Dual monitor calibration tool?

[Matt R.]

Any dual monitor experts here? I'm fed up of colour differences between my two Samsung SyncMaster 226 BW monitors. Both connected to DVI ports on the same graphics card, both exactly the same monitor, both have the same colour depth, brightness, contrast settings etc but side by side, the colours are way out!

Does anyone know of a good calibration tool that will allow me to get the colours a little closer?

Matt

[carlobee]

i've been wanting to be on dual monitor. gotta consider that sometime.

[JasonD]

Google, "COLOR CALIBRATION"

You will find a large color-bar image.

The purpose of settings, is to compensate and balance... if all the settings are the same, they are not balanced. (Also check odd "warmth" settings in both your monitors and settings in windows.)

Chances are, one monitor MAY be 32-bit and the other 16-bit, though that will not show in windows. (Monitor one is usually 32-bit, and monitor 2-8 are usually 16-bit, to save on memory. Other systems hot-swap so the active screen is 32-bit, while the desktops are run in a virtual desktop of 16-bit.)

Using the color thing, you can pinpoint the flaw, and adjust as desired. (EG, the settings on both monitors will not be the same.)

However, no two monitors are the same... not even the ones with the same brand name. (Chances are, the internals are not the same.)

Common issues, with tubes, are related to fly-back cap power control and the tube-ray magnetic windings.

Common issues, with plasma, no two are ever the same and rarely are they close to the same colors. (Each has a unique hue, since they use semi-organic displays. Highly atmosphere and temperature sensitive also. Prone to fast decay in direct sunlight.)

Common issues, with LCD, manufactures of the actual LCD screen are not always the same. They are a high-volume common swappable item, as are the power-supplies. Back-lighting color-tone plays a major role in the portrayed colors that cast from the screen.

With all monitors, shielding and cable length, cable distance from ground, distance from noise, and sequence of hook-up, determine unique flaws.

If your monitors are that different, you may have a manufacturing defective monitor. Not uncommon, but there is usually no way to tell unless you have two side by side.

[Tony]

I don't have that problem with two totally different monitors, so I agree there may be a malfunction.

But then, usually one of my monitors is off, so it's not a big factor here.

[JasonD]

It also depends on what you do, and how well you can perceive changes.

Using dual PCI cards, would not show the 32/16-bit issue, as each has a separate desktop. (EG, it is not one large desktop, spread across two monitors. Hard to explain, but that is what the dual-vid single cards do. They are really a super-tall monitor display with double-scan horizontal display lines. The slow monitor runs at 30hz, 45hz, 60hz, while the other monitor runs the full 70hz, 90hz, 120hz, on the card. The monitor setting has no relevance to the card internal processing. Your hz is just the refresh of the monitor, the actual image is usually lower. Thus, the flicker.)

Sounds like TONY got two of the actual same monitors. Give it a year, with one used less, it will be bright and blue while the older one turns dark and reddish. You may never even notice it.

P.S. Be sure to use a gamma-test, which has 50% red pixels, arranged around solid red and black... from a distance, you adjust until both look the same color and shade. (One for R G and B, and advanced ones for Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow, and Grey. You can make it in MS-PAINT... {255,0,0} = red, {127,0,0} = half-dark red, {0,0,0} black. Draw a solid dark-red box 256x256 {127,0,0} and put a 128x128 box inside that. The 128 box should alternate like a checkerboard RBRBRB, BRBRBR, RBRBRB using the full-red {255,0,0}.)

[Matt R.]

Both purchased at the same time. Manufacturered in the same month, both running at 32bit color. Both powered by DVI ports from the same graphics card (8800 GTX).

The menu system on Samsung's is awful too... but will try calibrating using the method mentioned above.

[Tony]

Sounds like TONY got two of the actual same monitors.

Oops sorry. No, I meant I have two completely different monitors. A newer wide screen Sceptre in front of me, and an older 17" 4:3 Acer to the right of it.

Really though, I only turn it on to watch internet videos while I'm working. Maybe once a month, as I usually prefer to listen to old time radio shows on the internet.

[Matt R.]

Is it worth paying more and getting Eizo monitors that are designed for more professional environments?

This really is a pet hate of mine. My previous two monitors were Viewsonic VP2030b's and I got them replaced a lot due to mismatching colors.

[Tony]

Eizo? I'd never heard of them, and now I see why. $1800 USD for a 21"???

Either you're pulling our collective legs or there's something about these monitors I'm missing.

[Matt R.]

You can get a mid range Eizo for about $500 a pop. They get great write ups.

[soneri]

I'd just like my two monitors to look pretty decent, or at least similar, side-by-side.


Setup:

Mac (OS 10.4.11) with an ATI Radeon 9200 and dual monitors

LCD #1
26" Samsung SyncMaster 2693HM - via DVI
(brightness/contrast control - no backlight control)

LCD #2
19" Samsung SyncMaster 914v - via VGA
(brightness/contrast control - no backlight control)