(GeForce-only) Eliminate motion blur on LightBoost 120Hz LCD! Zero blur like CRT!!!!

Discussion in 'Videocards - NVIDIA GeForce' started by mdrejhon, Mar 1, 2013.

  1. mdrejhon

    mdrejhon Member Guru

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    IMPORTANT: This is a GeForce-ONLY tweak

    Are you a CRT user? That hates LCD mainly because of motion blur?
    There's a tweak if you have a GeForce card and a LightBoost 120 Hz monitor, because LightBoost is an nVidia technology, originally designed for 3D, but also eliminates motion blur. LightBoost is a strobe backlight (YouTube high speed video of LightBoost strobes successfully bypassing pixel persistence), that flickers like a 120 Hz CRT. If you didn't see the flicker but liked the clearer motion, you're in luck!

    LightBoost HOWTO: www.blurbusters.com/zero-motion-blur/lightboost
    (Tweaks your GeForce to force-enable LightBoost during 2D gaming without glasses)

    Several amazing articles just appeared over the last few weeks -- and a few reviewers (e.g. pcmonitors.info) are now including testing of LightBoost in their next monitor reviews.

    TechNGaming Review Article
    Link: Eliminate Motion Blur While Gaming With nVidia LightBoost!

    pcmonitors.info review (mentions LightBoost CRT effect)
    Link: Asus VG248QE Monitor Review

    3D Vision Blog
    Link: Taking Advantage of the Lightboost Technology for 2D 120Hz Gaming
    Link: Calibrating Picture of Lightboost For Better Color

    PC Games Hardware (German gaming magazine)
    Link: Nvidia Lightboost Strobe Hack

    Team Exile 5 (Professional sponsored competition gamers!)
    Link: nVidia GeForce GTX 660 Ti and nVidia LightBoost Technology

    For a long time, some gamers have noticed that CRT 60fps@60Hz still has less motion blur than LCD 120fps@120Hz. Not anymore: The CRT-quality perfect motion now available on LightBoost LCD displays, is a huge benefit for those gamers who have played on a CRT for a long time, and have never found a "good enough LCD" without motion blur!
     
    Last edited: Mar 1, 2013
  2. mdrejhon

    mdrejhon Member Guru

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    There are many testimonials on many forums at the moment, so there's been many, many reports from enthusiac video gamers. It does not benefit other usage much (e.g. programming, web design, PhotoShop), but if you're a big time gamer who have used CRT's, then LightBoost is finally making some CRT die-hard's happy:
    The FW900 is a famous 24" widescreen CRT that has been a long-time favourite of CRT die-hards. If you were used to CRT gaming in the past -- and is very sensitive to motion blur -- the motion blur problem has now been fully solved on these LightBoost monitors!

    One warning though, you do need a very powerful GPU capable of running at 120fps@120Hz, or you don't get the full benefits of LightBoost during video games. And yes, it's TN color quality, not as good as IPS color quality. But again, we're talking about the best possible motion clarity here! And for users who need that!
     
  3. mdrejhon

    mdrejhon Member Guru

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    A popular motion test (moving racing car) is called PixPerAn:
    www.prad.de/en/monitore/testsoftware/pixperan.html

    One very interesting behaviour of newer LightBoost monitors (especially the new 1ms panels) is the complete lack of blur/ghosting/coronas (inverse ghosting) in PixPerAn motion tests. And a PixPerAn readability score of 30 on these LCD's!
    No blur, no trailing, no ghosting, no coronas visible.

    With my BENQ XL2411T (1ms), setting a camera to 1/120sec exposure, taking many repeated photographs of PixPerAn, result in exactly the same image with no crosstalk at all between refreshes! It does not deviate (not possible to capture anything worse than this image). There's no noticeable blending between frames at all. There is a very faint afterimage effect (needs close examination) that is almost impossible to see from a normal viewing distance; all ghosting/blur/coronas/trailing completely disappear when LigthBoost is enabled.

