BenQ FP241W

[feverfive]

Just curious if any one knows of any shop (online or B&M) that is currently shipping the new model w/ the 1:1 pixel mapping. Supposedly, BenQ started shipping the revised monitors to resellers in January, but at least newegg seems to still be shipping the version w/out the firmware update (according to the most recent customer reviews...

 

[chizow]

Last I checked only NCIX was carrying the updated FP241W, however the newer FP241WZ and FP241VW have the fix out of the box. FYI, its not a "firmware" update, they actually pull and replace the board, which NCIX has been doing with BenQ provided parts and equipment.

Best bet at this point is to go for the FP241WZ since its similarly priced to the W. The VW apparently costs an extra $100-200 for what amounts to a different bezel and stand.

 

[imported_thefonz]

The WZ has the 1:1, altough i would like to know myself if you could just update the W to do 1:1, as the WZ currently costs about $100 more then the W at my local store.

 

[feverfive]

Thank you chizow....took a look @ NCIX, and it's a little spendy for shipping to me here in the US. Looks like I'll wait until newegg starts carrying the -WZ version...

 

[chizow]

When I looked into shipping from NCIX the shipping was reasonable if you chose ground shipping. @$15 I believe. The only thing is they use Canadian Post or something, so instead of 3 days, it could be much longer depending on how long its held up in customs.

I remember people getting the new ones elsewhere domestically and found a link but it looks like the WZ is OOS right now. Wouldn't hurt to keep an eye on that page though. I don't think the W will end up shipping with a firmware update, it'll just eventually be phased out and replaced by the WZ and VW. Its probably expensive for BenQ to service and retrofit the W to be able to do 1:1 but its certainly better than nothing.

BenQ 24" LCDs at Buy.com

 

[xtknight]

So what's up with the W? Not every retailer is replacing the board to allow 1:1? There is no new revision arriving where all Ws are 1:1?

 

[chizow]

Originally posted by: xtknight
So what's up with the W? Not every retailer is replacing the board to allow 1:1? There is no new revision arriving where all Ws are 1:1?

Nope 🙁 It makes sense from a BenQ perspective though. The 241Ws will just sell through normal channels to less discrete consumers who don't need, want, or know about 1:1. The WZ was made and advertised "for gamers" and offers BFI to lessen ghosting, otherwise it appears to be the same panel with a slightly different stand with the 1:1 firmware board.

So instead of recalling and retro-fitting their entire stock of 241W for the 10-20% who want 1:1, they just rolled out new products from scratch with the fix going forward. Not the best approach for everyone, but certainly better than throwing everything into a single lottery like Dell. The price is pretty close so there's not too many complaints and the people who bought Ws can still get the board replaced by sending it to BenQ.

 

[Dacalo]

I have a FP241WZ and it is awesome. No bleeding and no dead pixels.

Got my PS3 hooked up through HDMI, PC via DVI, and HDTV via component. 1:1 works but with PS3, it shows bars on the sides (there should be bars only on top and bottom). Aspect ratio fixes this and makes bars appear only on top and bottom at 1080p. 720p looks great on aspect ratio as well. I was comparing FP241W and the Gateway, but ultimately I went with FP241WZ and I have no regrets. HDTV through components looks great as well.