible backlight bleed)).
 
In reference to "strange contrast change" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8B9C_nko4yc

I have had *this* sort of changing contrast like ~4 years ago on another "new generation" BenQ A-MVA monitor (which was quickly disposed of). I even tried to get in touch with EU BenQ repair center since it is very very very irritating (it was super annoying and not limited to Skyrim but it was most evident in skyrim/fallout/fallout new vegas) and I thought it was a defect. Long story short – BenQ did not find any defects and sent it back to me. Buyers beware because once seen it can not be unseen and then its near impossible to use (I seriously can not express just how irritating it was to use it back when I was short on cash and could not buy another monitor).

Edit: BTW I was thinking about buying this very monitor, thinking that weird changing contrast was solved long time ago or it was just a particular monitor problem. Guess it still is and will be a problem if so little information is available about this particular issue.
Edit: It is NOT overdrive side-effect because it's visible even with overdrive turned off (or at least was).

Edt: Found it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nH6PWKlgBB0&feature=youtu.be
 
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Pabaisa said:
In reference to "strange contrast change" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8B9C_nko4yc

I have had *this* sort of changing contrast like ~4 years ago on another "new generation" BenQ A-MVA monitor (which was quickly disposed of). I even tried to get in touch with EU BenQ repair center since it is very very very irritating (it was super annoying and not limited to Skyrim but it was most evident in skyrim/fallout/fallout new vegas) and I thought it was a defect. Long story short – BenQ did not find any defects and sent it back to me. Buyers beware because once seen it can not be unseen and then its near impossible to use (I seriously can not express just how irritating it was to use it back when I was short on cash and could not buy another monitor).

Edit: BTW I was thinking about buying this very monitor, thinking that weird changing contrast was solved long time ago or it was just a particular monitor problem. Guess it still is and will be a problem if so little information is available about this particular issue.
Edit: It is NOT overdrive side-effect because it's visible even with overdrive turned off (or at least was).

Edt: Found it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nH6PWKlgBB0&feature=youtu.be
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Constrast shifting is pretty much a defining characteristic of *VA monitors. MVA/PVA/AMVA/SPVA... All of them.

I only use IPS for computer monitors because of this.
 
Ok.... not sure then how could anyone use it for gaming in any shape or form :confused: By the way I, not in a single review, have ever seen any mention of *this* sort of contrast shift (different parts of panel having different contrast – yes, changing contrast based on head position – yes, all details being lost when you play a game – no).

Edit: I image playing any sort of space game with VA panel would be fun!
Edit2: I googled and found that my Samsung UE48H6400 uses a VA LCD (I won panel lottery and got samsung panel) panel but it certainly did not have any previously mentioned contrast shift issues because I play games on it occasionally. Although I will double check it when I get back home.
 
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I am pretty shocked that all these monitors are praised by reviews. I always wait for review on tftcentral before buying. Now to be fair, they did warn that gray to gray can spike to as much as 45ms but did not hint this could lead to visible problems in games (couldn't care less about a little ghosting, but whole objects flickering is another thing).
 
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ors said:
I am pretty shocked that all these monitors are praised by reviews. I always wait for review on tftcentral before buying. Now to be fair, they did warn that gray to gray can spike to as much as 45ms but did not hint this could lead to visible problems in games (couldn't care less about a little ghosting, but whole objects flickering is another thing).
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Yeah, I remember at the dawn of LCD display era having a TN monitor with ~12+ ms advertised response time (no overdrive) but it never exhibited this sort image distortion (I connected it when had Benq A-MVA 4 years ago). It pretty much renders the sole advantage of VA panel (deep black) worthless because monitor loses detail in dark scenes (and I'm not even talking about black crush). I think it can affect even movies because I remember easily reproducing contrast change/detail loss just moving skyrim screenshot with lots of flora and it was definitely not an overshoot.
 
Maybe wait and see if the 31.5'' 144hz 2560x1440 Samsung SVA also shows this effect. It is planned to go into production Q3 2016.
I've read conflicting comments that it both does and does not happen on the Samsung SVA panels (maybe it depends on the exact panel), we will find out eventually.
For it to trigger it requires a specific (sharp/dark) graphic style and won't show up at all in some games (and very rarely in movies), so many people won't notice or think it's something else.
I did however, see some old TN panels (a laptop panel and a 5ms panel from 2007) that also showed it to some degree.
I also saw it on that old, popular 27'' Dell S-PVA monitor which I specifically tested for it, but it was VERY subdued compared to the others. Back then they usually had contrast below ~1500:1 though.
 
