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

This is because the video card drivers are doing the scaling, not the monitor. That's why 1080p works from a PC.

Not true. Although many recent video cards can do the scaling it is also possible to output 1080p or 1080i. The output format can be confirmed in the monitor OSD.
 
Not true. Although many recent video cards can do the scaling it is also possible to output 1080p or 1080i. The output format can be confirmed in the monitor OSD.

Thats what I also believe, it does not do any scaling. I tried other SUPPORTED from the video card smaller resolutions and the 1:1 mapping works without any scaling. If it scales in 1080p why not scale in smaller resolutions. I do not think it scales.
If someone has an HDMI<->DVI cable could he try it and tell us what happens?
Anyway I think I am gonna buy this cable (it is useful) to have and I will post here what happens.
Cheers.
 
I too have previously stated that 1080p works from a PC on the DVI input. I already have a DVI<->HDMI adapter on order (not sure what's taking so long) to try the test you suggested. I'm guessing there's a difference between the way the DVI and HDMI inputs are processed but its possible that somehow 1080p from a PC isn't the same as 1080p from a console, etc. The bad news is that I can't get 1080i working properly (its badly blurred horizontally and vertically) on DVI. I'm really hoping this fault doesn't find its way onto the HDMI input in the next update.

Is anyone able to confirm that they have 1080i working properly over DVI on the Benq 241W?

This is a critical factor in my purchasing decision since I'm going to be using the monitor to display/edit HDV camcorder output (1080i) once copied onto the pc from the camcorder HDD drive.

As far as I can tell there is no other 24" monitor apart from Benq 241w that supports 1080i. Does anyone know differently?
 
Thats what I also believe, it does not do any scaling. I tried other SUPPORTED from the video card smaller resolutions and the 1:1 mapping works without any scaling. If it scales in 1080p why not scale in smaller resolutions. I do not think it scales.
If someone has an HDMI<->DVI cable could he try it and tell us what happens?
Anyway I think I am gonna buy this cable (it is useful) to have and I will post here what happens.
Cheers.

Amazing but true the 1:1 mapping in DVI works!!! As I said I bought an HDMI to DVI cable and I tested the 1:1 mode and it simply works... my advise leave it in Aspect in 1080p it is like 1:1 in DVI. This means that you can view full screen 720p content if you get my draft. :)
So I confirm 1:1 mapping works in DVI.
 
Amazing but true the 1:1 mapping in DVI works!!! As I said I bought an HDMI to DVI cable and I tested the 1:1 mode and it simply works... my advise leave it in Aspect in 1080p it is like 1:1 in DVI. This means that you can view full screen 720p content if you get my draft. :)
So I confirm 1:1 mapping works in DVI.

What device are you using? Would you be able to test 1080i and see if you are getting the same blurriness I'm seeing?
 
Before I take the plunge to buy the benq241W im trying to find out if it actually works displaying 1080i video files over the DVI port. Shawkie reported blurring earlier in this thread.

It would be a simple test if any Benq 241W owner is willing to help out :D ?

To run the test, download a 1080i video mpg file from the link:-
www.highdefforum.com/showthread.php?t=6537

Any of the 3 video files posted by heise should be sufficient to run the test.
Just try toplay the 1080i video file on the benq over the DVI input from your pc.

I look forward to hearing any reports or news - thanks for your help...

pete




Amazing but true the 1:1 mapping in DVI works!!! As I said I bought an HDMI to DVI cable and I tested the 1:1 mode and it simply works... my advise leave it in Aspect in 1080p it is like 1:1 in DVI. This means that you can view full screen 720p content if you get my draft. :)
So I confirm 1:1 mapping works in DVI.
 
What device are you using? Would you be able to test 1080i and see if you are getting the same blurriness I'm seeing?

I'm using the PS3. The only reason I was very pissed with HDMI is that I could not enjoy a 1080p Yellow Dog Linux screen. But now amazing FULL1080p working splenditly I must say!!!
Guys the PS3 has an nVidia based GPU it was simply impossible not to work well with DVI...
 
not sure about whether your pc spec will cope. were you able to try a 1080i file from same thread link -there are three files listed under HEISE on that thread and the files listed on the thread under VASST are also 1080i format.

I downloaded Alexander 1080p and it's laggish as hell.

Shouldn't my Centrino 2.13Ghz be able to handle it?

