CRT is way too bright??!

[Aja27]

I bought a Samsung 997MB, and while the colour representation is great (in fact, image quality in general is very nice), I cannot get the thing to display a true black.

I've read that the best calibration method is to lower the screen size and put a black background on the desktop, then adjust until the two match. Problem is, even with brightness at ZERO, I can't get the display 1:1; the desktop is always a little grey. It's noticeable when playing games like Thief, since they're so dark - clarity is lost.

It's kinda like I have an LCD with a really good contrast ratio

I was going to just live with it, but then after trying out my old Compaq 15" monitor (which can do perfect blacks) I'd rather not have to. True black looks so nice.

Is this the kind of thing covered under Samsung's warranty? Could a repair shop even correct this kind of problem? I haven't called Samsung yet, but I'm wondering if it's even worth the time.

I bought the CRT 'cause I thought it would have good black level!!

 

[CP5670]

You might have gotten a dud. Try using it in a dark room though, just to make sure it's not a glare issue.

 

[JRW]

Does that CRT have a Image Restoration option? I have a 6 year old Sony G400 that I gave to my mom and sometimes it gets grey like that (turning the brightness to 0 has grey / washed out looking blacks) but when I run the Image Restoration option its gets true black levels again for a random amount of time (weeks or months) You say using another monitor has better blacks so that elimantes your videocard settings etc. ... sounds like you may of gotten a defective unit.

 

[BenSkywalker]

Use your video display panel color adjustors and drop the red, green and blue values down a like amount(ie- if they are all set to 80, drop them all to say 50, if one is 84 and the other two 80 drop the two at 80 to 50 and the one at 84 to 52).

 

[Aja27]

Thanks for the replies:

I've tried it in a dark room - in fact, that's where I notice it most. Thief and Thief 2 look absolutely fantastic when the monitor is emitting NO light where the shadows are, but it seems that mine is ALWAYS admitting a small amount of light through. Comfortable desktop viewing is with the brightness at zero.

JRW - no image restoration option. I've tried every option in the menu, downloaded colour-adjustment software, turned the RGB down, played with contrast, resolution, used Radlinker, Powerstrip, etc.. and the thing is still nearly as bright as an LCD. Even if I use the OSD in addition to an external software program, turn everything to zero, I can't get the screen to go black; there's always a grey haze.

Is this a common 997 problem, or could I actually just have a dud? I do remember reading a user review on one of those junk sites that stated the same problem, but it was the only review I could find that cited it.

I've contacted Samsung, but haven't recieved a response yet. The thing is brand-new, hopefully they'll go easy on me.

 

[Aja27]

Samsung advised me to get a technician to look at it.

I would personally be surprised if they could fix the problem; it doesn't really feel like a defective monitor, more like just a poorly designed/manufactred one, and I'm not sure if there's anything they can do to correct that. It worries me that even with external software I can't get the black levels quite down to normal, there's always a minor haze.

If they can fix it though, I'll report back, of course.

 

[SonicIce]

is it even black when it's off?

 

[Aja27]

Yes. Offscreen is black. The onscreen can be adjusted close to black, and if you weren't playing Thief you wouldn't notice.

Strange thing is, though, in a dark room, playing a dark game, even the tiniest amount of brightness will cause the screen look grey and washed out. It creates a very hazy effect, and makes the display look fuzzy overall. When the blacks are truly black, it's unbelievable, and I think some LCDers might change their tune if they could see the difference.

 

[Sc4freak]

I have that exact same monitor, and the blacks seem fine to me. I have brightness at 0 and contrast at 100.

 

[Aja27]

See, the fact that you have the brightness at Zero suggests that you DO have the same problem I do, only you don't notice it because you're not playing a game like Thief.

With all the lights outs (at night), set the desktop to black and compare it with the section of black offscreen. In most CRTs, the two should match. Thief, and other dark, shadowy games, tend to look washed out unless the blacks are TRUE black. One comparison to a CRT that actually has true black levels and I'm sure you'd instantly notice the difference.

Whether or not iit's worth it depends on if you're playing Thief or not, because for everything else, the black level is more than dark enough.

 

[Avalon]

That's odd. I've got a 997DF, with brightness at 50 and contrast at 100, and blacks look like black to me. I wonder what the difference between the DF and MB is?

 

[washburn]

I just got this monitor and experiencing the same overbright problem, going to try and take it back for a refund. The blacks are way too bright and the whites are leaking around text when the screen is black.

 

[cecco]

My Viewsonic has a enhanced graphics mode that increases brightness and contrast when enabled. See if your samsung may have something like that and disable it.

 

[TSS]

i've got the 997MB aswell. but no problems with greyness..

MB stands for Magic Bright. it makes the monitor extra bright when you turn it on. at the brightest level it does look like things are getting smeared out.

you sure its off when your comparing? when its off at mine, at 0 birghtness and contrast in a light room i can still, very very vaguely, make out this thread however if i switch magic bright on at 0-0 it looks like its at atleast 40+ contrast. so make sure thats off.

also i have the option of decreasing the amount of light the monitor puts out. its in a menu with the RGB values. mines on 9300k standard, but it can get as low as 5000K, but then the screen looks yellow instead of nice and white (where it should be white).

might try checking those first.

btw, DF stands for dyna flat. basicly, the 997MB and DF are exactly the same. dont know if the DF has MB technology but i thought so. i ordered the 997DF and got the MB, the supplyer didnt know the difference. heck we even called samsung and they couldnt say what the difference was, only what both stood for. so dont worry about that.

