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

That's the most promising response yet. I spoke to a couple of Benq support staff who just handballed me off to their service centres. It's good to know there are people who know what's going on and more importanly willing to share it with their customers.

Thanks.
 
correct me if im wrong but as i read and understood it from previous posts from users, when they switched to a different mode on their monitor, i think it was the "aspect mode" with the 1:1 pixel mapping update, it didnt crop that 5% off on the left and right sides and instead displayed it properly. this may have been just for the PC input for people who were having a problem with it for whatever reason. does this hold true though for the video side, ex. dvd player/ps3 etc..?
 
sk11vengeance15 said:
correct me if im wrong but as i read and understood it from previous posts from users, when they switched to a different mode on their monitor, i think it was the "aspect mode" with the 1:1 pixel mapping update, it didnt crop that 5% off on the left and right sides and instead displayed it properly. this may have been just for the PC input for people who were having a problem with it for whatever reason. does this hold true though for the video side, ex. dvd player/ps3 etc..?
Click to expand...

No it doesn't. It will crop the (approximate) 5% off of every video signal, regardless of which mode you use.

Aspect mode then stretches the image (which is already missing the sides) to fill the screen in one dimension, but preserves the aspect ratio of the source footage. In the case of PS3 or in my case, a High Definition Video Camera, it first crops the 5% from the sides, then stretches until the sides hit the edges of the monitor. So it does the same thing as Full except it preserves the aspect ratio.

1:1 is the only accurate pixel for pixel reproduction of any video signal you'll get, you're just missing the sides.

But if it's any condolance, it's the same 5% you'd be missing if you plugged your PS3 into any television. Even the new Full HD Sony Bravia TVs will overscan and you'll lose 5% from the sides. It sucks, but that's the technology with TVs and it always has been.
 
well its good to know benq is working on an option to turn the overscanning off to get past this 5% crop issue.

i was thinking really hard about ordering one of these from NCIX with the 60 dollars off special they are having right now but since i know when i hook my 1080i dvd player up to this monitor and see 5% crop on both sides, im wondering if i should wait until the firmware update comes out or just live with it for however long it takes benq to release it and then if i decide to get it updated, send it in and wait a month :(

i guess since the PC inputs dont get the 5% crop i could just put a movie in my dvd rom drive to avoid that but i guess the movie wont look as good compared to an external dvd player with say 1080i/p.
 
Hey guys, I got my FP241W today from benqshopper.com. The unit is like brand new and I took lots of pictures with my Canon SD550. I'll have'em up very soon.

What I did when I first got it out of the box was hook up my powerbook with the supplied DVI cable to the monitor. It worked perfectly. 1900x1280. I then hooked up VGA to my pc and it worked fine as well and I was able to switch back and forth. I set it at the same high resolution but it was always off center and there was no way I could correct it. Perhaps a bad VGA cable?

I also hooked up my 360 to the FP and (yes it came with Aspect and 1:1 ratio options meaning it does have a newer firmware). Unfortunately I only have the stock RCA cables so I only tested it on 1:1 (which looked literally small 480 1:1 on the screen *I took a picture*) and aspect. With aspect it stretched the whole screen out but it looked horrible because I didn't have any higher quality cables to try out. Tomorrow I'll be buying 2-4 cables for my monitor.
 
There is an hdmi 1.3 to hdmi 1.2 handshaking problem on my westinghouse 37w3 which makes the westy flash a screen-blank on and off repeatedly when the ps3 content's resolution changes. This continues until you use the remote to switch inputs back and forth or turn the monitor off and back on. However the ps3 otherwise is displayed properly per pixel via hdmi with no overscan issues at all in my experience. Its a crisp display much like my pc display on the westy via DVI at 1920x1080. Blu-ray playback from the PS3 on the westy is also displayed correctly.