My Dell XPS Gen 2 has a Geforce Go 7800gtx.

:mad: :mad: :( :( :confused: :confused: :( :( :mad: :mad:
 
I downloaded Alexander 1080p and it's laggish as hell.

Shouldn't my Centrino 2.13Ghz be able to handle it?

My Dell XPS Gen 2 has a Geforce Go 7800gtx.

:mad: :mad: :( :( :confused: :confused: :( :( :mad: :mad:

If you are talking about 1080p mpeg movie the answer is no... it cant handle it unfortunately.
So now all that is needed is BENQ fixing the damn HDMI well folks I am happy with the DVI I am gonna buy a DVI switch also ... anyway I never liked playing with the buttons of my monitor very much...
My mission is over here, I offered also my feedback. Goodbye :)
 
Before I take the plunge to buy the benq241W im trying to find out if it actually works displaying 1080i video files over the DVI port. Shawkie reported blurring earlier in this thread.

It would be a simple test if any Benq 241W owner is willing to help out :D ?

To run the test, download a 1080i video mpg file from the link:-
www.highdefforum.com/showthread.php?t=6537

Any of the 3 video files posted by heise should be sufficient to run the test.
Just try toplay the 1080i video file on the benq over the DVI input from your pc.

I look forward to hearing any reports or news - thanks for your help...

pete
Pete,

I'm a little confused about this test. As far as I understand it, the DVI output from a video card on a PC will always be progressive -- for instance, if you play a 1080i file in windows media player or some other player, the deinterlacing is done by the software before ever being sent to the monitor -- from the monitor's point of view, it's receiving a 1920 by 1200 progressive signal (assuming you have the windows resolution set to the panel's native res). So you can't test whether 1080i is supported over DVI by simply playing a 1080i video file in Windows -- you need to connect a device directly to the monitor that outputs a 1080i signal (e.g. HD-DVD player, video game console, etc). For instance, I have a 19 inch Dell monitor that certainly doesn't support 1080i over DVI, but I can play 1080i HDTV video on my PC fine; the deinterlacing, downscaling, etc. is all done on the PC before anything is sent to the monitor.

Ah, I see in your earlier posts that you're asking about editing video taken by a camcorder with this monitor. I'm pretty sure the 1080i should only be a concern if you were somehow connecting the camcorder directly to the monitor. If you are going to copy the video to the PC first and then edit it, this shouldn't be a problem regardless of whether the monitor supports 1080i over DVI for the same reason I mention above. If someone else has other info about this, please correct me, but I'm fairly certain that this is the case.
 
Thanks everyone who has related their findings. There is no way I'm spending approx. $750 on a monitor that can't display per pixel output from whatever device and output I want to use on it at the time, especially my ps3 via hdmi or my pc via dvi or hdmi . Now I hear that the wii won't scale to widescreen properly on it either.

I guess I have to wait a few months for either
- BenQ to really fix this monitor issue (and me to be able to find a vendor selling the unit with the best firmare already installed)
- or for a better 1080p HDCP monitor in this size range with similar features to come out.

Waiting a better unit with similar features from a different manufacturer might be best since the whole firmware debacle and lack of testing of the unit has made me wary of BenQ. I feel bad for the current owners who are being used as beta testers by BenQ.
 
If you are talking about 1080p mpeg movie the answer is no... it cant handle it unfortunately.

Weird...... I played the 720p verison, without lag, as expected.

Right after that I played the 1080p version again, and now there's no lag!!!

How come?
 
Weird...... I played the 720p verison, without lag, as expected.

Right after that I played the 1080p version again, and now there's no lag!!!

How come?

Wait you said a Centrino at 2.13... Well it is a horse that can pull the burden. Sorry I did not see the Centrino stupid me.
For the person who is interested in 1080i from a device capable of producing it like the PS3 the answer is yes it works.
Ok thats all from me.
 
Blah, I just called Benq about purchasing a refurb 241w.

I asked them if before the refurbs were shipped out if they were upgraded with the new firmware. This is what I got...

"Sir, I cannot gaurantee that, I suggest you buy a brand new unit."

True, buying a new unit from NCIX or someone would ensure that, but you'd think Benq would do the service of upgrading the darn things! What to do! $350 difference is a lot of cabbage.
 
just got back from best buy with the benq..... gonna hook it up right now.........
 
so, what's the difference between the VW and the Z versions?

the vw looks like shit?

