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

I am confused about 1:1. I thought that meant no stretching is ever done. The picture uses x by y pixels of the monitor to conform exactly to the # of pixels being sent to the montior by whatever.

For example this statement
"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"

Wouldn't you want black bars? Black bars means its not stretching it.
There should be no way to display a 1080p signal on a 1680x1200 tv without black bars or stretching.

If anyone can clarify if I am off or if I am right Thanks.
 
Hi,

I bought this monitor refurbished, its arrived today, but without the CD and manuals. I found everything online already (driver, manual), except the Pivot program. Maybe somebody can put image of the CD online? Or at least the Pivot program alone? Your help will be highly appreciated.

Regards,
Guy
 
kendric said:
I am confused about 1:1. I thought that meant no stretching is ever done. The picture uses x by y pixels of the monitor to conform exactly to the # of pixels being sent to the montior by whatever.

For example this statement
"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"

Wouldn't you want black bars? Black bars means its not stretching it.
There should be no way to display a 1080p signal on a 1680x1200 tv without black bars or stretching.

If anyone can clarify if I am off or if I am right Thanks.
Click to expand...

The problem is that, when displaying 1080p on the monitor, what you should see is black bars on the top and bottom, but not on the sides as it does in 1:1 mode. If you run a 1080p signal via a PC on the DVI port, you see the display as it's supposed to be. There were problems with VGA from the 360 just as there remain issues with 1080p over HDMI. My Xbox 360 Elite gets bars on all 4 sides when run at 1080p via HDMI. When I switch the monitor to aspect ratio mode, it looks normal because the screen width is already exactly the right size. If you scan through the old posts (numerous as they may be), this has been explained as well as illustrated in detail. Without a new firmware update of some kind, that's just the way the W, Z, and VW models will remain.
 
If I bought this monitor (W, WZ or VW not sure yet), how would the following devices work on these inputs:

PC - HDMI (via DVI-->HDMI adaptor; 1920x1200 native)
PS3 - DVI (via HDMI-->DVI adaptor; 1920x1080 1:1)
360 (non elite) - Component (or should I get a VGA cable and use that ; 1080p 1:1)

Assuming I used the above setup, would I face any 1:1 or other display problems, and if so, what should I do differently? Thanks for the input!


(Alternatively, I could get a DVI switch (more expensive), and connect both the PC and PS3 with DVI)
 
I hooked up my Wii via component cables and made sure to the the wii to widescreen mode and enable the 480p signal but the games still do not look that great on here, there are alot of jaggies. I tried having the monitor set on aspect mode and 1:1, on 1:1 it was just in a very small box with black bars on all 4 sides. Does the Wii look very good on this monitor for anyone else? I'm starting to worry that there is something wrong with my monitor.
Thanks
 
Ninjak said:
The problem is that, when displaying 1080p on the monitor, what you should see is black bars on the top and bottom, but not on the sides as it does in 1:1 mode. If you run a 1080p signal via a PC on the DVI port, you see the display as it's supposed to be. There were problems with VGA from the 360 just as there remain issues with 1080p over HDMI. My Xbox 360 Elite gets bars on all 4 sides when run at 1080p via HDMI. When I switch the monitor to aspect ratio mode, it looks normal because the screen width is already exactly the right size. If you scan through the old posts (numerous as they may be), this has been explained as well as illustrated in detail. Without a new firmware update of some kind, that's just the way the W, Z, and VW models will remain.
Click to expand...

When using the 360 with this monitor how noticable is the overscan issue with HDMI, component and VGA and is there anything that can be done with the settings to resolve it ?

I`ve just ordered this monitor for use with the 360 and PC but this problem seems to be something that`s going to make me cancel it.
 
I cant say i have really noticed overscan over VGA and component using the 360, if there is overscan it doesnt really affect gaming. The only fault with VGA on the 360 is that 1080i/p resolution does not work correctly, but 720p works great and looks fine

PC is fine over DVI, no overscan.

