Asus VG236H 120hz 3D Monitor Review

[NCX]

All testing done using an i1 Display Pro Colorimeter (a colorimeter measures the colours, contrast, brightness, gamma, ect), basICColor 5 (profiling software which creates an ICC profile to calibrate the display), HCFR (software used to measure the default colours) and i1 Profiler (profiling software which creates an ICC profile to calibrate the display).

PC:

Motherboard: Gigabyte X58-UD9
CPU: Intel i7 930@ 2.93ghz
Case: Lian Li PC80
GPU: Overclocked SLI GTX 480's
Ram: 6gb Patriot G Viper Xtreme DDR3 PC3-16000 2000mhz

I recently purchased the new i1 Display Pro which is a more accurate colorimeter which can give proper color temperature and brightness results. I will be posting both results of the color temperature and brightness measured with both my i1D2 and i1Pro. Unfortunately the software which comes with the new i1Dpro (i1profiler) is useless for calibration so I will be using the my typical software for calibration. My calibrated results of 6500k will be more like 7000k, however the actual differences are pretty small. Once the color temperature goes below 6000k the picture starts to look to red and once the color temperature goes about 7000k it starts to look blue-ish.

Here is my PC build

Motherboard: Gigabyte X58-UD9
CPU: Intel i7 930@ 2.93ghz
Case: Lian Li PC80
GPU: Overclocked SLI GTX 480's+8800gt
Ram: 12gb Patriot G Viper Xtreme DDR3 PC3-16000 2000mhz

Table of Contents

Intro, Specifications, and Ergonomics

Default Color Presets

60hz Responsiveness

120hz Responsiveness

Calibrated Image Quality and Screen Uniformity

Consoles

3D and Conclusion & Settings

Product Page

Reviews

http://www.digitalversus.com/asus-vg..._8913_150.html
http://www.flatpanelshd.com/review.p...&id=1282205217
http://3dvision-blog.com/review-of-t...e-lcd-monitor/
http://reviews.cnet.com/lcd-monitors...-34118037.html
http://www.anandtech.com/show/3842/a...-look-at-120hz

Specifications

Ergonomics

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Many other reviews have covered the Asus's adjustability options so I'm just going to post a picture I stole from the product page and provide a link to the AnandTech review which expertly covers the VG236H's ergonomoic features.

The VG236H can be titled, raised up+down and has a swiveling base. The Asus also oddly comes with a Component (YPbPr) connection presumably for all the Wii-Tards out there, an HDMI 1.3 (1.4 is required for PS3+Xbox 360 3D) port and Dual-Link DVI for true 120hz and 3D when hooked up to a PC. I am kind of baffled as to why Asus decided to include a Component connection over a VGA port or additional HDMI port.

One can't really ask for more in terms of ergonomic features except for an additional HDMI port and the inclusion of an HDMI cord. When compared to the other 120hz monitors the Asus does neither disappoints nor really impresses when it comes to ergonomic features.

[NCX]

Default Color Presets

Like usual I have made a chart with the default preset measurements. I used HCFR for the gamma/contrast values and BasICColor for everything else. I also verified the brightness and color temperature with i1 Profiler using my new i1 Display Pro colorimeter which provides accurate the correct color temperature and brightness values.

The Game and Night View presets present washed out colors thanks to the low gamma. Night View looks even worse than the Game preset due to the high black level resulting in grey blacks and a very dull picture. Game mode succeeds at revealing details in dark areas while still looking natural. The Game preset could be useful for pro-gamers wanting the slight visibility edge in games, but the picture quality suffers.

The Theater mode greatly over-saturates colors while also crushing some dark details. The picture still looks natural but is far to vibrant. Dark scenes details are swallowed in blackness when using the Theater preset. Below I have taken a picture comparing the Theater preset to a calibrated monitor.

Theater Mode=Perfect for over-saturation lovers

The Standard mode provides the most natural looking picture, it is essentially perfect except for the slight green tinge which leads to some banding in this Lagom test: http://www.lagom.nl/lcd-test/gradient.php. Most monitors seem to suffer from a strong green dominance, including the last 120hz monitor I tested, the Samsung S27A950D. All of the Asus's presets have this problem but it was only visible in test images.

http://interfacelift.com/wallpaper/d...706/ferie.html

When looking at the above photo VS. a calibrated monitor the green tinge was barely noticeable. Still, the Asus could do better in this regard since monitors like the HP2509B, Acer G245H and LG W2422PA I tested all provided natural tinge free color presets.

The Scenery preset allows for the most adjust-ability in the monitors OSD and provides a very natural image. However due to the lower gamma it looks slightly washed out compared to the standard mode. There is a simple fix for this however, you just have to set the colors to Warm and the picture is essentially perfect apart from the slight green tinge.

