Widescreen Gaming Forum

Color variations in a TripleHead2Go Setup

I just setup TripleHead2Go with 3 brand new 19 inch LG L1970HR monitors. Each monitor has a different color cast associated with it even though they are all identical. I’ve never worked with multiple identical monitors before and I was wondering if this is common or whether there’s something wrong with these monitors and I should return them. All tests were done in a controlled lighting environment and only after the monitors had been on for an hour or more. The angle of view was also constant.

I use a neutral gray desktop for the array and the 3 desktops are very different looking. One has a purplish cast, the next has a greenish cast, and the third has a bluish cast. The TH2G device has nothing to do with this. If I hook up any two of the monitors to my 2 head nVidia 9750 GT videocard the same disparities exist. Each of the monitors is running at its default settings and no videocard color adjustments are being applied.

I visually calibrated each of the 3 monitors using my Apple 30 inch Cinema Display as a reference. It took some time but I eventually got all 3 desktops closely matching the Apple and each other, having to use a different set of brightness, contrast, and color settings for each one. Once I had the desktops looking alike, I then set up a flight in FSX with TH2G and applied some nVidia color correction settings as some final tweaks.

Is this just par for the course when trying to use 3 monitors or is there something wrong here? If I should get different monitors, recommendatiolns would be appreciated.

Thanks, Robert

Every monitor is slightly different.

Thats why no one tells you what you should put your monitor's settings at since they are all different.

AFAIK this is normal. I think you're pretty lucky that you were able to get everything looking the same. If you're happy with what you've achieved I wouldn't worry about it.

19 inch LG L1970HR monitors.

That is a tribute of low price tn panel who vary in their visual quality...

Starfighter, I don't think these were so cheap - US$330 each. In your opinion, what do you have to spend to get uniformity - and what monitors would you recommend if I were to switch to new ones?

Thanks, Robert

I actually have gone thru 5 LG19" monitors to come up with three that i could match up close enough to go with.

Paddy and other Parhelia user's will remember this...
when you first installed a Parhelia card there was a calibration util that showed colours on two monitors to match (mon1, mon2) then (mon2, mon3) and at the end of it you had calibrated your black, white, tints etc etc it was spot on, but TH2G doesnt have it?

wonder which of you genius coding types can pull the Parhelia util apart and get it on WSGF for us TH2G user's to use....

think it could be something to do with Parhelia knowing there was 3 monitors in streched mode and TH2G just see's one monitor input?
It's all smoke and mirrors to me.

or just a thought, what about a test pattern type jpeg to set your colours and black white etc using the monitors controls then move it to the next monitor then the next?

like they have in nvidia config that has a white box with a colour in the middle you adjust your contrast brightness to and then do the same with red, green, blue adjusting the monitor until the inner and outer of the box show the same colour...
come on there must be someone that can do it... Paddy?

I have no idea how to "pull the Parhelia util apart" ... and haven't really thought about doing this ...
I usually just put up a picture as my wallpaper and then tweak each monitor until they are all about the same.

tarfighter, I don't think these were so cheap - US$330 each. In your opinion, what do you have to spend to get uniformity - and what monitors would you recommend if I were to switch to new ones?

1. it is a tn panel that varies in its color quality from model to model.
2. it is a cheap panel in a design bezel that makes to lcd more expensive.

I would recommend pva panels for 430 there is the eizo 1931, I had the opportunity to compare 2 and they had the same subjective picture (color) quality.
Other cheaper VA panels like benq 91gp and acer are also recommendable but there is difference in their background lightning which is annoying.

"all about the same"?

Having seen some of the stuff you have done Paddy your "all about the same" means +/- 0.000000000001% hahahahahaha

You have an eye for colour so yours would be spot on, the rest of us mortals need a calibration pattern or util.

:lol: ...

Most calibration tools require you to use your eyes and adjust your monitor/s to a graphic of some sort ...
Not really any diffrent to putting the same picture on each monitor and adjusting so they are all the same ...

Anyway ... I just dug out my old Parhelia disk and the software for calibrating your monitors was Coloreal.
I'll send Matrox an email to ask if it would work for TH2G users ...

