Low-Persistence LCDs - Eliminate Motion Blur - CRT Clarity Motion
Updated October 2013
These are high-efficiency low-persistence LCD's that achieve CRT quality motion through the use of a strobe backlight. LightBoost is the most famous one (which Blur Busters helped make popular, also see LightBoost media coverage). As of 2013, the most common low-persistence LCD is LightBoost. However, there are other low-persistence LCD's now becoming available:
...This is the first 120Hz(native) / 240Hz(internal) gaming VA monitor ever released, with an official (optional) strobe backlight. Enabling the strobe mode (Turbo240) allows games to run with CRT-quality motion.
- EIZO Foris FS2421 ............... 23.5" ....... 1920Ă—1080 VA....... 120Hz/240Hz ....... Turbo240
Supported LightBoost & G-SYNC Monitors
...has the LightBoost strobe backlight that can eliminate motion blur, see LightBoost HOWTO.
- ASUS VG248QE ............... 24" ....... 1920Ă—1080 ....... 144Hz ....... LightBoost/G-SYNC upgrade
- ASUS VG278H ................. 24" ....... 1920Ă—1080 ....... 120Hz ....... LightBoost
- ASUS VG278HE ............... 27" ....... 1920Ă—1080 ....... 144Hz ....... LightBoost
- BENQ XL2411T ................ 24" ....... 1920Ă—1080 ....... 144Hz ....... LightBoost
- BENQ XL2420T ................ 24" ....... 1920Ă—1080 ....... 120Hz ....... LightBoost
- BENQ XL2420TX .............. 24" ....... 1920Ă—1080 ....... 120Hz ....... LightBoost
- BENQ XL2420T Rev 2 ....... 24" ....... 1920Ă—1080 ....... 120Hz ....... LightBoost
- BENQ XL2420TE .............. 24" ....... 1920Ă—1080 ....... 144Hz ....... LightBoost
- BENQ XL2720T ................ 27" ....... 1920Ă—1080 ....... 120Hz ....... LightBoost
- BENQ XL2411Z ................ 24" ....... 1920Ă—1080 ....... 144Hz ....... BENQ Blur Reduction
- BENQ XL2420Z ................ 24" ....... 1920Ă—1080 ....... 144Hz ....... BENQ Blur Reduction
- BENQ XL2720Z ................ 27" ....... 1920Ă—1080 ....... 144Hz ....... BENQ Blur Reduction
- ACER HN274HB bmiiid ....... 27" ....... 1920Ă—1080 ....... 120Hz ....... LightBoost
(From list of 120Hz monitors)
Supported G-SYNC Monitors
...These use NVIDIA G-SYNC, and there is also an optional LightBoost sequel strobe backlight mode with G-SYNC too.
- ASUS VG248QE .................. 24" ....... 1920Ă—1080 ....... 144Hz ....... ULMB
- ASUS ROG Swift PG278Q ...... 27" ....... 2560x1440 ....... 144Hz ....... ULMB
- Philips 272G5DYEB .............. 24" ....... 1920Ă—1080 ....... 144Hz ....... ULMB
- BENQ XL2420G .................. 24" ....... 1920Ă—1080 ....... 144Hz ....... ULMB
- BENQ XL2720G .................. 27" ....... 1920Ă—1080 ....... 144Hz ....... ULMB
- ViewSonic VX2457GML ........ 24" ....... 1920Ă—1080 ....... 144Hz ....... ULMB
(From G-SYNC Monitors)
Supported Samsung 120Hz Monitors
...has a strobe backlight that can eliminate motion blur, see Samsung Zero Motion Blur HOWTO
- Samsung S23A700D ....... 23" ....... 1920Ă—1080 ....... 120Hz
- Samsung S23A750D ....... 23" ....... 1920Ă—1080 ....... 120Hz
- Samsung S23A950D ....... 23" ....... 1920Ă—1080 ....... 120Hz
- Samsung S27A700D ....... 27" ....... 1920Ă—1080 ....... 120Hz
- Samsung S27A750D ....... 27" ....... 1920Ă—1080 ....... 120Hz
- Samsung S27A950D ....... 27" ....... 1920Ă—1080 ....... 120Hz
(From list of 120Hz monitors)
Instructions
Motionflow Impulse - If you own certain Sony TV's
LightBoost HOWTO - If you own a newer-model ASUS or BENQ 120 Hz Monitor
Samsung HOWTO - If you own a newer-model Samsung 120 Hz Monitor
(Note: NVIDIA G-SYNC has not yet arrived as of this time of writing, so G-SYNC instructions will come soon)
Motion Tests
Testing for motion blur can be accomplished using animations at:
www.testufo.com
Different tests are selectable using the top-right corner.