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Pabaisa said:
Ok.... not sure then how could anyone use it for gaming in any shape or form :confused: By the way I, not in a single review, have ever seen any mention of *this* sort of contrast shift (different parts of panel having different contrast – yes, changing contrast based on head position – yes, all details being lost when you play a game – no).
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A lot of people mentally compensate for the shift and don't even notice. I only found out when I was burned with my first LCD. A Dell 2405 SPVA panel.

I read a ton of glowing reviews and not one mentioned contrast shift, so I hooked it up and my first reaction was: "WTF is that!?"

I was incredulous no one was talking about this contrast shift. I put together a test image of closeup of some tree bark tiled across the screen to show people what I was taking about. I still saw people use that image almost 10 years later to describe the issue to those who don't see it.

The reason you don't see it on your TV, is you sit far enough away, that the viewing angle to different areas on the screen are nearly the same.

When you sit close to a desktop monitor the viewing angle to different areas of the screen can/will be dramatically different.

Set up your video camera 10ft from your screen and then use the camera zoom to make the screen bigger. From that distance constrast will be uniform, just like it is for your TV.
 
Got back home and tested samung 48H6400 in pc mode with image from super modded skyrim install (high quality textures, grass etc.) but saw no evident "contrast shift". Was looking for it at literally 10-15 cm from TV, specifically looking for it and believe me if it was evident I would have seen it... I do not argue that it was not there, it just was just not as evident on samsung as it was on BenQ which was a pain I still remember now. Just one more thing to be weary when buying VA panel... Just as you say it may just be a case of people not noticing it but for the few of us it is a critical issue.
 
Well mine will be going back for this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8B9C_nko4yc

400EU for a monitor on which I can only run select games is a little steep for me. Maybe the 4k IPS panels drop a little in price (they are around double this now) and I'll grab one of those. For office work and movies it's a decent panel, if I could get it for 200-250EU, I would definitely buy it just to use it for programming and nothing else :)
 
ors said:
I am pretty shocked that all these monitors are praised by reviews. I always wait for review on tftcentral before buying. Now to be fair, they did warn that gray to gray can spike to as much as 45ms but did not hint this could lead to visible problems in games (couldn't care less about a little ghosting, but whole objects flickering is another thing).
Click to expand...
That is probably what I am experiencing with a BenQ GW2470H on scrolling screens with black and grey backgrounds. The flicker and strobbing effect is terrible and impossible for me to ignore because it is so distracting and noticeable. Gamma shift is not all that noticeable and I do tend to slouch to one side on my desk and can see a slight change to the gamma but it is not a big issue for me TBH. My screen has to go back because the flicker and strobbing is not acceptable. The problem is I doubt that I will find anything LCD that I could find acceptable. I come from CRT's and have never experienced such display problems before.
 
I own an U2311h and it really is a great monitor (other than it being 16:9). On IPS monitor I never saw this, sure they have IPS glow but that you can get used to. You could try an U2412M or something similar.

This was my first, and probably last VA... Was blown away by the black levels, but then I saw the flicker and the magic was gone :(
 
Thanks, I think that I do need something other than a VA panel.
BTW Have you ever tried grey backgrounds with black or white text? Or even black backgrounds with white text such as google with a black background?

I dislike white backgrounds and replace them with darker colours such as grey or black. Unfortunately it seems to be the worst possible combination for VA panels and it not just flickers but strobes where things move. Absolutely terrible and totally unusable.

BTW my current VA panel has zero BLB but the flickering is just totally unacceptable to me. I find it so distracting. I just cannot forget it or ignore it.
 
BTW black is 0.039 but dE is well over 3 and up to about 6. Red channel low. While it isn't moving it looks okay, great blacks and generally looks okay but that flicker, yuck.
 
Well you can find the numbers in the reviews on tftcentral, I don't have any equipment to measure stuff, just go by eye.

Regarding gray/black backgrounds, it isn't the best for IPS either since it's more likely for the IPS glow to show, although that will be limited to just the corners of the screen, and really don't consider it a problem on 23-24" monitors, not sure about bigger ones since I never owned one :)

But I used IPS monitors for 10 or so years now and never saw this damn flicker on them. So at least that won't be a problem. Also the colors stay more true from an angle on IPS than VA, only dark colors "wash out" due to the IPS glow.
 
