Official BenQ FP241W Thread !!! Info, Pictures, Reviews

The email regarding there been no firmware upgrade came from a UK sales manager. So it should be pretty reliable.

I wouldn't say that the extra HDMI and component inputs are a waste of time. Like i say if a bit of stretching is a problem buy a TV for movies etc. Alot of people have said it is hardly noticable anyway.Look at them as a bonus. At least you have the option with this monitor to use other devices. For the average user i dont see it been a problem, especially for the price.

Dont forget for everything else it is an excellent monitor.
 
I hope that there's soon a monitor as good as the BenQ (and with all the inputs) but with 1:1 mapping.

I really, really want a 22"-26" monitor for full HD playback aswell as gaming. Xbox360, SkyHD, HDDVD player, the whole shabang.
 
peTeMelster said:
This is disappointing. I was hoping to get this monitor for video editing and movie/video watching, mostly.
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Yes, I also am interested in the monitor mainly for watching movies, so I'm concerned about the video noise. It's suprising, because I thought S-IPS monitors were supposed to have the most problems with video noise and VA monitors (like the Benq) are supposed to be good. Also the Benq uses the 24" version of a 20" panel, I thought, that Viewsonic uses and which a Behardware review found to be one of the best monitors for watching movies and lack of video noise.

Sometimes I wonder if these reviews, which are so extremely technical, are splitting hairs. Will the average viewer notice the differences between monitors that these reviewers so carefully measure? Are the differences really relatively small?

What about people on this forum who have the monitor? How does the video noise look with movies?


PsychoCandyMtl said:
Sorry, i hadn t seen they reviewed the 241W too, and got mixed up when i copied the URL. Here's the link to 241wZ review.
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Thanks for the link. I'll have to check out that review later when I have more time.
 
good new i guess...

http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/news.htm

Official News: BenQ FP241W 1:1 Pixel Mapping Fix Coming
November 19th 2006

As we reported a few days ago, there has recently been word across the internet that there would be a firmware update for the FP241W to fix the main gripe everyone seemed to have with the screen, the lack of aspect ratio options and 1:1 pixel mapping. We can confirm that UK management at BenQ have confirmed that this WILL be happening, and while there is limited detail at this time, BenQ have stated that the "24W series will have new firmware to phase in new functions, such as display mode//Windows Vista-DDC/CI". This confirmation only came on Friday, and more details will follow soon. This upgrade will not be possible by the user directly, and I would imagine screens would need to be sent to service centres for the update to be applied. New stock after a certain point (expected December) will have this updated firmware in place.
 
This is great news but the opposite of what the UK sales manager told me this week in an email.I have copied the TFT website statement in an email straight back to the manager to see what they have to say now.
You would think they would be honest with there customers!!

Does anyone know if there is a UK service centre and if so where?
 
dazzbo said:
This is great news but the opposite of what the UK sales manager told me this week in an email.I have copied the TFT website statement in an email straight back to the manager to see what they have to say now.
You would think they would be honest with there customers!!

Does anyone know if there is a UK service centre and if so where?
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Well there are a couple of possibilites worth noting. He's a sales manager so he's more interested in sales. Maybe he thought you'd buy now if he didn't mention it?

Additionally, he may not have known about it (being a sales manager).
 
Well the info just came out friday, maybe the info from the sales guy was prior to friday.

Also in a large company not all parts no whats going on at the same time too.

if they announce something on their website then I would take that as 100% reliable.

If anything this change will make them monitor much more wanted and increase their sales.

Glad I didn't jump up and buy one right away. Waiting till december or until the 1:1 is officially out. I'm waiting for the Z version anyway. But if 1:1 is def coming out then its worth the wait anyway.
 
Very possible that the Sales Manager didn't know about it, it's very new news :)
 
dazzbo said:
The email regarding there been no firmware upgrade came from a UK sales manager.
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A sales manager doesn't necessarily know what is happening in the background with a product. This is more the role of the product/marketing manager of the product.

I had an e-mail from the support area, called customer support and also had the local BenQ product manager contact me all saying that there was a firmware update in the works.

That said, I guess we just have to wait and see however I’m extremely happy with my purchase, even if the 1:1 pixel mapping firmware never see reality.
 
Untill it happens we wont know for sure!!

I will be ready so is there a service centre in the UK?
 
Can anyone give a screenshot of how bad the video noise with movies is with DVI and/or HDMI? I am much more interested in that than 1:1 pixel mapping, which is far secondary if video noise is unacceptable.
 
dazzbo said:
This is great news but the opposite of what the UK sales manager told me this week in an email.I have copied the TFT website statement in an email straight back to the manager to see what they have to say now.
You would think they would be honest with there customers!!

