Zero motion blur LCD!!! (nVidia LightBoost2 hack, looks like CRT, looks like 480Hz)

[Mark Rejhon]

UPDATE! New Instructions at www.blurbusters.com/zero-motion-blur/lightboost/
- Windows 7 and Windows 8 compatible
- Two sets of instructions!
- ...Vendor supported instructions! (requires 3D glasses emitter even if you don't use 3D)
- ...Unofficial hack instructions! (does not require 3D glasses emitter)
- Supports all known LightBoost monitors
- Supports ASUS VG278H, VG278HE, and BENQ XL2420T, XL2411T

Attention -- GOOD NEWS for CRT enthusiasts!!
LCD is now equal quality in motion blur!! (tweaked LightBoost2 monitors)

Instructions for the "perfect motion clarity" of a CRT on a LightBoost2 monitor in 2D:
TechNGaming Link: Eliminate Motion Blur While Gaming With NVIDIA LightBoost!

Yes, I’ve finally found the holy grail of gaming in 2D mode on an LCD monitor: zero motion blur! It literally displays motion as good as a CRT and then some. I was so stoked when I first saw the effect today, that my jaw literally dropped and I played my game open mouthed, it was that awesome! This combined the crystal clarity of an LCD display with the motion sharpness and smoothness of a CRT, all at a fast 120Hz screen refresh rate. This is something I’d never seen before and looks truly amazing – better than even a CRT.

This is an nVidia specific feature. If you have a LightBoost2 monitor (Asus VG278H, Asus VG278HE, Benq XL2411T, XL2420TX, etc), there's a tweak that allows it to be configured to zero motion blur for 2D gaming. The synchronized strobe backlight normally used for 3D, has the side effect of providing the zero-motion blur effect of CRT that also works in 2D. It's being confirmed by several people! Perfect clear motion provides much faster reaction times in FPS shooters, you can identify faraway enemies and small details without stopping moving (Competition gamers, heads up: The faster reaction times actually overcomes a lot of the LCD input lag disadvantage over CRT!!!).

Confirmed!! I've since purchased the Asus VG278H & a GTX680, and it works! Zero motion blur confirmed -- looks like CRT motion.
original post

Then yesterday I, for some reason, disabled the 3d and noticed there was no ghosting to be spotted at all in titan quest. It's like playing on my old CRT.
original post

I can confirm this works on BENQ XL2420TX
EDIT: And OMG i can play scout so much better now in TF2, this is borderline cheating.
original post

Thanks for this, it really works! Just tried it on my VG278H. Its like a CRT now!
original post

All the above: Geforce GTX 680 or 680 SLI, or better, combined with a LightBoost2 monitor + the 2D mode tweak
Confirmed zero motion blur LCD monitors (after tweak): Asus VG278H, VG278HE, Benq XL2411T, XL2420T


--- UPDATE ---
Vega just posted on HardForum that the BENQ has better motion than the FW900 widescreen CRT he owns:

Oh my, I just got Skyrim AFK camera spinning (which I used to test LCD's versus the FW900) to run without stutters and VSYNC locked to 120. This Benq with Lightboost is just as crystal clear if not clearer than the FW900 motion. I am in awe. More testing tomorrow. Any of my doubts about this Lightboost technology have been vaporized! I've been playing around with this fluid motion on this monitor for like 6-hours straight, that is how impressive it is.

Apparently, he also says the BENQ XL2411T is brighter than the ASUS:

It is also very bright in Lightboost mode. The only issue I have is the color shift with a maroon tint while in LB mode.

Edit, to include brand new instructions for both ASUS and BENQ LightBoost monitors:

UPDATE! New Instructions at www.blurbusters.com/zero-motion-blur/lightboost/
- Windows 7 and Windows 8 compatible
- Two sets of instructions!
- ...Vendor supported instructions! (requires 3D glasses emitter even if you don't use 3D)
- ...Unofficial hack instructions! (does not require 3D glasses emitter)
- Supports all known LightBoost monitors
- Supports ASUS VG278H, VG278HE, and BENQ XL2420T, XL2411T

Thanks,
Mark Rejhon
BlurBusters.com Blog: Eliminating Motion Blur on LCD monitors!

