PC World 2003 May/PCWorld_2003-05_cd.bin/Software/TemaCD/testscreens/README.TXT

Text File | 2000-02-18 | 7KB | 166 lines

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*** TEST SCREENS v. 2.5 ***
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Release Date of this version:
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28th September 1999

Author:
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Johannes Wallroth, Berlin, Germany

This program is FREEWARE, enjoy!




How to use it:
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Keys F2 .. F8 switch between the various test modes.
Some test modes use 2 sec. time loops for changing
between different sub-modes.

ENTER key switches to next screen, SPACEBAR turns automatic
mode off/on (the 2 second time loop for the sub-modes),
any other key returns to main screen,
ESC ends the program.

If you have any suggestions or questions about this program,
mail me at "[e-mail]"

Visit my homepage: "www.programming.de"

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Note: this program is designed to help monitor USERS.

Before making any comparisons, your monitor should be ON for
at least 20..30 minutes.

How to use the different tests:

Intro Screen:
Use this test pattern to check picture size and position, sharpness and convergence,
and to adjust brightness and contrast. You should adjust the picture size and position to make
the greatest possible use of your monitor screen size.
The small text and the patterns should be clear and sharp, even in the corners.
For more detailed information, follow the instructions for the respective test patterns.

Resolution (F2)
The pixel resolution of the image is specified by means of (a) the number
of pixels in each horizontal row, which is the same as how many vertical lines it is
possible to see (if the horizontal resolution is 800 it is possible to see 400 white/black
lines [1pixel/1pixel]), and (b) the number of pixels in each vertical column on the screen,
which is the same as how many horizontal lines it is possible to see (if the vertical
resolution is 600 it is possible to see 300 white/black lines) [1pixel/1pixel]).

The nominally used formula is H x V. Examples:
640 x 480 -> 307 200 addressable pixels.
800 x 600 -> 480 000 addressable pixels.
1600 x 1200 -> 1 920 000 addressable pixels.
The most popular resolutions are 640x480, 800x600, 832x624, 1024x768, 1152x870, 1280x1024,
and 1600x1200.

MoirΘ (F3)
MoirΘ is a natural interference phenomenon that appears on all colour monitors.
It is due to an interference between the shadow mask (or aperture grill) and the resolution
used. Look for waves, wisps, bundles and shimmers of intensity variations.
To reduce moirΘ, change the image size to make it less noticeable, or reduce the resolution.

Convergence (F4)
What is convergence?
A white line on the screen consists of three coloured lines: Red, green and blue. If the
screen does not have any convergence error the lines are exactly overlaid each other, and
the resulting colour is white. In case of a convergence error separate red, green and blue
lines can be seen, instead of one white, you will see thin coloured fringes around the edges
of image detail. The convergence error will vary for different locations on screen, and will
also be different for each of the primary colours. Generally the convergence will be best
near the centre, and worst in the corners. As you can see misconvergence also has a bad
influence on sharpness.
The colored lines in the pattern must be in the same line both horizontally and vertically.
If the colors are not on the same vertical line, your monitor has horizontal misconvergence.
If the colors are not on the same horizontal line, your monitor has vertical misconvergence.

Basic Colors (F5)
This test screen shows the basic, or primary colors of the windows GDI (graphics device inter-
face; note: the primary colors of the GDI are not the primary colors in a common understanding.
Primary colors are: red, green and blue. Secondary colors are magenta, yellow and cyan).

These colors are part of the basic palette that Windows programs into the color register
of every video adapter to ensure a common subset of colors is available to all programs.
These colors should look exactly the same on each monitor/graphic card combination.

(Color-red,green,blue)

Black-0,0,0
Dark gray-128,128,128
Light gray-192,192,192
White-255,255,255

Green-0,192,0
Bright green-0,255,0
Yellow-192,192,0
Bright yellow-255,255,0

Red-192,0,0
Bright red-255,0,0
Cyan-0,192,192
Bright cyan-0,255,255

Blue-0,0,192
Bright blue-0,0,255
Magenta-192,0,192
Bright magenta-255,0,255

Color Scales (F6)
This screen shows the ability of your monitor to produce the whole spectrum from very dark to
full strength for every one of the three basic colors (red, green and blue) as well as the dif-
ferent shades of grey.

Brightness and Contrast (F7)
There are normally two controls for setting the light output of a monitor. They are called the
BRIGHTNESS and CONTRAST controls respectively. The brightness control is used to adjust the
video signal's zero-level to equal black on the monitor screen. The contrast control is then
used to set the amplification of the video signal, or in practice to set the light output on
the monitor screen to a comfortable level. The brightness control is used to adjust the low
light output levels, and the contrast control to adjust the ratio between the low and high
level light outputs. Both of these adjustments are influenced by the ambient light, the app-
lication (program) being used, as well as by the operator's personal preferences.

The brightness control should be used to adjust the low level light output from your monitor
for different ambient light conditions. Use the control to increase the brightness, until you
can see the background (the areas intended to be black) and all the dark grey squares.
Decrease it again until you can just distinguish the dark grey squares brighter than the one
in the middle. If you set the brightness control too high the monitor cannot produce black.
If you set the brightness control too low (blacker than black), then the dimmer grays will be
lost and will be reproduced as black.

You can use this test pattern to set the contrast control to a default position (the best
position for all the information for which you use your screen). When you run new programs
you should then use the contrast control to set the light output from the screen to a comfort-
able level. Adjust the contrast control so that all big squares are visible, sharp, and clearly
distinct, and have graduated intensities.

Tip:
It's better to set the black level a little too low, and lose some of darkest gray tones, than
too high, and lose a black background and a good contrast between black and white.
In Windows you shouldn't set the Contrast control too high, as your eyes will tire more quickly!

High Voltage Supply Stability (F8)
On some monitors the image expands in bright areas and contracts in dimmer areas. This happens
because the monitor has a poor high-voltage regulation. This effect is more or less visible in
all monitors, but normally more so in very cheap monitor models, as it is not inexpensive to
design and manufacture a very good high-voltage regulation system. If your monitor has a very
bad screen regulation, the picture "zooms" when you adjust the brightness control.