NEC LCD2690

[rao]

I think you're right. It's damn annoying though. Before I bought the 2690 I thought all lcd displays were silent - now I don't know if any of the large ones are. The CRT I had for 4 years before the 2690 was completely silent.

David

I also thought LCDs were silent. I got myself a 23" Cinema Display for one week to check if it's possible to build a large monitor that's silent. well it is...
I think now that we know that LCDs can be quite noisy, you simply have to check each model first.

rao

 

[lcdchaos]

I was able to test a P24-1W (sceneview 24" fujitsuSiemens), and a LG Electronics Flatron L245WP ,each for about 10 days.
the P24-1W made a noise all the time,as soon as you switched it on,no matter what settings,was a bit annoying,but I could stand it.
the LG was silent,only if you disabled all other noise sources,and concetrated,you could hear a very faint noise,but when I switched to sRGB,the display started to hum loud all the time,this wasnt something I could bear (besides the not really good image quality ).

maybe my ears are to sensitive... (hey thats something good isnt it ???) or I might got a braindamage ,who knows,but I cant stand this noises.
my 21" (trinitron) Sony makes noises,depended what you have on screen.
large white sounds different than to something black in the middle,and so on.
so I at least get periods of (relative) silence

if its possible to produce silent pc power supplies,why not silent screen power supplies ?
(I have one with a fan/no passive shit,but this one (seaSonic) doesnt make any humZ/buZZes/.. )

I spend quite some time today on the phone with nec germany/monitor call center/monitor technician.
so for all readers here who consider buying a 2690 in Europe :

* dead pixels : everything goes after the iso norm (ISO-Norm 13406-2),there are NO exeptions,and no good will exhanges. So you might have to live with several dead pixels !
only way around this,is to get an pixel insurrance at the online/dealer you want to get this screen from.
In Austria again,only one online shop offers a 14days pixel warranty,its not cheap,but most important,it ONLY applies to EIZO screens !

* noise issue : its kind of known,one callcenter guy ( I called several times,to get a few/different insights), knew that some people complained about this,and sent back their screens,but in most cases the technician couldnt understand whats wrong,so they got their screen 1:1 back,without any repairs done.
The technician on the other hand knew about the problem,but differentiated between a high pitch noise,and the 50hz hum,which seems to be within specifications.
Conclusion : noise seems to lie within necs specifications of ergonomic working with a screen.

* warranty
3 years,and no way to extend this any further

want to make your own picture here some phone numbers :
monitor hotline (gemany) : 49 (89) 99699 233
DIRECT number for the monitor technicans : 49 2323 9192166
(also german/took some time to get this number,be sure to be patient,took me about 5 calls ,until finally someone picked up )

cant say my city is a village,but when it comes to pc monitors,it is..
from all nec retailers here ,only ONE said it MIGHT be MAYBE possible to get a 2690wuXi down here ,without paying in advance,so I can check it out.
all other stores,have the usual gaming screens in all sizes,from cheap to worse...
also its not possible to see the eizo in real(life)TIME before buying here

@davidc : im sorry they didnt fix it
kinda hoped if you get it back (real) silent,this might be a good sign (for me .) )

 

[ChakkaSol]

MaximumPC Mag did a side by side comparison of 7 monitors (dell 30 hc, acer 26, hp 30, dell 27, sammy 27, sammy 30) larger than 24 inches...the 2690 was one of two ranked the highest.

It lost out to 1 other LCD due to the cost of the monitor....they gave it 2nd place ranking because of 1 flaw in their sample and inferred that they expected perfection given the price of the 2690. Otherwise the 2690 would have gotten a perfect score and recommendation.

This is what Im talking about....if NEC wants to showcase a monitor given the cost, call it the best of the best, it should come with a 100% guarantee for the first 30 days. I have the funds to buy but simply want the guarantee....Im getting closer given Painman's experience with NEC support.

I guess I want to see if Travbomb will respond to Painman's comments....

 

[Manny Calavera]

MaximumPC Mag did a side by side comparison of 7 monitors (dell 30 hc, acer 26, hp 30, dell 27, sammy 27, sammy 30) larger than 24 inches...the 2690 was one of two ranked the highest.

