ViewSonic VP912b...

[Kristi2k]

Please, only people who have this monitor answer these questions:

1. Does this monitor have any backlight bleeding?
2. How are the contrast levels in gaming, such as Doom III and HL2?
3. What do you think of the quality of th is monitor?

Thank you in advance!

 

[Kristi2k]

Updated my OP.

 

[Wolfshanze]

Hmmm... I should be able to tell you later tonight... just waiting on Fed-X!

 

[Puchiko]

I've had mine for over a week now and i'd give it a 7 out of 10. For me at least there is definite hotspots in the backlighting thats uneven across the screen. But its not as noticeable once your eyes get used to it. Contrast wise, its great for games (provided you are running at 1280x1024) cause the de-interpolation to lower resolutions isn't always perfect and gives games a blurry effect though not too major. Overall its a decent buy, but if I could I would return it for something better.

 

[Kristi2k]

Puchiko, doe you notice the backlight issue during gaming?

Wolf, let me know what you think of it!

 

[Wolfshanze]

Overall its a decent buy, but if I could I would return it for something better.

Hmmm... every user review from folks who own them are usually very positive. You said "something better", which LCD do you think is better then the Viewsonic for gaming?

Scaling poorly is an issue with pretty much every LCD out there, which makes them iffy decisions to use for gamers. Also Puchiko, are you using the analog VGA connector or the DVI connector? Some say this improves certain aspects for gamers.

I hope to have some answers myself later tonight when I finally get my paws on one.

 

[Kristi2k]

Wolf, be sure to let us know! My system is similar to yours, except I have a gig of RAM and a Radeon 9800 PRO that plays games @12x10 just fine.

 

[Wolfshanze]

My new Viewsonic VP912B is sitting next to my main computer. Unfortunately I'm stuck at work. I'll let you know my thoughts later tonight after work!

 

[Puchiko]

I am using the DVI connector on my EVGA FX 5700 Ultra. I really don't know what would be better for gaming so thats why I still have my CRT plugged in my VGA slot still. The hotspots do show up in gaming but like I said, its not very noticeable at all. The other issue I have is that it doesn't do pure black as well. Its just a tad too light so dark games aren't pitch black. Plus DVDs aren't as crisp compared to my CRT. Some noticeable blocking on a few titles I tried.. But thats expected I suppose on LCDs.

One thing I did notice is that it looks beautiful with the lights off and at about 20 feet away. It's still a great monitor, I'm just used to CRT so my eyes aren't fully adjusted yet I plan on getting a 6800GT to see if that helps with the image quality.

Originally posted by: Wolfshanze

Overall its a decent buy, but if I could I would return it for something better.

Hmmm... every user review from folks who own them are usually very positive. You said "something better", which LCD do you think is better then the Viewsonic for gaming?

Scaling poorly is an issue with pretty much every LCD out there, which makes them iffy decisions to use for gamers. Also Puchiko, are you using the analog VGA connector or the DVI connector? Some say this improves certain aspects for gamers.

I hope to have some answers myself later tonight when I finally get my paws on one.

 

[Patrick Wolf]

Originally posted by: Puchiko
I am using the DVI connector on my EVGA FX 5700 Ultra. I really don't know what would be better for gaming so thats why I still have my CRT plugged in my VGA slot still. The hotspots do show up in gaming but like I said, its not very noticeable at all. The other issue I have is that it doesn't do pure black as well. Its just a tad too light so dark games aren't pitch black. Plus DVDs aren't as crisp compared to my CRT. Some noticeable blocking on a few titles I tried.. But thats expected I suppose on LCDs.

You just answered every question I had about this monitor, especially concerning the "pure black". Now I know for sure I'm getting an NEC FP2141SB CRT.

And I have my desktop at 800x600 at 85hz so the blurriness in text some people mention won't be a problem for me. :thumbsup: It's gonna be heavy (I don't travel anyway), but have damn good image quality.

 

[Wolfshanze]

I have been looking at my VP912B for a couple of hours now. I haven't done any tweaking with default settings other then loading INF files into Windows (both ME and XP... I have dual OS drive). Using DVI connector with my GeForce 6600GT...

Being a gamer and coming from a CRT, here's my first impressions:

1) Wow... this thing is BRIGHT! Factory setting is at 50% brightness come to think about it.

2) Wow... this thing is BIG (screen-wise). Gonna take some getting used to, having gone from 1024x768 to 1280x1024 default desktop screen.

3) Changing resolutions; images are not as crisp as CRT... par for course on LCD, I don't think the Viewsonic is any worse then the rest at this. Come to think about it, the interloption on the VP912B seems to be the same as my very recent non-native tests on my Dell 1901FP at work... non-native resolutions seem the same on the Viewsonic as it did on the Dell.

4) By default (without doing anything "software-wise"), this Viewsonic automatically does the "Letterbox thing" by putting a slight black band on top and bottom of screen for 4:3 aspect ratio... I imagine this prevents the "oval-shaped-circle" distortion. Not sure if that is a default software setting or if that is a hardware feature of the Viewsonic.