    [​IMG]
    (Credit: HardForum post by OC_Burner)

    The PixPerAn "I NEED MORE SOCKS" is perfectly readable even at Tempo 8, and higher, during 120 Hz; I can even count the number of pixels; like I can on a CRT -- even though the car is moving fast at half a screen width per second. If I lower the LightBoost OSD setting to 10% (not "OFF"), the strobe length gets shorter and even higher tempos are very clear.

    I am able to read a PixPerAn readability test of 30! -- That's CRT league score. No other LCD can pull this off.
    Competition gamer Team Exile 5 also confirms PixPerAn reability 30 this in their blog video.

    These PixPerAn Tests on the same LightBoost monitor show the following:

    baseline - 60 Hz mode (16.7ms frame samples)
    50% less motion blur (2x clearer) - 120 Hz mode (8.33ms frame samples)
    60% less motion blur (2.4x clearer) - 144 Hz mode (6.94ms frame samples)
    85% less motion blur (7x clearer) - 120 Hz mode with LightBoost set at 100% (2.4ms frame strobe flashes)
    92% less motion blur (12x clearer) - 120 Hz mode with LightBoost set at 10% (1.4ms frame strobe flashes)

    That's 92% less motion blur, thanks to the GeForce+LightBoost tweak!

    Remember this motion blur elimination tweak only works with an nVidia GeForce card! (combined with a 120 Hz monitor containing nVidia LightBoost). Preferably, you do need a GPU powerful enough to do at least 100fps or 120fps for the maximum CRT-style effect of fps=Hz, because LightBoost is automatically disabled for modes less than 100Hz (a silly limitation). This is easy with a GTX 680 with Source Engine games (maxed details), but requires a Titan for Crysis engine games (reduced details). It benefits eliminating motion blur many game operations, such as the following:
    -- Fast 180-degree flick turns in FPS shooting.
    -- Shooting while turning, without stopping turning (easier on CRT or LightBoost)
    -- Close-up strafing, especially circle strafing, you aim better.
    -- Running while looking at the ground (e.g. hunting for tiny objects quickly).
    -- Identifying multiple far-away enemies or small targets, while turning fast
    -- Playing fast characters such as "Scout" in Team Fortress 2
    -- High-speed low passes, such as low helicoptor flybys in Battlefield 3, you aim better.
    This is easier to notice if you were used to CRT gaming before.

    Supported GeForce cards: Supporting 3D Vision (even though you don't need 3D glasses), as powerful as possible.
    Supported LightBoost monitors: ASUS VG248QE, BENQ XL2411T, ASUS VG278H, ASUS VG278HE, ACER HN274H, BENQ XL2420T
    www.blurbusters.com/zero-motion-blur/lightboost
     
    Last edited: Mar 1, 2013
  4. zimzoid

    zimzoid Guest

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    Thanks interesting, i have the acer HN27 2ms model so will try this out, don,t really notice motion blur anyway..
     

  5. Gomi

    Gomi Member

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    Been running with the "Lightboost hack" ever since it got out (Well, on OCN anyways).

    Must say that I am DEEPLY impressed by the results. This seems to be one of those odd situations where a bunch of users takes a feature and turns it 90 degress and head off into en entirely new direction - This SHOULD be a feature for all future monitors, and if there was a native On/Off button (OSD or Desktop), which there really should, it would be THE perfect situation for a gamer.
     
  6. mdrejhon

    mdrejhon Member Guru

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    That would be ideal. Or one of the programmers could team up with Blur Busters Blog, to create a Windows system tray utility that turns on/off LightBoost on an easy click or hotkey, or even upon launch of specific games. This would make 3-monitor surround LightBoost much easier. (Believe it or not -- two users on HardForum got a surround LightBoost setup now!)
     
  7. Gomi

    Gomi Member

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    I just ordered 2 more XL2420T - Will test it myself and see if I like it. If it is too much of a hazzle, and the bezels are to big, I might just go and try the Dell 29 inch ULTRAWIDE monitor - Totally different ballpark, but yah :)
     
  8. drac

    drac Ancient Guru

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    Makes the picture darker? Not sure I like the sound of that.
     