These are the most useful tests:
www.testufo.com/framerates -- 30fps vs 60fps vs 120fps
www.testufo.com/eyetracking -- Motion blur caused by persistence, not GtG transitions.
www.testufo.com/blackframes -- Black frame insertion demo
www.testufo.com/ghosting -- Tests for ghosting
www.testufo.com/photo -- Fast panning photo tests for motion blur
A very good test is to view www.testufo.com/photo while turning ON/OFF your low-persistence mode, to see the improvements in motion blur. If using LightBoost, you can use ToastyX Strobelight to easily turn ON/OFF LightBoost while viewing a motion test.
Low persistence modes tend to be very stutter-sensitive due to very clear motion, so it is necessary to aim at framerates near refresh rates. For example, 120fps @ 120Hz.
Background Info
You get faster reaction times in FPS games, since you can identify enemies faster during fast turns without motion blur. This (1000 fps) demonstrate a specially configured LightBoost strobe backlight successfully bypassing LCD pixel persistence as the motion blur limiting factor:
The backlight is turned off while waiting for pixel transitions (unseen by human eyes), and the backlight is strobed only on fully-refreshed LCD frames (seen by human eyes). The strobes can be shorter than pixel transitions, breaking the pixel transition speed barrier!
LightBoost backlights are normally used to brighten 3D Vision images, but back in December 2012, were discovered to have a side effect of eliminating motion blur even for 2D! As a result, many video gamers have started forcing LightBoost in 2D mode (even without the 3D glasses) to get the zero motion blur benefit.
Motion Tests BENQ XL2411T and ASUS VG278H
baseline - 60 Hz mode (16.7ms frame samples)
50% less motion blur (2x clearer) - 120 Hz mode (8.33ms frame samples)
60% less motion blur (2.4x clearer) - 144 Hz mode (6.94ms frame samples)
85% less motion blur (7x clearer) - 120 Hz LightBoost, set to 100% (2.4ms frame strobe flashes)
92% less motion blur (12x clearer) - 120 Hz LightBoost, set to 10% (1.4ms frame strobe flashes)
NOTE: You can also turn on/off the CRT-style LightBoost strobe backlight mode, whenever you don't want it. Manufacturers should make it better advertised for motion blur, and easier to turn on/off!
Gaming Styles That Benefit
Example of fast game play styles that benefit from zero motion blur:
-- Fast 180-degree flick turns in FPS shooting, great for Quake Live
-- Shooting while turning, without stopping turning (easier on CRT or LightBoost)
-- Close-up strafing, especially circle strafing, you aim better.
-- Running while looking at the ground (e.g. hunting for tiny objects quickly).
-- Identifying multiple far-away enemies or small targets, while turning fast
-- Playing fast characters such as "Scout" in Team Fortress 2
-- High-speed low passes, such as low helicoptor flybys in Battlefield 3, you aim better.
For a long time, some gamers have noticed that CRT 60fps@60Hz still has less motion blur than LCD 120fps@120Hz. Not anymore: The CRT-quality perfect motion now available on LightBoost LCD displays, is a huge benefit for those gamers who have played on a CRT for a long time, and have never found a "good enough LCD" without motion blur.