To sum things up the Asus provides near perfect color presets in the Standard and Scenery presets. The main problem was the slightly low gamma, minor green tinge and need to set the Scenery modes colors to Warm in the OSD. It is very easy to look past these flaws because the Asus VGH236H provides a very natural, vibrant and clear image thanks to the accurate colors, good black level and glossy screen.

Asus PB278Q:
Dell S2740L:
Asus VG23AH:
CrossOver 2720MDP:
Samsung S27A850D:
BenQ XL2420T:
Samsung S23A700D:
Asus VG236H:

[NCX]

60hz Responsiveness

The Asus VG236H comes with six Trace Free (over drive) settings (0-20-40-60-80-100). I tested the Asus's response time in both 60hz, 120hz and 3D Mode (Trace Free 100) with PixerPixAn and many games while also trying out all of the Trace Free settings to see which has the least amount of ghosting.

60hz Trace Free 0

60hz Trace Free 20

60hz Trace Free 40

60hz Trace Free 60

60hz Trace Free 80

60hz Trace Free 100

As you can see Trace Free 60+ appears to be slightly faster than the lower settings, with 100 producing no ghosting, however during fast camera pans in games using anything over 40 produces slightly increased corona effect (shield appearing around objects during fast motion) with dark colors in games as you increase the settings. The effect can be quite sever when set to above 80 during games with built in motion blur like Resistance 3.



Other than the corona effect in dark scenes during fast camera pans, I did not observe ghosting when using the 60+ Trace Free settings. Trace Free 40 eliminates the corona effect entirely and yields a completely ghosting free gaming experience. I completed Resistance: Fall Of Man, Infamous, Infamous 2, Resistance 2 and watched quite a few movies on the PS3 and never saw any other traces of ghosting. Even when set to "0," only a very tiny amount of streaking can be seen during rapid camera pans.

Input Lag

When operating @60hz the Asus lagged behind a CRT by 2-3ms when measured with the SMT Tool. I also put the VG236H against the Asus PA238Q which has 2.2ms when tested with an oscilloscope by PRAD.de and there was no difference. Source.

Currently the most accurate way of measuring input lag is with the SMT Tool besides using an oscilloscope which only PRAD.de does.

Legend:
Blue=Suitable For ALL Enthusiast CRT & 120hz Users
Purple=Suitable For Some Enthusiast & ALL Regular Gamers
Orange=Not Suitable for Enthusiast Gamers & Some Regular Gamers
Red=Not Suitable for Enthusiast or Regular Gamers: CASUAL GAMERS ONLY

Asus PB278Q: 17ms
Dell S2740L: Negligible
Asus VG23AH: <8ms
CrossOver 2720MDP Gold: 11.6-13.6ms
Samsung S27A850D: 13.6ms
Samsung S23A700D: 12-13ms @120hz
BenQ XL2420T: 3ms @120hz
Asus VG236H: 3ms @120hz
Asus PA238Q: 2.2ms
Samsung S27A950D: 13ms @120hz

[NCX]

120hz Responsiveness

Trace Free 0

Trace Free 20

Trace Free 40

Trace Free 60

Trace Free 80

Trace Free 100

Above I have enlarged the images to show the differences between the different trace free modes when operating in 120hz. Below I will provide links to each individual Trace Free Setting image:

As you can see increasing the Trace Free settings decreases ghosting in PixerPixAn, however increasing the settings increases the amount of corona effect. When set to 80-100 the effect is very noticeable. When set to 60 it is only visible occasionally during dark scenes. Just like when operating at 60hz the Trace Free 40 setting yields a completely ghosting free gaming experience. Even when set to 0 only the tiniest amount of streaking can be seen when rapidly panning the camera.

For reference


I used the LG W2442PA again and spotted some slight corona streaking (bright tail forming on moving objects) when playing Bad Company 2 last month at 60hz, so even though it does appear to be fast than the Asus VG236H in 60hz, the Asus holds the edge when set to 40.

Because the Trace Free setting is default to 60 which does produce the corona effect during fast camera pans and the VG236H shows ghosting in PixerPixAn I find it only fair to take off a half star. The Samsung S27A950D produced no ghosting in PixerPixAn when set to "Fastest," or during gaming at all and remains the speed king. The Asus is the 2nd fastest LCD monitor I have tested in both 60hz and 120hz and produces no ghosting whith Trace Free set to 40.

Input Lag

When operating @120hz and 100hz the Asus lagged behind a CRT by 2-3ms when measured with the SMT Tool which is currently the most accurate way of measuring input lag besides using an oscilloscope which currently only PRAD.de does.