It lost out to 1 other LCD due to the cost of the monitor....they gave it 2nd place ranking because of 1 flaw in their sample and inferred that they expected perfection given the price of the 2690. Otherwise the 2690 would have gotten a perfect score and recommendation.

This is what Im talking about....if NEC wants to showcase a monitor given the cost, call it the best of the best, it should come with a 100% guarantee for the first 30 days. I have the funds to buy but simply want the guarantee....Im getting closer given Painman's experience with NEC support.

I guess I want to see if Travbomb will respond to Painman's comments....

You say you have the 'funds' if so,buy a cheap pixel warranty from NCIX and get the screen.Here in North America when purchasing a Nec LCD you can get an extended waranty with 24/7 tech support for a small amount extra,does Nec Europe not offer
extended warraties for a little extra ?

Chakka,I work in a computer store on weekends.I have dealt with many screen manufacturers for RMA's over the years,many ! Nec and Samsung are the best.I have personal expirience with both companies.Samsung is great,Nec is just
incredible.You will never find perfection,not for 1600 or 5600,you just get closer to it the more you spend or are willing to spend.I would not have skipped Benq and Samsung and sent back one of the first Dell 2407 A04's shipped in Canada
if I was unsure at this point.After 19+ years of selling and fixing computer parts and wanting a 24",I decided to forgo others and go with Nec for a reason.I have played with a few Eizo's and did not like what I saw.I have seen a 2690 with my
own eyes and loved what I saw.I payed quake4 on it,and browsed for about oh half an hour.In that time,I figured I had seen enough.Some people just want it all,and a bag of chips,and a bj and are still not satisfied. I understand you
want a trouble free and defect free product,the thing is you will never find it.I fix computers for a living,and go to University during the week (Registered Nursing)

I own 5 lcd screens,soon to be seven,nothing is perfect.Nec meets Iso standards well,better then most I think.If you think Nec is bad,you should see what goes on behind the scenes ! Most screen oem's are far far worse.What will you be using
the screen for,color critical work of some sort ? are you a photgrapher by chance ?

 

[lcdchaos]

Does Nec Europe not offer
extended warraties for a little extra ?

* warranty
3 years,and no way to extend this any further

NO,there isnt
only for companies there are extended warranties available,for end-customers,there isnt ...

 

[davidc]

I think you're right. It's damn annoying though. Before I bought the 2690 I thought all lcd displays were silent - now I don't know if any of the large ones are. The CRT I had for 4 years before the 2690 was completely silent.

David

NEC Customer Service phoned me back. The technician said that there were two circuit boards that needed to be moved, or have something done to them, because they were too close and this led to vibration. My 2690 was now within specification. The CS person did relay to me that the technician had said that the 2690 - all 2690s - do produce some audible sound.

For a near £1000 display this is not acceptable (to me as I am sensitive to noise).

I can't live with this high pitched tone and given that this noise is a problem native to all 2690s, I'll sell the 2690 as soon as I can find a silent alternative.

There is a very good website at Silent PC Review (.com) which deals with quietening computing and they have recommendations for more or less all components except displays. I am going to suggest that they should start a section on displays.

David

 

[ChakkaSol]

You say you have the 'funds' if so,buy a cheap pixel warranty from NCIX and get the screen.

I own 5 lcd screens,soon to be seven,nothing is perfect.Nec meets Iso standards well,better then most I think.If you think Nec is bad,you should see what goes on behind the scenes ! Most screen oem's are far far worse.What will you be using
the screen for,color critical work of some sort ? are you a photgrapher by chance ?

I checked NCIX's website and they were "taking orders" for the 2690 the other day...I probably will have to go the VAR route, probably through NCIX, as long as they price match as I think you said they do in an earlier post.

No Im not a photographer but my spouse does it part-time....she's not so hung up on the dead pixel stuff but I am cause I want it for gaming and surfing and it would drive me nuts to see a white dead pixel off to the side while Im on the hardforum and its black background. I will be the major user of the lcd.