The only time I have seen overscan is on my PS3 via HDMI, its most noticable on the PS3's web browser. Ive recently installed Yellow Dog Linux onto my PS3 as well and the resolutions/overscan is quite messed up which is probably due to the overscan; but more than likely because I am a n00b in linux.
 
djphatic said:
I cant say i have really noticed overscan over VGA and component using the 360, if there is overscan it doesnt really affect gaming. The only fault with VGA on the 360 is that 1080i/p resolution does not work correctly, but 720p works great and looks fine

PC is fine over DVI, no overscan.

The only time I have seen overscan is on my PS3 via HDMI, its most noticable on the PS3's web browser. Ive recently installed Yellow Dog Linux onto my PS3 as well and the resolutions/overscan is quite messed up which is probably due to the overscan; but more than likely because I am a n00b in linux.
Click to expand...

Ditto

At 1080p (or 1920x1200 in the PC's case), 1:1

PC connected via DVI works fine, no overscan
PS3 connected via HDMI or component has about 3-6% overscan
360 connected via VGA has some strange overscan or resolution issues; the monitor reports that it is actually displaying a 1680x1050 resolution. If I flick between the DVI input and the VGA input then sometimes the monitor will then report that it is displaying 1920x1080, but visually the left and right sides of the picture are severely cut off screen. I am wondering if setting the video output on the 360 to "normal" rather than "widescreen" might stop this issue and display the correct resolution, will test later. I'm not sure if this is one issue or two issues - the 1680x1050 thing might be a totally separate thing.
 
The 1080p problem doesnt sound good and I`ll probally cancel the order now. The whole idea in getting it was to have the 360 on 1080p.
 
Brunch said:
I am wondering if setting the video output on the 360 to "normal" rather than "widescreen" might stop this issue and display the correct resolution, will test later.
Click to expand...

Doh, turns out "widescreen" is the only selectable option when you've selected 1080p. Anyone else noticed the monitor reporting the displayed resolution as 1680x1050 from the 360? (with 1:1 selected on the monitor, 1080p selected on the 360)?
 
I just received this monitor (refurbished also). No firmware update, but thats not a big deal to me. 1 lit blue pixel. No manual or cd.

I am having the blackout problem. I have an Nvidia 6800GT with the latest official XP drivers. The problem is reproduceable for me. I changed DVI cables but it did not help. I lowered the resolution (to 1680x1050) but it did not help. I have had it blackout once for a long period of time, I had to shutdown the computer. I was on the internet so I probably went to a website that had something that caused it. When it was blacked out I couldn't change any menu setting, the only button on the monitor that worked was on/off.

When I go to a review at bjorn3d.com the screen will black out. It is not blinking it is just gone, though in other cases it will blink on and off, sometimes once or twice, sometimes for as long as I leave the screen unchanged. For the bjorn3d review I captured a screen image and saved it in paint as a 24-bit bmp. When I open it the monitor blacks out. I saved it again as a jpeg (a little compression). When I open that, the monitor does not black out. Strange.
 
I'll be doing my own sort of comprehensive testing of all input types and resolutions with a WZ model we just recieved...

but in the meantime does someone have a definitive list of the particular situations where the monitor's firmware is still not up to task?

from what I gather it's issues with hdmi/vga/component and overscan
 
Like I said in the BenQ FP241WZ thread, for all the confirmed and unconfirmed issues with the BenQ FP241WZ, check out PigsterWiki. They did a pretty good job at gertting all the info in one place.
 
does the W have the ikey?

has anyone been able to get the auto calibrate function to work?

i run the auto.exe test pattern and hit the button and nothing happens.

edit: nvm it's not available when using DVI
 
theblackbunny said:
Like I said in the BenQ FP241WZ thread, for all the confirmed and unconfirmed issues with the BenQ FP241WZ, check out PigsterWiki. They did a pretty good job at gertting all the info in one place.
Click to expand...
hardforum NEEDS better stickies and startposts that are kept up to date by mods or active members containing all usefull info about a monitor (issues, upsides, downsides, links to reviews, etc)

if they would do this, they would rock the world

now it is just a zillion of posts and no way to find anything...
 
