2007WFP gradient banding

[JiOwon]

Yes there is definately something wrong with the monitor but I don't believe it's simply a matter of 16bit vs 24bit in this case. I think the monitor is showing full 24bit colour (or very, very close to) even via DVI - however banding is very clear under certain circumstances.
Have a look at these two examples -

1.
http://www.deviantart.com/view/6248662/

Banding can clearly be seen in the sky - bad. This is not because of the rendering of the image itself but how the 2007wfp displays it. On another lcd and crt I have here there is no banding.

2.
24bit image - http://privatewww.essex.ac.uk/~sjs/research/rgb_net.png
32bit image - http://privatewww.essex.ac.uk/~sjs/research/rgb_net_alpha.png

This colour cube is displayed well by the 2007wfp - no banding at all even via DVI. If the screen wasn't showing close to 24bit or 24bit colour then wouldn't these colour cubes show banding?

 

[yacoub]

yup, those two images in 24-bit and 32-bit come out perfectly on my 2007wfp.

 

[JiOwon]

Try looking at those colour cubes in either the "Multimedia" or "Game" modes- not so good are they.
Desktop mode is clearly the best at reproducing full colour - wonder why it can't show those other gradients.

 

[Heartbreaker]

I know it is not as cut and dried as being the same as 16bit mode. But for people who don't quite understand the issue, it gives them a taste of what kind of thing to expect.

Certain transitions are more problematic and they may not be taking place in color cubes. You can load up an image in a viewier that tells you the color when you click (like irfanview) so you can identify which transitions are problematic.

 

[redbox]

Originally posted by: guidryp

Originally posted by: deeznuts

Originally posted by: redbox
I am hoping it happens like this: I was worried when everyone and their dog said that the backlight bleeding was soooooo bad on the 2005fpw but I got one and you know what didn't really bother me as I don't spend all day looking at a black screen. So this new Dell comes out and they fix the backlight bleeding thing and add HDCP( a minor crowd complained that the old one didn't have it and that would be bad later on whenever MS put out vista). So I bought this new model, and now the complaints start to roll in again. I see what you guys are talking about I just hope that it doesn't effect games or movies. This could just be another case of staring at a black screen only this time it is a color gradient screen.

My display comes monday, I will let you all know what I think.

I like your attitude, I have the same. I have both a 2005 and a 2007. I'm keeping the 2007, because I never noticed the gradient problem.

And I guess it's a good thing I don't play plasma pong or even heard of it.

Or play Eve Online - http://www.eve-online.com/, which is were someone else noticed the banding without even looking for it. And who knows what other games.

These panels are worse than 6bit TN panels that dither. If you think running your computer in 16 bit medium color mode is good enough for you then I guess this monitor is for you.

I like the attitude of people who send back, clearly broken product, rather than meekly accept whatever Dellmart sells them. Enough returns and Dell might do something about this. Until it costs them more to do nothing, they will continue to do nothing.

I prefer this attitude. Don't accept crap!

I just don't see what you are trying to do? Do you really think Dell cares if a few nerds are less then pleased with their monitors. Just how many of these monitors do you think they sell? Even if a large percent of anandtech viewers send back their monitors, it won't dent dell's pocketbook and besides they will just send you back the same problem different monitor.

Take the original 2005fpw's for instance, they have backlight bleeding, many people haxe sent back their monitors. Has Dell ever fixed the problem on these monitors?

I suggest if you want a better product pay more for it. You are the type of person NEC markets to. Zebo has a very nice monitor choice for you if you are that displeased with the Dell product.

It really is just like firing a 22. caliber at an oncoming train, it isn't going to make it change it's direction.

 

[Heartbreaker]

Originally posted by: redbox
[
I just don't see what you are trying to do? Do you really think Dell cares if a few nerds are less then pleased with their monitors. Just how many of these monitors do you think they sell? Even if a large percent of anandtech viewers send back their monitors, it won't dent dell's pocketbook and besides they will just send you back the same problem different monitor.