I think Ive said enough so Ill stop whinning, Im sure Travbomb and others would like me to stop, Im not trashing the product at all but just the NEC warranty.

 

[Rhydas]

I called the NEC italy this morning and they told me that warranty is 3 years
and for dead pixel they will xchange it only if there is more than 2 dead pixel ONLY in the center of the screen... !

I even asked if there is a way to buy an additional warranty to have a control from nec on my monitor but there is no wat. So after buy a 1450 ( in italy ) monitor you have to pray that it's a good one wihtout dead pixel, without noise ecc ecc

 

[ZeMike]

There is something wrong with NEC clams that they use "Grade A" panels.

2690 is the only display with this LG.Philips panel and I wonder where they send "Grade B" panels !

DavidC - my noise problem was fixed definitely but it took 3 weeks.

 

[davidc]

I also thought LCDs were silent. I got myself a 23" Cinema Display for one week to check if it's possible to build a large monitor that's silent. well it is...
I think now that we know that LCDs can be quite noisy, you simply have to check each model first.

rao

Was the 23" Apple Cinema Display silent?

David

 

[davidc]

DavidC - my noise problem was fixed definitely but it took 3 weeks.[/QUOTE]

Interesting. Do you know what they did to your display and why it took 3 weeks? Did they explain what was wrong?

David

 

[travbomb]

* noise issue : its kind of known,one callcenter guy ( I called several times,to get a few/different insights), knew that some people complained about this,and sent back their screens,but in most cases the technician couldnt understand whats wrong,so they got their screen 1:1 back,without any repairs done.
The technician on the other hand knew about the problem,but differentiated between a high pitch noise,and the 50hz hum,which seems to be within specifications.
Conclusion : noise seems to lie within necs specifications of ergonomic working with a screen.

I have the documents straight from Japan at my desk that show exaclty what was causing the noise and exactly how to fix it. This has been taken care of at the manufacturing level so anything made after the first run will not have this problem. Anyone with the noise issue should be able to have it fixed since all of the service centers should have the fix in hand. If anyone has a unit who's service center is saying they wont fix it let me know where you are located and I will have NEC Europe take care of it.

Also I have used quite a few of these and not run into any noise issues. I am not trying to claim it does not exist just saying that it isnt something that every unit has as some are trying to say.

 

[travbomb]

I am glad you guys are enjoying your display's

I would truly love to be able to enjoy mine,and give a glowing review but I am still waiting
on the two 24" Nec's I ordered last Monday. Why is it that so many companies are having supply issues right now ?

A friend of mine who works for Ingram Micro,told me there are two in the country in his database !!! Certainly I cannot be the only one who ordered these sucker's ?

We have been shipping product since 4/1. It is your reseller holding it up. There is also plenty of units in stock right now.

 

[rao]

...
Also I have used quite a few of these and not run into any noise issues. I am not trying to claim it does not exist just saying that it isnt something that every unit has as some are trying to say.

hi travbomb,

if there is any unit, that does not have the noise problem, could you tell us, starting with what hardware-revision s/n it should be gone?
at least rev. 3a s/n ...7xx still seems to be affected.

rao

 

[davidc]

I have the documents straight from Japan at my desk that show exaclty what was causing the noise and exactly how to fix it. This has been taken care of at the manufacturing level so anything made after the first run will not have this problem. Anyone with the noise issue should be able to have it fixed since all of the service centers should have the fix in hand. If anyone has a unit who's service center is saying they wont fix it let me know where you are located and I will have NEC Europe take care of it.

Also I have used quite a few of these and not run into any noise issues. I am not trying to claim it does not exist just saying that it isnt something that every unit has as some are trying to say.

This puts me in a difficult position. I have a 2690 which has had "the fix" applied to it. I described this in an earlier post on the basis of the info I had secondhand from the NEC Technician (UK). But it still has a high pitched tone which is clearly audible in a quiet room when you are at usual working distance - about 50cms - and don't have anything wrong with your hearing. I have been told by NEC UK that all 2690s do have some audible noise even after "the fix" but you say they (the fixed ones) don't. I am confused. Is this display specified as being silent or not? Are you saying that all the current production models are silent? Is there any point in me trying to get from NEC a newer model that makes no sound? I am happy with the image quality but not with the noise. Is there anymore I can do about this to get a silent copy of this display?