The overscan jibe that rep gave about the BenQ sounds like a bit of a copout. I could maybe see that the overscan was overlooked in house somehow if this were a crt but this is a crisp lcd screen with specific pixels not the old-school magnetically stretched crt image you custom stretch/squash to fit with osd controls. This is a next-gen HDCP hdmi lcd monitor so it seems like a huge oversight to me. And we are for the most part talking about hdmi digital output signals from next gen devices, not analog video signals. Also, why do you think a ps3 game OS signal would be classified as a video signal and not a graphics signal? Its an hdmi digital output off a nvidia-based gpu. Furthermore/regardless, the fact that the first firmware reportedly left 1:1 ps3 mapped as a 1680x1050 display with black bars around all four sides sounds like a hell of an overscan "safe margin" too. :rolleyes: This is obviously not per-pixel 1:1 output of 1920 x 1080 onto a 1920x1200 lcd screen.

I guess it was nice of him to have a dialog with you though (even if it was mostly spin), and especially good to know that we can expect the second firmware update to fix this problem, as well as the supposed timetable for this to happen. I hope they get it right this time.
 
elvn said:
There is an hdmi 1.3 to hdmi 1.2 handshaking problem on my westinghouse 37w3 which makes the westy flash a screen-blank on and off repeatedly when the ps3 content's resolution changes. This continues until you use the remote to switch inputs back and forth or turn the monitor off and back on. However the ps3 otherwise is displayed properly per pixel via hdmi with no overscan issues at all in my experience. Its a crisp display much like my pc display on the westy via DVI at 1920x1080. Blu-ray playback from the PS3 on the westy is also displayed correctly.
Click to expand...

by displayed properly you mean only black bars on top and bottom and not the sides?
 
elvn said:
Also, why do you think a ps3 game OS signal would be classified as a video signal and not a graphics signal? Its an hdmi digital output off a nvidia-based gpu.
Click to expand...

Nothing except that everyone's saying that it has the same problems as all other video signals. That and the Benq guy said that it's the PS3 owners that are making up 99% of the people ringing them with complaints.

He said he didn't understand why, but that everyone expected the PS3 to output a graphics signal, but it ultimately outputs a video one. He said he was confused as to why Sony went down that path.

He also said that it's because of that simple fact - that PS3 outputs a video signal - that Benq are going to fix the overscanning issue in their monitor. Initially Benq tried to say "Our monitor does everything it says it can do - it's Sony that made the error." But ultimately, enough Play Station 3 owners around the world complained to Benq and Benq have moved to fix it.
 
On another topic, which I should have asked the Benq guy:

1. Is the FP241W's HDMI port definitely 1.3 compatible?

2. And am I right in assuming that without v1.3, the cable cannot carry a progressive signal, only interlaced?

3. When I was in am electronics store yesterday I asked a salesman whether the $200 3metre HDMI cable was v1.3 and he didn't have a clue what I was talking about. So how am I going to be able to buy the right cable? Do the cables have model numbers or some feature that distinguishes it as 1.3?
 
iamjohnsname said:
On another topic, which I should have asked the Benq guy:

1. Is the FP241W's HDMI port definitely 1.3 compatible?

2. And am I right in assuming that without v1.3, the cable cannot carry a progressive signal, only interlaced?

3. When I was in am electronics store yesterday I asked a salesman whether the $200 3metre HDMI cable was v1.3 and he didn't have a clue what I was talking about. So how am I going to be able to buy the right cable? Do the cables have model numbers or some feature that distinguishes it as 1.3?
Click to expand...

I just checked the reviews of the FP241W on Newegg's website and one user commented that he/she called BenQ and discovered the HDMI port is only 1.1. I wonder if the BenQ manual has this information. (I need to go online to find the PDF version as my monitor came without any manuals).

I'm uploading pictures as we speak. I apologize if I make a couple posts. I like to let people know the updates of what I try as its difficult to consolidate some important "did's" and "didn't" do's.
 