From the readme ...

Coloreal Visual
===============

Path Product
---- -------
Coloreal Coloreal Visual

Use this program to fine-tune your monitor's color balance to
match other monitors and color printers, or to compensate for
different lighting conditions. For more information, see the
documentation included with this program.

Supports: Windows 2000/XP and NT 4.0

Hey All,

The Coloreal app that came with the original Parhelia card was a 1yr contract. After that we no longer supplied it on our CD’s. (I think that the company also went belly up, but I am not 100% sure about that) It was locked to work with the Parhelia only (or was supposed to be) so I am not sure if it would work with the TH2Go since the video card itself is not Matrox.

I have not tried it here at all.

yep thats it Paddy, I remember it now... my set-up is off enough to niggle me when I see the slight change from one monitor to the next but not enough to start opening the window to throw something out...

Mine is noticable on start-up where the 3 are not the same black, but I know if I start playing about with the black there is a knock on effect with everything else, and you end up chasing your tail for hours trying to match everything and end up pressing the re-call button.

It is weird that Matrox didnt give us some sort of calibration util, It was a given that people would need to calibrate the 3 monitors?

For the money they saved from closing their forum they could have paid someone to make one. :roll:

Yeah all monitors vary from each one. Look at the dell 24"ers you could line up 5 of them in a row when they first came out

1 would have horrible backlight others would be find
1 would have horrible banding others would be fine
1 would have horrible ghosting and others would be fine
2 would have other issues such as stuck pixels

Just trying to put it in perspective that not all will be the same

Environmental causes such as the temperature and other things when they were made might cause it too

@ Richie ... thanks for the heads-up ... 8)
I wonder ... is this the same company ... with an updated programme ? ... http://www.ortery.com/colorealpro/colorealpro.asp
I can't see anyway (on the site) that you could download it or buy it ... :?

@ andybris ...

... and you end up chasing your tail for hours trying to match everything and end up pressing the re-call button.

Yeah ... been there ... :lol:
Although these days it doesn't seem to be such a problem for me ... maybe I have mastered my screens controls ... :lol:

@ packerfan ... I know what you are saying but my Dell 24" screens have ... remarkably ... been pretty close and no dead pixels ... :D
This is not the case with my Dell 20" screens ... although there are no dead pixels their colours are quite different and the viewing angles is no where near as good as the 24" screens ... :(

There is some FREE monitor calibration software here ... http://www.hex2bit.com/products/product_mcw.asp
I don't know if it is any good as I haven't tried it.

Perhaps I don't have the delicate eye that you guys do. I bought 3 brand new Hanns-G monitors for my TH2G. All three of them are spot on for color. Sometimes I notice a slight difference in brightness but I chalk that up to just a different angle, as when I move my head a little it come into line.

bought 3 brand new Hanns-G monitors for my TH2G. All three of them are spot on for color.

Which one did you buy?
Are you satisfied?

Hanns·G JC-199DPB Black 19" 8ms

I was pretty happy with them. There was one monitor that had a stuck pixel, but with some continued rubbing, I was able to get it going again.

The only downside I have noticed is that with a few darker colors. I can bearly see vertical lines. Annoying, but since I only see it for a few colors its fine (I only notice it with the steam color scheme).

I was mainly going for a cheap monitor with 8ms refresh rate or better. I was able to find a good rebate for them during the holiday season. Newegg for $180 or there is one from tiger direct that has 5ms.

ut with some continued rubbing, I was able to get it going again.

I have never heard of that kind of trick :)

The only downside I have noticed is that with a few darker colors.

Yes, if it is going dark, the cheap lcds cannot compensate their price related disadvantages.

Fixing a stuck pixel is possible, its not 100% guaranteed though.

In my case I had a blue pixel, would rub it out, then after the monitor would turn off/hibernate, it would come back, I would rub it out. This cycle continued for a couple of weeks, each time it would take a little longer to go away. I was getting close to just giving up, but every time I saw it and it bugged me I would get rub it out again. Finally one time I did it, it flickered for a long time, then went away and has stayed gone ever since (late January).