MasterTactician said:
If I bought this monitor (W, WZ or VW not sure yet), how would the following devices work on these inputs:

PC - HDMI (via DVI-->HDMI adaptor; 1920x1200 native)
PS3 - DVI (via HDMI-->DVI adaptor; 1920x1080 1:1)
360 (non elite) - Component (or should I get a VGA cable and use that ; 1080p 1:1)

Assuming I used the above setup, would I face any 1:1 or other display problems, and if so, what should I do differently? Thanks for the input!


(Alternatively, I could get a DVI switch (more expensive), and connect both the PC and PS3 with DVI)
Click to expand...

Anybody try PC 1:1 with HDMI, PS3 with DVI and 360 with component (see above)?
 
Hi all!

Finally got this monitor! amazing size, looks brilliant.!

However, I had the blackout problem pretty much straight away with DVI, and it was really really bad. It would black out for like 10 seconds, come on for abut half a second, then repeat, until finally it just gave up!

I got annoyed and tried a VGA connection instead (I have an X800 Pro VIVO card, DVI outputs only, so I used a DVI-VGA converter, and a VGA cable)
This worked perfectly.
I must note that my previous monitor was a 15" NEC monitor, with a native resolution of 1024x768 AND refresh rate of 75hz.
I had it set to 1:1 mapping, so immediately after switching the monitors, the image was showing up in a 1024x768 box in the middle of this huge screen. (I had already knocked down the refresh rate to 60hz by this point).
I changed this to the native 1920x1200, all looked good. So I thought I would give the DVI cable another go (bought a rather expensive Belkin DVI-D Dual Link cable cheaply on ebay!!)
and....... It worked!!! no more problems!!! (So far I must add)

I really dont know what in particular fixed the problem, took me a while to change the monitor settings, plugging this one into the secondary port to change settings etc etc, but it worked. Most likely it was a problems with the resolution or the refresh rate.

So if anyone is having blackout problems, possibly the answer is to ensure that the resolution & refresh rate are correctly set. Might be a shot in the dark I guess.

Hopefully I'll be blackout free from now on.

On a side note, if you are from the UK and are wanting to order this monitor (FP241W), I ordered from MoreComputers.com. Ordered at 2.45pm, arrive next morning at 8.30am! Couldn't ask for better service than that! Nice round £500ish with next day delivery.
 
Nielo TM said:
Hey guys

A friend of mime bought the FP241W for an awesome deal (£435). However, we were disappointed with its black level, which is identical to my three year old Sony monitor (SDM-HX73).

Do you guys know a way to manually lower the backlight? Or set of calibration values?

Thanks guys


PS: Here's a sample of what it looks like. Ignore the purple tint (low light camera artifact)

dscf0217xq9.jpg
Click to expand...

Could someone please provide an solution to the problem described above. I have to act quickley if it needs replacing.
 
MasterTactician said:
Anybody try PC 1:1 with HDMI, PS3 with DVI and 360 with component (see above)?
Click to expand...

Its best to select aspect mode then 1:1 pixel mapping.

PS: The image quality from the X360 via component is AWESOME!!! If the blacks are good as they supposed to be, it would be the perfect display.
 
Nielo TM said:
Could someone please provide an solution to the problem described above. I have to act quickley if it needs replacing.
Click to expand...

That doesnt look right, what is the source/device that is playing in that picture? Also, what settings do you have for your monitor for that source/device playing in the pic.

I have the VW model of this monitor and while the blacks are certainly not up to CRT levels, they are not even close to being that bad. The blacks are actually great for this size range of PC monitors.
 