 

[Mark Rejhon]

Alternate instructions being pasted below, variant of the one from the popular thread on HardForum, this might also work better for some people than the TechNGaming instructions.

Ok, I did some tests on my VG278H (single monitor setup) -- I only recently got it this week, so I'm still doing tests. The movement of windows and scrolling becomes more-or-less CRT quality when I do the following steps. This is for an Asus VG278H, but apparently works with the Benq XL2411T/2420TX monitors too, and other recent LightBoost2 monitors.

Mark Rejhon's VG278H Instructions for Zero Motion Blur

1. I'm using driver 306.97 driver (WHQL)
2. Go to Control Panel -> Display -> Adjust Resolution
3. Verify "Enable Stereoscopic 3D settings for all displays" is enabled
4. Go to NVIDIA Control Panel (system tray -> nVidia icon)

5. Select "Set up Stereoscopic 3D" at left bar
6. Select "Enable Stereoscopic 3D" checkbox
7. Select "Asus 120Hz LCD"
8. Click Apply
9. Whole screen should suddenly dim a bit, this is normal due to strobing.
You should also have the "3D" indicator light at the top edge of your VG278H
10. To fix the dimness, use the monitor's Menu to set Contrast to 92. This makes the picture brighter while preserving all colors in this Lagom Contrast Test Pattern.
11. Smooth scroll in web browsers: If you're using Chrome and web browsing, install Chromium Smooth Scroller to gain the benefits of sharp text scrolling with the mouse wheel.

[EDIT: If you're unable to follow steps 5-7 because of missing settings because you use a different LightBoost2 monitor, try connecting your shutterglasses emitter even if you don't use it. If you don't own a shutter glasses emitter or it still does not work, try installing registry tweak: Force LightBoost2 on Desktop, reboot, and then repeat instructions beginning at step 2.]


What is now different is that there's no motion blur when you drag windows, or scroll webpages, and launch videogames in 2D instead of 3D (Half Life, etc), there is no motion blur.

Very Minor Side Effects: Slightly dimmer screen, some flicker feel (if you are sensitive to CRT flicker). My desktop stayed in 2D mode, but I did avoid installing any 3D-related desktop software (e.g. 3D login screen, etc) Some video games will insist in going into 3D mode rather ; this will be annoying when you're not in the mood for 3D. You have to override this. (Game specific, probably). There's an extremely faint amount of ghosting, similiar to crosstalk in 3D glasses, but it's no more objectionable than the phosphor-ghosting of CRT. Color quality is slightly degraded during strobed backlight. Long term, someone needs to build a system tray utility to turn this feature on/off in a single click -- when you're doing photoshop editing, you'll want the slightly improved static image quality of turning off LightBoost. There is some strange temporal artifacts when dragging the browser window while displaying Inversion Walk Pixel Patterns. Other than that, motion blur is virtually completely gone in video games -- it's CRT sharp; allowing complete immersion without being distracted by motion blur. You do need a GPU (GTX 680) fast enough to frequently hit 120fps@120Hz most of the time to really notice the big improvement in motion clarity. The CRT-style motion clarity more than outweighs the other side effects.

Side note: I have not yet played many games, but I'm liking what I am seeing. Just like CRT, I can identify far-away enemies without stopping turning. Faster identification of enemies. Faster reaction times. Allowing faster reaction times that more than compensates for the input lag of LCD (From now on, competition gamers unable to get a CRT, but purchasing LCD monitors should probably factor in the motion blur advantage of LightBoost. IMHO, I'd take a LightBoost montior with 8ms input lag, over a non-LightBoost monitor with 5ms input lag. The CRT clarity of LightBoost allows me to react faster that more than compensates the 3ms difference in input lag.)