Thanks

David

 

[b1_]

Chakka,I work in a computer store on weekends.I have dealt with many screen manufacturers for RMA's over the years,many ! Nec and Samsung are the best.I have personal expirience with both companies.Samsung is great,Nec is just
incredible.

Well that's great, but unfortunately NEC don't back up their apparent excellent service with written guarantees. As I've already mentioned in this thread I am gathering together all the warranties and dead pixel policies of the major LCD monitor players in Australia here ---> http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/index.cfm?a=wiki&tag=rmp_mon . NEC Australia don't have any detailed warranty documents on the net. I've had to call the Australian NEC main office and get them to fax me a copy. And there's certainly no mention of zero dead pixel policies. I've rung a rep for NEC in my home city and asked about dead pixels and been told you get 14 days 0 dead pixels, then I've asked if this policy is in writing and all i've got is an uncomfortable worded explanation about why it's not written down but that I could take his word for it, and he gave me his name. That's no way to run multi-million dollar business.

I would love to add NEC the top five zero dead pixel policies list, right next to Dell, who also offer 2 weeks, but I can't because there's nothing documented that I can link to. All there is is two North American documents that seem to not apply in Australia. And what about Europe? Are there any policies written down? They should be advertising this A-grade service we keep hearing about. It doesn't make sense. The forum this information is going to has twice the posts/thread/members of the Hardforum so you can guarantee a crap load of people are going to reference what I gather.

Acer, Benq, Viewsonic, Panasonic, Dell, HP, Chi Mei, LG all have clearly stated net documents for warranty and dead pixel policies. For NEC I've made two phone calls and searched their site back to front and they got nothing written. It's putting me off their product even tho it looks like the best option for me.

I despise this if-we-don't-write-it-down-or-say-anything-about-it-they-can't-pin-us-down-about-it atttiude from LCD monitor manufacturers in regard to dead pixel policies. Apple is guilty of this nonsense also.

 

[NECaddict]

I'm thinking of buying this monitor and have some questions.

Does the NEC LCD2690WUXi support HDMI and 1080p? I'm thinking of using it for movies with a blu-ray player.

What's better about the 2690 with spectraview? I'm not really into professional graphics design but I will be using Photoshop CS2 for photos.

 

[Painman]

I'm thinking of buying this monitor and have some questions.

Does the NEC LCD2690WUXi support HDMI and 1080p? I'm thinking of using it for movies with a blu-ray player.

What's better about the 2690 with spectraview? I'm not really into professional graphics design but I will be using Photoshop CS2 for photos.

Someone here on HardForum (ToastyX?) verified that the 2690 does properly scaled 1080p just recently. It doesn't have an HDMI port, but it has 2 DVI ports. You can hook up an HDMI/DVI cable or dongle to either one for use with a blu-ray player, then tell the monitor that the signal on that particular port is HDCP encoded.

What's "better" about the 2690 with SVII is that you are calibrating the display by choosing 16.7 million shades out of a possible 68.7 billion in order to register an accurate color spectrum. Whether that's worth the extra $ to you is something you'll have to determine on your own.

I covered SpectraView calibration in my review and posted some results.

 

[Manny Calavera]

We have been shipping product since 4/1. It is your reseller holding it up. There is also plenty of units in stock right now.

Thanks,I just got an email from the reseller,telling me my units have shipped

Well that's great, but unfortunately NEC don't back up their apparent excellent service with written guarantees. As I've already mentioned in this thread I am gathering together all the warranties and dead pixel policies of the major LCD monitor players in Australia here ---> http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/index.cfm?a=wiki&tag=rmp_mon . NEC Australia don't have any detailed warranty documents on the net. I've had to call the Australian NEC main office and get them to fax me a copy. And there's certainly no mention of zero dead pixel policies. I've rung a rep for NEC in my home city and asked about dead pixels and been told you get 14 days 0 dead pixels, then I've asked if this policy is in writing and all i've got is an uncomfortable worded explanation about why it's not written down but that I could take his word for it, and he gave me his name. That's no way to run multi-million dollar business.

