I hate monitor OSD's

[microsoft windows]

It's such a pain to adjust even the brightness on most monitors today with these stupid, hard-to-use menus with cryptic symbols. Anybody else hate OSD's?

It's so much better with the old monitors where you just turn the brightness knob. I wish they'd just do that today.

[a_fluffy_kitten]

I just turn the brightness up full blast the first time, and then squint as necessary.

[Oqsy]

For once I agree with MSW.  OSD controls are the worst.

[keyb_gr]

There are good OSDs and bad OSDs, as always. Skimping on buttons usually doesn't help usability. If there is no way of adjusting the brightness without explicitly entering the menu, it's bad design.

(Apart from this, automatic brightness adjustment depending on ambient lighting is the best. Typically found in premium office monitors from Eizo, NEC and the like.)

I remember a Dell E192fp or somesuch (BenQ OEM, I think) as having rather unpleasant OSD navigation. By contrast, my Samsung 191T has never been problematic. Obviously one was a "modern-day" TN cheapie and the other one still cost me a pretty penny back in the day.

To sum it up: You get what you pay for. (Or what the original owner paid for, at least...)

[microsoft windows]

It was actually my crappiest monitor that had the best OSD: No OSD at all! Just knobs to adjust the settings easily and quickly with no hassle.

[Rajagra]

Yes, OSDs are functionally inferior to direct analogue controls.

But at least that is an incentive to get your settings right and control the environmental lighting.

[instantkamera]

You are forgetting why OSDs exist. They allow for a far greater level of adjustment than analogue controls and, they are far more precise. One cannot have a button or knob for every feature (especially advanced colour settings). One cannot be precise with measurements (say, setting brightness at 46%) with a dial.

[Co-Op]

I like the crappy buttons on the side of the monitor that you can't see so you end up hitting the wrong ones and accidentally reverting to default settings.

[microsoft windows]

You are forgetting why OSDs exist. They allow for a far greater level of adjustment than analogue controls and, they are far more precise. One cannot have a button or knob for every feature (especially advanced colour settings). One cannot be precise with measurements (say, setting brightness at 46%) with a dial.

But who cares what number the brightness is? With knobs, you can just adjust the brightness till it suits your eyes. With things like that, there's no need for ultra-precise adjustment.

[Arc'xer]

But who cares what number the brightness is? With knobs, you can just adjust the brightness till it suits your eyes. With things like that, there's no need for ultra-precise adjustment.

Unfortunately your eyes lie to you and in most cases people aren't even seeing the true color. Ultra-precise calibration is what is needed. And for the brightness well that's an entire different subject matter but most who calibrate properly suggest 110-125(seems like 120 is usually the most common) cd/m2 with 6500K white point. Besides you don't want the brightness too high or else it starts washing out and causing eye strain and in some cases black crush.

Unfortunately, seems like most monitors only save the calibration on the windows profile or calibration tool program and don't really save it within their own "brain" so to speak. Unless it's probably a professional display.

I've always been wanting to calibrate my monitor. Not just because of accuracy but because of contrast/brightness, sit there fiddling with the OSD and GPU controls and even after spending hours it's never right.

[nanu]

It'd be cool to be able to change monitor settings through software but then we'd have all kinds of new malware. Actually, I just want to be able to adjust monitor settings directly instead of OS-level or video card output, because it'd look better that way.

[Arc'xer]

It'd be cool to be able to change monitor settings through software but then we'd have all kinds of new malware. Actually, I just want to be able to adjust monitor settings directly instead of OS-level or video card output, because it'd look better that way.

LUT (Look Up Table - a table used to translate input values to output values).

The NEC 2490 does not need a computer to maintain calibrated settings. Therefore calibrated setting are applicable to external devices (blu-ray player, PS3). Each input "remembers" its own assignment.

Wish more monitors included Built-in LUTs but I doubt we'd see that much on the consumer market and more so affordable.