Stubborn Games that insists on going into 3D mode (if you have no 3D glasses, or don't want 3D) ...Turn off "Enable Stereoscopic 3D", keep the NVIDIA Control Panel window open, launch the game and start the game, then Alt+Tab back, and then re-enable "Enable Stereoscopic 3D". That turns on LightBoost without enabling 3D in the videogame, because I've already launched the videogame. Switch back to the game. And then play!

Note: You may have weird redraw problems at the Windows 8 login screen at start screen. Use Start8 to bypass the start screen anyway. I think this is a possible driver bug, but it's easy to ignore for now, and it goes away when you disable the stereoscopic checkbox in nVidia Control Panel

 

[boxleitnerb]

Has this any effect in movies, too?
Sounds great...maybe I need to get yet another new display

 

[SKORPI0]

D::awe:

 

[lehtv]

Nice to know. Another reason to recommend the XL2420T to FPS gamers

 

[Annon2255]

I feel like the OP is a script for an infomercial... So many exclamation marks!!!!!

 

[DominionSeraph]

I feel like the OP is a script for an infomercial... So many exclamation marks!!!!!

Started 2 threads about the same thing, all posts are about it, and is pushing his blog.

 

[Gryz]

I find this very interesting. I recently bought a 2ms LCD screen to replace my 5ms screen. Because I don't like the motion blur. The result was pretty disappointing. There was a little improvement, but not much.

Got a few questions.

1) For the forseeable future, we can not expect this technology to work on IPS screens, right ? Because all 120Hz screens seem to be TN, and there are no 120Hz IPS screens.

2) What is it about 120Hz that makes this trick work, and not on 60Hz ? As far as I can understand, the trick is about dimming the pixels while they are changing color, right ? And only displaying them (bright light behind the pixel) when the pixel has its final color. Can't you do that on a 60Hz screen too ? (Edit: I guess it's because we need LightBoost2, which so far has only been implemented on 120Hz monitors, right ?)

3) Your post here mentions an InfraRed emitter that you connect to your PC. Why ? What does that have to do with anything ?

4) I think I read somewhere that this trick will make your LCD use more power. I can't find that reference anymore. So how big is the power increase ? Your monitor will be in this state full time, right ? No easy way yet to enable it only during (specific) games ?

5) So what do we need to buy to get this to work ?
*) Any LightBoost2 monitor. I understand it's not possible at all on any 120Hz monitor, right ?
*) A Dual-link DVI cable.
*) Any nVidia videocard (faster is better, obviously).
*) Do we really need that separate USB IR emitter ?
*) Do we need 3D glasses ? I guess some 120Hz monitors can be bought without the glasses ? Which saves some money.

I hope some vendors will start supporting this. With proper drivers and software support. So it can be enabled/disabled with a mouseclick. Or it will be enabled automatically when the screen goes into D3D/OGL mode. Right now I find it a bit tricky to buy a new screen just for this, without having it seen with my own eyes. And without official support. But it looks very promising.

 

[jackstar7]

Started 2 threads about the same thing, all posts are about it, and is pushing his blog.

He started his project before even starting the blog. Removing PWM and getting clear and crisp performance is just the man's passion.

You might note that only his sig has a link to his blog (which has no ads, and his project is open source). The rest are to other sites or the thread on [H] about this where he and Vega discussed a lot of interesting facets of this.


The guy is an enthusiast. I thought that was the point...

 

[Ben90]

I thought this was known already? The entire point of lightboost is to reduce ghosting, doesn't take an expert to just leave it on all the time.

*edit*
And no, it doesn't look like 480Hz.

 

[Mark Rejhon]

He started his project before even starting the blog. Removing PWM and getting clear and crisp performance is just the man's passion.

You might note that only his sig has a link to his blog (which has no ads, and his project is open source). The rest are to other sites or the thread on [H] about this where he and Vega discussed a lot of interesting facets of this.

The guy is an enthusiast. I thought that was the point...

This.
Appreciate your defense. Guilty as charged about pushing this on five or six forums (maybe excessively so)
It's a travesty that manufacturers have ignored this, but the recent emergence of 3D also simultaneously made possible the zero motion blur LCD, and more public awareness of this is needed.

