Can BenQ convince us to go flicker-free?
Not too long ago, we would have
sneered knowingly at the idea that 60Hz LCD monitors benefit from much higher
refresh rates than that, but LCD panels don’t suffer from the same kind of
flicker.
This isn’t the time or place to
explain why, but suffice to say our notions were shaken by the arrival of
120Hz-plus panels. Suddenly, we were shown a smoother way of sticking images in
front of our eyes. Put simply, once you’ve gone 120Hz, you won’t go back.
Which brings us to the new BenQ
GW2265HM. It proudly proclaims an innovative flicker-free backlight, which is
interesting, because we’ve never thought of flicker as an issue for LCD panels.
Then again, we never thought increasing LCD refresh rates above 60Hz would make
much difference either, so colour us open minded about the benefits of
flicker-free.
Not
too long ago, we would have sneered knowingly at the idea that 60Hz LCD
monitors benefit from much higher refresh rates than that, but LCD panels don’t
suffer from the same kind of flicker.
pulse-width modulation. In simple
terms, some monitors pulse the backlight on and off in order to modulate
brightness. At full brightness, the backlight is simply on, but turn it down a
bit and it pulses on and off at various rates depending on the desired
brightness. The result, allegedly, is some flicker.
We’ve never noticed any flicker
ourselves, but like we said, we never noticed any issues with 60Hz panels until
we tried 120Hz, either. So, is firing up the GW2265HM a life-altering
experience? In a word, no. In terms of flicker, we fail to see the benefits.
The issue might be a bit like the DLP rainbow effect, where some are more
sensitive to it than others, but we can only report what our eyes tell us, and
they say flicker-free backlight technology is of marginal value at best.
Real Difference
Then again, BenQ’s bumpf suggests
placing a fan in front of the screen or taking photos of the panel to reveal
the benefits of flicker-free. Yes, that’s the best it could come up with. Even
BenQ doesn’t seem able to pitch it as a real-world advantage.
That’s okay though, because this panel
only costs $173.62 and has plenty to recommend it besides dubious flicker-free
capability. It’s based on BenQ’s latest VA panel tech, which makes a nice
change from both TN and the increasingly ubiquitous IPS option.
BenQ’s
bumpf suggests placing a fan in front of the screen or taking photos of the
panel to reveal the benefits of flicker-free.
Traditionally, VA’s strongest
attributes have been black levels and contrast, and that’s exactly where the
GW2265HM delivers. BenQ claims a static contrast ratio of 3,000 to one, as it
happens, and the subjective experience bears that out. This panel has seriously
good blacks. In fact, we’re not sure we’ve seen better blacks. Not bad for a
mere $173.62 worth of monitor. The vertical viewing angles are great, even the
horizontals betray little colour shift.
As for downsides, that flicker free
backlight could be brighter. We wouldn’t actually use it at its maximum
setting, but there’s a lack of dynamic range that makes this panel less
versatile than some. There’s some banding visible in colour gradients, which
has us thinking ‘6-bit’ in terms of colour channels. The anti-glare coating is
a bit sparkly, but as a budget gaming monitor this BenQ is pretty darn
impressive.
BenQ
claims a static contrast ratio of 3,000 to one, as it happens, and the
subjective experience bears that out.
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Vital Statistics
·
Price: $173.62 ·
Manufacturer:
BenQ ·
Size: 21.5-inch ·
Resolution:
1,920 x 1,080 ·
Panel type: VA ·
Backlight:
Flicker-free LED ·
Inputs: DVI,
HDMI, VGA
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