5) This thing is still very bright... did I mention that? Maybe I should turn down the brightness?!?!

6) Played Doom 3 in native resolution at "HIGH" graphics in WinXP... LOOKS VERY GOOD... BETTER then my CRT! Very, VERY crisp images and details in Doom3 really stand out on this monitor... in native resolution, I prefer the LCD over any CRT image for gaming. Best of all... NO GHOSTING!

7) NO GHOSTING Did I say that already? I think that deserves repeating.

8) Loaded up a 640x480 old-school game in WinME. Wanted to test the interloption... images definately not as crisp as a CRT, but text is readable and game is playable... if a bit fuzzy.

9) I probably should have said this earlier... as far as I can tell, no dead pixels... then again, I haven't gone on a dedicated dead pixel hunt. However, there obviously aren't any obvious dead pixels or you think I would have spotted one by now.

10) MATTE SCREEN... NOT GLASS

11) Good solid construction... heavy base... does not feel cheap

12) Rotes, tilts & turns nicely... neither a struggle to move, nor does it move too easy... feels "just right"... it also does the "portrait" 90degree rotate for documents and stuff. This can be handled by either NVidia software or by OSD function built-into monitor.

13) Wife is jealous... she wants one now.

Conclusions from first impressions:

Some give and take here... sticking to native resolution, I prefer the LCD over any resolution on the CRT. I will probably need to fudge with the brightness controls and get used to the new look!

On lower resolutions (non-native) the CRT still wins out. If you're a gamer who does a lot of differant resolutions, or don't have the hardware to play games in 1280x1024, think long and hard before buying a LCD screen for gaming. The jury is still out with me on wether I am happier or not moving from CRT to LCD... I suppose it's directly proportional to how much time I'll spend in and out of native resolution!

I am however, glad the Viewsonic VP912B does the "letterbox thing" by default without me adjusting any software issues... unless that is the default software setting?!?! I at least know I will not get any oval-shapped-circles!

Hope this mini-review by a gamer for gamers is helpful.

 

[ponyo]

Thx for taking the time out to do the mini-review.

 

[ponyo]

Originally posted by: wolfman579

Originally posted by: Puchiko
I am using the DVI connector on my EVGA FX 5700 Ultra. I really don't know what would be better for gaming so thats why I still have my CRT plugged in my VGA slot still. The hotspots do show up in gaming but like I said, its not very noticeable at all. The other issue I have is that it doesn't do pure black as well. Its just a tad too light so dark games aren't pitch black. Plus DVDs aren't as crisp compared to my CRT. Some noticeable blocking on a few titles I tried.. But thats expected I suppose on LCDs.

You just answered every question I had about this monitor, especially concerning the "pure black". Now I know for sure I'm getting an NEC FP2141SB CRT.

And I have my desktop at 800x600 at 85hz so the blurriness in text some people mention won't be a problem for me. :thumbsup: It's gonna be heavy (I don't travel anyway), but have damn good image quality.

Dude, if you run your desktop at 800x600 on a 19", you're blind as a bat! :shocked:

 

[Kristi2k]

Wolf, thank you for the comments! Do you notice any backlight bleeding? How are the black/contrast levels in Doom III? I'm using an HP 1702 LCD right now (work) and the screen is almost as big as my 19" CRT beside it. I can't imagine what the 19" LCD will look like!

 

[Wolfshanze]

I'm not an expert, but I'm happy with the black and backlight issues.

There's a barely noticeable slight hint of backlight near the top and bottom on a FULL BLACK desktop, but I imagine I can get rid of that with brightness tinkering (which I think is probably a little too bright right now anyways).

In actual gameplay of Doom3, I thought the LCD image was clearly superior to CRT however, and I can honestly say that. The dark colors of Doom3 looked good on the Viewsonic in my opinion as a gamer.

 

[Patrick Wolf]

Originally posted by: Naustica

Originally posted by: wolfman579

Originally posted by: Puchiko
I am using the DVI connector on my EVGA FX 5700 Ultra. I really don't know what would be better for gaming so thats why I still have my CRT plugged in my VGA slot still. The hotspots do show up in gaming but like I said, its not very noticeable at all. The other issue I have is that it doesn't do pure black as well. Its just a tad too light so dark games aren't pitch black. Plus DVDs aren't as crisp compared to my CRT. Some noticeable blocking on a few titles I tried.. But thats expected I suppose on LCDs.

You just answered every question I had about this monitor, especially concerning the "pure black". Now I know for sure I'm getting an NEC FP2141SB CRT.

And I have my desktop at 800x600 at 85hz so the blurriness in text some people mention won't be a problem for me. :thumbsup: It's gonna be heavy (I don't travel anyway), but have damn good image quality.

Dude, if you run your desktop at 800x600 on a 19", you're blind as a bat! :shocked:

Dude, I have Optic Atrophy.

