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

amikoenig said:
Thanks for your comforting words, Frychiko. I read somewhere (I read so much in the past couple days I don't know what and where anymore...) a poster claiming that by the time he lowered the brightness to what he thought would get him accurate colors -- the colors got hardly distinguishable... But he is using his monitor in a very low light conditions, while my office is pretty much lit...

DaverJ, I was considering the Apple 23" but I really would like to take advantage of the extra 1" real estate, yet save couple hundred $...

I read a bit about the different "Panel Technologies" and learned that in general, S-IPS is better, more professional and expensive than the VA (S-PVA and MVA) and then there is TN which is the least in quality and price. I see that the Apple widescreens use S-ISP, while the rest of the comparable ones use S-PVA or MVA (including the much more expensive Eizo)... But then, again, somebody was complaining about S-ISP technology too...
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You might want to check out the NEC2690wuxi. It has a 25.5'' display with 1920x1200, covers 91% of Adobe RGB colour space and has a S-IPS panel. Its more expensive than the competition but has the advantage of possible hardware calibration via its internal 12-bit lookup table. Also check out the Dell 30'' 3007WFP-HC (also with 92% colour gamut) with its massive 2560x1600 resolution and S-IPS panel. This one needs a dual-DVI signal and has no inbuild scaler, so can only display the native resolution and a quarter (1280x800). This is the one I will go for as it sells for less than the NEC around here (UK). I dont care about HDMI and hardware scaling as it will be solely connected to my PC, so always on the full resolution.
 
Thanks, svenski.

You say the NEC covers 91% of Adobe RGB colour space. What coverage does the BenQ FP241W that I mentioned have?
 
amikoenig said:
Thanks, svenski.

You say the NEC covers 91% of Adobe RGB colour space. What coverage does the BenQ FP241W that I mentioned have?
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I am not entirely sure but my guess would be less around 70% max as most others.

For more info on the NEC there is a post here: http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1154800 and lots of others on the forum.

I believe the right panel type really depends on what you do in front of it. Personally I do mostly photo work and general desktop stuff. For this the S-IPS panels are preferable. I would have hoped for more 24inchers out there with this panel type, but it seems that most customers don't care enough to justify the extra cost and there is little market. NEC has released the LCD2490WUXi with S-IPS but not in Europe and with a smaller gamut (69%).
 
The NEC 26" is quite too much for me (also price wise).

As mentioned, I'm a graphic designer, I do mostly desktop, logo design, ads, but also photoshop work (and some color corrections) I'm now trying to make a decision between the BenQ FP241W and the more-than-double priced NEC 2490.

But I'm wondering why would the expensive NEC have a contrast ratio of only 800:1 while the rest of the (much less expensive) bunch have 1000:1...

...Also, at one of the vendors selling this monitor, it says under Resolutions supported: the highest is at 1920 x 1200 @ 60Hz. Isn't 60 Hz a bit too low and flickering, or am I talking the CRT language now?

And last question, what's the difference between the 2 versions of this NEC 2490, LCD2490WUXI and LCD2490WUXIBKSV, which is over $250 more expensive...

Thanks!
 
amikoenig said:
The NEC 26" is quite too much for me (also price wise).

As mentioned, I'm a graphic designer, I do mostly desktop, logo design, ads, but also photoshop work (and some color corrections) I'm now trying to make a decision between the BenQ FP241W and the more-than-double priced NEC 2490.

But I'm wondering why would the expensive NEC have a contrast ratio of only 800:1 while the rest of the (much less expensive) bunch have 1000:1...

...Also, at one of the vendors selling this monitor, it says under Resolutions supported: the highest is at 1920 x 1200 @ 60Hz. Isn't 60 Hz a bit too low and flickering, or am I talking the CRT language now?

And last question, what's the difference between the 2 versions of this NEC 2490, LCD2490WUXI and LCD2490WUXIBKSV, which is over $250 more expensive...

Thanks!
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the contrast ratio of P-MVA panels is in general higher than S-IPS panels. However, the problem is that it falls off more sharply with the viewing angle. Some people even reported this while sitting closely in front of a 24'' panel. In this case the centre would appear darker than the outside.

I am not sure about the NEC 24inchers as they are not available in Europe.
 
I've been keeping with this thread for a few months so I have a few things I would like to confirm and ask.

Has anyone purchased one from BenQshopper.com? If so what is your story?

