Dell U2410 24" IPS Professional Monitor

Gecko · Post by **Gecko** » 18 Nov 2009, 18:00

LP2475w apparently has the same tint issues as the U2410 - same LG panel.

So while it may not have the dithering, it could have the tint thing. So not really keen to jump into that.

I'm actually looking at a 26" Viewsonic at the moment. Looks interesting...no real info on the net, I'm guessing it is too niche/expensive.

However, it has great specs and Viewsonic has produced solid monitors. This is also a 1920x1200 IPS with a 5ms GTG response time.

Gecko · Post by **Gecko** » 19 Nov 2009, 21:20

I posted about this on HardForum as well. I bought a Spyder 3 Pro and calibrated the monitor. This made a HUGE difference, particularly with the Standard preset. A significant change. Also helped the RGB modes.

Here are the results:

1. Standard mode - brightness and contrast are perfect. Blacks deeper, everything sharper, text perfect. Colors balanced. A white screen before calibration had a slight pink tint to it (whole screen). It is now as white as I can imagine white can get. Since this is a wide gamut mode, the colors are still somewhat saturated, but I imagine the video card saturation could help dial this down. Bottom line is that this mode can be used for gaming and office tasks after calibration. Prior to it, I couldn't even use it.

2. Adobe and sRGB modes - didn't alter the colors as dramatically as with Standard, but still an easily visible difference. Everything is sharper, contrast perfect and text is razor clear. I don't know if the software touches sharpness, or whether it is simply better balanced contrast but text definitely looks better. Deeper blacks as well. Didn't fix the dithering, but that is to be expected. It does appear less noticeable however.

3. Adobe Photoshop - Photoshop has stopped telling me my default monitor profile is incorrect each time I start it. :wink:

4. Windows Vista Photo Gallery - prior to calibration, and in all modes, my Windows Vista Photo Gallery showed a very strong green tint across the photo viewing area (not the whole screen). This is directly related to the Photo Gallery in Windows and a wide gamut monitor. It meant I couldn't view photos in the Gallery, which was annoying. This has been fixed in all modes. I'm assuming it is the addition of the .icm profile generated by the software, but in any case pictures (and the background) now look perfect.

So...it seems I am back to loving this monitor again. :D I'm not sure if I'll even bother exchanging it for the new firmware, the calibration helped that much.

With a monitor this highly spec'd, I'm almost wondering if it is MEANT to be user-calibrated. There is obviously so much it is capable of, and so many variables to tweak - a factory default is bound to be off.

It should be recommended that all professional monitors be calibrated with a tool and software. Maybe it is and I just missed it, but Dell should pass the message along.

I'm wondering how many green/pink tint issues could be alleviated with a calibration and an accordingly correct .icm profile? If, as Dell is claiming, all shipped monitors fall within spec, perhaps a calibration and profile are all that is required to get them looking proper? Maybe some have legitimate issues, but I'm now wondering if many just need calibration.

Anprionsa · Post by **Anprionsa** » 19 Nov 2009, 22:10

I got one of the u2410 and I know that I am going to return it just because of 2 dark spots in the middle of the monitor (only noticeable on a plain white background) but I will not send it in till they have the update. Hope it is soon.

Guess I will have to check out that calibrating stuff when I get it back.

Anprionsa · Post by **Anprionsa** » 19 Nov 2009, 22:17

Also I might go with the Eye One 2, instead of spyder. It has gotten much better reviews and reception, and calibrates luminance .

YouTube · Post by **ViciousXUSMC** » 19 Nov 2009, 22:40

So somebody else can see the spots besides me. I cant really see mine unless i pan my head or drag a white screen across it and watch how it darkens are certain spots.

So we have tint issues
A bad grain
Dithering Issues
Dark Spots

..... and in my case horrible customer support as well.

Gecko · Post by **Gecko** » 04 Dec 2009, 15:49

Just to let you U2410 owners know the firmware fix for the dithering has been implemented and all monitors leaving Dell as of Nov.20 have been fixed. Apparently we can do an exchange for an updated monitor.

Thread here - http://en.community.dell.com/forums/t/19307543.aspx

YouTube · Post by **ViciousXUSMC** » 04 Dec 2009, 16:27

Just to let you U2410 owners know the firmware fix for the dithering has been implemented and all monitors leaving Dell as of Nov.20 have been fixed. Apparently we can do an exchange for an updated monitor.

Thread here - http://en.community.dell.com/forums/t/19307543.aspx

Shame, I cant bear the thought of sending in my matched set and having to deal with the color matching and tint issues again.

If they would just give me the same 3 back I would do it (and it only makes sense to do that in a way so people get back there own monitors for sake of good and bad)

Gecko · Post by **Gecko** » 04 Dec 2009, 16:36

[quote]Just to let you U2410 owners know the firmware fix for the dithering has been implemented and all monitors leaving Dell as of Nov.20 have been fixed. Apparently we can do an exchange for an updated monitor.