Take the original 2005fpw's for instance, they have backlight bleeding, many people haxe sent back their monitors. Has Dell ever fixed the problem on these monitors?

I suggest if you want a better product pay more for it. You are the type of person NEC markets to. Zebo has a very nice monitor choice for you if you are that displeased with the Dell product.

It really is just like firing a 22. caliber at an oncoming train, it isn't going to make it change it's direction.

Now that is a defeatist attitude if I ever heard one. Quitters never win.

If enough people send the monitors back, if we get the word out enough that sales drop off, then just maybe Dell might do something about it. Maybe the odds aren't good.

But you can be sure of one thing, if you just meekly accept defective product, you are going to get more defective product.

Trying to get the word out may have a small chance of success, but it is better than doing nothing.

 

[against]

We can only hope that Dell gets the hint with the returns of the 2007s.

I won't hold my breath, but the good news is Dell is paying for UPS to come pick up the thing from my house.

Back to the old trustworthy CRT.

 

[BroadbandGamer]

Well guys, I'm really pissed that my brand new 2007WFP looks worse then my old 2005FPW! I should have known better then to buy something right out of the gate!

So should I send my 2007WFP back? What do I get to replace it? I'm not going to get another 2007 because I know it's going to have the same problem.

Crap, this really sucks.

 

[B4RK0D3]

I'm sending my 2007WFP back today - I got a ViewSonic vx2025wm intead. Not as pretty on the outside, but (hopefully) performs much better.

 

[BroadbandGamer]

Originally posted by: guidryp

Originally posted by: BroadbandGamer
I've got one and I don't see any banding.

One what? Your sig lists a Dell 2005FPW, we are generally talking about banding in the Dell 2007fp[w].

If you have a 2007fp[w], did you run on DVI and did you run one of the pragrams that generates smooth gradients?

If still yes, then you are the anomaly so far. Could you go into your service menu and tell us panel and version information?

Sorry but I spoke too soon. Mine is just as bad as the rest.

 

[JMWarren]

I'm currently talking with customer service about the whole issue...things are moving slowly but maybe I'll get some sort of answer now that their aware of it.

I was contacted recently by second level support for a follow up discussion about the problem, maybe their getting the message and will fix the problem.

 

[redbox]

Originally posted by: guidryp

Originally posted by: redbox
[
I just don't see what you are trying to do? Do you really think Dell cares if a few nerds are less then pleased with their monitors. Just how many of these monitors do you think they sell? Even if a large percent of anandtech viewers send back their monitors, it won't dent dell's pocketbook and besides they will just send you back the same problem different monitor.

Take the original 2005fpw's for instance, they have backlight bleeding, many people haxe sent back their monitors. Has Dell ever fixed the problem on these monitors?

I suggest if you want a better product pay more for it. You are the type of person NEC markets to. Zebo has a very nice monitor choice for you if you are that displeased with the Dell product.

It really is just like firing a 22. caliber at an oncoming train, it isn't going to make it change it's direction.

Now that is a defeatist attitude if I ever heard one. Quitters never win.

If enough people send the monitors back, if we get the word out enough that sales drop off, then just maybe Dell might do something about it. Maybe the odds aren't good.

But you can be sure of one thing, if you just meekly accept defective product, you are going to get more defective product.

Trying to get the word out may have a small chance of success, but it is better than doing nothing.

You can call it defeatist, I call it realist. To be honest I really hope that your actions get a result, but what I have seen lately of big business is not to hopefull. I hope that the 2007fpw is better than my pos crt I am using now, and to be fair I haven't seen just how bad these monitors are.

 

[oddity]

Yeah, mine came two days ago and I am extremely disappointed. I have contacted tech support and have requested a level 2 tech- they should be calling me back within two days so we'll see how that goes.

This problem definitely should be documented now by Dell though when I was on the phone with a level 1 tech he had no idea what I was talking about. (To be honest I doubt the idiot I was talking to even knew how to turn a computer ON).

