Do you think the Dell SE2416H is PWM flicker free?

[thewhitestigvk]

I am thinking of getting this monitor http://

It's a 24 inch 6ms IPS display. Looks like a great value for money at 195 euros. I am however afraid that it might have PWM flicker. Nowhere in the user manual pdf nor their site do they indicate that the monitor is in fact flicker free. I checked pages of other Dell monitors and they don't seem to say anywhere that their monitors are flicker free, despite some of them obviously being so. The P2414H I know for a fact to be such a display. Do they not think such a feature is worthy to brag about?

I am generally very sensitive to PWM flicker. Used to have an LG IPS225V-BN and that monitor was pretty strainful on my eyes.

 

[Suzuki@1473780084@1473780163]

Hello,

PWM has never been proven a cause for headaches/nausea. Those symtoms are caused by the amount of light to distance ratio. However, to answer your question, the Dell SE2416H is likely not using PWM. I don't know any more than you do, I would contact Dell if I were you. My answer is that it's not using it though, based on Dell's history with PWM on the S series.


All the best!

 

[thewhitestigvk]

Thank you for the response. However where do you get the information that PWM does not in fact cause headaches with some people? Is there any independent research done on that topic or is it just your opinion? From my personal (anecdotal) experience I have noticed that the flicker present on modern LED back lit monitors does have a significant impact on my viewing comfort. I did not experience any problems back in the CCFL days when monitors did not flicker (or didn't flicker to such a degree), due to the inherent difference in technology between fluorescent lights and LED. And it's not an issue of brightness/distance or contrast or anything else related to calibration since I have tried pretty much all set-ups be that high, medium or low brightness, reducing the blue light, etc. There are countless people on the internet and a few personal friends of mine who do say they are sensitive to PWM and are 100% positive it is in fact the cause of their eyestrain. One friend used to have a flickering monitor, said he had had trouble sitting in front of the PC for more than a few hours, replaced it with a newer "flicker-free" monitor and said his viewing comfort improved tenfold.

 

[Suzuki@1473780084@1473780163]

There have never been any science behind it, just guessing based on how people feel. A properly set up monitor, at the right room temperature in kelvin, isn't going to strain your eyes, though a lower kelvin but higher brightness will, regardless if it's using PWM or not. CCFL was worse than LED's, when it comes to eye strain, so there is no other logical explanation other than placebo. The LED's have filters on them, they aren't throwing blue light at you. One major fact remains, people blink less when exposed to the light emitted from (any) display, thus increasing the rate at which you experience eye strain. However, I've performed tests on PWM, and non PWM in the right conditions, and there is no noticeable difference to me personally. That doesn't mean that I'm right and you're wrong. Though as far as accurate data is concerned, it's never been proven PWM is the root cause of headaches/eye strain when using a monitor. Regarding your friend, if he could tell it was flickering, the display was defective. Don't take this as a reason to argue though, I have a different opinion than you do, that's all.

A quick note: If it was true that LED's emitted high amounts of blue light, then it would dangerous to walk outside, as it would damage our retina, both which are obviously false. If you know a source that you feel is accurate, I will examine it, and give you my opinion on it. As far as I'm concerned, all of this "comfort" is based around marketing and selling more monitors.

 

[thewhitestigvk]

Called Dell. They pretty much said they don't know. The specs don't say anything about it being flicker-free. That still doesn't mean it's not though. It just tells me how inept their support is.

btw I would not call this a placebo effect http:// As you can see the eyestrain I experience has real physical effect that cannot happen solely on a psychological basis. The redness in my eyes was caused by my LG IPS225V-BN display. 20% brightness, 40% brightness, 60% brightness, nothing seems to help alleviate the issue. And it hurts too. This is why I am so picky about it.

 

[thewhitestigvk]

An update. Chris M, a Dell representative answered me on their forums. The monitor does in fact use PWM. It is not flicker-free.

http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/peripherals/f/3529/t/19663976

 

[Suzuki@1473780084@1473780163]

That's odd. Make sure once/if you get it to point your phone camera at it, and look for moving lines on the screen. If they are present, it's using PWM. Also play around with brightness settings. Oh well, it was a 50-50 guess. ;-)



All the best!