Does anyone know if there is a UK service centre and if so where?
Click to expand...

Having sepent 10 years in sales for technology companies and the last 6 of those as sales manager (when i lived in the UK) and now VP sales in the USA, I can say with h confidence that sales manager generally know shit about the techie details of the products.

This is a fact.

Sales managers jobs are to motivate their sales team and make sure those guys hit their sales targets....

This is the whole reason why firms have product managers and technology architects/officers
 
Galvin said:
if they announce something on their website then I would take that as 100% reliable.

.
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I personally wouldn't, Porsche advertised the Cayenne 'S' as being available with a stick shift for months when it has never been an option here....
 
Additionally, I am now very annoyed with my monitor as a whole line of pixesl (left bezel to right bezel) has gone green...

rma to newegg
 
googles said:
good new i guess...

http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/news.htm

Official News: BenQ FP241W 1:1 Pixel Mapping Fix Coming
November 19th 2006

As we reported a few days ago, there has recently been word across the internet that there would be a firmware update for the FP241W to fix the main gripe everyone seemed to have with the screen, the lack of aspect ratio options and 1:1 pixel mapping. We can confirm that UK management at BenQ have confirmed that this WILL be happening, and while there is limited detail at this time, BenQ have stated that the "24W series will have new firmware to phase in new functions, such as display mode//Windows Vista-DDC/CI". This confirmation only came on Friday, and more details will follow soon. This upgrade will not be possible by the user directly, and I would imagine screens would need to be sent to service centres for the update to be applied. New stock after a certain point (expected December) will have this updated firmware in place.
Click to expand...


Am i right in saying this as now been removed from the TFT website??

Doesn't seem to be there anymore.
 
OK, I'm sold on this monitor, but my question is who to buy it from so that I don't get screwed with dead pixels. I know many etailers have policies whereby only a certain number of dead pixels qualify you for RMA. I am pretty sure that NCIX in Canada offers a RMA policy whereby any dead pixels allows you to RMA, but I'm here in the states and that's kind of far to RMA. I have purchased from NCIX before (no complaints), but shipping from there can be kind of slow.

Any online sellers here in the US have a zero/very low number dead pixel policy?
 
f1tifosi said:
Any online sellers here in the US have a zero/very low number dead pixel policy?
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That's a great question. I wish more companies would offer this. It would definitely get me to shop at companies that did and buy products that had a ZERO dead pixel policy.
 
whoster69 said:
That's a great question. I wish more companies would offer this. It would definitely get me to shop at companies that did and buy products that had a ZERO dead pixel policy.
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I know. What kills me is that you still run the risk of getting a replacement monitor with dead pixels if you send one back. It's such a crap shoot and with shipping prices, painful as well.
 
whoster69 said:
That's a great question. I wish more companies would offer this. It would definitely get me to shop at companies that did and buy products that had a ZERO dead pixel policy.
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Then what do you think they should do with the monitors that have dead pixels? Throw them out?
 
Hey guys, check out what was just posted at the BenQ site:

The BenQ FP241VW, FP222W H and FP241W Z are the first HDMI monitors in the industry to receive the Vista Premium Logo

TAIPEI, TAIWAN, November 20, 2006 – BenQ today announces that three of its LCD monitors, the FP222W H, FP241W Z, and FP241VW are the first HDMI monitors in the industry to receive the Windows Vista Premium Logo which ensures compatibility, reliability, security and premium user experiences when running on Windows Vista.

“We are once again very pleased to be the first monitors to received the Windows Vista Premium Logo. This demonstrates BenQ’s technology strength and its commitment in bringing innovative products with premium quality.” expressed Conway Lee, BenQ Digital Media Business Group General Manager.

All three models come with a widescreen display, HDMI (High-definition multimedia interface) interface and BenQ’s exlusive Senseye™ image enhancement technology which further enhances its performance and also enables additional capability with Windows Vista.
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Think this means that the FP241WZ will have the 1:1 mapping by default, since the Vista logo requires Windows Vista-DDC/CI, like the firmware update for the standard W series is getting?
 
How much better is this monitor than a Dell 2407 assuming both work as advertised? Is it truly worth $100 more with the current sale price ($100 off) at NewEgg? Not trying to start a flaming war, I'm really wanting to buy a 24" very soon and have it narrowed down to these two. TIA!
 
Paragon54 said:
How much better is this monitor than a Dell 2407 assuming both work as advertised? Is it truly worth $100 more with the current sale price ($100 off) at NewEgg? Not trying to start a flaming war, I'm really wanting to buy a 24" very soon and have it narrowed down to these two. TIA!
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.... how long is a piece of string?
 