The gradient banding is EXTREMELY bad.

Anyone who has bought a 2007WFP has been sold a defective product that should NOT have been passed by Dell's QA. The gradient banding issue is very severe. Here's a shot in EVE that demonstrates what I'm talking about:

Link to picture from EVE

(Taken with a digital camera, bit blurred but otherwise accurate as to how it looks)

 

[JiOwon]

oddity - could you also take a screen shot of the screen you took a photo of please?
just so I can look at it with my screen and a crt.

cheers
J

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: oddity
Link to picture from EVE

(Taken with a digital camera, bit blurred but otherwise accurate as to how it looks)

:Q Yikes. Can you also take a screenshot of that in Windows so we can compare it? Dell must have paid ExtremeTech a good hunk of money to give the Dell 2007WFP such a good rating. I guess we'll know never to trust them again. :roll:

 

[BroadbandGamer]

Here's a pic I took of WoW with my digital camera. WoW has some banding in the sky but it's extremely bad using a 2007WFP. I have to look really hard to find any banding with my old 2005FPW.

WoW Banding

 

[borez]

Originally posted by: BroadbandGamer
Here's a pic I took of WoW with my digital camera. WoW has some banding in the sky but it's extremely bad using a 2007WFP. I have to look really hard to find any banding with my old 2005FPW.

WoW Banding

Holy ******. That is bad.
The Dell's out for me then... until they fix the problem.

 

[yacoub]

Well it's certainly not "omg end of the world". Yeah it sucks and needs to be fixed but if you are THAT anal about the sky that you would act like it's the end of the world, you must spend your time stargazing in WoW. Do they give skill points for that? ;P

 

[oddity]

Heres the screenshot of the same area of EVE for those of you who want to compare it on your CRT's.

Link to camera picture from EVE

Link to screenshot from EVE

 

[against]

Originally posted by: JMWarren
I'm currently talking with customer service about the whole issue...things are moving slowly but maybe I'll get some sort of answer now that their aware of it.

I was contacted recently by second level support for a follow up discussion about the problem, maybe their getting the message and will fix the problem.

Warren, let us know how things work out with customer service.

If you think it will help i'll get on the phone with them as well..

I really wanted to like this monitor and did with the exception of the banding issue.

 

[Ryan Norton]

Mine will be arriving Tuesday. If you guys want to share your event numbers, ticket numbers, whatever you get from the Dell service higherups, I'll try to open a new front in the fight once I have the monitor. Free 2407WFPs for everybody...? =^)

 

[Dethfrumbelo]

Originally posted by: oddity
Heres the screenshot of the same area of EVE for those of you who want to compare it on your CRT's.

Link to camera picture from EVE

Link to screenshot from EVE

On my CRT, with superbright on, I can detect a tiny bit of banding in that screenshot in the light blue area near the nebula (upper left corner), though the bands are very thin and very close in color. It's nowhere near as bad as your photo, however, where the whole screen has those thick bands across the entire screen.

That certainly qualifies for 'totally unacceptable'.

 

[against]

I play EVE, and it does have a bit of it's own 'banding' in game.

However, it was massively worse with the 2007wfp, i noticed moving color bands throughout the entire screen when moving throughout space.

The ironic thing is, my dell inspiron notebook displays gradients and EVE with zero banding at all.

 

[xtknight]

Here's another battery of tests you guys can run: http://xtknight.atothosting.com/lcdtest/ (all 1024x768 created in GIMP)

The purple-green ones are good tests.

 

[oddity]

Yeah, the banding is SLIGHTLY apparent if I look really hard on my CRT.

On the LCD however it is AWFUL. I am automatically drawn to it.

The more people who are calling in the better, I have made two calls to level 1 support in the last two days and neither said they had heard of the issue. I have requested to speak to a level 2 support and will be in contact with them over the next few days. I'm going to do whatever I can to make sure this issue is rectified.