Updated October 2013
These are high-efficiency low-persistence LCD's that achieve CRT quality motion through the use of a strobe backlight. LightBoost is the most famous one (which Blur Busters helped make popular, also see LightBoost media coverage). As of 2013, the most common low-persistence LCD is LightBoost. However, there are other low-persistence LCD's now becoming available:
- NVIDIA LightBoost -- the one that started it all! -- unofficial for 2D
- NVIDIA G-SYNC's optional strobe mode -- Official "sequel" to LightBoost
- Eizo Turbo240 Mode -- official strobe backlight
- BENQ Blur Reduction Mode (XL2720Z) -- official strobe backlight
- Samsung 120Hz 3D Mode -- unofficial for 2D
- Sony Motionflow Impulse -- 60Hz interpolation-free low-latency mode
...This is the first 120Hz(native) / 240Hz(internal) gaming VA monitor ever released, with an official (optional) strobe backlight. Enabling the strobe mode (Turbo240) allows games to run with CRT-quality motion.
- EIZO Foris FS2421 ............... 23.5" ....... 1920Ă—1080 VA....... 120Hz/240Hz ....... Turbo240
Supported LightBoost & G-SYNC Monitors
...has the LightBoost strobe backlight that can eliminate motion blur, see LightBoost HOWTO.
- ASUS VG248QE ............... 24" ....... 1920Ă—1080 ....... 144Hz ....... LightBoost/G-SYNC upgrade
- ASUS VG278H ................. 24" ....... 1920Ă—1080 ....... 120Hz ....... LightBoost
- ASUS VG278HE ............... 27" ....... 1920Ă—1080 ....... 144Hz ....... LightBoost
- BENQ XL2411T ................ 24" ....... 1920Ă—1080 ....... 144Hz ....... LightBoost
- BENQ XL2420T ................ 24" ....... 1920Ă—1080 ....... 120Hz ....... LightBoost
- BENQ XL2420TX .............. 24" ....... 1920Ă—1080 ....... 120Hz ....... LightBoost
- BENQ XL2420T Rev 2 ....... 24" ....... 1920Ă—1080 ....... 120Hz ....... LightBoost
- BENQ XL2420TE .............. 24" ....... 1920Ă—1080 ....... 144Hz ....... LightBoost
- BENQ XL2720T ................ 27" ....... 1920Ă—1080 ....... 120Hz ....... LightBoost
- BENQ XL2411Z ................ 24" ....... 1920Ă—1080 ....... 144Hz ....... BENQ Blur Reduction
- BENQ XL2420Z ................ 24" ....... 1920Ă—1080 ....... 144Hz ....... BENQ Blur Reduction
- BENQ XL2720Z ................ 27" ....... 1920Ă—1080 ....... 144Hz ....... BENQ Blur Reduction
- ACER HN274HB bmiiid ....... 27" ....... 1920Ă—1080 ....... 120Hz ....... LightBoost
(From list of 120Hz monitors)
Supported G-SYNC Monitors
...These use NVIDIA G-SYNC, and there is also an optional LightBoost sequel strobe backlight mode with G-SYNC too.
- ASUS VG248QE .................. 24" ....... 1920Ă—1080 ....... 144Hz ....... ULMB
- ASUS ROG Swift PG278Q ...... 27" ....... 2560x1440 ....... 144Hz ....... ULMB
- Philips 272G5DYEB .............. 24" ....... 1920Ă—1080 ....... 144Hz ....... ULMB
- BENQ XL2420G .................. 24" ....... 1920Ă—1080 ....... 144Hz ....... ULMB
- BENQ XL2720G .................. 27" ....... 1920Ă—1080 ....... 144Hz ....... ULMB
- ViewSonic VX2457GML ........ 24" ....... 1920Ă—1080 ....... 144Hz ....... ULMB
(From G-SYNC Monitors)
Supported Samsung 120Hz Monitors
...has a strobe backlight that can eliminate motion blur, see Samsung Zero Motion Blur HOWTO
- Samsung S23A700D ....... 23" ....... 1920Ă—1080 ....... 120Hz
- Samsung S23A750D ....... 23" ....... 1920Ă—1080 ....... 120Hz
- Samsung S23A950D ....... 23" ....... 1920Ă—1080 ....... 120Hz
- Samsung S27A700D ....... 27" ....... 1920Ă—1080 ....... 120Hz
- Samsung S27A750D ....... 27" ....... 1920Ă—1080 ....... 120Hz
- Samsung S27A950D ....... 27" ....... 1920Ă—1080 ....... 120Hz
(From list of 120Hz monitors)
Instructions
Motionflow Impulse - If you own certain Sony TV's
LightBoost HOWTO - If you own a newer-model ASUS or BENQ 120 Hz Monitor
Samsung HOWTO - If you own a newer-model Samsung 120 Hz Monitor
(Note: NVIDIA G-SYNC has not yet arrived as of this time of writing, so G-SYNC instructions will come soon)
Motion Tests
Testing for motion blur can be accomplished using animations at:
www.testufo.com
Different tests are selectable using the top-right corner.