 

[Oxides]

Do you have an input level selection in the monitor OSD menu? I think my viewsonic had 0.7V/1V.

 

[Aja27]

Have any of the people who own a 997 actually tried to calibrate the black level of their monitor in a dark room using the method I described above? Like I said before, the blacks WILL look black, until you're playing a game where the screen is mostly black. That's where it'll look washed out.

TSS - I can't actually shut magic bright off, but it's set at text-mode, which is the darkest level. If I lower the contrast it does the same thing as yours, but the blacks are still not real blacks.

To anyone with a 997 - try calibrating the black level - set the desktop to black, and shrink the screen to about 60%. Even in a room with the lights on, it's still easy for me to see that the black on screen is brighter than the black off-screen. In the dark, it's very noticeable. Maybe this problem is rare, but if you could test your monitors I'd know for certain.

 

[BWX]

I just bought this monitor from NewEgg...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16824001068
SAMSUNG 997mb-TwoTone Silver-Black 19" CRT Monitor - Retail


I just got off the phone with samsung tech support to find out about their warranty before I bought the thing.

On the samsung website they do not list the MB model but they do list the DF model. The website does provide a driver and pdf manual for the MB model though.

I will get it next week sometime and let you know what I think of the black level and if I see the same problem.

Great deal for a flat 19" CRT with 250mhz of bandwidth though, I love CRT's... great for gaming. I hope it arrives in good shape.

I'll let you know.



EDIT
Also - don't CRT's need some time to "break in"? Maybe in a few days it will settle down?
Just a thought.

 

[Aja27]

Thanks. Bear in mind that you will only notice it if you're really looking for it. Most people would probably think I'm crazy for complaining. For gaming, the monitor looks fantastic otherwise.

There are some minor moire issues, noticeable with text. They're insignificant though, and considering the price, games really do look great.

 

[BWX]

What resolution do you run for your desktop? I have only been able to find the recommended and max resolutions and refresh rate capabilities.

For instance, what is the max refresh rate at 1280 x 1024? 85hz?


One thing I do with every single CRT I have ever bought.. When I get it and run it for a few days.. I usually pop off the cover (carefully so as not to touch anything that could zapp and kill me)... and then adjust the focus if the monitor does not come with a focus adjustment.

Most of the time some fine tuning is needed.

Edit- I have Quake 4 installed, that will be a good game to test out how black the black is.

 

[Reiniku]

I have the the 997df (the non magicbright version) of that monitor sitting at my workstation at the clinic. I'm very familiar with it since I've been using it here at home for a least 8 months before moving it there (got an lcd). Anyhow, there was an issue with it having washed out blacks. I actually hated the monitor a great deal. It had image quality issues on the left and right side of the screen and made a buzzing noise on really white pages. Regardless I've done 3 rma's on it and each one had the same buzzing, gray blacks, and windowblind ish effect on the left and right side.

 

[Avalon]

Originally posted by: Aja27
Have any of the people who own a 997 actually tried to calibrate the black level of their monitor in a dark room using the method I described above? Like I said before, the blacks WILL look black, until you're playing a game where the screen is mostly black. That's where it'll look washed out.

TSS - I can't actually shut magic bright off, but it's set at text-mode, which is the darkest level. If I lower the contrast it does the same thing as yours, but the blacks are still not real blacks.

To anyone with a 997 - try calibrating the black level - set the desktop to black, and shrink the screen to about 60%. Even in a room with the lights on, it's still easy for me to see that the black on screen is brighter than the black off-screen. In the dark, it's very noticeable. Maybe this problem is rare, but if you could test your monitors I'd know for certain.

Wow, you're right. I shrunk my horizontal width to 0%, and set my wallpaper to black. My "black" wallpaper looks like a bright grey compared to edges.

*Edit*
If I turn my brightness down to 0%, black looks black, but now everything else is very dull.

*Edit*
And if I put the brightness up to 100% on an almost white page, my monitor buzzes.

DAMN!

 

[BWX]

Oh great.. I am getting a crappy monitor!? Damn I should have gotten the Viewsonic. It was about 40 bucks more. Maybe I can live with the Samsung's flaws.

 

[CrystalBay]

Wow i really love my 997df much better than my last Viewsonic P790. that i paid over 500 in '98

I also have a new ProView, CTX brand, 19"$99 OM special that just sucks in the geometry dept.

 

[BWX]

I think the video card might have something to do with the text problems if it is a very old video card.

I know I went from a ti4200 to a 9700pro a few years ago and there was a big difference.

When I went from a TNT2 to the ti 4200 years before that there was a huge difference too.

Just a few months ago when I got my X800XL there wasn't much of a difference in IQ in 2D from the 9700pro, but it definitely looked a little better.


I wonder if some people at an office with this monitor had it running of of on-board gfx that wasn't really up to par compared to todays much better gfx cards.

I guess I'll have to wait and see.

 

[Aja27]

I doubt you'll be disappointed with it. There are very few instances where true black is required... Games with colours like Far Cry and Psychonauts look great.

I'm not really surprised that other people can't calibrate the blacks fully, either. I haven't had time to take it into the shop yet, but I will within the next few weeks. Hopefully a technician can correct the faults that Samsung apparently can't.