[kps]

You are forgetting why OSDs exist. They allow for a far greater level of adjustment than analogue controls and, they are far more precise. One cannot have a button or knob for every feature (especially advanced colour settings). One cannot be precise with measurements (say, setting brightness at 46%) with a dial.

Rotary encoders offer both; unfortunately, they would raise the production cost of a monitor by 25¢.

[Rajagra]

As well as the cost of fitting in extra controls (and any cost is too high once the bean counters get involved) every extra control is another point of failure which will affect longevity and customer satisfaction. So OSDs and their ilk are here to stay.

[instantkamera]

But who cares what number the brightness is? With knobs, you can just adjust the brightness till it suits your eyes. With things like that, there's no need for ultra-precise adjustment.

If I calibrate and profile my monitor properly, I dont want people ****ing with my settings. An OSD that will tell me precisely what a given setting is. Turning a dial without any feedback is too arbitrary. Which is better:

Brightness is set to 46%

or

Brightness is two medium turns away from full

?

Rotary encoders offer both; unfortunately, they would raise the production cost of a monitor by 25¢.

Both what? No matter what type of control you use for a given setting, you still need to feedback WHAT setting you are manipulating, and WHAT the value is. How else do you do that (easily) but with an OSD? Again, you cant have a button for every single function on today's displays. Simple solution is to use the same adjustment controls (buttons OR knobs) to adjust everything, and use an OSD to feedback to the user. Not ****ing rocket science.

[Scarzy]

My brightness on my Dell P991 is outrageously high I think, but i'm not really sure how to get the 'best from it'. Any pointers MWS? I'll find out the settings when i'm home, i'm not really sure how this works, I just make sure I can see everything and leave it at that.

[itlnstln]

Use SMPTE bars.  It's not perfect (unless you really know how to use them), but it'll get you close.  It works well for a quick and fairly accurate calibration.  I use it a lot for brightness and contrast.  Color, too, in a pinch, but I have better calibration tools for that.

Note:  This works better for TVs and CRTs than LCD computer monitors due to some technology differences.

[itlnstln]

Why do you ask?  It doesn't look like you have any problems finding them.

[Scarzy]

Ah i see, thanks

[kps]

It'd be cool to be able to change monitor settings through software but then we'd have all kinds of new malware. Actually, I just want to be able to adjust monitor settings directly instead of OS-level or video card output, because it'd look better that way.

This is actually possible through DDC, though the extent to which it's useful varies between monitors. So it is possible, in principle, to have different monitor settings loaded automatically for different users and applications.

Both what? No matter what type of control you use for a given setting, you still need to feedback WHAT setting you are manipulating, and WHAT the value is. How else do you do that (easily) but with an OSD?

Both the precision of a digital control and the usability of a dial.

The problem is not with OSDs as such, but, as the OP said, "these stupid, hard-to-use menus".

[microsoft windows]

Like I've said before: What difference does 1 or 2% brightness mean?

[itlnstln]

Like I've said before: What difference does 1 or 2% brightness mean?

The difference between black and grey.

[microsoft windows]

The difference between black and grey.

Not with your crappy LCD monitors.

[itlnstln]

Well, the difference between really dark grey and unacceptably grey.  That said, black levels on LCDs are a lot better these days, especially when LED backlit with localized dimming.

[Rajagra]

you still need to feedback WHAT setting you are manipulating, and WHAT the value is. How else do you do that (easily) but with an OSD?

Seemed easy enough in the old days:



Stick a vernier gauge on that sucker and you can be accurate to 0.1%.

I refuse to use any OSD that won't let me set the brightness to 110%.

[itlnstln]

That's actually the only time I miss them.  Digital volume controls suck ass.  The level I want to listed at is always between one level and the next.

[itlnstln]

My Yamaha receiver has a pretty good digital volume control, and (oddly enough) the iPod isn't too bad, either.  I can't say the same for other electronics, though.

