XL2720T / XL2420T / VG278HE / VG248QE -- Easy LightBoost ON / OFF via hotkey (beta)

[Godmachine]

Confirming working 100 percent on both an AMD 6970 and a Nvidia GTX 670. Awesome job! Now if only my ASUS VG248QE didn't look incredibly overly bright to the extreme (despite me turning everything down) , it would be perfect.

I think I might have a defective panel.

 

[Godmachine]

Man I'm having a hard time seeing the difference between a VG24 lightboost on at 10 percent brightness and a Qnix Q2710 at 120hz in terms of motion clarity between the two.

The PQ you sacrifice for the lightboost monitor is staggering when you compare it to a PLS at 120hz.

I think if I get the coating removed on the VG24 perhaps that'll make it more tolerable?

 

[nekrosoft13]

what is lightboost?

 

[Godmachine]

what is lightboost?

www.google.com

 

[grandpatzer]

is it me or does Light Boost not eliminate all ghosting?
when in Counter Strike GO when really close to another player there still is flickering.

However the Pixperan program works really well under LightBoost so does Counter Strike GO but I don't think the XL2411t is as smooth as a CRT.

However it was very long time ago I owned a CRT so not sure on that, just felt "smoother" from my memory.

 

[Falkentyne]

CS:Go is just jittery on AMD cards, even on a CRT...... there's absolutely ZERO Difference on a Dell CRT than on lightboost 100 hz...Just don't set FlipQueueSize to 1...better off at 2 or default (3)

 

[Mark Rejhon]

is it me or does Light Boost not eliminate all ghosting?

1. Temporarily test VSYNC ON (briefly)
2. Lower LightBoost strobe brightness to 50% or 10%.
3. Strafe left/right in front of a high-detail wall.

You'll get the same "smooth motion" as PixPerAn this way.
LightBoost is similar to a CRT that's locked to run at a 100-120Hz refresh rate, so it won't feel like a 60Hz or 85Hz CRT -- it will instead feel (remarkably) like a 100Hz or 120Hz CRT. If your specific game had jitter on a CRT at 100Hz, you will see the same jitter on LightBoost at 100Hz. Test a different game that has smoother VSYNC OFF motion, or temporarily test VSYNC ON (because PixPerAn uses VSYNC ON). Also, a good 1000Hz mouse makes a big difference with LightBoost. If your fluidity of mouse turning left/right is not as smooth as keyboard strafing left/right, you need a better mouse and/or mouse settings. You need the mouse to be as smooth as keyboard. A 120Hz CRT shows mouse weaknesses more clearly than a 60Hz CRT, and the same happens with LightBoost 120Hz.



The point of minimum blur occurs at LightBoost 120Hz @ LightBoost strobe brightness 10%. It's a bit too dark for some people. I tend to use 50% as a good compromise setting.

 

[Mark Rejhon]

Confirming working 100 percent on both an AMD 6970 and a Nvidia GTX 670. Awesome job! Now if only my ASUS VG248QE didn't look incredibly overly bright to the extreme (despite me turning everything down) , it would be perfect.
I think I might have a defective panel.

[Adjustment instructions edited again]

1. Adjust LightBoost strobe brightness down to 10%
2. Adjust monitor OSD Contrast to just right below white clipping point (use Lagom Contrast test pattern). Don't go all the way to clipping point as the tints can get ugly in the light grays, so I'd advise a few clicks below the white clipping point where the greyscale looks better. This also helps keep overdrive safety margin; for less LightBoost trailing artifacts (crosstalk artifacts).
3. Adjust nVidia Control Panel Gamma to approximately 0.8 ish (definitely lower than 1.0, and could even go to 0.7)
4. Adjust the other settings as needed to fix color tint (e.g. R/G/B)