Guys, check posts 1498 and 1499...other people here had the flickering problem and after RMAing their monitors, BenQ applied a firmware update that supposedly fixed it. I'm surprised it's still an issue as I would think that any monitors purchased within the last few months would have the new firmware. Is it possible that you guys got old stock? Or maybe (for whatever reason) BenQ didn't apply the firmware update to new monitors rolling off of the production line.
 
They are referring to the white whole screen flicker, which indeed was addressed. However there are still scenes in games where vegetation/objects will flicker, not white and not the whole screen but still annoying. And this was reported on other AMVA+ monitors as well, and supposedly even some Samsung VA panels.

That is the reason I started discussions here about it, hoping a bl3200pt owner would confirm if they are seeing this (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8B9C_nko4yc), it's definitely there on the Philips using the same panel, and with a manufacture date of may 2015.
 
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Just got this in from Newegg. I researched a bit but settled on this one due to the low price of $499 and the size. Box shows an Oct 2015 build date. Firmware is V04/20141126. I am coming from a 27 inch HP z2740w IPS panel that died after just 5 years (will never buy from HP again). I am connected via a 10ft dual link DVI. I've had this BenQ for about 2 days and have tried to find the banding and the flickering that many here have been talking about. The only thing I noticed was on this test: http://www.gdargaud.net/Hack/DeadPixel/GreenMagenta.html, I could see horizontal banding relative to where the window was on the BenQ screen. However, I don't think I would have noticed it had I not read every single page of this forum. I understand that this banding issue could annoy some people, but I have not been able to replicate this phenomena. Is there any other way this banding issue could manifest itself in real world application?
Settings: Brightness 75, Contrast 45, Sharpness 4, Gamma 1, Hue and Saturation 50.

As of now, I am very happy with this monitor. Even the Eco Sensor works flawlessly for me thus far. I will post again if I do run into any problems.
 
The magenta thing won't be a problem. If you want to also use it for games, test Skyrim and play it until you get to Whiterun. There you can check the vegetation at night time if you notice a flicker on it or not (https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jjJJbOVW2Zw). And decide if that bothers you. The banding can be seen when looking at the sky and moving the camera (your peripheral vision will pick them up if there is any), or just bring up a gray full screen image and look if you can spot any vertical lines (dark blue rgb: 18 27 35, gray rgb: 102 102 102). Here is a photo of the AOC I tested: https://www.dropbox.com/s/64od9yxum6nqbof/P1270015.JPG?dl=0 you can see a slight dark band at the right side.
 
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ors said:
The magenta thing won't be a problem. If you want to also use it for games, test Skyrim and play it until you get to Whiterun. There you can check the vegetation at night time if you notice a flicker on it or not
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Went to Whiterun at night as you suggested and could not detect any flicker in the vegetation. From the video posted it looks like it would be similar to those "press the button when you see the squigglies on any part of the screen" tests the optometrist administers to me once a year. I thought I'd done okay on those tests but the nurse never tells me how well I did. As far as the full screen gray banding issue, if its there I can't detect it. Thanks for the input.
:D
 
Good for you then, thx for looking into it :) What manufacture date does yours have?

Not sure what to think now though, both the Philips and AOC behaved like that, seems Benq knew something the others didn't since it's the same panel :(
 
The build date on the box read "October 2015". I am pretty happy with it but YMMV since I am coming from an HP zr2740w which was shit.
 
Has anyone calibrated the BL3200PT with a ColorMunki Display and DisplayCAL?

I tried calibrating it to a whitepoint of 5500K and a white level of 120 cd/m^2.

With the colorimeter correction file, there's a bluish tint at both Gamma = 1 and Gamma = 2.

Without the correction file, the colors appear a lot warmer than they do on my Dell U2414H calibrated with the same settings and appropriate correction file.

Could this just be due to the differences between the VA and IPS panels?
 
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So here's something I never expected... I just repurchased this monitor. Last time I owned it was back in August 2014. At that time I ended up returning it because of the terrible vertical banding it had. I loved the monitor except for that flaw and I always wanted to give it another shot, but I ended up moving on to GSync monitors instead, a technology I am very fond of.

Well, it was time to try again. I had given up on my 4k Acer XB280HK. 4k gaming isn't there yet for me. Microsoft's promise to do better with scaling in Windows 10 turned out to be bunk. Frame rates at 4k are just too low and unstable, even with gtx980s in SLI. Maybe Pascal will help, but for now it's going to be used on my spare PC. At least text is crystal clear at 200% scaling on it. I mean, that's something.

