Flickering textures with new 18" Viewsonic LCD panel...

[Guest]

Is it an inherent problem with LCD panels? Is it something to do with refresh rate? I have it on 70hz. Running at 1280X1024. I have an old GeForce2 64MB.THanks

[Guest Joshieca]

Yes, both flickering and ghosting of images are a problem with LCD screens.I dont know if there is a tweak out there to help with this or not.[div align=center][link:members.cox.net/fstimes/wetimage.html]Click Here For Weather Image of the Day!

[Guest mikehaska]

Well... you should know one thing about LCD panels- they don't refresh. Standard CRT monitors use a system where the image is painted pixel by pixel, line by line, left to right, top to bottom. Then, the process starts again. The number of times the screen is completely changed in one second is the refresh rate. 60hz would be equivalent to 30 frames/second on a television, which is the standard in NTSC (essentially North American) countries. Setting your monitor refresh rate to 70-85 hz is even better, and easier on your eyes.LCD monitor screens are constantly updated, and therefore, refresh rate would not affect how it looks or operates. I took a look at the manufacturer specs on your monitor (nice one, by the way! I just bought a 15 inch Viewsonic) and they say that your panel is a 18.0" color TFT active matrix screen. I saw you are running the panel at its "native resolution" of 1280x1024, so that's not the problem. As well, since you have an active matrix, the screen should not be ghosting or blurring on it's own. Passive matrix screens were notorious for this, but new technology has greatly improved.It sounds to me like the problem is video card related. Try opening up another game or even a video file. Does it display alright? If the problem is isolated to the textures in FS2002, it sounds like it could be fixed with an updated driver or changed setting.Let me know how it turns out!

[Guest]

In my experience 70Hz is too low for 1280x1024. On my 21" Sony Trinitrons with ATI 9700 I get flickers.You should up your refresh rate to +80Hz and your problem should go away.HTH,Mike T.

[Guest]

I'm going to try my friend's GeForce4 to see if the problems go away. My monitor is the Viewsonic VG800.... guess how much I got it for - $585.00 including shipping!

[Guest mikehaska]

Guys- for the last time, refresh rate does not affect an LCD panel. On a monitor like yours, a Trinitron, it does make a difference, but LCDs use completely different technology than a CRT.

[greggerm 312]

HighFlya,I have the ViewSonic 19" (VX900) LCD and I do see the "flickering" you're experiencing... It has zero/zilch/nada to do with your refresh rate. A LCD screen paints the ENTIRE screen all at once, as opposed to a CRT which paints the screen from top to bottom. Because of the way CRT's work, it's possible to see the differences in a halfway-painted screen, so fast refresh rates are good. On your LCD, because it "refreshes" the screen all at once, there is no painting down, and refresh rates are not a concern. NOW - Many LCD's, including mine, are designed to work optimally at 60hz. Even though on a CRT that would be a flicker hell, on an LCD it's silky smooth. :) The DVI digital connector is also designed to work at 60hz. The analog-to-digital converter wants 60hz - any more and the A2D converter has to do more work than necessary, leading to possibly degraded images. My display is set to run at 60hz, and there is no visible refresh problems whatsoever with my display. The flickering and stuttering you are seeing has entirely to do with the pixels struggling to turn off and turn on fast. I would wager that you see the fliker on objects or terrain CLOSE to your viewpoint. They are moving faster across your screen and those pixels must change quick. Objects or terrain in the distance looks better, right?! ALso, try to get yourself the "blurries" and test with that - because those textures are less detailed and more mush, there is far less changing the pixels have to do. You'll get what appears to be smooth motion there. I'd also wager that you see it more in AutoGen trees than on the terrain itself. :) Try setting your FPS lock lower... all the way DOWN to see it for yourself! I fly with a 20fps lock, and with a <25ms average response time, it's borderline for blurring and the appearance of flickering. It's not your video card or drivers, it's a byproduct of using an LCD. LCD's are still young, and for fast-motion uses they are still playing catchup to CRT's. All that said - I'd NEVER give up my LCD. Pry it from my cold dead hands. ViewSonic's pixel refresh rates, while noticable in FS2002, are a MINOR MINOR price to pay for the overall BEAUTY of the display itself. Keep playing with and using the display - soon those flickers will blend in and you'll be flying just the same. Good luck!-Greg