Both the WZ and the VW have the same panel the AMA-Z, BFI, Perfect Motion, or whatever the fuck they are calling it these days... The VW is just put into some ugly shell that doesn't allow rotation to portrait mode.
 
Not true. Although many recent video cards can do the scaling it is also possible to output 1080p or 1080i. The output format can be confirmed in the monitor OSD.

People, I want to see some proof of this. Can anyone prove me wrong, e.g. a PS3 with a hdmi to dvi converter cable with the monitor set to 1:1. My monitor has been away getting the firmware update for 3 weeks now and I want to know if I can make do with a converter cable and dvi switch. I don't really want to send it away for this amount of time again. Please post pics. This would be much appreciated. :)
 
My BenQ monitor came today from BenQshopper.com......in the form of a FedEx Door tag. It was delivered yesterday from Anaheim, CA and arrived today in my area in Alhambra, CA @ 2:15pm. Unfortunately I was somewhere on campus wheezing up some long stairs towards my Psychology class.

I'm ditching class tomorrow in hopes that I can sign for and grasp the package. Oh what plans I have...yes....yes.....my precious....
 
Two more days, allegedly, before it makes its way to New Hampshire. I'm concerned since it arrived at Bloomington, CA on the 7th and, according to the web tracking, hasn't left yet...

Tell me what sort of condition it comes in and what you think. I'm a pessimist so I'm half expecting it to be kinda banged up, have 4 dead pixels in the middle of the screen, and look like shit next to my S-IPS 2005fpw.
 
I think this is what he meant by saying that there is "no fully working firmware update yet":

FP241W BenQ's with the 1:1 update - using a PS3 via HDMI attempting to get per-pixel output results in the monitor displaying black bars on ALL FOUR SIDES, as if it were displaying 1680x1050 per pixel in the middle of the screen. (Before the firmware update it was stretching the 1680x1050 output full screen, instead of true 1920 pixel width output apparently).

The monitor should be able to display per pixel 1920x1080 which would result in a thin black bar 60pixels high on bottom, 60 pixels high on top. A good monitor should easily give this output option as well as easily scaling full screen stretch option if you wanted it for some reason (but I hate stretching personally).

The wii is one thing I would live with stretching if it were done properly, out of necessity since its only 480i. However I've also heard that the FP241W scales/stretches Wii fullscreen output unevenly (stretched more at the top).

Lastly, I heard that there is a SECOND firmware update coming out, perhaps within the next month or two.. at least for the FP241W.. that hopfully will fix these issues once and for all. I am waiting until the smoke clears and I get some reviews of the performance with the second firmware update before I would consider the 24" BenQ monitors.
 
Is the second firmware a rumor?

Also like to add theres a slight bit of lag playing 2D fighting games and some music games.
Tested Street Fighter 3rd Strike on the PS2 via component and Dreamcast via RCA. Also tested Beatmania on the PS2. Street fighter's lag was kinda hard to notice, but it just felt like it was there. Beatmania had lag according to my friend that tested it.
 
My DVI<->HDMI cable finally turned up and I've got some very strange results.

1080i from my HD-E1 via DVI is working almost perfectly now. There is no cropping, scaling or blurriness. It appears we have true 1:1 mapping. The only remaining issue is that the very last horizontal line for some reason has slightly too much green component. It appears as a dim green line on an otherwise black screen. Is anybody else seeing this?

1080i from my PC via HDMI now has the blurriness I was seeing from my PC via DVI. It looks like this may be a problem with my nVidia GeForce 8800 GTS video card.

Neither 1080i nor 1080p from my PC via HDMI is cropped whereas 1080i from my HD-E1 via HDMI is cropped.

1920x1200 from my PC via HDMI was very tricky to set up because my video card driver kept claiming the monitor had a maximum resolution of 1920x1080 but I have now got it working.

So if I buy another DVI<->HDMI cable I can connect the PC via DVI->HDMI and the HD-E1 via HDMI->DVI and I'm more or less sorted. How strange is that?
 
wow shawkie,
You're making me all dyslexic, flip flopping everything like that. The HDMI input will crop your computer input on the top and bottom, at least it does on mine. How you got it? (Hardware?)
 
wow shawkie,
You're making me all dyslexic, flip flopping everything like that. The HDMI input will crop your computer input on the top and bottom, at least it does on mine. How you got it? (Hardware?)