It's connected to the X360 via component @ 1080p. No matter what I do, I cant seem to lower the backlight. Brigheness contrast settings has no affect on backlight.

On PC, standard setting is aweful. The colors are washed out and the screen becomes dim. However, the backlight rstill emain unchanged.

This supposed to have a P-MVA panel, but its acting like a TN (not in viewing angle though)
 
I've just send full report detaling everything to Benq. Hopefuy they'll replace it

Nielo TM said:
I have purchased Benq FP241W monitor on the 3rd of July (view the attached invoice for reference). The problem is the monitor can’t seem to display blacks well (they are in fact displayed as light grey). All my attempts to calibrate the monitor have failed. The brightness and contrast only seem to affect the displayed image (not the backlight). Selecting multiple display modes (standard, movie, dynamic and photo) doesn’t help either.

This monitor supposed to contain a P-MVA (Premium Multi-domain Vertical Alignment) panel by AUO, which is known to have very deep blacks. I have searched the forums and it seems other FP241W do not seem to suffer from the same problem as mine.

There’s also noticeable backlight bleeds (view the attached image for reference), 3 stuck pixels and vertical banding.


Stuck pixels as follows:

1st: Top left (visible on white and red backgrounds)
2nd: Bottom left (visible on white and green backgrounds)
3rd: Middle-right near the bottom (visible on white and green backgrounds)

Vertical banding is visible on all three primary colors as well as other colors (inc yellow, pink and sky blue). Again, selecting multiple display modes doesn’t help.


Monitor Details:

Make: Benq
Product Name: FP241W
Model number: Q24WS
P/N:
Serial Number:
Manufactured Date: February 2007
Reversion: B4-125
Click to expand...
 
Brunch said:
Doh, turns out "widescreen" is the only selectable option when you've selected 1080p. Anyone else noticed the monitor reporting the displayed resolution as 1680x1050 from the 360? (with 1:1 selected on the monitor, 1080p selected on the 360)?
Click to expand...

Yeah mine does exactly that 360 over VGA I just run at 720P instead it looks and runs fine
 
I'm sorry, but NO lcd has very deep blacks. Good lcd's will have grey blacks and bad lcd's will have blue-gray blacks.

LCD's cannot do blacks. Yes it sucks, but that's the way it is.

Brightness setting DOES affect backlight down to 30. Below 30 it just clips blacks, don't go below 30 in brightness.
 
Has anyone tried to hook up a HD DVD player to this monitor? I want to get one but I can't decide which to buy. It is between the Toshiba HD A2, and the A20. I wanted to get the A2 to save money but its max output is 1080i. Does anyone know if this monitor will be able to properly deinterlace the signal? If not, would it be a better idea to get the A20 which does output at 1080p?

Thanks!
 
theclipper said:
Has anyone tried to hook up a HD DVD player to this monitor? I want to get one but I can't decide which to buy. It is between the Toshiba HD A2, and the A20. I wanted to get the A2 to save money but its max output is 1080i. Does anyone know if this monitor will be able to properly deinterlace the signal? If not, would it be a better idea to get the A20 which does output at 1080p?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

don't count on it looking even remotely good. get the a20.
 
there have been numerous complaints of the 1080i being extremely blurry on this monitor, so unless you just want to run 720p, i'd stay away from the a2.
 
Any indication that they are planning another firmware update? I might buy it refurbished for a little less than 500 usd, which is a steal imo.
 
Sinister Crayon said:
there have been numerous complaints of the 1080i being extremely blurry on this monitor, so unless you just want to run 720p, i'd stay away from the a2.
Click to expand...

thanks for the heads up, it seems like this monitor is definitely not as good as advertised, i guess i'll be getting the A20 then, if this is blurry then this monitor really does not live up to the billing.
 
maarek99 said:
I'm sorry, but NO lcd has very deep blacks. Good lcd's will have grey blacks and bad lcd's will have blue-gray blacks.