It appears that the difference between the fp241w and fp241wz is the newer firmware and different panel (W uses P-MVA and WZ uses A-MVA) correct? How about the stand or the frame? If the newer WZ panel is FAR superior, I will get it. Yet it doesn't seem that much different from what I gather from the sticky posted on the Display section.

I am using it for PC only so I am not concerned with the firmware upgrade. I would like to hear that the older W uses the better A-MVA, but I am waiting for your responses.
 
i got mine from benqshopper in early april (when it was $50 cheaper) and left a note asking for the newest firmware. i got a pristine monitor with the newest firmware. great experience; would deal with them again.
 
First let me start by saying I'm really sorry if this has been asked already... I tried to read as much as I could.

I'm interested in two monitors really, the Dell 2407WFP and BenQ FP241W. I don't really care about console gaming on these since I have a TV for that, this will be primarily for PC gaming(initially on XP and eventually on Vista).

My main concerns are how these two monitors perform compared to one another for gaming, so if anyone can give me some info on how either one performs better than the other it would be appreciated.

Ghosting?
Back light bleed? (from what I've read it doesn't sound like theres much with either, which is encouraging)

Thanks!

*edit* Also, should I be concerned about the 16ms response time on this monitor compared to some of the TN panels 5-6ms?
 
Platipus said:
First let me start by saying I'm really sorry if this has been asked already... I tried to read as much as I could.

I'm interested in two monitors really, the Dell 2407WFP and BenQ FP241W. I don't really care about console gaming on these since I have a TV for that, this will be primarily for PC gaming(initially on XP and eventually on Vista).

My main concerns are how these two monitors perform compared to one another for gaming, so if anyone can give me some info on how either one performs better than the other it would be appreciated.

Ghosting?
Back light bleed? (from what I've read it doesn't sound like theres much with either, which is encouraging)

Thanks!

*edit* Also, should I be concerned about the 16ms response time on this monitor compared to some of the TN panels 5-6ms?
Click to expand...

Quick reply, buy the BenQ FP241Wz, it seems to be the monitor of choice and the newest.
 
Got mine today after a recommendation from a friend, ordered from the Egg on Sunday and it arrived Wednesday which was awesome. No dead pixels the only problem I have had so far is the default brightness of the monitor is enough to burn the retinas out of your head. I used a Dell 2005FPW before this one and that was much duller.
 
Problem: I want 1:1 pixel mapping, but I don't want Perfect Motion.

From what I understand this was in a firmware update for the W. If I were to buy one from NewEgg tomorrow would I be getting one with the updated firmware? Is there any way for me to find out? Is there somewhere else I can order one and get the updated version?

The WZ is $130 more which is ridiculous, just to get Perfect Motion which I hear is crap anyway.

Thanks
 
Mine shipped from the egg this week, and came with the latest firmware, its safe to say they have new stock.
 
No options for overscan that I can see , I have a 360 connected via VGA though and at 1080P its not cut off in full mode.
 
Cactrot said:
I don't think the VGA port had the probs. Could you test the HDMI and component?
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Yes, the VGA suffers from overscan. The question is, are there black bars around the image when he runs the 360 in 1:1? Remember, full mode stretches the cropped image to fill the entire monitor.
 
Running the 360 at 1080P over VGA with the panel set to 1.1 does leave black bars all around the image. When I set it to full mode it looks fine
 
Could you post pictures? I'm curious to see what it looks like since that will be one of its main uses if I get it.

Thanks
 
Ok people i realise the forum has had some issues and lost a few of the previous posts.. thanks for the replies, but i still have more questions!

I have been looking at HDMI to DVI cables for running a PS3 on this monitor... Do I need a DVI-D Dual Link connection, or will a DVI-D Single Link work the same? (I know the difference between the DVI-I and DVI-D, not too sure what the dual link is for though)

Could I just confirm the best ways to connect my inputs:

Cancel Changes
PC - DVI
PS3 - DVI via a HDMI to DVI cable/adaptor
PS2 - Component
Wii - Component

As an alternative, can I use my PC or PS3 thru VGA via a dvi-vga adaptor? how will it look?
Also, could I use my PS2/Wii thru the VGA slot, via a component-vga adaptor? how will that look?
I dont want to have to keep swapping cables around, so if I can utilise the dvi, vga, and component slots, that would be useful

PS Monitor arriving tomorrow!!
 