I would love to add NEC the top five zero dead pixel policies list, right next to Dell, who also offer 2 weeks, but I can't because there's nothing documented that I can link to. All there is is two North American documents that seem to not apply in Australia. And what about Europe? Are there any policies written down? They should be advertising this A-grade service we keep hearing about. It doesn't make sense. The forum this information is going to has twice the posts/thread/members of the Hardforum so you can guarantee a crap load of people are going to reference what I gather.

Acer, Benq, Viewsonic, Panasonic, Dell, HP, Chi Mei, LG all have clearly stated net documents for warranty and dead pixel policies. For NEC I've made two phone calls and searched their site back to front and they got nothing written. It's putting me off their product even tho it looks like the best option for me.

I despise this if-we-don't-write-it-down-or-say-anything-about-it-they-can't-pin-us-down-about-it atttiude from LCD monitor manufacturers in regard to dead pixel policies. Apple is guilty of this nonsense also.

I understand what you mean,but all I have to go on is how they have treated me,as an owner,and as a tech who repairs computers,and the customers that have bought units through our store made by Nec.Allot of times the left hand does not know what the right hand is doing,even more so in a company the size of a Nec or a Dell,LG,etc...

I to despise the attitude corporations take on written warranties,but not much I can do about it.I can only relate my expiriences with Nec products,and after sales support I have
seen them give out first hand.to customers I have had to act on behalf as a go between.

All that and I have sat down and 'played around' with a 2690,(I admit for a very limited time),but I was still was very impressed with it.A bit of browsing and a few levels of Quake 4 .I do not remember hearing any high pitched humming noises or anything of the sort,coming from that screen,only a very inviting and warm picture,that more then did justice to the game.

I wish you luck in your search for the perfect LCD.

 

[NECaddict]

Someone here on HardForum (ToastyX?) verified that the 2690 does properly scaled 1080p just recently. It doesn't have an HDMI port, but it has 2 DVI ports. You can hook up an HDMI/DVI cable or dongle to either one for use with a blu-ray player, then tell the monitor that the signal on that particular port is HDCP encoded.

What's "better" about the 2690 with SVII is that you are calibrating the display by choosing 16.7 million shades out of a possible 68.7 billion in order to register an accurate color spectrum. Whether that's worth the extra $ to you is something you'll have to determine on your own.

I covered SpectraView calibration in my review and posted some results.

So all I have to do is buy a DVI to HDMI cable and I should be all set? The 2960 will work with blu-ray and 1080P?

 

[Painman]

So all I have to do is buy a DVI to HDMI cable and I should be all set? The 2960 will work with blu-ray and 1080P?

See post # 751 of this thread. ToastyX with a PS3. Since that's an HDMI device, your answer appears to be yes.

 

[Juardis]

The gamut of a monitor is what it is. But having a wider gamut is not a problem as you describe. If you work only sRGB all that happens is that the monitor is only asked to display a subset of the colours that it can actually display. That's not a problem and no re-mapping has to take place. Its only when colours fall *outside* the monitors gamut that things get re-mapped.

(It is true that there can be some downside to using a wider gamut because with current technology each of the colour channels is represented in only 8 bits and with a very wide gamut this is a little coarse. But if you work only in sRGB I don't think that's relevant.)

Chip

That's my understanding as well. But I thought the 2690 had the option to restrict the color space to sRGB? Does it not?

 

[ZeMike]

DavidC - my noise problem was fixed definitely but it took 3 weeks.
Interesting. Do you know what they did to your display and why it took 3 weeks? Did they explain what was wrong?
David

Well, the receipt said "repair of the power supply". I think there are several explanations why it took them 3 weeks: 1) my 2690 was the first unit going for repair 2) they were not in a hurry (according to Russian law repairs can take up to 50 days!) 3) the repair was completed AFTER travbomb said that a fix was found - maybe they received this "confidential" information and applied the "official" fix.