I'll try to step back (here on AnandTech), and wait for one of you to gloat about how amazing it is for FPS gaming. I give it till Dec 26th - somebody here is bound to have some LightBoosted gift under their tree.

 

[Mark Rejhon]

And no, it doesn't look like 480Hz.

Buddy, buddy, have you seen a Sony HDTV with the Motionflow XR 480 feature?
It's equivalent, but better looking with LightBoost2 -- no interpolation, no input lag.

Lots of input lag when you connect a 60fps console to a "simulated 480" Sony HDTV, and using motion interpolation. LightBoost2 does a better-than-motionflow effect, but without the added input lag, and without the motion interpolation artifacts.

There's also "simulated 960" HDTV's (Sony, Samsung, Panasonic HDTV's with "simulated 960" strobed/scanning backlights). Alas, none of those are good for gaming because of input lag caused by interpolation, since many of these displays simultaneously mix interpolation and strobing. The true 120fps@120Hz computer monitors are just perfect for this, strobing with no interpolation, no 60Hz flicker, and there's no added input lag, thanks to nVidia's gaming-compatible LightBoost2 synchronized strobing. The strobed backlight technologies is finally gaming friendly, thanks to nVidia introducing that feature.

I thought this was known already? The entire point of lightboost is to reduce ghosting, doesn't take an expert to just leave it on all the time.

Then why have magazine reviewers and bloggers have forgotten to turn on LightBoost2 during testing 2D? Even Prad.de tested pixel persistence with LightBoost2 turned off, which is quite surprising. It's important to test final pixel response time for both cases (strobing enabled and strobing disabled), because strobed backlights makes it possible to bypass pixel persistence.

The manufacturers haven't been advertising LightBoost2 *itself specifically* also reduces motion blur for 2D mode. They just say their panel have less motion blur. Which is true. But so many users (other than you and me) don't realize LightBoost2 is also good for 2D. nVidia specifically says LightBoost is designed for 3D. They don't say it's also good for 2D too. Many CRT competition gamers are hating LCD, when they don't know that LightBoost2 is the solution to their motion blur on LCD. And some people don't believe those people who say "it's like CRT", because one party has LightBoost2 turned on and the other party has LightBoost2 turned off because neither party is talking about LightBoost2, not realizing it's a major ingredient in this argument. Most magazine reviewers and blogs tested motion blur with LightBoost2 off, which is also a travesty, and we also need to tell reviewers/blogs to re-test motion blur with LightBoost2 on during 2D too. There is less motion blur just going 60->120Hz without lightboost, and that's been well-tested now. But there's a sudden disappearance of motion blur when enabling LightBoost2, and that's not well-tested by reviewers/bloggers. (Don't believe me? Post links otherwise -- other than the TechNGaming article that specifically covers this, and the earlier AnandTech article that hinted on this)

If you have a CRT and a LightBoost2 monitor, please post a review of comparision between the two in terms of motion blur for others. Also please tell your favourite blog/review website by emailing them to tell them to test _2D_ with LightBoost2, because most have not. AnandTech is one of the smarter blogs and are one of the first blogs to acknowledge the LightBoost2 motion blur reduction effect, in their announcement of the VG248QE.

 

[boxleitnerb]

I have to ask again - how about movies?

 

[Mark Rejhon]

I have to ask again - how about movies?

I prefer my movies at 24fps, and like the natural motion blur effect in movies. Stick to IPS monitors for watching movies. Better color for movies for desktop monitors.

My blog's current focus is CRT-quality video gaming on LCD, and to give friendly reminders to all other blogs/reviewers also test their monitors with LightBoost2 enabled in 2D mode. It's not a 2D feature widely talked about by nVidia, who prefers to push 3D as the trojan horse for introducing strobed backlights and reduced motion blur into LCD monitors.