If you use a low value such as nVidia Control Panel Gamma=0.7 then you start getting noticeable black crush. To fix the black crush caused by your gamma bleach fix, adjust nVidia Control Panel Brightness=52%, nVidia Control Panel Contrast=45% (this applies to nVidia Gamma 0.7 specifically only). This adjustment combo makes the LightBoost colors far more saturated, at the cost of brightness, while keeping all greyscale shades distinguishable (0 through 255), depending on your monitor's ability to render these shades (monitor dependant). If your monitor is greatly gamma-washed out, these are quick adjustments to get rid of the gamma bleach. If 0.7 is still too bleached, keep lowering nVidia Control Panel Gamma until it looks nice. You may get minor black crush until you lower your nVidia Control Panel Contrast until you see the blacks better (Lagom Black level). The LightBoost colors will finally look saturated again (excluding any tints that you may need to fix), at the cost of brightness. (Especially if you've raised your monitor OSD Contrast all the way to almost the white clipping point, for maximum contrast headroom).

For motion clarity, LightBoost isn't very stunning at 80fps@120Hz, but becomes very clear at 120fps@120Hz, so make sure you adjust your game detail settings until you get framerate=Hz.
To /amplify/ the difference between LightBoost vs non-LightBoost
1. framerate=Hz such as 120fps@120Hz (Easier with VSYNC ON or Adaptive VSYNC). Some games have a lot of jitters during VSYNC OFF.
2. LightBoost=10%
3. Motions such as strafing in front of a wall, and looking at objects on the wall.

It won't suddenly make it a PLS, and more adjusting is probably needed, but these will get you closer to the ballpark.

 

[Godmachine]

Thanks Mark , I've tried all that and honestly the Gamma Wash is so bad I can hardly stand it. Even after tweaking its like as if someone has cut out a perfectly sized piece of wax paper to cover the monitor's panel with. Lightboost is incredible when it functions , easily the same as a CRT but until they can correct the mega gamma wash issue I don't think I'll be getting another lightboost monitor anytime soon.

I'm going to use this monitor for FPS gaming though when I want to be sure I'll have low input latency and very low blurring. If they can tweak and improve lightboost (I've heard they use light strobing on higher end Sony TV's to achieve a very similar effect but without the mega gamma wash) for us gamers then I'll pay whatever the cost , but as it stands for general gaming its quite a bit of PQ to sacrifice.

The utility however works flawlessly so cheers on that

 

[Baxter299]

THANKS Mark looks great couldnt be easier running on win 8 nvida 680 gtx VG248QE

crystal clear

 

[arbitrary_mike]

The beta works great on BenQ XL2411T. Thank you, very simple way to enable Lightboost now.

I do have one issue due to having a Nordic layout keyboard: things that are behind Alt-Gr are apparently masked, such as the '@' key. Therefore I can't run the program all the time. Could you pick some other hotkeys, or add the possibility to configure them?

Also, one small feature request (don't know how "small" it would be to implement): would it be possible to also switch to a specifiec Windows color profile whenever strobing is set to "on"?

 

[Flaxe]

First of all I want to say thanks a lot for this! It works very good for me, running Win 7, GTX570 and VG248QE.

THANKS Mark looks great couldnt be easier running on win 8 nvida 680 gtx VG248QE

crystal clear

Did you follow Marks post above (#48)?
I tried to follow it but I can't get it to look as good as I would like to. I have also followed several reviews and tried to use similar settings as them, but no success. Do you mind posting your settings and maybe what ICC profile you're using? Thanks!

.....

I do have one issue due to having a Nordic layout keyboard: things that are behind Alt-Gr are apparently masked, such as the '@' key. Therefore I can't run the program all the time. Could you pick some other hotkeys, or add the possibility to configure them?

Also, one small feature request (don't know how "small" it would be to implement): would it be possible to also switch to a specifiec Windows color profile whenever strobing is set to "on"?

I agree with both these. The second one is not a big deal breaker (for me) but the one about @ is pretty important. It's very annoying to shutdown the program everytime you're going to write @ (or copy/paste it from somewhere).

 

[Mark Rejhon]

the one about @ is pretty important. It's very annoying to shutdown the program everytime you're going to write @ (or copy/paste it from somewhere).