LCD's cannot do blacks. Yes it sucks, but that's the way it is.

Brightness setting DOES affect backlight down to 30. Below 30 it just clips blacks, don't go below 30 in brightness.
Click to expand...

I know LCDs cant display pure black (accept for the HDR-LCDs), but, this monitor doesn't make any sence. Mainly because P/A-MVA panels are known to have deep blacks. Also, the viewing angles are utter **** (even for MVA).

PS: Just found out that this also suffers from DVI black-out problem. So this monitor got to go. Hopefuly the replacement will be better.
 
Actually, the HD-A2 can look fantastic on this monitor. I have one (actually an HD-E1 but its the same thing). You will need an HDMI to DVI lead if you want true 1:1 pixel mapping with 0% overscan though. If you connect with a straight HDMI to HDMI lead then you can have true 1:1 pixel mapping (with no blurring) but you'll see some black borders that shouldn't be there. If you scale the image up to get rid of the borders then you'll introduce some blurring.
 
Just received this email from BenQ support, who I have been emailing for quite a while now regarding the 2nd firmware.

Thank you for contacting us at BenQ support, please accept my apologies for the delay in my response. I am very pleased to inform you that the second firmware upgrade is now ready and that I can now process a warranty claim for you to receive this upgrade. The procedure for this will be the same as in your previous case; our service centre will send a courier to collect the unit, they will then apply the upgrade and return the unit to you.
Click to expand...

Although the first time i received this kind of email regarding the first firmware update, the service centre never received the update and i was waiting for almost 2 months to get my monitor back.
 
I have been following this thread from time to time. As I do not live in the US and there's no BenQ support over here, I need a unit that has all its problems solved.

What I did like about the BenQ was that it had component and HDMI inputs, and that I could use it as my computer's monitor and as field monitor for video HD shooting. Now it seems it's not quite an HD monitor, due to blacks being gray and not black.
 
carlmart said:
Now it seems it's not quite an HD monitor, due to blacks being gray and not black.
Click to expand...

I cant say ive had any problems with black levels, though I dont think they will be as good as the latest hdtvs, like the samsungs with their technology for black levels etc.

If the monitor is calibrated and setup correctly there no real problem with black levels.
 
shawkie said:
Actually, the HD-A2 can look fantastic on this monitor. I have one (actually an HD-E1 but its the same thing). You will need an HDMI to DVI lead if you want true 1:1 pixel mapping with 0% overscan though. If you connect with a straight HDMI to HDMI lead then you can have true 1:1 pixel mapping (with no blurring) but you'll see some black borders that shouldn't be there. If you scale the image up to get rid of the borders then you'll introduce some blurring.
Click to expand...

Great Post, so as long as I hook a HD A2 up via a HDMI>DVI cable the picture should look pretty much flawless? Or is it still kind of grainy?

Thank you
 
theclipper said:
Great Post, so as long as I hook a HD A2 up via a HDMI>DVI cable the picture should look pretty much flawless? Or is it still kind of grainy?

Thank you
Click to expand...

Should look pretty much flawless. Not quite sure what you mean by grainy. Certainly you won't see any deinterlacing or scaling artifacts. If your talking about video noise then I don't think this monitor is bad for that either but its difficult to measure.

Personally, I'm very happy with the combination.
 
Nielo TM said:
I know LCDs cant display pure black (accept for the HDR-LCDs), but, this monitor doesn't make any sence. Mainly because P/A-MVA panels are known to have deep blacks. Also, the viewing angles are utter **** (even for MVA).

PS: Just found out that this also suffers from DVI black-out problem. So this monitor got to go. Hopefuly the replacement will be better.
Click to expand...

I don't agree. I use an Eizo S2411W at work and it has even worse blacks (blue shines through) and the viewing angles are the same even though it's more expensive.
 
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