But, if you prefer your movies crystal sharp, download a copy of a frame interpolation upconverter to interpolate your movies from 24fps to 120fps (don't just repeat frames, you need to interpolate). Then you'll get the silky smooth Motionflow effect. The motionflow effect also exists at traditional 120Hz LCD but the motionflow effect is much stronger with a strobed backlight. (That's also why some HDTV's do both -- combine interpolation and scanning/strobed backlight -- e.g. Samsung CMR 960) Takes a long time to convert a movie to 120fps. Not my cup of tea. But some people love motionflow, so if you love motionflow, you can get it a similar effect. Also, color quality of TN is poor so it's not that good for movies, I wish we can get strobe backlights with IPS panels. That would be ultimate, once they fix the IPS streaking problem enough to bring 3D IPS active shutter glasses to desktop monitors. Then we'll have zero motion blur IPS heaven (which will make motionflow movies better too for those who like that effect).

 

[Annisman*]

Well that pretty much settles it, I'm getting one. But which one ?

 

[SirPauly]

I tried it and when using the mouse wheel, seems clearer but the trade-off is too much:

One side effect of enabling it is that many settings are locked on the monitor. On my Asus, locked settings include brightness, saturation, colour temperature, Trace Free, sharpness and many others. However, the brightness can be adjusted by the changing the amount of LightBoost required and the contrast setting isn't locked out in 3D mode, so the picture can still be viewed comfortably.

 

[moonbogg]

I have a VG278 and i'll try it later. I thought originally you posted about needing a crazy powerful custom light to make this work. Anyway, i'll try later and reply with results.

 

[jackstar7]

I have a VG278 and i'll try it later. I thought originally you posted about needing a crazy powerful custom light to make this work. Anyway, i'll try later and reply with results.

My understanding is that these monitors have that crazy bright light to get 3D to work out with the LightBoost 2 system.

 

[moonbogg]

I am dying to say that there is no "lightboost 2". It is "3D Vision 2" with lightboost technology. Also, I am wondering if the 3d light is designed to be on all the time?

 

[Mark Rejhon]

Well that pretty much settles it, I'm getting one. But which one ?

Vega, an owner of a Catleap 2B (120Hz IPS) and a Sony W900 (CRT), ordered a 1ms Benq XL2411T, and will be doing a review (probably in the HardForum version of this thread). I'd suggest waiting, since he's got good experience to compare with some of the other best displays on the market.

I am dying to say that there is no "lightboost 2". It is "3D Vision 2" with lightboost technology. Also, I am wondering if the 3d light is designed to be on all the time?

Fair, but nVidia has been advertising it for 3D. We need to tell people that it's also useful for 2D. We gotta co-opt some name that does not have a "3D" in it.

 

[Mark Rejhon]

I have a VG278 and i'll try it later. I thought originally you posted about needing a crazy powerful custom light to make this work. Anyway, i'll try later and reply with results.

They do. LightBoost monitors are crazy bright (when strobing is disabled). Unfortunately, not bright enough when the strobing is enabled for non-3D situation -- when the strobing is enabled, the picture becomes much dimmer because of lots of black period between the strobes. I'd estimate the BENQ may be using approximately 50-75 watt surges of power through the LED's. I hear the BENQ is a much brighter LightBoost monitor than the Asus, so I can't wait for Vega's review.

That's less than the 250 watts I've estimated that's needed for a bright picture, but that's still apparently a usable picture.

 

[Mark Rejhon]

I tried it and when using the mouse wheel, seems clearer but the trade-off is too much:

Then, disable it when you're just using regular Windows stuff, and only enable it during FPS gaming at night when the room is dark, and you want the zero motion blur advantage during fast gaming. It's a feature that can be turned on/off.

Somebody needs to make a System Tray Button to make it easy to switch depending on your mood!

 

[Zodiark1593]

So, what about AMD users?

 

[omeds]

Works! it looks clean like playing on a 120hz CRT.

Need to find some decent IQ settings though, shame 3D mode locks most of the options on the display.

 

[moonbogg]

I tried it and didn't notice anything to be honest. On the desktop I THINK it might have looked more clear while dragging a window, but nothing seemed to happen during any gaming. Maybe i'll play with it more, but this monitor is already really smooth as it is, so I duno.