  9. drac

    drac Ancient Guru

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  10. drac

    drac Ancient Guru

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    err I have a very keen eye and I'm not seeing what all the fuss is about. It doesn't look much different to me, comparing it to normal 120hz? Actually it possibly looks more blurry. :3eyes:
     

  11. mdrejhon

    mdrejhon Member Guru

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    Firstly:
    1. Your LightBoost setting may not properly be activated. You need to make sure LightBoost is enabled. Does the monitor setting now unlock a "LightBoost" OSD setting? Sometimes LightBoost automatically turns off; make sure LightBoost is still enabled while in a game.
    2. Did you try a motion test; ala PixPerAn? Download the popular PixPerAn software (used by monitor reviewers) at prad.de's PixPerAn page.
    3. Test specific video games that enable 120fps@120Hz -- you really need to get fps=Hz, to get the full CRT clear-motion effect. LightBoost does also work at refresh rates as low as 100 Hz, but is disabled at lower refresh rates.

    Also, I'll refer you to this post:

     
    Last edited: Mar 3, 2013
  12. RamGuy

    RamGuy Master Guru

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    Is there any way to get this going under Windows 8 yet?
    My nVIDIA 3D Vision 2 Kit is very fuzzy and I tend to only get a black screen forcing me to hard reboot my system every time I try to activate it in the nVIDIA Control Panel..

    Running Windows 8 Enterprise 64bit
    GTX 690
    Asus VG278HE
    nVIDIA 3D Vision 2
     
  13. mdrejhon

    mdrejhon Member Guru

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    That's strange. Is it possible you have a defective 3D Vision monitor? Considering even your 3D glasses seems not working properly with this -- it should not be fuzzy. Have you tried a different OS or computer system, other than Windows 8 Enterprise?

    I use Windows 8 Pro, and it works.
     
  14. drac

    drac Ancient Guru

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    I think It may be that the Samsung version of it is just not like the proper lightboost. Or that I didn't increase my brightness. Also I have to adjust the response time of my monitor from fastest to normal for it to work, so I guess that could add blur. Not worth it for me anyway, Ill wait for an oled or 250hz monitor haha.

    Does the Asus and Benq suffer from any imput lag when enabling this feature? The Samsung gets a lot.

    I'm almost 34, so was gaming hardcore on CRT's back in the 90s and early 2000's, so I'd definitely notice it. :)
     
  15. mdrejhon

    mdrejhon Member Guru

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    Aha, you followed the Samsung version of the instructions, which are slightly different. You have to select "frame-sequential" for it to work. Yes, the Samsung version isn't as good as LightBoost; it has far more input lag than Samsung and ASUS, and does not use as short strobe lengths. Also, an OLED still has motion blur (PS Vita does) unless it's impulse-driven instead of sample-and-hold. This is due to the sample-and-hold effect. Microsoft has an excellent old research paper, which is listed in the Science & References page.

    Motion blur is dictated by the length of time that a frame is displayed for, not by the length of the refresh. That's why flicker displays such as CRT 60fps@60Hz has clearer looking motion than LCD 120fps@120Hz -- the phosphor decay of 1-2ms (1/500sec) beats out the LCD sample-and-hold (continuous display) of a frame for 1/120sec.

    Also, it apparently benefits older games more; such as Team Fortress 2 -- because you need a full fps=Hz (e.g. 120fps@120Hz) to get the full benefits of a strobe backlight. Most of the current strobe backlights only work at refresh rates near 120Hz and becomes disabled at below 100 Hz, so you've gotta have a powerful GPU. CRT 120fps@120Hz and CRT 60fps@60Hz both produce clearer-looking motion than CRT 60fps@120Hz (due to repeat refreshes and eye tracking) so it's important to get at least fps=Hz on strobed displays (CRT or LightBoost) to minimize motion blur.

    Alternatively, download the popular motion tester (the software that creates that racing car that you see in many monitor reviews such as pcmonitors.info) -- PixPerAn and do a before/after test.
     