ToastyX will fix that, he tells me.

 

[grandpatzer]

CS:Go is just jittery on AMD cards, even on a CRT...... there's absolutely ZERO Difference on a Dell CRT than on lightboost 100 hz...Just don't set FlipQueueSize to 1...better off at 2 or default (3)

there is only "ghosting" when really close to another player, are you saying that this is not happening on Nvidia cards?

my aim is actually really good with LB, even feels like I can find those headshot nice with LB activated.

1. Temporarily test VSYNC ON (briefly)
2. Lower LightBoost strobe brightness to 50% or 10%.
3. Strafe left/right in front of a high-detail wall.

You'll get the same "smooth motion" as PixPerAn this way.
LightBoost is similar to a CRT that's locked to run at a 100-120Hz refresh rate, so it won't feel like a 60Hz or 85Hz CRT -- it will instead feel (remarkably) like a 100Hz or 120Hz CRT. If your specific game had jitter on a CRT at 100Hz, you will see the same jitter on LightBoost at 100Hz. Test a different game that has smoother VSYNC OFF motion, or temporarily test VSYNC ON (because PixPerAn uses VSYNC ON). Also, a good 1000Hz mouse makes a big difference with LightBoost. If your fluidity of mouse turning left/right is not as smooth as keyboard strafing left/right, you need a better mouse and/or mouse settings. You need the mouse to be as smooth as keyboard. A 120Hz CRT shows mouse weaknesses more clearly than a 60Hz CRT, and the same happens with LightBoost 120Hz.



The point of minimum blur occurs at LightBoost 120Hz @ LightBoost strobe brightness 10%. It's a bit too dark for some people. I tend to use 50% as a good compromise setting.

Ok, I'll try this, as I did say the LB is working in CS GO, just that there is some minor "ghosting" still.
Maybe it has to do with the game and not the hardware/LB setup.

Usually I do have Lightboost at 10% toastyx program and very low in monitor OSD.
Unless it is very sunny outside then I have higher contrast.

 

[Mark Rejhon]

Ok, I'll try this, as I did say the LB is working in CS GO, just that there is some minor "ghosting" still.

Are you talking about the faint double-ghost effect? That happens with some of the displays with LightBoost; it's similiar to 3D crosstalk; but is a double-image that chases one-frame behind the original image.

It is much fainter on VG248QE and XL2411T, or when you lower the display's contrast significantly. It is stronger on some displays like XL2420T (original model) and VG278HE (the "HE" model, not the "H") especially at high monitor OSD contrast settings.

As long as the 2D trailing effect is extremely faint (similiar in intensity to 3D crosstalk), it's normal. It can show more visibility if your picture settings have a higher contrast.

 

[moussaka]

is changing the LB brightness % supposed to do something? I don't even know if this is working for me lol

 

[Mark Rejhon]

is changing the LB brightness % supposed to do something? I don't even know if this is working for me lol

It does two things:
-- It dims/brightens the image.
-- Lower brightness % (when LightBoost is enabled), will yield very slightly clearer motion during very fast panning. Not everyone can notice this, but it can be visible during fast strafing and flick turns.

 

[ReTiCuLeX]

Hi Mark,

Did you happen to try Planetside 2 with this?The game s FPS fluctuates quite a bit from 40s in large battles to 120+fps. Would lightboost add any benefit for playing this game with it on or would it cause issues?

I have the Ben xl2420t.

Thanks,
Ret

 

[moussaka]

It does two things:
-- It dims/brightens the image.
-- Lower brightness % (when LightBoost is enabled), will yield very slightly clearer motion during very fast panning. Not everyone can notice this, but it can be visible during fast strafing and flick turns.

huh, I don't notice it dimming or brightening.

But my monitor went to 120Hz instead of 144Hz (which is what I set) but the brightness does nothing. I also added a 100Hz mode and that one definitely changes brightness. Any reason the 120Hz wouldn't work?