I don't think that putting apart 2 boards in the power supply is the "official" fix. The problem appears to be in the transformer or other piece which is too weak and the best solution is to solder in a bigger/better replacement part.

 

[strauch]

So all I have to do is buy a DVI to HDMI cable and I should be all set? The 2960 will work with blu-ray and 1080P?

The nec only supports 1080p, so when your blueray player (is it the playstation i think so) only support 1080i you have a problem, or you have to look the blueray disc on a computer.

Are there more people who calibrate the nec with a spyder2 from colorvision?

 

[davidc]

Well, the receipt said "repair of the power supply". I think there are several explanations why it took them 3 weeks: 1) my 2690 was the first unit going for repair 2) they were not in a hurry (according to Russian law repairs can take up to 50 days!) 3) the repair was completed AFTER travbomb said that a fix was found - maybe they received this "confidential" information and applied the "official" fix.

I don't think that putting apart 2 boards in the power supply is the "official" fix. The problem appears to be in the transformer or other piece which is too weak and the best solution is to solder in a bigger/better replacement part.

Travbomb -
can you please comment on the exact nature of the fix, please? My 2690's hum has not been fixed at all and is still affected by the brightness setting as before.

Thanks

David

 

[ToastyX]

The gamut of a monitor is what it is. But having a wider gamut is not a problem as you describe. If you work only sRGB all that happens is that the monitor is only asked to display a subset of the colours that it can actually display. That's not a problem and no re-mapping has to take place. Its only when colours fall *outside* the monitors gamut that things get re-mapped.

Unless I'm misunderstanding something, what you described is exactly the problem. If you have a 24-bit sRGB image that uses all 16777216 possible colors and you want to view it on this monitor correctly, the image would have to be corrected to use a subset of the 16777216 colors the monitor can display, which ends up being maybe 13 million colors. The image is degraded because shades are lost.

Outside of color-aware programs, the required color correction doesn't happen, so everything is being displayed with the wrong set of 16777216 colors.

Web sites are supposed to be sRGB, but most web browsers are not color-aware. This means everything viewed in a web browser is oversaturated since the monitor is beyond sRGB.

HDTV is also supposed to be sRGB, but my HDTV tuner's software is not color-aware, so everything is oversaturated. Cable boxes are not color-aware either.

If you need to work with or view sRGB content, it seems best to calibrate the monitor to sRGB, but SpectraView doesn't seem to provide a way to do that.

Also in the manual, in color control description, it speaks about a panel native sRGB colour setting.

I mentioned that already. That's without calibration.

I can see the lines in your picture pretty clearly. They look like double scanlines, like a TV with some signal disturbence. I downloaded the picture and dragged it around to different places on the screen. It didn
t change. I put a picture of blue next to yours and it was solid on my screen, while yours had horizontal stripes. I'll see if I manage to get a descent picture of it out of my camera later with both so you can check for yourselves too!
It really is stripes on your screen, so something is definitly wrong there.

That's a good sign. Hopefully the replacement won't have the lines.



I noticed another problem. The monitor won't go into standby mode, even with IPM set to STANDARD. I get a signal out of range message, and it just stays on. The 20WGMX2 doesn't have a problem with this.

 

[hopla]

See post # 751 of this thread. ToastyX with a PS3. Since that's an HDMI device, your answer appears to be yes.

You can also use the HD-DVD drive from the xbox via USB with powerDVD in vista.
190 euro HD-DVD in 1080P.

 

[Tamlin_WSGF]

Unless I'm misunderstanding something, what you described is exactly the problem. If you have a 24-bit sRGB image that uses all 16777216 possible colors and you want to view it on this monitor correctly, the image would have to be corrected to use a subset of the 16777216 colors the monitor can display, which ends up being maybe 13 million colors. The image is degraded because shades are lost.

Outside of color-aware programs, the required color correction doesn't happen, so everything is being displayed with the wrong set of 16777216 colors.

This is the problem I don't understand myself either. I've read Karl Langs comments about wide gammut displays and problems they can cause. Maybe you can elaborate a bit more about this?