[instantkamera]

Seemed easy enough in the old days:

Yes, but the minute a knob (or button, or any control) is labelled, you loose it's multi-functionality. Again, my argument for OSDs is that we have a far GREATER level of control/adjustment and feedback/info attainable from a modern display, and this necessitates a (well designed) OSD. Not all are, but I would rather have one than not. Im not arguing against a knob, Im saying I dont need TEN on my monitor, thanks.

[Rajagra]

Yes, but the minute a knob (or button, or any control) is labelled, you loose it's multi-functionality. Again, my argument for OSDs is that we have a far GREATER level of control/adjustment and feedback/info attainable from a modern display, and this necessitates a (well designed) OSD. Not all are, but I would rather have one than not. Im not arguing against a knob, Im saying I dont need TEN on my monitor, thanks.

How about one knob to select a function, and another to change the setting? Couldn't be a simple potentiometer, but something like a scroll wheel would do it. In fact a single, clickable scroll wheel could replace the main controls on my Dell 2405 screen (+, - and Enter).

It's the crappy, non-responsive buttons I hate.

[instantkamera]

How about one knob to select a function, and another to change the setting? Couldn't be a simple potentiometer, but something like a scroll wheel would do it. In fact a single, clickable scroll wheel could replace the main controls on my Dell 2405 screen (+, - and Enter).

It's the crappy, non-responsive buttons I hate.

there are knobs that work with OSDs, Im not arguing against knobs (I could car less WHAT control I use, I just dont want 10 of them on my bezel). Anyway, in the "function - setting" two-knob model, how do I know what the previous value of a given function is? This setup would work great WITH an OSD to feedback the function and value.

[whininggit]

I prefer OSDs that keep things simple - up and down to select the item, left and right to change the item's value. Most monitors these days seem to have things grouped, which means fumbling for two more buttons - one to enter the submenu and another to come back out.

As for DDC-based control, this is great, assuming the manufacturers don't screw it up. My Dell 2407WFP-HC can be controlled via software, but they've messed up the brightness scale, so 0% in the software equals 30% on the monitor itself. 30% is already too bright (I keep it at between 10 and 20% unless it's really sunny outside), so the software control is useless to me.

And why can't we just have input selectors. Again, my Dell monitor cycles VGA->DVI->Component->Composite-SVideo. I only use DVI (for the PC) and VGA (for the Xbox 360) but I have to cycle through every one to get back to VGA after using DVI. I know it's not a big deal, but it's extra wear and tear on the little plastic button.

[Rajagra]

And why can't we just have input selectors. Again, my Dell monitor cycles VGA->DVI->Component->Composite-SVideo. I only use DVI (for the PC) and VGA (for the Xbox 360) but I have to cycle through every one to get back to VGA after using DVI. I know it's not a big deal, but it's extra wear and tear on the little plastic button.

Ditto. It's especially annoying when the screen sees a dead signal and goes to sleep!

And ... why doesn't the PIP function work with DVI and D-SUB? It's the only combo that doesn't work, and it's the only one that I want! Grrrrr!

[firestorm]

My old Samsung 900IFT had analog brightness and contrast.  The problem I had with those was that they were easy to bump and thus knock out the calibration.  Much more often than that, I would purposely change the brightness and have no reference point for putting it back.  I'm a Network Administrator and occasionally get a late night support call.  When I have to use the PC at 5AM, my eyes are too sensitive and I turn the brightness down.  Funny enough, the OSD menu controls on the 900IFT are quite nice.  They reside on a slide out console with logically placed buttons (e.g. the up and down on the four way controls are actually above and below the other buttons and don't double as "Menu" or anything.)

The OSD on my NEC EA231WMi is decent enough.  It took a little while to get used to the little joystick-like navigation, but I kinda like it.  I certainly don't hate it.  I favor it over the menus on the Dell screens I use here at work.