Legend:
Blue=Suitable For ALL Enthusiast CRT & 120hz Users
Purple=Suitable For Some Enthusiast & ALL Regular Gamers
Orange=Not Suitable for Enthusiast Gamers & Some Regular Gamers
Red=Not Suitable for Enthusiast or Regular Gamers: CASUAL GAMERS ONLY

Asus PB278Q: 17ms
Dell S2740L: Negligible
Asus VG23AH: <8ms
CrossOver 2720MDP Gold: 11.6-13.6ms
Samsung S27A850D: 13.6ms
Samsung S23A700D: 12-13ms @120hz
BenQ XL2420T: 3ms @120hz
Asus VG236H: 3ms @120hz
Asus PA238Q: 2.2ms
Samsung S27A950D: 13ms @120hz

[NCX]

Calibrated Image Quality and Screen Uniformity

Just like always I will be calibrating the monitor to a brightness of 120cdm/2 while trying to achieve the industry standard color temperature of 6500k for a natural picture, a gamma value of 2.2 for realism and shadow detail and the lowest possible Delta E values to insure that the colors are accurate. It typically takes a few tries using different contrast, brightness and RGB settings to achieve the best possible contrast and color accuracy. The Asus VG236H was extremely easy to calibrate, I just had to turn down the brightness, raise the contrast and only lower the RGB values slightly to achieve good results.

As you can see everything is perfect except for the gamma value of 2.17, however spotting the difference between a value of 2.17 and 2.2 is impossible.

There is no banding on lagom after calibration, unsurprisingly the Asus delivers a near flawless picture (for a TN panel) after calibration, the main issue is the green tinted greys after calibration. While the HP 2509b I tested delivered slightly deeper blacks my Asus has no back-light bleeding and less gamma shift giving it the edge over the other TN panels I have tested.

Screen Uniformity vs IPS

Asus VG236H (TN) left vs Asus PA238Q (IPS) Right

Above is a picture of the back-lighting vs the Asus PA238Q which uses an IPS panel. As you can see there is no bleeding on my VG236H. Below is a picture of the measured brightness and color temperature from across the VG236H's screen. The biggest deviations in brightness were on the bottom of the screen, however the difference is impossible to see. Same goes for the color temperature, it remains stable across the entire screen with the biggest deviations on the bottom, which are not noticeable in practice.



Gamma shift on the VG236H is pretty normal for TN panels: it is neither exception for a TN nor un-remarkable. TN panels typically have a higher gamma on the top parts of screen which results in slightly darker colors along the top, the gamma value lowers going down the screen resulting in uneven vertical colours.

TN Gamma shift is very visible with full screen grey gradients and some light colors like oranges, beige and purples. It is visible in some photos compared to to CRT/IPS and VA panels but not in most movies and games.

The Asus does not suffer from any accentuated gamma shift, it's viewing angles are normal for a TN panel and it has excellent image quality before and after calibration apart from the green dominance (Alan Wake shows off the Asus's green tinted greys).

9/10 ratings and up are reserved for non-TN. The Asus VG236H looses a star since it uses a TN panel, and a star for the green tinged greys.

[NCX]

Consoles

The only fault I found with the Asus VG236H was its inability to display native 24p with the PS3 without screen tearing at the top part of the screen during camera pans. The Asus is the only monitor that I have used the PS3's native 24p mode with, so I can't doc points or draw comparison to the other monitors I have tested.

The Asus has two Overscan settings, by default mine was correctly set to full which does not cut off parts of the image while Overscan stretches the picture.



Consoles can only operate @60hz so the Asus yields no benefits over a normal 60hz monitor. The Asus does not support 3D via HDMI due to the lack of HDMI 1.4a which is disappointing, however only the 2011 120hz monitors currently support 1.4a so I can't dock points given the Asus's 2010 release. For a full list of Nvidia 3D monitors click this link

HDMI and DVI share the same OSD settings so you don't have to worry about using the right picture settings for different inputs like with Samsung monitors which have seperate color settings for the PC/AV modes. I recommend using the Scenery or Standard modes and setting the colors to Warm. Using the Trace Free 40 overdrive option will result in a 99 % ghosting free gaming experience; however when playing Rage I noticed some slight ghosting and used the Trace Free 60 setting to eliminate it. RAGE is the only console game I spotted ghosting in, so for other games use the Trace Free 40 setting other wise you will see some minor corona effect on dark colors (shield forming around fast moving objects or during camera pans around objects).

Blu-Rays, HD-DVD's and gaming on both my PS3+Xbox 360 are handled flawlessly except for native 24p Blu-Ray play back on the PS3 on the VG236H. One has to wonder though, is the Asus VG236H worth the price for strictly console gaming? My answer would be yes if you want to buy a glossy monitor without ghosting since the only other options are the HP 2509B/2511x/2711x which all have slower response times. If you are not a hardcore gamer used to CRT's and plasma's for gaming I would not recommend the Asus strictly for console gaming. As an all-around monitor for console and PC use the Asus is worth every penny thanks to its fast response time, good contrast and good color presets.