Not entirely sure what your question is but I'm not seeing any cropping of the output from my PC with the HDMI input. That goes for 1920x1200, 1080p and 1080i. I was a bit surprised. I'm using an nVidia GeForce 8800 GTS and I had to add 1920x1200 as a custom timing and it did some wierd things before I could get it to work. I think I ended up with CVT reduced blanking timings. The drivers for this video card aren't all that polished so I put a lot of it down to that.
 
Since the native resolution of the monitor is 1920 x 1200 , if you output 1920x1080 resolution to it it should crop the display with 60 pixel height bar on the top of the screen, and another 60 pixel height bar at the bottom of the screen.

If you are outputting anything smaller than 1920x1200 and there isn't cropping/bars displayed - you are stretching the image so you aren't getting per-pixel display, which is the definition of 1:1 to me. 1 pixel to 1 pixel, not stretched/interpolated.

Of course you should have a fill or stretch mode on any monitor as an option, but you should also have the option to display content from various devices per-pixel.

I WANT a thin bar top an bottom on 1080p, and I definitely don't want a ps3 to output 1680x1050 in the middle of the screen. I also don't want my output stretched unless I'm outputting a ridiculously small rez like a wii's 480i.

Problems with this is the reason I can't buy this monitor yet, until the hopefully fix these bugs.
 
If you are outputting anything smaller than 1920x1200 and there isn't cropping/bars displayed - you are stretching the image so you aren't getting per-pixel display, which is the definition of 1:1 to me. 1 pixel to 1 pixel, not stretched/interpolated.

When I say that the monitor is not cropping I mean that it is not cropping the source content. This doesn't mean I don't get bars. For 1080p content I do of course get 60 pixel black bars at top and bottom. The point is that this is different from the behaviour of the HD-E1 (and the PS3, etc.) over HDMI where there is cropping of the source content which results in black bars on the left and right.

True 1:1 pixel mapping of 1080i and 1080p content is possible over DVI (at least from the HD-E1). True 1:1 pixel mapping of 1920x1200 and 1080p content is possible over HDMI but only from PC sources apparently.
 
Thank you for clarifying. Now it seems I just have to wait for BenQ to fix the probs.
 
Judging from the comments on newegg, people are starting to receive models with the firmware fix. (It's also interesting to note that there are complaints that newegg started advertising 1:1 but not all of the monitors shipped actually had it... although I didn't see it for myself)
 
It might be better to start calling it Firmware update 1 or some such name since a second firmware update is rumored to be in the works. (Firmware update 2.. or whatever) ;)
 
Just spoke to an etremely helpful and understanding guy at Benq in Melbourne, Australia, and he tells me this is the case:

The 1:1 mapping does in fact work correctly - with all inputs.

But here is the issue still troubling us:

When sending a graphics signal (like from a computer), the monitor will display every pixel within a 1920x1200 range. That's why we aren't having the trouble with PC inputs, whether it be to HDMI or DVI.

When sending a video signal however, the monitor will crop 5% from the left and right, which, he says, is approximately what televisions do to video signals incidentally as part of their overscanning process. That's why video editors have the "safe margains" on their editing programs, to ensure important information isn't contained in these areas.

Now, he says that this overscanning has been around since the beginning of video signals and has not yet been phased out, though he doesn't understand why, since now with digital signals there's no reason why we can't show every single pixel.

So the issue is not so much "which inputs work?" as much as it is "am I sending a video or a graphics signal?" If you are sending a graphics signal, you're a-ok. If you're sending a video signal (eg: DVD player, Video Camera, Play Station 3, etc...) you're screwed.

However, Benq have responded to the "public backlash" as he called it by working on another firmware update that will be around in a couple of months after all the testing which will allow us the option to turn Overscanning on or off (and this will be applied to all inputs). Of course we're all going to want it off, giving back our 5% from the left and right sides. He said he knows that and said he didn't understand why Benq didn't just do it in the first place.

So now all we can do is wait for it to happen. He assured me that it will happen, though said that Benq probably won't publicize it, given that it's only a small amount of customers that even know there was an issue to begin with. So we'll just have to keep an eye out for it and alert each other on here.
 
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