I have an ASUS VG248QE with a 6950 w/ unlocked shaders

 

[Mark Rejhon]

huh, I don't notice it dimming or brightening.
But my monitor went to 120Hz instead of 144Hz (which is what I set) but the brightness does nothing. I also added a 100Hz mode and that one definitely changes brightness. Any reason the 120Hz wouldn't work?
I have an ASUS VG248QE with a 6950 w/ unlocked shaders

This is a bug -- please report to ToastyX to fix this bug. Put a Reply in ToastyX's Strobelight Forum Thread.

As of July 2013, ToastyX Strobelight is still a beta.

P.S. 100Hz strobed, or regular 100Hz?

 

[Falkentyne]

I have no problems at all with the brightness setting for the 100hz and 120hz modes in strobelight. And changing it also directly changes it on the monitor''s OSD so it's working fine.

BTW, unlike the old CRU.exe and lightboost.bin importing to add the LB modes, strobelight setup does NOT remove the 60 hz or other modes from bering available for use, but it DOES hide them from being forced by games, for example: Crysis DX10 will no longer force itself to 60 hz with strobelight, like it would do without a refresh rate tool like RadeonPro. Instead Crysis DX10 thinks the lowest refresh rate is 100hz (if you added it as a LB mode) and will default to that. VERY NICE, since you can still select 60 hz (or 144) manually for a non LB mode.

 

[moussaka]

This is a bug -- please report to ToastyX to fix this bug. Put a Reply in ToastyX's Strobelight Forum Thread.

As of July 2013, ToastyX Strobelight is still a beta.

P.S. 100Hz strobed, or regular 100Hz?

100Hz and 120Hz were both strobed, but the 100Hz is the only one I notice brightness changing on. I'll submit a bug report, thanks.

 

[xAlex79]

So if I am to buy the Asus 27" "HE" or the BenQ 2720T, which one works best with this? Also I currently own a 6990 on water so the green team will have to wait a few years to get my money.

 

[Vega]

Those two monitors are actually pretty similar and undoubtedly use the same panel. They generally have better image quality than some of their smaller siblings, but also worse Lightboost motion due to inverse ghosting...

 

[grandpatzer]

Are you talking about the faint double-ghost effect? That happens with some of the displays with LightBoost; it's similiar to 3D crosstalk; but is a double-image that chases one-frame behind the original image.

It is much fainter on VG248QE and XL2411T, or when you lower the display's contrast significantly. It is stronger on some displays like XL2420T (original model) and VG278HE (the "HE" model, not the "H") especially at high monitor OSD contrast settings.

As long as the 2D trailing effect is extremely faint (similiar in intensity to 3D crosstalk), it's normal. It can show more visibility if your picture settings have a higher contrast.

I think it's "faint double-ghost effect" that you mention, sometimes when close to another player I can see like "double" as if drunk but the double is less opacity.
I think it's similar to having LB OFF but with LB ON there is less of this "ghosting problem".

I wish Metro LL was more stable game, can't really run it at +120fps on my AMD setup.
So far only game I tried is CS:GO, also I can't get +120fps on Bioshock Infinite bcs frame drops.

huh, I don't notice it dimming or brightening.

But my monitor went to 120Hz instead of 144Hz (which is what I set) but the brightness does nothing. I also added a 100Hz mode and that one definitely changes brightness. Any reason the 120Hz wouldn't work?

I have an ASUS VG248QE with a 6950 w/ unlocked shaders

Have you started the strobelight.exe?
there should be a yellow lightbulb to the right of the bottom of youre window screen when you click the arrow (on windows 7).

 

[moussaka]

Have you started the strobelight.exe?
there should be a yellow lightbulb to the right of the bottom of youre window screen when you click the arrow (on windows 7).

Lol, yes.

The light is yellow for both 120Hz and 100Hz, but the 3D-Mode in the monitor OSD only activates in the 100Hz mode for some reason. I've been talking to ToastyX on the other forums Mark suggested and have tried a few things with out success.

I'm wondering if it is possibly driver related as I am still on 12.4 betas, but I have no idea how this works or if it even accesses/uses the drivers at all.