DarkAngel_ZERO said:
DDC/CI, like the firmware update for the standard W series is getting?
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DDC/CI is a standard for bidirectional communication between monitor and computer. Don't see how it relates to having 1:1 mapping.
 
The main thing I'd like to know is assuming this firmware update happens in december like they said and I'd guess it'll be before christmas simply because a lot of places (especially computer shops for some odd reason) close from the 24th to the 1st but even if they update models and start wholesale selling them in mid december when will we actually safely be able to buy one from a store knowing it has the firmware update (I assume there'll be a change in the serial number showing it's an updated version)...I kinda want to get one now but I can wait till mid december to avoid having to send it back but I get the feeling I'll have to wait till mid jan early feb before any stores will restock with new models (in Aus)

oh and by the way I just registered to post this but I've been reading this topic since it started and I'd like to say thank you all for the tons and tons of high quality information on this product that seems to not exist anywhere else online it's been a huge help ^_^
 
Still need some shots of how bad noise is with movies. This is much more important factor than 1:1 I think, which is going to be fixed soon anyways.
 
peTeMelster said:
Still need some shots of how bad noise is with movies. This is much more important factor than 1:1 I think, which is going to be fixed soon anyways.
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I would also add to this question about input lag. Is this problem there as it it with 2407 dell?
 
Iratus said:
Meh, just makes me want the Z model. It's so clear in comparison :(
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Have you seen any reviews on the Z model? I have only heard discussions about what it's supposed to offer, but nothing firm.
 
just got my benq,but i feel its teering on the eyes...same i get from CRT in 60-75 refresh rate,any suggestions?colors looks quite washed,any settings i should go for?hmm i think my problem is that the screen is to damn bright,im at 10 brightnes atm,and with dead pixel buddy black test screen it doesnt look black at all,it even lightening up my desk when its supposed to be "black",is this normal?its my first LCD...
 
Yup, that's normal for lcd's. They suck at reproducing blacks.

I have the benq at about 50/50 contrast and brightness. The noise issues about movies are because the display is so exact, it will show every possible compression issue. So noise will be apparent if the movie has noise. I had to lower brightness settings in my dvd player, but now after a bit of tweaking the blacks start to look better.
 
Just wondering if anyone here has seen the Dell 2407 and the BenQ playing video from a computer (ie: HTPC like MythTV) at the native resolution. It sounds from the reviews and stuff that the BenQ is a bit better... but is it a couple hundred dollars better? And, there have been some great sales on the Dell too, making the gap even wider.

How about through Component? I guess the Dell has some issues with that. I'm using a PS2, so the component is kind of important, though I plan on driving it with a MythTV box for most TV, DVD, video type stuff... so I'll be primarily using DVI at native rez.

Thanks,

-Steve
 
thanks for the reply,has anyone played with any of the other settings?except contrast+brightnes,atm i got 0 brightnes,40contrast,seems to be the best for me atm,havent played with any of the other settings,is it worth playing around with em?
 
f1tifosi said:
Have you seen any reviews on the Z model? I have only heard discussions about what it's supposed to offer, but nothing firm.
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I posted 2 links on the previous page, and here's another one , unfortunately for most people here it's in french again.

I'll update this post with their main conclusions later.

EDIT: they REALLY don't sound convinced. They say the loss of brightness with BFI on is too big, and the flickering is bad. Besides, the way the neon lights are switch off seems to cause homogeneity problems.
 
think i might return the monitor,even reading this forum is tiredsome specialy cause of the black background combined with white text something doesnt feel right.

this monitor is just to damn bright,dark areas in games dont look dark they look grey,even at low brightnes.
 
www.hardware.fr and www.behardware.com are the same thing, go back in 1or 2 days and you'll get the BENQ / Z article in english.

As the others noted, they are quite disapointed by the BFI thing. This article states that the blacklight switching is really annoying since it's only at 60 Hz. They tell us that they would activate the BFI only for fast FPS games (not even in RTS games). Moreover, they say that on a white background the BFI looks TERRIBLE (the movie on page 2 gives you an idea, but it's amplified by the video camera, just like any CRT).

Also, BenQ's BFI is not even a real BFI (you'll see it in the screenshots/movies) , it's the Samsung blacklight switching thing.

And one last thing, the panel is PVA again :(
Must be something wrong with the MVA pannel and the BFI tech. since they are not using it in the FP241WZ :confused:
MVA was really promising : alot less noise with the movies/games...
 
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