Hi,
I have been a lurker around here for a little while. I decided on the FP241W and it arrived today. I am really loving all the extra space it provides and the desktop and internet looks great. I have it hooked to the PC via a DVI cable. But all the video I am watching is pretty grainy, I even popped in a DVD and it didn't look all that great, this was with the computers DVD player, not a separate one hooked up to the monitor. I am using the 1920x1200 resolution. I currently have the GeForce 8600GT video card, and believe I have the newest drivers installed. Is the picture supposed to be like this, or are there some settings I can tweak for improved quality.

Thank You,
Scott
 
Hmm, you definitely shouldn't be encountering any kind of graininess, Scott. One thing I would suggest is checking the cable itself, and the port on the 8600GT. Perhaps a pin is bent, or it's just not a good enough cable. If you have one you could swap it out with to test, particularly a DVD-D cable, that would be ideal. But an easier test would be to try hookng up a completely different source. A dvd player, game console, etc. If it's still looking grainy from a non-PC source, then it may in fact be a defect in the monitor, unfortunately. Also, try to use a connection other than DVI, to see if it's limited to that kind of connection or not. Perhaps component video from an external dvd player. Good luck.
 
Ninjak said:
Hmm, you definitely shouldn't be encountering any kind of graininess, Scott. One thing I would suggest is checking the cable itself, and the port on the 8600GT. Perhaps a pin is bent, or it's just not a good enough cable. If you have one you could swap it out with to test, particularly a DVD-D cable, that would be ideal. But an easier test would be to try hookng up a completely different source. A dvd player, game console, etc. If it's still looking grainy from a non-PC source, then it may in fact be a defect in the monitor, unfortunately. Also, try to use a connection other than DVI, to see if it's limited to that kind of connection or not. Perhaps component video from an external dvd player. Good luck.
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Hi,
I tried plugging the cable in the other DVI slot on the card and that didn't work. The cable should be fine as I used it without any problem for my old 19" Dell LCD that this replaced. It appears that HD content shows up ok, I downloaded the Pirates 3 1080P trailer and it still looked slightly grainy, the colors were nice and vivid but it did not look all that great for a 1080p vid. Anything else looks pretty bad, for example I watched an episode of The Office that used to look pristine on my 19'' but now looks quite grainy on this 24''. I just can't believe that DVDs wouldn't even look all that crisp. I have the latest vista codec pack installed so I don't think it could be that. My video card should be good enough to run video playback on this monitor with no problem, right? Is it possible that there really is something wrong with my monitor or no?
Thanks
 
Scott,

Since you've got a new monitor, you shold have the current firmware on there. Are you running the monitor in 1:1 mode? If not, or if running in aspect ratio mode, it could be that the image is being stretched to fit the whole screen anc causing distortion or loss of detail. Perhaps watching the video clip in its original size with yield different results. For example, as much space as a 24" has, it may be more prone to showing artifacts, defects, and graininess from feeds that would look fine on a 19". But, again, this is only a possibility. Your videocard and the latest drivers should be perfectly fine, as only the older 8800 series drivers were having problems.
 
Ninjak said:
Scott,

Since you've got a new monitor, you shold have the current firmware on there. Are you running the monitor in 1:1 mode? If not, or if running in aspect ratio mode, it could be that the image is being stretched to fit the whole screen anc causing distortion or loss of detail. Perhaps watching the video clip in its original size with yield different results. For example, as much space as a 24" has, it may be more prone to showing artifacts, defects, and graininess from feeds that would look fine on a 19". But, again, this is only a possibility. Your videocard and the latest drivers should be perfectly fine, as only the older 8800 series drivers were having problems.
Click to expand...

Hey,
Thanks for the help. I tried changing the monitor between 1:1, aspect, and full, and saw no difference in any of them while watching an episode of the office. Sorry I'm kind of a new with this stuff. Anyhow, I plugged in my PS2 via component cables today, and made sure to set the screen size as 16:9 on the PS2 and tested out a DVD on that and it still looked terrible. I plugged in my friends PS3 via HDMI and it looked fine on 1:1, but the game was only 720p I think so the picture was small, when I went to full mode it got quite jagged. I also tried to plug in the monitor to the PC via a Monster DVI cable and that made no improvement. Is it likely that there may be something wrong with my monitor or no? Maybe a problem with its scaling?

