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Author Topic: NEC PA241W (US VERSION): SpectraView Profiler vs. SpectraView II for calibration  (Read 19795 times)

Ligament

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Hello All,

I am new here, and new to colour management. Very confusing stuff!

I am in the US. I purchased the NEC PA241W-BK-SV bundled with the SpectraView II software and NEC MDSVSENSOR (Custom iOne Display v2).

Like the monitor a lot so far. The question is whether it is better to calibrate using:
1. SpectraView II software with the MDSVSENSOR (Custom iOne Display v2)
or
2. European SpectraView Profiler software with the MDSVSENSOR (Custom iOne Display v2)

This fellow on tftcentral indicates that profiling with the european SpectraView Profiler software is better, because it calibrates the monitor's LUT. He states that the US SpectraView II software calibrates using a hardware Matrix table.
http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/reviews/nec_pa271w.htm

Which is better to us to calibrate my monitor? Despite lesser quality Matrix table, does the custom calibrated MDSVSENSOR make a better overall result? Does the the MDSVSENSOR not work as well with the european Specraview Profiler software for which it was never intended to be used? I have downloaded both and looked at both, and have not seen a major difference.

YES, SpectraView Profiler DOES allow me to select and perform "Hardware Calibration (monitor LUTs)" on my monitor.

I've attached my reports, but I'm not sure if they are comparable as I am new to this.

Thank you very much!
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Alan Goldhammer

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Hello All,

I am new here, and new to colour management. Very confusing stuff!

I am in the US. I purchased the NEC PA241W-BK-SV bundled with the SpectraView II software and NEC MDSVSENSOR (Custom iOne Display v2).

Like the monitor a lot so far. The question is whether it is better to calibrate using:
1. SpectraView II software with the MDSVSENSOR (Custom iOne Display v2)
or
2. European SpectraView Profiler software with the MDSVSENSOR (Custom iOne Display v2)

This fellow on tftcentral indicates that profiling with the european SpectraView Profiler software is better, because it calibrates the monitor's LUT. He states that the US SpectraView II software calibrates using a hardware Matrix table.
http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/reviews/nec_pa271w.htm

Which is better to us to calibrate my monitor? Despite lesser quality Matrix table, does the custom calibrated MDSVSENSOR make a better overall result? Does the the MDSVSENSOR not work as well with the european Specraview Profiler software for which it was never intended to be used? I have downloaded both and looked at both, and have not seen a major difference.

YES, SpectraView Profiler DOES allow me to select and perform "Hardware Calibration (monitor LUTs)" on my monitor.

I've attached my reports, but I'm not sure if they are comparable as I am new to this.

Thank you very much!
I don't have any experience with the Euro version of the software and the difference.  One thing you should do is lower the contrast value.  You are working from the default value and it's too high.  I have mine set at 350:1 which is more realistic in terms of matching prints.
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K.C.

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You really have to ask yourself.

Would NEC release a superior product in Europe and not make it available to the U.S. market ?

And if so, why ?

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Ligament

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You really have to ask yourself.

Would NEC release a superior product in Europe and not make it available to the U.S. market ?

And if so, why ?


+++++

They charge 2x the US price, thats why...
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K.C.

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Nah. Not buying that explanation.

After the pundits have had there Christmas pudding we'll get some better answers.
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Czornyj

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This fellow on tftcentral indicates that profiling with the european SpectraView Profiler software is better, because it calibrates the monitor's LUT. He states that the US SpectraView II software calibrates using a hardware Matrix table.
http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/reviews/nec_pa271w.htm
He doesn't state anything - he's only repeating NEC Display Solutions EU statements.

To clarify - Spectraview II hardware calibrates the display using an internal 14(16)bit 3D LUT, and then makes an ICC matrix type profile. There's a suggestion, that a matrix type ICC profile is less acurate than LUT type ICC profile, but it's highly controversial and already been discussed to death on this forum.