WGSquallx2002 said:
I just checked the reviews of the FP241W on Newegg's website and one user commented that he/she called BenQ and discovered the HDMI port is only 1.1.
Click to expand...

Does this mean the HDMI port cannot carrry a progressive signal?

Because Blu-Ray is progressive, my HDV camera is progressive, anything I plug in via HDMI will be progressive. Am I right here? Or wrong?

And if I'm right can I solve the problem by using a HDMI to DVI converter and connecting to the monitor's DVI port? I'm assuming of course tha DVI can transport a progressive signal... Am I wrong about that too?
 
I don't have the knowledge to answer that. I'd try reading up some sites with information pertaining to hardware/connection compatibility.

(1)I'm going to order a DVI-D cable (male to male) to replace the stock one as my PC won't connect to the BenQ with the supplied DVI-D cable. My Powerbook on the otherhand is fine and loves the BenQ and its supplied DVI-D cable. I've unplugged and replugged the connections several times including monitor powerdown with no difference.

(1.5)Hopefully the new DVI-D cable will solve the issue. Anyone else want to share their in-depth experience on how the "no signal" issue was solved using DVI?

(2.0)Using VGA from PC to the BenQ, the image was off-center and it appeared that the resolution was running at 1920x1200. I have to double check tomorrow to make sure it was 1920x1200 and not something like 1900x1200 (which could explain a black bar on the left side of the screen image). (I have not tested the Powerbook using VGA yet, but I will as I intend to connect my Powerbook to the BenQ through DVI-I to VGA (D-sub) adapter - D-sub (VGA) male to male cable.

(3.0)Also to answer some of the curious viewers out there and one poster that posted very early in this thread...Q: Is this monitor glossy?
A: The monitor is not exactly, entirely glossy. It is difficult to explain, but more of a mix between a glossy screen and a matte screen. It doesn't have the high annoying glossy reflectivity like some of the new Macbook screens, but its surface does have a shiny-er surface unlike matte screens, though glare is not much of a problem.

As I type this, I have a halogen lamp arched back, with its light bouncing down and up towards the monitor's screen. I don't see any glare on the screen at all except for a glow on the side of the plastic panel.

(4.0)Here are some promised pictures. I've selected a few and threw it into iPhoto and made a webpage. Below is the link. I welcome any questions and/or feedback (It will definitely help with my objectives when I create a review on the BenQ FP241W) Thanks.

http://www.wayneguan.com/images/FP241W/FP241W.html
 
WGSquallx2002 said:
Hey guys, I got my FP241W today from benqshopper.com. The unit is like brand new and I took lots of pictures with my Canon SD550. I'll have'em up very soon.

What I did when I first got it out of the box was hook up my powerbook with the supplied DVI cable to the monitor. It worked perfectly. 1900x1280. I then hooked up VGA to my pc and it worked fine as well and I was able to switch back and forth. I set it at the same high resolution but it was always off center and there was no way I could correct it. Perhaps a bad VGA cable?

I also hooked up my 360 to the FP and (yes it came with Aspect and 1:1 ratio options meaning it does have a newer firmware). Unfortunately I only have the stock RCA cables so I only tested it on 1:1 (which looked literally small 480 1:1 on the screen *I took a picture*) and aspect. With aspect it stretched the whole screen out but it looked horrible because I didn't have any higher quality cables to try out. Tomorrow I'll be buying 2-4 cables for my monitor.
Click to expand...

I'm really wanting to shop from BenQshopper but they couldn't gaurantee me that the panel would have the newest firmware, which I found strange.

So I guess you got lucky?!?
 