Thanks,
Scott
 
theclipper said:
Hey,
Thanks for the help. I tried changing the monitor between 1:1, aspect, and full, and saw no difference in any of them while watching an episode of the office. Sorry I'm kind of a new with this stuff. Anyhow, I plugged in my PS2 via component cables today, and made sure to set the screen size as 16:9 on the PS2 and tested out a DVD on that and it still looked terrible. I plugged in my friends PS3 via HDMI and it looked fine on 1:1, but the game was only 720p I think so the picture was small, when I went to full mode it got quite jagged. I also tried to plug in the monitor to the PC via a Monster DVI cable and that made no improvement. Is it likely that there may be something wrong with my monitor or no? Maybe a problem with its scaling?

Thanks,
Scott
Click to expand...

Try watching the DVD on the PS3 in 1:1 mode. Turn on upscaling, setting normal. See if that makes a difference. I know upscaling on PS3 for DVD's makes it look great for me.

I don't think there's anything wrong with your monitor, the difference between a dvd on my computer and the PS3 was immense.

@JYeager: I can't think of one.

Cheers
 
Any answers to my previous post people?
The monitor inputs, how do they rank in terms of quality?
I know composite is probably the worst...
 
Whats the status of this monitor at the moment?

Does it display 1080p in 1:1 properly & does it display 720p and 480p in aspect properly yet? 1:1 shouldn't be an option with 720p/480p and full mode would be silly if the signal is 16:9 and the monitor 16:10.
 
I can only speak for the FP241WZ, my impressions...

Currently, 1:1 displays fine over DVI at any resolution

1:1 1080p is indeed 1:1 pixel mapping (i.e. no scaling, exact pixel representation) over HDMI, VGA and component with the exception of about 3-6% overscan (which you could argue means that it is not 1:1).
 
Cdr Zero said:
Try watching the DVD on the PS3 in 1:1 mode. Turn on upscaling, setting normal. See if that makes a difference. I know upscaling on PS3 for DVD's makes it look great for me.

I don't think there's anything wrong with your monitor, the difference between a dvd on my computer and the PS3 was immense.

@JYeager: I can't think of one.

Cheers
Click to expand...


Thanks for the reply, so old video files that used to look great on my 19'' will generally look crappy on here since its so big though? Isn't this monitor supposed to be able to upscale them a little to keep them from getting so pixelated. I just wanted to make sure I didn't get a monitor that doesn't properly scale. Also, how are you guys calibrating this, do I need to change settings on the monitor and video card? I'm sorry to ask so many questions but I just want to make sure this is working properly and am getting the most out of it. I really appreciate all the responses.

Thanks again,
Scott
 
JYeager said:
At equal price, is there ANY reason to get the FP241W instead of the FP241WZ?
Click to expand...

At equal price, you might as well get the Z. At the least that guarantees you the 1:1 firmware update will be on it, as opposed to the W where, if some vendor has old stock (unlikely by now, but possible), then it will lack the update. Most everyone agrees, however, that the BFI feature added to the Z model isn't worth paying extra for. You always have the option not to use it since it's primarily for gaming and causes CRT-like flicker.
 
s1ngh_01 said:
Any answers to my previous post people?
The monitor inputs, how do they rank in terms of quality?
I know composite is probably the worst...
Click to expand...

Best to worst:

HDMI > DVI-D > VGA > Component > S-Video > Composite

HDMI and DVI are the same exact image quality, but HDMI also carries an audio signal. Save for the FP241VW, the HDMI audio is useless here since the monitor lacks speakers and earphone jacks. Both are also digital connections, which will support HDCP protection schemes, whereas the rest are analog and can't.

VGA vs Component is arguable, but VGA will more easily support varying PC resolutions. You might have to examine both to see which of the two actually looks best to you.

S-Video is good in a pinch. (Most Gamecubes, for example, use S-Video after the component models were discontinued)

Composite is awful and should be used only as a last resort. I relegate it to my old VCRs
 
thanks ninjak

one final dumb question i swear ;)

I know the HDMI slot has problems with PS3/Xbox360 etc.... but if I connect my graphics card dvi slot to the monitor HDMI slot (via a single dvi-hmdi cable) will it look fine?
Im assuming normal PC use (including watching avi's and dvd's though my dvd-drive) works fine with the HDMI slot?

once again thanks for your answers, much appreciated!
 
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