If you want to play 3D games on consoles look at the Acer GN245HQ (matte, Nvidia 3D), Samsung S7D and S9D series (ultra-clear panel, AMD Tri-Def 3D) and upcoming Asus VG278H (matte, Nvidia 3D).

[NCX]

3D and Conclusion & Settings

There is no time for a siesta in 3D with the Asus VG236H, only time for incredible colors, better immersion and image depth depending on the game.



Above I have posted the 3D mode color settings. The Asus produced a far better 3D picture than the Samsung S27A950D I tested.

It seems Asus carefully calibrated the VG236H for 3D to provide a very accurate image rather than a over saturated one. Due to the low default brightness the Asus is a bit to dim during very dark scenes in games since the brightness is around 225cdm/2 by default. The default brightness was fine in all of the movies I watched, including Priest and Fright Night which have many very dark scenes.

So, despite the low default brightness and contrast image never appears dull and details were never obscured. I should specify where I found the deault brightness to be a problem, it was only during the "Of Their Own Accord," mission in Call of Duty MW2. During my many trips to Black Ops "Moon," and the haunted mansion the default brightness was never an issue.

When operating in 3D mode all of the OSD image settings are locked except for the Contrast setting which is set to 66 by default. I recommend turning up the contrast to around 92 for brighter images. Turning up the contrast lowers the average gamma value, however it is not lowered enough to result in a washed out image. In fact, other than the higher perceived brightness the image quality remained nearly indistinguishable from the default settings. Once I set the contrast above 92 I observed some very noticeable banding in bright scenes during games.

The Asus VG236H's default 3D settings produced a far more natural picture than the Samsung S27A950D I reviewed. Thanks to the nearly perfect colors in 3D, high contrast and glossy screen the VG236H produces a natural, lush and clear picture for both 2D and 3D use. Whites and light colors look amazing thanks to the Glossy screen rather than the grainy picture a matte panel will produce.

Setting up the 3D vision kit has been covered in many of the reviews I provided links to in my first Review post, I will mainly be focusing on my observations and the highs+lows of my gaming experience. Here is a list of all the 3D games I have played:

Bad Company 2
Bulletstorm
Borderlands
Call of Duty Black Ops
Demigod
Dirt 2
F.E.A.R. 2
Half-Life 2
Left 4 Dead 2
Lost Planet 2
Mass Effect 2
Orcs Must Die

Sorry, I did not play Crysis 2 since I still have not beaten Crysis 1 despite owning it since 2007 and buying Warhead on launch, yes I fail.

I own the following 3D Blu-Rays:

Thor 3D
Resident Evil: After Life 3D
Priest 3D
Captain America 3D
Fright Night 3D



I used CyberLink Power DVD 10+11 for 3D play back. Here is one of the best 3D moments from Priest 3D, I took this picture through the right lense of the 3D glasses. The picture is not super color or detail accurate due to the limitations of my camera.



I zoomed in to display some cross-talk in a high contrast scene.


Actual scene:


In order to capture the image properly I had to sit further back so the cross-talk does not appear to be that noticeable, but it is. However the cross-talk is not really annoying given how much better other parts and how amazing the added depth looks in some scenes in films.

Even 2D-3D converted films like Captain America and Thor have some really amazing looking scenes and in my opinion are definitely worth buying, even just to watch on a 23" monitor. My Asus has nearly perfect color accuracy in the 3D mode which makes 3D movies an improved viewing experience compared to the Samsung S27A950D I tested which had poor 3D mode colors.

From my limited 3D movie experience most films seemed to be relatively cross-talk free. Some scenes showed cross-talk (typically scenes with high contrast blues and light colors) which is noticeable but I did not find it annoying since it was pretty rare and the overall experience is well worth dealing with some cross-talk.

At this point there are no cross-talk free 3D LCD or Plasma displays and the Asus VG236H is currently the only glossy Nvidia 3D display. According to 3D Vision Blog the matte Planar SA2311W shows less cross-talk.

http://3dvision-blog.com/review-of-t...y-lcd-monitor/

Settings

ICC Profile

Scroll past the profile chart for ICC profile installation instructions:

http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/articles/icc_profiles.htm

Standard Mode

Brightnesss 36
Contrast 80

Red 100
Green 90
Blue 89

[Oofloom]

Much thanx for your reviews, NCX. It's been hell trying to find a monitor that I'm happy with, but your posts have made it a lot easier.

[MASKOAA]

Level 40 for trace free seems to be good if you can get super high framerates like 100-120 but for certain games that you can't or are locked at 60fps I put it at 60 for trace free b/c I seem to notice a slight stutter when set to 40 in a 60fps game and the refresh rate locked at 100. Might be a combination of those things though.

[secondsight]

My asus seems to have pretty bad gradient banding which leads to blocky colours in dark places when playing games. I had it replaced by amazon but this monitor does the same thing.