These are the most useful tests:
www.testufo.com/framerates -- 30fps vs 60fps vs 120fps
www.testufo.com/eyetracking -- Motion blur caused by persistence, not GtG transitions.
www.testufo.com/blackframes -- Black frame insertion demo
www.testufo.com/ghosting -- Tests for ghosting
www.testufo.com/photo -- Fast panning photo tests for motion blur
A very good test is to view www.testufo.com/photo while turning ON/OFF your low-persistence mode, to see the improvements in motion blur. If using LightBoost, you can use ToastyX Strobelight to easily turn ON/OFF LightBoost while viewing a motion test.
Low persistence modes tend to be very stutter-sensitive due to very clear motion, so it is necessary to aim at framerates near refresh rates. For example, 120fps @ 120Hz.
Background Info
You get faster reaction times in FPS games, since you can identify enemies faster during fast turns without motion blur. This (1000 fps) demonstrate a specially configured LightBoost strobe backlight successfully bypassing LCD pixel persistence as the motion blur limiting factor:
The backlight is turned off while waiting for pixel transitions (unseen by human eyes), and the backlight is strobed only on fully-refreshed LCD frames (seen by human eyes). The strobes can be shorter than pixel transitions, breaking the pixel transition speed barrier!
LightBoost backlights are normally used to brighten 3D Vision images, but back in December 2012, were discovered to have a side effect of eliminating motion blur even for 2D! As a result, many video gamers have started forcing LightBoost in 2D mode (even without the 3D glasses) to get the zero motion blur benefit.
Motion Tests BENQ XL2411T and ASUS VG278H
baseline - 60 Hz mode (16.7ms frame samples)
50% less motion blur (2x clearer) - 120 Hz mode (8.33ms frame samples)
60% less motion blur (2.4x clearer) - 144 Hz mode (6.94ms frame samples)
85% less motion blur (7x clearer) - 120 Hz LightBoost, set to 100% (2.4ms frame strobe flashes)
92% less motion blur (12x clearer) - 120 Hz LightBoost, set to 10% (1.4ms frame strobe flashes)
NOTE: You can also turn on/off the CRT-style LightBoost strobe backlight mode, whenever you don't want it. Manufacturers should make it better advertised for motion blur, and easier to turn on/off!
Gaming Styles That Benefit
Example of fast game play styles that benefit from zero motion blur:
-- Fast 180-degree flick turns in FPS shooting, great for Quake Live
-- Shooting while turning, without stopping turning (easier on CRT or LightBoost)
-- Close-up strafing, especially circle strafing, you aim better.
-- Running while looking at the ground (e.g. hunting for tiny objects quickly).
-- Identifying multiple far-away enemies or small targets, while turning fast
-- Playing fast characters such as "Scout" in Team Fortress 2
-- High-speed low passes, such as low helicoptor flybys in Battlefield 3, you aim better.
For a long time, some gamers have noticed that CRT 60fps@60Hz still has less motion blur than LCD 120fps@120Hz. Not anymore: The CRT-quality perfect motion now available on LightBoost LCD displays, is a huge benefit for those gamers who have played on a CRT for a long time, and have never found a "good enough LCD" without motion blur.