 

[Patrick Wolf]

Originally posted by: Wolfshanze
I'm not an expert, but I'm happy with the black and backlight issues.

There's a barely noticeable slight hint of backlight near the top and bottom on a FULL BLACK desktop, but I imagine I can get rid of that with brightness tinkering (which I think is probably a little too bright right now anyways).

In actual gameplay of Doom3, I thought the LCD image was clearly superior to CRT however, and I can honestly say that. The dark colors of Doom3 looked good on the Viewsonic in my opinion as a gamer.

The one thing you forgot to mention is what CRT you previously used.

EDIT: And if possible, take a picture of Doom 3 and post it here.

 

[Puchiko]

Originally posted by: wolfman579

Originally posted by: Wolfshanze
I'm not an expert, but I'm happy with the black and backlight issues.

There's a barely noticeable slight hint of backlight near the top and bottom on a FULL BLACK desktop, but I imagine I can get rid of that with brightness tinkering (which I think is probably a little too bright right now anyways).

In actual gameplay of Doom3, I thought the LCD image was clearly superior to CRT however, and I can honestly say that. The dark colors of Doom3 looked good on the Viewsonic in my opinion as a gamer.

The one thing you forgot to mention is what CRT you previously used.

EDIT: And if possible, take a picture of Doom 3 and post it here.

Theres a screenshot of Doom3 on this GamePC Review

Its one of articles that prompted me to buy this monitor.

 

[Wolfshanze]

My "old" CRT is a 19" Samsung 955DF (still in good working order).

 

[SalientKing]

What exactly do you mean by doing the "letterbox thing" by default?

 

[Mojo027]

Blacks on LCDs will never be as good as blacks on CRTs simply because the backlight of the LCD technology makes black colors look more greyish, and not pure black like a CRT. There's no way around this, it's just part of the LCD technology.

 

[Patrick Wolf]

Originally posted by: Mojo027
Blacks on LCDs will never be as good as blacks on CRTs simply because the backlight of the LCD technology makes black colors look more greyish, and not pure black like a CRT. There's no way around this, it's just part of the LCD technology.

LCD technology needs to improve then, doesn't it.

 

[Wolfshanze]

What exactly do you mean by doing the "letterbox thing" by default?

It's an aspect-ratio thing.

The Viewsonic VP912B like most 19" monitors has a native resolution of 1280x1024 which is a 5:4 aspect ratio.

Your most "common" resolutions for desktops and games is 800x600, 1024x768, 1280x960 and 1600x1200 which are all 4:3 aspect ratio.

The screens resolution matches the physical dimension of the monitor's viewing area. Ergo, a 5:4 19" LCD panel just naturaly looks good showing 5:4 resolutions like 1280x1024 (considering there are exactly that many pixels on the screen... 1280 across and 1024 top to bottom).

So, if you drop the LCD's resolution out of native mode and go into a 4:3 aspect ratio of say 800x600, you have the distinct possibility for image distortion if you force a 4:3 aspect ratio on a 5:4 screen. You can get a "oval circle" effect instead of a perfect circle.

Of course this problem can be solved if you go into "letterbox mode"... much like watching a widescreen movie on a standard TV, instead of cropping or distorting a movie can put a black bar across the top and bottom to give you the entire screen without distortion or cropping. A similar effect can occur on a 5:4 monitor showing a 4:3 resolution.

For example going from a 5:4 aspect ratio of 1280x1024, you can drop to a non-native 4:3 ratio of 1280x960 and get a "letterbox effect" by blacking out the top and bottom 32 pixels on the screen (which is very little real estate considering how small those pixels are).

The Viewsonic does this automatically for you. It's barely noticeable, but it's definately there. As far as I know, not all monitors do this, and you can get some distortion by forcing a 4:3 aspect on a 5:4 screen.

That's what I mean by doing the "letterbox thing" by default.

 

[Kristi2k]

I'm still contemplating this monitor. Doom III is a very dark game. I played HL2 on an HP 1702 monitor from work, and parts of the game looked like they should of been darker. Maybe this is just an issue with that model.

Do the dark rooms in Doom III look dark? Or are they washed out? Compaired to your CRT. This is what I am worried about is the darkness.

 

[Wolfshanze]

As I mentioned before, I'm VERY IMPRESSED with the Doom3 performance and look by this monitor (and I have enough horsepower to play in HIGH mode with native resolution of 1280x1024).

I even replayed a very black underground level after reading your post to make sure my memory wasn't bad... the graphics were sharp and crisp, and the dark (no light) levels really seemed pitch-black (and I had to use the flashlight). The effect was very good... no complaints... once again, in native resolution, I have no complaints... my ONLY complaints really come if I have to leave native resolution for games that don't support 1280x1024.

Bottom line, it's better then a CRT in native mode, but a CRT is better in non-native modes. The choice is yours, but as a gamer coming from CRT, that's my opinion... it's not 100% better, there are give and takes... I think the final decision would be a comparison between how much native-vs-non-native gaming you would be doing.