Since the NEC have a build in sRGB option for color space, I assume there is a hardware remapping of colorspace also? That the 16.7 M colors (8-bit) gets remapped within sRGB instead of colors deeper then sRGB gets cut off?

The NEC doesn't only have a 12-bit LUT, but also 12-bit gamma correction for the picture afterwards. If the screen goes 8-bit -> 12-bit LUT/palette to choose correct colors -> 12-bit gamma correction to smoothen out gradients afterwards -> then 8-bit display again, wouldn't the NEC then benifit from the wide gammut in cases outside sRGB and also in cases inside sRGB?

Edit:
This is how I see it (though it might be wrong, thats why I am confused): an 8-bit image consists of up to 16.7 M colors anyway (it doesn't nessesarily use all those colors though). Both a regular gammut display and a widegammut display are able to show the image with 16.7M colors. If the image is restricted to sRGB color space, it only means that the color depth of each R (0-255) G (0-255) and G (0-255) are limited as well. The color range (between darkest shade to brightest shade of a color) are larger on the wide gammut display. This means the distance between two shades of a color (if the colorspectrum is divided into 16,7 M shades) are larger on a wide gammut display then a regular gammut display. That again can cause some banding or bad gradients. The color on a wide gammut display are more accurate to the shade read and displayed, but the image itself can look worse due to lack of shades inbetween with the 8-bit limitation. More bits would mean smoother gradients of a picture.

Using a 12-bit LUT would divide the 8-bit image into more shades, which is good (though the screen still cannot display more then 8-bit.) Accuracy should then be greater upon choice of shades. Still, the gradients would be worse if the colors in the image is too far apart without any extra shades inbetween. When the 12-bit gamma correction kicks in, the gradients and distance between them should be smoothened out a bit also to provide both an accurate and a smooth picture.

Here's an illustration of a 10-bit gammacorrection from Eizo:

 

[admiral]

I received my NEC 2690 yesterday with a lot of apprehension after reading this forum.
I had ordered it about 3 weeks ago and live in Ontario Canada. I also included the option of the spectraview software calibration. I am happy to report that the unit I have is excellent in every aspect. I am a very happy customer.

 

[ChakkaSol]

The nec only supports 1080p, so when your blueray player (is it the playstation i think so) only support 1080i you have a problem, or you have to look the blueray disc on a computer.

Are there more people who calibrate the nec with a spyder2 from colorvision?

Yes Im interested to see if anyone has calibrated this monitor with spyder2...

 

[ZeMike]

Yes Im interested to see if anyone has calibrated this monitor with spyder2...

Judging by the review at TFT Central (http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/reviews/spyder2express.htm) the Spyder2 is not a calibration tool at all!

Spyder2 attained a DeltaE of 2.3
LaCie calibrated the same display to a DeltaE of 0.7!

After such a review it is clear why Spyder2 is not supported

 

[Tamlin_WSGF]

I noticed another problem. The monitor won't go into standby mode, even with IPM set to STANDARD. I get a signal out of range message, and it just stays on. The 20WGMX2 doesn't have a problem with this.

Tried it by putting it on an hour. It just kicked in... There is a timer counting down with an option to press any button on display to extend it an hour. I have been using the display while waiting, so it doesn't react upon inputs from keyboard, mouse or machine. After countdown, the screen turns itself off, so I have to use power button and turn it on again to use it. Works like a charm. I'm suspecting that you might have a faulty unit?

 

[strauch]

Yes Im interested to see if anyone has calibrated this monitor with spyder2...

i did it, and i get a deformed icc profile (see my thread on page 40), i'm interesseted if more have the same problem. the eyeone get antoher result, that looks more like the original profile.