My PS3 has absolutely no overscan on my Westinghouse 37w3. It appears to me to be a perfect 1920x1080p per pixel in the game OS and 1080p games like tekken5, and 1280x720 in games like motorstorm and resistance which run in 720p. That said the hdmi handshake problem on the westinghouse 37w3 which makes the screen blink anytime the ps3 switches resolutions (until I switch inputs back and forth using my westinghouse remote control) is pretty annoying. Once I get the resolution loaded and switch the inputs back and forth it runs great however. Unfortunately some of the content on the PS3 is 720p so the switching triggers this effect. I'm running tekken on the 37" westinghouse right now and typing this on my crt monitor btw. It looks really nice.

Of course the BenQ monitor is 1920x1200 and not 1920x1080 like the westy, so there needs to be a 60 pixel bar top and bottom. Considering the stretched lower resolution problems in the intial FP241W release, the 'boxed in black bars on all sides' ps3 problem in the first firmware update, apparently the improper scaling of the wii's 480i, and I believe a prob with the xbox360 also if I'm not mistaken (and I might assume on the hdmi of the elite) -- I think that BenQ just did not implement their 1:1 pixel mapping properly in BOTH the initial and first firmware update.

It would be awesome if they worked these problems out with the BenQ. It has potential to be a great monitor, I just want it to work properly with all of my devices. Once they finally release a firmware update that fixes it to display 1:1 / per pixel output properly (and I'm able to find a vendor with the proper firmware installed) I will order one for sure.

P.S. thnx for relating your experiences with the FP241W and posting all those pics WGSquall, and IamJohnsname for the feedback from the BenQ rep.. and everyone else :p
 
It doesn't sound like they're working at all on a solution for properly scaling the Wii output (iirc it outputs in a slightly odd resolution which is perhaps the reason it is causing problems).
 
Check out the HDMI page on wikipedia-- there's not much video related that would affect this monitor between 1.1 and 1.3.
 
To expand the Wii point, it always outputs 720x480, whether in 4:3 or 16:9 mode. It's up to the display device to scale this correctly, therefore it's critical that this monitor have correct scaling or the Wii will look awful.
 
Hello,

ive been following this thread for a while, ive recently purchased this monitor and am very pleased with it, upgrading from a 2005FPW, the only niggle is the 1080P 1:1 mapping issue i get with PS3, other than that it is ace, also i dont have any problems switching from dvi->hdmi (or vice versa) that some ppl seem to have. my monitor was manufactured in jan 2007 and has a revision b4-125 if this helps anyone. im using the DVI cable that came with my 2005FPW with no issues, no blank outs yet either (had it for 1 day, touch wood)

if anyone is from the UK they are selling them for £560 at www.morecomputers.com

thanks
 
Hey, got the monitor today. Thus far, I'm pleased. 24" is a pretty big jump from 20". It came with no dead or stuck pixels and had the latest firmware with 1:1 mapping.

Here are pics of the 2005fpw and the fp241w in the same setup for the sake of comparison.

DSC01756.jpg

DSC01757.jpg


Sorry for the exposure differences; I was in a hurry.

Next I'm going to hook up my ps2 and wii via s-video (component cables haven't arrived yet).
 
Nice. Glad to hear you got a quality product too. I ordered a DVI-D male to male cable and hope it'll solve my PC to BenQ monitor DVI connection. My Apple likes the DVI cable though...

Did you experience any similar problems? And what kind of setup do you have right now in terms of connections? (eg: PC DVI to BenQ...etc) Thanks.
 
PC DVI to BenQ DVI, PS2 & Wii via S-video.

Nvidia's linux drivers are really convenient. I restarted the X server and it automatically read the new EDID information and loaded in 1920x1200@60hz.

The s-video input looks a LOT better on the BenQ vs the 2005fpw. It's not just the larger number of pixels, either-- the deinterlacing and upscaling algorithms are much cleaner. There also seems to be less lag. I'm parrying as normal on SF3.

The colors seem fine; no immediate degradation vs the 2005fpw was noticed. A filmmaker friend and I are going to give it a more thorough runthrough this weekend. The 2005fpw, however, fails this dark grayscales test completey. Even in a pitch black room, there are no noticable scales. In light (and even better in the dark), the fp241w displays them perfectly. I'm not sure what I think of overdrive since I'm not used to it. I imagine I'll be ignoring it in a day or two.