Anyway, this new BenQ BL3200PT I received this weekend has a Jan 2016 manufacture date. There's no dead pixels and no backlight bleed (literally none). It's got very, very, VERY minor banding, almost to where I'd say there's none. Nothing like the dark bands I had on my original. Only when viewed off-angle, on a solid color screen, can I faintly make out some slight bands, and I really have to look. (It's way less noticeable than the clouding and backlight bleed on my 4k Acer, that's for sure) I remember now why I was so sad to get rid of this monitor... amazing colors and contrast. I mean, it really is incredible. Of course, I'm stuck at 60Hz and no GSync now, but I don't play FPS, so the damage is minimal. I've got it on an Ergotron adjustable arm mount this time around so I can move it easily to my desired height and distance. It's strange also, when I originally had this monitor, I thought perhaps 32" was too big. This time around, it's perfect.

I played Black Desert Online on it over the weekend and literally couldn't be happier. Its madness!
 
Glad to hear your new one is better, Astral. Hopefully your sample is indicative of what others can expect of the newer production units as a whole, and not just an exception. I was really fond of the BL3200PT. I would find it difficult to live without the real estate of 4K at this point, but I understand it's not for everyone just yet.
 
imyourzero said:
Glad to hear your new one is better, Astral. Hopefully your sample is indicative of what others can expect of the newer production units as a whole, and not just an exception. I was really fond of the BL3200PT. I would find it difficult to live without the real estate of 4K at this point, but I understand it's not for everyone just yet.
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Thanks, I was pleasantly surprised. I do hope this means they've gotten production quality under control.

Yes, I'm really torn between 1440p and 4k. When everything clicks, I find 4k incredible to surf/game/watch video on. I just have a lot of difficulty with scaling in games and in Windows. For instance, in Black Desert Online, at 4k all my windows and fonts get so small its nearly impossible to effectively see and use them. They only allow 120% scaling in the game, which is fine for 1440p, but nothing more. The same thing happens in a lot of games unfortunately. For instance in Diablo 3, at 4k, my cursor gets so small I always lose it during a busy battle. There's also the problem of keeping the framerate up near 60fps in a lot of games. If SLI doesn't work well in a game (like BDO unfortunately) I'm hurting on framerate. I think if the scaling issue in Windows and games could be addressed I could more easily deal with the framerate issues. But combined, they tend to cause more frustration than fun. This is completely a vendor issue that could be resolved if they would embrace 4k gaming. Until that happens, I think 1440p monitors are the way to go, at least for gaming.

As an aside, I found another positive to the BL3200PT over my 2 Acer TN panels. My wife can actually watch what I'm doing on the screen without the contrast going inverted or the screen washing out. That's while she's standing beside me or sitting at her computer next to mine. She likes to watch me game. Sometimes she'll get a pillow and lay on the floor a while and watch. She had stopped doing it and it never dawned on me that she couldn't see the screen anymore once I upgraded to my Acer monitors. Never said anything to me, just stopped watching. It wasn't until I got the new BenQ and she was standing next to me and said, "Hey I can see the screen again." that I realized what had happened. Ok, that has nothing to do with the monitor directly, but I'll take all the positives I can get, whether directly related or a fringe benefit.
 
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Just curious - has anyone tried out a 40-48" 4k TV and switched back to the BL3200PT? If you have, what were your reasons for doing so?
 
I sent my 3200pt back to Benq (or rather their nominated repair people RepairTech) for a firmware flash and they are now telling me they are waiting for a new panel, power board and base module!? The Benq rep stated that they are not aware a firmware update can solve the issue. Can anyone link / enclose an email with Benq acknowledging the white flickering can actually be fixed by just a firmware update?
 
I bought one from amazon on the ninth and mine was manufactured in december of 2016.I have not noticed any banding or scren flashing/flickering.I am quite pleased with it since it only cost me $265 shipped with me using my christmas amazon gift cards.
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dukester695 said:
I bought one from amazon on the ninth and mine was manufactured in december of 2016.I have not noticed any banding or scren flashing/flickering.I am quite pleased with it since it only cost me $265 shipped with me using my christmas amazon gift cards.
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It's still such a great monitor, and so cheap now. I use mine for both PC via DP and PS4 Pro via HDMI.
 
Yes it is a very good monitor,now can't wait to get a 4k 32inch monitor for less then 500$ which might take a while.
 
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