 

[ChakkaSol]

Judging by the review at TFT Central (http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/reviews/spyder2express.htm) the Spyder2 is not a calibration tool at all!
Spyder2 attained a DeltaE of 2.3
LaCie calibrated the same display to a DeltaE of 0.7!
After such a review it is clear why Spyder2 is not supported

I guess this is always the case....cost versus benefit. However, it always depends upon need of the user. TFT does seem to give the sp2 a thumbs up for most users:

Conclusion:
The Spyder2Express is certainly a well priced device and very easy to use. Installing the software was easy and the calibration process was all automated and basic to carry out, albeit perhaps a little longer than I would have liked. However, this really could be used by anybody and no complicated changes were required manually. The device did manage to improve the colours of the screen, with a more even colour calibration and a marked improvement in how they were perceived to the eye. Colours looked bright and vibrant and would probably be attractive for the majority of average users. This is often how screens come set up by default, with true accuracy sacrificed for "pretty" and "friendly" colour schemes. I was quite impressed with this result however as it helped configure the screen to a comfortable setting and improved the appearance of colours in normal use. Testing more thoroughly with the LaCie Blue Eye Pro revealed that colour accuracy was not perfect when calibrated with the Spyder, and certainly no match for the enhanced calibration techniques of the Gretag-made device. If you need to do colour critical work then I would suggest investing in something more expensive than the Spyder, but this is probably common sense anyway. For an average user, the Spyder might be a nice investment to help you set up your screens and other devices to a comfortable level, but remember that real accuracy is still not achievable without more advanced methods.

 

[Tamlin_WSGF]

i did it, and i get a deformed icc profile (see my thread on page 40), i'm interesseted if more have the same problem. the eyeone get antoher result, that looks more like the original profile.

Did you check the profile I sent you made with ColorEyes beta?

 

[ChakkaSol]

i did it, and i get a deformed icc profile (see my thread on page 40), i'm interesseted if more have the same problem. the eyeone get antoher result, that looks more like the original profile.

I came across free software developed on the AVS forum by its users that is more advanced than at least the express colorvision software...it supposedly works very well with the spyder2 device - anybody try this free and user supported software?

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=737550

ColorHCFR - free calibration software

Colorvision Spyder2:
Pros: the cheapest colorimeter. It may be labeled as "entry level" but it's an accurate probe just perfect for the calibrator on a budget. Totally supported.
Cons: the slowest, especially in dark patterns. Also inconsistent at those low IRE levels.
Price: the colorimeter (hardware) is part of several Colorvision packages. So it starts at $79 msrp in Spyder2 Express.

 

[Marilyn]

Good news:
I have revision 4B, and the serial number starts with 721, if that means anything.



I just received my NEC 2690 yesterday from Monitor Outlet.com.
It is the same revision 4B, and the serial # starts with 721.
It is flawless, zero dead pixels, absolutely silent, not even the slightest sound coming from it, the color was almost picture perfect right out of the box, other than the brightness was blinding until I turned it down to about 25. I was quite apprehensive given all of the negative reports recently, but pleasantly surprised upon setting it up. My Spectraview II Kit should arrive today.

 

[rao]

Good news:
... serial number starts with 721,....
... absolutely silent, not even the slightest sound coming from it...

hi marilyn,

interesting would be the last 4 digits (like 01xx) of your serial number. are you sure, that if you are in a VERY quiet room,and your ears are very close to the monitor, you don't hear a slight hum?

rao

 

[Marilyn]

hi marilyn,

interesting would be the last 4 digits (like 01xx) of your serial number. are you sure, that if you are in a VERY quiet room,and your ears are very close to the monitor, you don't hear a slight hum?

rao

Serial ends in ....0570YA. I live in the USA.
I assure you, I was so parenoid about expecting to hear a hum, I actually put my ear right to the screen, and I can't hear any sound whatsoever. The room is my office, very quiet, on a separate wing of the house, no ceiling fan turned on, no music playing, total silence, other than the slight hum of my CPU fans occasionally. I have the monitor plugged into an APC UPS unit, could this have something to do with it?

 

[rao]

... I actually put my ear right to the screen, and I can't hear any sound whatsoever. The room is my office, very quiet...

thanks a lot marylin.
even if that's bad news for me, because I would have been less frustrated, if I knew, that all units were affected. but knowing that NEC handles noise issues like dead pixels is a bit sad. so one might be lucky and get a silent unit. if we are even more lucky, the issue might have been fixed with revision 4B. so if there is anybody who has a revision 4B or higher and is able to hear any noise out of his monitor it would be really interesting.

rao