    Last edited: Mar 5, 2013

  16. mdrejhon

    mdrejhon Member Guru

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    Make sure you pay attention to CallSignVega on OCN; he'll write up some instructions that allows a surround LightBoost setup. It was tricky to get working, you needed ToastyX's Custom Resolution Utility. He's got it working:

    Very GPU demanding if you want the maximal LightBoost effect, to get 120fps@120Hz on that setup, you essentially really need Titan's and running certain games such as source-engined games, Quake Live or Skyrim, etc. Crysis 3 isn't going to get much LightBoost benefit (if any) on this setup, unless LightBoost was hacked to run at lower refresh rates.
     
    Last edited: Mar 5, 2013
  17. TruMutton_200Hz

    TruMutton_200Hz Guest

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    I hate to rain on your parade but, although I still get "only" 60 Hz, my now-more-than-three-years-old LG 42LH5000 also uses a strobe backlight to eliminate motion blur. Don't think that can be possible? I'll give you a hint then. Its backlight uses EEFL rather than CCFL. :nerd:
     
  18. mdrejhon

    mdrejhon Member Guru

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    To the contrary :)

    I write about existing scanning backlights in Sony/Samsung/Panasonic HDTV's, and I even have a Scanning Backlight FAQ, and put some of the scanning backlight science in Science & References. I even own the domain name www.scanningbacklight.com, and I have home theater engineering experience.

    Although scanning backlights benefit in motion blur reduction especially for videos and movies, there are two very massive limitations with scanning backlight technologies:

    1. Most scanning backlights is combined with motion interpolation, which hurts input lag.
    Most scanning backlights are not game/computer friendly, as a result.

    2. Scanning backlights are prone to the backlight diffusion issue, between on-segments and off-segments. This limits the amount of motion blur elimination because not all pixel persistence is successfully in total darkness. As a result, motion is only about 2x or 3x clearer, rather than over 10x clearer. This is even with LED backlights which are faster than both CCFL and EEFL. Full-panel strobe backlight suffer no such backlight diffusion limitation.


    That's why "Game Mode" on most HDTV's automatically disables the scanning backlight. A few exceptions, such as Sony HX950's new "Motionflow Impulse" mode (a motionflow mode that only uses strobing), far less lag than interpolation, but it still has too much input lag, and you still have to exit Game Mode to activate this mode.

    As a result, full-strobe backlights are vastly superior to most existing scanning backlights for motion-blur elimination, especially for the purposes of computer/gaming use. LightBoost is one of the first truly good motion-blur-eliminating backlight technologies to produce worthwhile motion blur elimination for computer monitors without noticeable input lag. No motion interpolation involved. From former CRT die-hards, they have been garnering rave reviews. The discovery that LightBoost is also good for 2D (rather than just 3D glasses which not everybody wants to use) is now getting covered in several recent reviews, including pcmonitors.info's VG248QE review which mentions LightBoost near the end of the review.

    Full-panel strobe backlights are harder than scanning backlights from the perspective of the LCD-panel, but easier on a backlight-electronics perspective. The LCD panel must refresh quickly enough (essentially cram pixel persistence into a vertical blanking interval, as in this high speed 1000fps video) in order for a strobe backlight to be practical. Strobe backlights from a backlight-electronics perspective, is simpler, and can be used in an edgelight as you're flashing the whole backlight at once instead of sequentially lighting up rows at a time (which was very necessary on slower-persistence LCD's, before it was possible to cram pixel persistence into the time period of a vertical blanking interval; which made full-strobes possible, which then successfully hides pixel persistence limitations far more successfully)

    That said, IPS definitely does better color quality than TN panels (Even though full-panel-at-once strobe backlights aren't yet practical with IPS panels; hopefully it will be soon.)

    Sincerely,
    Mark Rejhon
    Blur Busters Blog
     
    Last edited: Mar 6, 2013
  19. mdrejhon

    mdrejhon Member Guru

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    Here's some good stuff:
    LightBoost eliminates all of the above simultaneously; producing the motion clarity of CRT.
     
  20. RamGuy

    RamGuy Master Guru

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    How on earth does one disable the actual hack? I've got a Asus VG278HE 144Hz monitor and a set of nVIDIA 3D Vision 2 and enabling this hack has made it impossible to actually use 3D in games when I want to.
     

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