Thread here - http://en.community.dell.com/forums/t/19307543.aspx

Shame, I cant bear the thought of sending in my matched set and having to deal with the color matching and tint issues again.

If they would just give me the same 3 back I would do it (and it only makes sense to do that in a way so people get back there own monitors for sake of good and bad)

Yeah, I hear you. That could be a whole other nightmare. The dithering is pretty minor.

I can understand for Dell the hassle of trying to match returned monitors, just not efficient on their end.

I have to say, I've been impressed with Dell's customer service, if not their actual products. :wink:

My replacement is on the way, just got off the phone with them. They were very polite and no hassles. I will be able to examine the new one before I send my current one back, so if it isn't up to scratch back it goes.

The Dell rep on the Dell Forums (Chris M) was also very helpful and his replies to me were immediate.

So kudos to Dell for fixing the issue quickly and for setting up an easy exchange.

YouTube · Post by **ViciousXUSMC** » 04 Dec 2009, 20:23

I still never once even got to speak with somebody that didnt have a harsh Indian accent. I couldnt understand hardly a word anybody said and they the same of me. I always get the outsourced call center. Thats what made it so bad for me, and they just transferred me over and over and over and over and over. It was without a doubt the worst customer service I ever had in my whole life period.

And not once but BOTH of my returns they failed to include the return label with the replacement monitor like they said they would so I had to go out of my way both times to get somebody and try to explain the situation to them and try to get a return label just so I could send back the defective monitors back to Dell.

Gecko · Post by **Gecko** » 04 Dec 2009, 20:31

Lol, that's crappy. I started off each call with an Indian call centre, but was quickly transferred to a US/Canadian rep. Maybe it's a Canada thing? i.e. we get Canadian reps? Either way, all have been very polite and courteous. The last one was even curious about the whole RGB dithering thing and I explained it to her, she agreed on the exchange. :wink:

YouTube · Post by **ViciousXUSMC** » 04 Dec 2009, 22:23

Lol, that's crappy. I started off each call with an Indian call centre, but was quickly transferred to a US/Canadian rep. Maybe it's a Canada thing? i.e. we get Canadian reps? Either way, all have been very polite and courteous. The last one was even curious about the whole RGB dithering thing and I explained it to her, she agreed on the exchange. :wink:

gah ::facepalm:: well I am glad it worked out well for you. I have no clue what was the source of my troubles. I just never want to do it again. I will never get a dell product unless there is no other valid option from here forward, if anybody from Dell ever gets wind of my experience I hope they can understand why customer service is so important and please fill me in on the details on why I was never able to speak with anybody from my region even after the 70+ transfers in the middle of the day in normal business hours.

cmay119 · Post by **cmay119** » 09 Dec 2009, 07:32

So what's the general consensus on this monitor, fellas? I've been reading about the Green/Pink Tint issue. How noticeable is it? My primary use is gaming, but I don't want to be stuck with a monitor that's going to bug the hell outta me when I should be enjoying the game instead.

I'm currently using a Gateway FHD2401. Horrible back-light bleeding on my display (has gotten worse with age), though it's definitely fast enough to keep up when I'm gaming. Will I notice any input lag/ghosting coming from a TN panel to this? I mostly play first-person shooters.

The price on this monitor is nice, and Dells customer service for replacements seems pretty decent. I want to make certain I get one that has taken care of the dithering issue before pulling the trigger, but mainly this pink/green tint has me worried.

Any help you guys can provide would be much appreciated. :D

Gecko · Post by **Gecko** » 09 Dec 2009, 21:34

@cmay119 -

I'm going to write a review for this monitor for this site when, and if, I receive a suitable flashed version from Dell fixing the RGB mode dithering issue. It could be a long review. :D

In the interim, the short answer is that for $500 you can get an excellent IPS 24" monitor provided you avoid two issues.

The Two Issues

1 - RGB mode dithering
2 - green/pink tint

How to avoid The Two Issues

Of the three new monitors I received, none had a pronounced or particularly noticeable tint. If you really, really (and I mean really) got picky perhaps there is a slight pink tint at the edges, but it is negligible. I did received a *supposedly* upgraded refurbed replacement monitor from Dell, however it was not actually updated and it had a horrible pink and green tint on a white background. I would never accept such a monitor, it's ridiculous that Dell can present one like that with a straight face, so to speak. Based on this refurb sample, I can say that the new monitors I received did not have any tint in comparison. This refurb was obviously a poor quality unit.

So my advice would be to wait about a week or so to buy. Dell has confirmed that the newest monitors are indeed Rev A01, and that the RGB mode dithering has been fixed. I would buy direct from Dell and bargain them down under $500 if it is not already on sale. You want to be sure to get an A01 out of the gate.