What is really 100% certain - only SV II can makes use of internal correction of custom MDSVSENSOR, and it's supposed to work as intended only as a pair, so you can't really take advantage of MDSVSENSOR with anything but SVII.
« Last Edit: December 25, 2010, 06:57:12 am by Czornyj »
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Marcin Kałuża | [URL=http://zarzadzaniebarwa

digitaldog

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You really have to ask yourself.
Would NEC release a superior product in Europe and not make it available to the U.S. market ?
And if so, why ?

Exactly! Like its so darn hard for NEC US to build a product to write LUT profiles. The reviewer is way off base and the need or use of a LUT profile is not necessary with this product.
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Ligament

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What is really 100% certain - only SV II can makes use of internal correction of custom MDSVSENSOR, and it's supposed to work as intended only as a pair, so you can't really take advantage of MDSVSENSOR with anything but SVII.

IF this is truly 100% certain, then that answers my question, thank you. Where did this information come from?
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Czornyj

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http://www.necdisplay.com/supportcenter/monitors/spectraview2/faq/

Quote
QUESTION: Can I use the new MDSVSENSOR2 color sensor included in the new SVII-PRO-KIT with other 3rd party calibration applications?

ANSWER: Yes, however the custom calibration for NEC wide color gamut displays will not be available. Only the standard calibration is available.
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Nill Toulme

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It used to be the case that the EU versions of NEC's top line monitors had firmware that limited the use of the Spectraview software only to the special Spectraview versions of those monitors, which came packaged with the Spectraview software (and maybe also with a puck, not sure about that). So, in EU, you couldn't buy the same monitor outside the Spectraview package, obtain the Spectraview software separately, and use them together.  Happily, NEC US has never chosen to go that route.

Accordingly, the EU version of Spectraview (which as I understand it used to be entirely different and independently developed software from the US version, and probably still is) was set up to look for and recognize those firmware tweaks or the lack thereof.  Whether any or all of this continues to be the case with the current lines, I do not know.

Nill
« Last Edit: December 26, 2010, 11:43:06 am by Nill Toulme »
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Czornyj

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http://www.imagescience.com.au/kb/questions/154/Clearing+up+the+NEC+Spectraview+confusion

This is also not a fair opinion - both Spectraview II and Spectraview Profiler (a.k.a. basICColor display) do a decent job when calibrating/profiling a NEC display, and despite they both have some minor advantages and disadvantages, there's no clear winner.
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Marcin Kałuża | [URL=http://zarzadzaniebarwa

Ligament

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You guys are really great. What a wealth of knowledge on this forum. thank you very much!
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Nill Toulme

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Is it still true that the EU version of Spectraview cannot be used on monitors that don't have the special Spectraview firmware flag?  Will US Spectraview II still not work on non-Spectraview EU monitors?

Nill
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digitaldog

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+++++
They charge 2x the US price, thats why...

No, it most certainly is not!
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Czornyj

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Is it still true that the EU version of Spectraview cannot be used on monitors that don't have the special Spectraview firmware flag?  Will US Spectraview II still not work on non-Spectraview EU monitors?

Nill
Unfortunately, it's still true. And happily, US Spectraview II still works on non-Spectraview EU monitors, just like it ever did before.

I hope that after EIZO will introduce a hardware calibration EasyPIX solution for S/SX series displays later next year, NEC EU will rethink his policy.
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digitaldog

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This is also not a fair opinion

They sure got this part spot on:
Quote
NEC is a very large electronics company and unfortunately they have created some cross market confusion with differing use of the SpectraView label in different countries.
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Czornyj

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They sure got this part spot on:

That's the part I also agree 100%!
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Rhossydd

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Unfortunately, it's still true.
I don't think that's correct, or rather it depends on what "Spectraview" software you use.
I originally had Spectraview 3.x to use with a Spectraview 1980 model which didn't work properly on my system. After some correspondence with NEC UK I was given a free upgrade to version 4 which did work. However this was no longer the NEC branded version, but was the unbranded version of Basicolor 4. I've since used the free update to version 4.1.22. When my SV1980 failed earlier this year I replaced it with a Multisync PA271 and Basicolor 4.1.22 (aka Spectraview) works fine with it.
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