Radeon Digital Output 2D Quality

[JJ Lee]

I have an ATI Radeon X850 Pro driving both an NEC 19" and a Dell 24" LCDs. I
prefer the text quality of the analog output to that of the digital output.
Black text looks real black through the analog output. Although the text
looks sharper through the digital output, black looks more like grey through
the digital output.

My question is, "Is it just me or is it the way it is?"

 

[First of One]

Do you see the same effect if you swap the two LCDs? That is, does the DVI
output always give a grayer shade regardless of which monitor is connected?

 

[JJ Lee]

It's a grayer shade. Black text doesn't look black on either LCD thru the
digital output.

 

[William]

First, are the two monitors similar in contrast ratio? 800/1 verses 500/1?
Even though the 'brightness' might be the same, the contrast ration will
make a big difference in black level.

That aside, the black looks better on the analogue monitor because of the
response time. The analogue one spends more time lighting each pixel, on or
off, therefore the more time to saturate the black, or color, or white. The
digital is faster, less time, sharper, more responsive.

I run into this on my two monitors, one is slow, and one is fast on
response. The slow one is better on text, while the fast one is best on
graphics and movies. The black level is deeper on the slower one. The video
is better on the fast one.

William

 

[JJ Lee]

You are the man! Regardless of the analog of digital outputs, text looks
much better on my NEC 19" LCD, which has a 25ms response time than on my
Dell 24", which has a 8ms response time. However, when it comes to graphics,
the Dell beats the NEC.