Just checked out the 1080p Children of Men trailer. Looks amazing!
 
Thanks for the link Rajravat - at that price I'm sooo close to buying one right now. Still not seen confirmation it'll work with all the inputs I want to use though:

Dual R600/8800 1900x1200 via HDMI or DVI
Wii & Gamecube 720x480 via component or VGA (via Z3 transcoder)
Sky HD box 720p/1080i via HDMI
PS3 1080p via HDMI
XBox 360 via HDMI (picking up an Elite shortly)
Many older consoles via DVI/VGA (from RGB via transcoders)
 
j.archer said:
PC DVI to BenQ DVI, PS2 & Wii via S-video.

Nvidia's linux drivers are really convenient. I restarted the X server and it automatically read the new EDID information and loaded in 1920x1200@60hz.

The s-video input looks a LOT better on the BenQ vs the 2005fpw. It's not just the larger number of pixels, either-- the deinterlacing and upscaling algorithms are much cleaner. There also seems to be less lag. I'm parrying as normal on SF3.

The colors seem fine; no immediate degradation vs the 2005fpw was noticed. A filmmaker friend and I are going to give it a more thorough runthrough this weekend. The 2005fpw, however, fails this dark grayscales test completey. Even in a pitch black room, there are no noticable scales. In light (and even better in the dark), the fp241w displays them perfectly. I'm not sure what I think of overdrive since I'm not used to it. I imagine I'll be ignoring it in a day or two.

Just checked out the 1080p Children of Men trailer. Looks amazing!
Click to expand...

I can't see the (1, 1, 1) shade, this is unacceptable! :mad:
 
JDAdams said:
Thanks for the link Rajravat - at that price I'm sooo close to buying one right now. Still not seen confirmation it'll work with all the inputs I want to use though:

Dual R600/8800 1900x1200 via HDMI or DVI
Wii & Gamecube 720x480 via component or VGA (via Z3 transcoder)
Sky HD box 720p/1080i via HDMI
PS3 1080p via HDMI
XBox 360 via HDMI (picking up an Elite shortly)
Many older consoles via DVI/VGA (from RGB via transcoders)
Click to expand...

Hello JDAdams,

i have a ATI x800xt connected through DVI @ 1920x1200, i know this isnt the same card as u but i cant see why it wouldnt work

i also connect my ps3 via HDMI @ 1080P and works well, (besides the known 1:1 issue at that res), ive tried 1080i on the ps3 dashboard and this looks good too

thanks
Raj.
 
Has anyone figured out a solution to reviving or initiating a connection between their PC video cards (Nvidia/ATI) and the FP241W(Z) using the stock DVI-D cable?
 
If I buy a fp241w today, is it possible/economical to send it back later for the up and coming updated firmware with the HDMI 1080p fix? Should I buy now or wait?
 
Sinister Crayon said:
If I buy a fp241w today, is it possible/economical to send it back later for the up and coming updated firmware with the HDMI 1080p fix? Should I buy now or wait?
Click to expand...

If you buy now then you should be able to get the update at no cost. Most likely they will send out a replacement monitor and collect yours at the same time. If you report the problem within 21 days then I think you are assured that the replacement is new rather than reconditioned.

I have also found that with the existing firmware it is possible to solve most problems by buying two HDMI<->DVI cables (about £10 each). This way you can make sure that video sources (e.g. HD-DVD, PS3, etc.) go into the DVI input and use the HDMI input for non-video sources (e.g. PC). You'll still have problems with the analogue video inputs though.

But if you don't need it right now then you should wait. Someone might release a better monitor before BenQ finally sort everything out.
 