If it arrives and there is no green/pink tint, you are good to go!

If you do get a monitor with green/pink tint, immediately contact Dell and ask for an exchange due to a bright pixel defect. They won't warranty the green/pink tint issue, only pixel defects. Normally I'm a straight shooter and don't like being sneaky about things, but when a company starts things off playing games, you'd be a fool not to follow suit in order to get the product you paid good money for, IMO.

So if you get an A01 without any tint, and in a week or two I'd say the chances of doing so are excellent indeed - you will have a beautiful 24" IPS screen to enjoy.

There is absolutely no lag at all with this monitor, at least none that I can detect without the use of stopwatches and cameras and other silly paraphenalia that would be used to post a message on a forum about some ridiculously small amount of time that will not make any noticeable difference to a gaming situation, unless you have been hired by the Government of Japan to compete for the country's pride in a CS:Source Tournament wearing only hentai underpants.

Can you tell I am of the opinion that the input lag aspect of current monitors is being vastly overinflated? I briefly had a Samsung TN panel before this one and on several games, there was absolutely no difference in terms of lag that I could perceive.

Good luck!

Gecko · Post by **Gecko** » 09 Dec 2009, 21:48

[quote]Lol, that's crappy. I started off each call with an Indian call centre, but was quickly transferred to a US/Canadian rep. Maybe it's a Canada thing? i.e. we get Canadian reps? Either way, all have been very polite and courteous. The last one was even curious about the whole RGB dithering thing and I explained it to her, she agreed on the exchange. :wink:

gah ::facepalm:: well I am glad it worked out well for you. I have no clue what was the source of my troubles. I just never want to do it again. I will never get a dell product unless there is no other valid option from here forward, if anybody from Dell ever gets wind of my experience I hope they can understand why customer service is so important and please fill me in on the details on why I was never able to speak with anybody from my region even after the 70+ transfers in the middle of the day in normal business hours.

Don't be too glad lol...got the replacement and it's the worst one yet! A refurb, not flashed, still has the RGB dithering and brutal tint issues. Horrible green and pink tints on a white screen.

So back it went and I think I will wait a month or so now before trying again. :wink:

cmay119 · Post by **cmay119** » 10 Dec 2009, 04:26

Gecko, thank you for the answer. I think I'll take your advice and wait a week or two before ordering and will pick one up around Christmas. Hopefully, dell will be running some better deals at that time as well. I'm really looking to find that monitor I'm going to stick with for a long time. I've only had this Gateway for a little more than a year and I'm ready to call it quits. TN panels don't bother me too much, because I'm not doing tasks that are really geared towards proper color reproduction. Back-light bleeding of this magnitude however is unacceptable.

I was the idiot who bought the extended warranty @ Best Buy where I purchased this monitor. They said that if this monitor goes bad I can return it for a monitor of equal value at the store. Well I paid a little over $300 for the screen, and all they have in store any longer are even worse quality 16:9 TN panels for quite a bit less money (I doubt they'd refund me the difference or even offer a refund in general after this long).

I've been watching videos on Youtube of this monitor with gaming and I couldn't notice any input lag or ghosting either. So I'm definitely sold there. Just really nervous about playing the green/pink tint lottery. Though I'll definitely do what you said if I happen to run into that issue as well.

Thanks again. :D

Anprionsa · Post by **Anprionsa** » 12 Dec 2009, 08:16

My thoughts are that I have had no problems with the monitor, looks great for me! My 2nd is on its way and the third should follow soon after.

fabhpk · Post by **fabhpk** » 15 Apr 2010, 15:16

Guys, I´m itching to order a U2410. On the other hand this green/pinkish tint issue is really scary. In my country one of those is worth a astonishing one thousand dollars...

Apparently the A01 firmware corrected the dithering issue, but not the tint one. Is that correct?

I read a thread about the green/pinkish issue on a official Dell forum and their position about the subject sucks. :twisted: Basically, from what I´ve read, they say the issue is within specifications. Not quite attractive for a piece of equipment whose color fidelity is supposed to be great...

WaveZtream · Post by **WaveZtream** » 16 Apr 2010, 16:59

Well some A00 are the same as the A01. Since I am one of them where the firmware on my A00 is the same as the A01 even tho on the monitor itself says A00. But again you might be super unlucky to get a bad version of the A00. I ordered 3x U2410 same time and they are all good both color and dithering. And the manufacturing number are after each other as well.

fabhpk · Post by **fabhpk** » 17 Apr 2010, 16:57

Do you know where were they manufactured?

fabhpk · Post by **fabhpk** » 19 Apr 2010, 05:15

Actually I was thinking nonsense: as if maybe the tint issue could be specific or at least more prevalent in one or another manufactory plant.

But as the problem´s origin is the LG panel, it doesn´t really matter where the monitor was manufactured...

By the way, it appears that the "tainted" panel is shared with several other monitors.

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