Monitor Rippling

broady81broady81 Member
edited December 2007 in Hardware
I have been experiencing some "rippling" effects on my monitor recently. Lines are visible running up the screen (from top to bottom), that appear to intensify and subside in some form of cycle. I initially though it was the power unit, but I do not have another of the same specification to swap it out with. I then tried plugging the monitor into my Laptop's VGA port, and everything appeared fine. Which left me with my graphics card. My monitor is of the VGA input type, so I'm using a DVI adaptor to be able to use my current graphics card. I swapped this out (the adaptor) for another I had, and it seemed to improve temporarily, but has returned (probably just my eyes deceiving me). I am really confused as to the cause of this, the monitor is quite old (19" TFT) and I fear a replacement is coming, yet do not want to if it is something else being problematic. Sorry for the massive explanation and thanks for the help in advance :smiles:. (I also checked driver settings, and altering the refresh rate is not alleviating the problem)

Comments

  • CBCB Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ Der Millionendorf- Icrontian
    edited December 2007
    The tube is dieing. :( Time to get an LCD. :)
  • broady81broady81 Member
    edited December 2007
    I have to admit, I thought TFT's didnt have tube's and that TFT's and LCD's where in fact the same thing :confused: Sorry if I'm wrong :dunce:
  • Your-Amish-DaddyYour-Amish-Daddy The heart of Texas
    edited December 2007
    Well, there's TFT CRT's. If your monitor is thin and tiny, that's an LCD.
  • broady81broady81 Member
    edited December 2007
    It is thin, so I presume it's a TFT LCD :skeptic:
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited December 2007
    Obviously, your TFT is an LCD hybrid with a tube! Sell it to a museum. It does sound like it's going bad. Can you try it with another computer, or try another video card in your computer?
  • KentigernKentigern Milton Keynes UK
    edited December 2007
    Just a slim possibility, have you recently also moved your monitor slightly nearer to your pc, I had the same thing after finally cleaning my desk, took me a couple days and phone calls to manufacturer, to realise what had happened. Moved the monitor and rippling now gone. :)
  • mas0nmas0n howdy Icrontian
    edited December 2007
    Are you forcing a refresh rate beyond what your monitor can run?
  • CBCB Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ Der Millionendorf- Icrontian
    edited December 2007
    Oops, sorry. When I saw the symptoms, I assumed CRT. I've never heard of a rippling effect on a LCD, since it doesn't really work that way... Which leads me to believe that it may be a software issue...
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited December 2007
    If the flow of electricity to the polarization panels in an LCD start to fail, it can produce a visible ripple as the electrical signal itself ripples.
  • CBCB Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ Der Millionendorf- Icrontian
    edited December 2007
    but wouldn't that present as a ripple from the outside in, rather than from the top down?
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited December 2007
    Not really. The polarization panel doesn't have any pattern to it; if the panel is freaking out, it could manifest in any number of ways.

    Of course, the best diagnosis in this case would be another monitor to check with.
  • SPIKE09SPIKE09 Scatland
    edited December 2007
    Nick ste's monitor Broady :)
  • broady81broady81 Member
    edited December 2007
    Thanks for the advice so far guys/gals :
    Just a slim possibility, have you recently also moved your monitor slightly nearer to your PC, I had the same thing after finally cleaning my desk, took me a couple days and phone calls to manufacturer, to realise what had happened. Moved the monitor and rippling now gone.
    Infact I have moved it recently, I might try moving it further away. When I first read this I though it sounded a bit silly, but having used computer's for a few years now, it sounds like one of those quirky little things :tongue:
    Are you forcing a refresh rate beyond what your monitor can run?
    I've altered the refresh rate back down to the lowest (60Hz) , and will report on any differences.
    Which leads me to believe that it may be a software issue
    Never though as far back as software, will try reinstalling drivers to see if that may be a problem.
    Of course, the best diagnosis in this case would be another monitor to check with.
    I should be able to get another monitor relatively easily, this should really narrow it down.
    Nick ste's monitor Broady
    Someone might be able to provide the monitor :rolleyes2 :bigggrin:

    Thanks all for the help, it's much appreciated and it's part of what I feel makes Icrontic what it is :smiles: :thumbsup:

    (Sorry for the "quote" spam :sad2:)
  • danball1976danball1976 Wichita Falls, TX
    edited December 2007
    mas0n wrote:
    Are you forcing a refresh rate beyond what your monitor can run?

    Had his monitor been a CRT, that would have mattered. LCDs don't have refresh rates, they have response times
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited December 2007
    Then why do the LCD manufacturers specify maximum refresh rates?
  • mas0nmas0n howdy Icrontian
    edited December 2007
    LCD response time refers to how quickly the pixels can cycle through color, refresh rate refers to the fact that data is sent to the screen 60 times per second which is why vertical sync locks fps at 60. If response time was the limiting factor a 5ms panel could theoretically run 200Hz and vertical sync would be affected in the same manner. There is no flicker like on a CRT, but the refresh of the image on the screen is operated in much the same way still.

    at least that's my understanding of it
  • Your-Amish-DaddyYour-Amish-Daddy The heart of Texas
    edited December 2007
    LCd's have refresh rates just like normal monitors. And CRT's tend to have more of a selection of them anyway. Mason is right.
  • danball1976danball1976 Wichita Falls, TX
    edited December 2007
    Ok, then. Why do LCD's only have a refresh rate available in the display properties of 59, 60 and 70Hz?

    Plus I thought the refresh rate was there for Windows, but I don't know the reason why Windows would need it.
  • RichDRichD Essex, UK
    edited December 2007
    Any display has a refresh rate. even you home TV does. It basicly refers to the nuber of times a secord that the picture is re drawn though these days it is more complicated with the wider range of technology.

    Window has a variable refresh rate to cater for the different monitors. One monitor might only be able to handle 60hz another might be able to handle 72hz. basicly the higher the refresh rate the easier it is on the eye to view. So you want to set the rate as high as you monitor can handle.

    If I have a monitor that can only handle 60hz and windows tells my GPU to output at 72hz it can cause problems. that is why you can alter it.
  • Your-Amish-DaddyYour-Amish-Daddy The heart of Texas
    edited December 2007
    LCDs have to go through two digital converters on VGA, and doesn't have to on DVI. LCDs use a digital calculator instead of a cathode ray tube for colors. One works on digital signals, the other works on light. I had a 16:10 that could do up to 80hz at 1680x1050. But it and my video card don't get along, so I gave it to a friend.
  • RichDRichD Essex, UK
    edited December 2007
    This would be why most graphics card these days use DVI output instead of VGA?
  • Your-Amish-DaddyYour-Amish-Daddy The heart of Texas
    edited December 2007
    Yes. Correct sir/madam. VGA is terrible for LCD's because they have to be switched to analog, then the LCD has to turn that analog into a digital signal. And VGA's like...10mb/S and DVI can do like 9.6Gbit I think.
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