Sinister Crayon said:
If I buy a fp241w today, is it possible/economical to send it back later for the up and coming updated firmware with the HDMI 1080p fix? Should I buy now or wait?
Click to expand...

www.ncix.com has them already updated. They've been working with BenQ updating the firmware fixing the 1:1 issue. BenQ actually sent them the stuff to do it...lol. Sorta ass backwards but I'm glad NCIX is doing something about it.

800 bucks US you can get a guarantee of the newest firmware and no dead pixels. :)

Cheers.
 
Ordered a FP241WZ last week from NCIX, should be here in a week or so. Will post my impressions of it when I get it but im sure it will be great :)
 
shit, I think mine has a dead pixel on the lower right corner, right next to the time display.
 
Im thinking of getting this monitor but first I need answers to 2 questions

1.How is the ghosting on this monitor
2.Does the resolution over Dvi stretch the image for pc gaming, note that im not interested in using it for consoles I already have a 32inch for that.

Thanks in advance.
 
rsgunter said:
www.ncix.com has them already updated. They've been working with BenQ updating the firmware fixing the 1:1 issue. BenQ actually sent them the stuff to do it...lol. Sorta ass backwards but I'm glad NCIX is doing something about it.

800 bucks US you can get a guarantee of the newest firmware and no dead pixels. :)
Click to expand...

This is only true of the first firmware update, Sinister Crayon was asking about the quasi-confirmed second firmware update.
 
My remanufactured FP241W arrived from benqshopper.com last night and unfortunately neither the HDMI nor the DVI-D works. The D-sub works and has the 1:1 and Aspect settings, although for some reason my notebook wasn't able to detect monitor settings and defaulted to 1024x768 with no options to display any widescreen modes (Radeon Mobility X1400). My box also seems to be missing the paper manual and CD. My FP241W from newegg (which was flashed by BenQ for the 1:1 firmware after purchase) displays HDMI with a PS3 and DVI-D on a PC fine.

WGSquallx2002 said:
Hey guys, I got my FP241W today from benqshopper.com. The unit is like brand new and I took lots of pictures with my Canon SD550. I'll have'em up very soon.

What I did when I first got it out of the box was hook up my powerbook with the supplied DVI cable to the monitor. It worked perfectly. 1900x1280. I then hooked up VGA to my pc and it worked fine as well and I was able to switch back and forth. I set it at the same high resolution but it was always off center and there was no way I could correct it. Perhaps a bad VGA cable?

I also hooked up my 360 to the FP and (yes it came with Aspect and 1:1 ratio options meaning it does have a newer firmware). Unfortunately I only have the stock RCA cables so I only tested it on 1:1 (which looked literally small 480 1:1 on the screen *I took a picture*) and aspect. With aspect it stretched the whole screen out but it looked horrible because I didn't have any higher quality cables to try out. Tomorrow I'll be buying 2-4 cables for my monitor.
Click to expand...
 
tiongkiat said:
My remanufactured FP241W arrived from benqshopper.com last night and unfortunately neither the HDMI nor the DVI-D works. My FP241W from newegg (which was flashed by BenQ for the 1:1 firmware after purchase) displays HDMI with a PS3 and DVI-D on a PC fine.
Click to expand...

you have two benq's? :confused: :eek:
 
harrykim said:
Im thinking of getting this monitor but first I need answers to 2 questions

1.How is the ghosting on this monitor
2.Does the resolution over Dvi stretch the image for pc gaming, note that im not interested in using it for consoles I already have a 32inch for that.

Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

Bump
 
harrykim said:
Im thinking of getting this monitor but first I need answers to 2 questions

1.How is the ghosting on this monitor
2.Does the resolution over Dvi stretch the image for pc gaming, note that im not interested in using it for consoles I already have a 32inch for that.

Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

1. the response time is fast. I notice no ghosting, even in fast movies and games. I can drag a window of text around and read the text while moving it quickly.

2. It treats the DVI how you tell it to- it'll stretch it to full screen, aspect scale it, or not scale it at all.
 
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