Warning re monitor calibration

[schrodinger]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action (More info?)

Hi.

I recently bought an LCD monitor and decided it needed calibrating. After
some digging around for a free program to do this and a post on this NG from
someone else, I found "3-Deep" - a free monitor calibration package.

Running through it didn't really improve things and I found that the nvidia
color correction software does a far better job of improving contrast levels
etc.

Shortly after tinkering around I noticed that my games started to look
*awful* - as though the gamma correction had been turned right up. This has
had me really tearing my hair out for the past week or so and totally
stumped me - having only recently acquired an LCD monitor I simply presumed
that all games must look like this on a cheap LCD.

It turns out that the ever helpful 3-Deep installs something called
"Lightsurf" - (the .exe is called something else) without telling you. This
"helpfully" adjusts games so they "look right" on your monitor.

Needless to say, uninstalling 3-Deep got rid of this POS and my games are
now looking great.

There was no indication that 3-Deep was going to make any changes to my
system and there is no icon in your taskbar, so the only reason I spotted
this was whilst checking MSConfig to remove a QuickTime thing.

Regards

Schrodinger

 

[Pluvious]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action (More info?)

On Sat, 22 Jan 2005 08:42:14 GMT, "Schrodinger" <no@way.com> wrote:

>Hi.
>
>I recently bought an LCD monitor and decided it needed calibrating. After
>some digging around for a free program to do this and a post on this NG from
>someone else, I found "3-Deep" - a free monitor calibration package.
>
>Running through it didn't really improve things and I found that the nvidia
>color correction software does a far better job of improving contrast levels
>etc.
>
>Shortly after tinkering around I noticed that my games started to look
>*awful* - as though the gamma correction had been turned right up. This has
>had me really tearing my hair out for the past week or so and totally
>stumped me - having only recently acquired an LCD monitor I simply presumed
>that all games must look like this on a cheap LCD.
>
>It turns out that the ever helpful 3-Deep installs something called
>"Lightsurf" - (the .exe is called something else) without telling you. This
>"helpfully" adjusts games so they "look right" on your monitor.
>
>Needless to say, uninstalling 3-Deep got rid of this POS and my games are
>now looking great.
>
>There was no indication that 3-Deep was going to make any changes to my
>system and there is no icon in your taskbar, so the only reason I spotted
>this was whilst checking MSConfig to remove a QuickTime thing.
>
>Regards
>
>Schrodinger
>

I apologize for recommending that program for you then. I usually skip
that part of the calibration for that very reason, it washes out the
gamma. I have a very old version archived and the newer version might
be different. Sorry about that. (my version has a LCD calibrater and
has not expired as it stated)

Pluvious

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action (More info?)

"Schrodinger" <no@way.com> wrote in message
news:GloId.1202731$2W1.95147@news.easynews.com...
> Running through it didn't really improve things and I found that the
nvidia
> color correction software does a far better job of improving contrast
levels
> etc.

What NVidia color correction software? I don't know of any.

>
> It turns out that the ever helpful 3-Deep installs something called
> "Lightsurf" - (the .exe is called something else) without telling you.
This
> "helpfully" adjusts games so they "look right" on your monitor.

I've had no problems with 3-Deep. YMMV, but I've found it to be pretty
good.

 

[schrodinger]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action (More info?)

"magnulus" <magnulus@bellsouth.net> wrote in message
news:CdCId.88402$zy6.5857@bignews5.bellsouth.net...
>
> "Schrodinger" <no@way.com> wrote in message
> news:GloId.1202731$2W1.95147@news.easynews.com...
>> Running through it didn't really improve things and I found that the
> nvidia
>> color correction software does a far better job of improving contrast
> levels
>> etc.
>
> What NVidia color correction software? I don't know of any.

The "Color Correction" part of Nvidia setting that sits in your icon tray.

>>
>> It turns out that the ever helpful 3-Deep installs something called
>> "Lightsurf" - (the .exe is called something else) without telling you.
> This
>> "helpfully" adjusts games so they "look right" on your monitor.
>
> I've had no problems with 3-Deep. YMMV, but I've found it to be pretty
> good.
>

Fair enough. It must be that it doesn't think the gamma needs correcting on
yours. Check out msconfig and see if you have an entry called "Lightsurf".

 

[schrodinger]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action (More info?)

"Pluvious" <Pluvious@knowhere.com> wrote in message
news:qjb5v0d3t4afdel2061sa8qo6dlfcfkhui@4ax.com...
> On Sat, 22 Jan 2005 08:42:14 GMT, "Schrodinger" <no@way.com> wrote:
>
>>Hi.
>>
>>I recently bought an LCD monitor and decided it needed calibrating. After
>>some digging around for a free program to do this and a post on this NG
>>from
>>someone else, I found "3-Deep" - a free monitor calibration package.
>>
>>Running through it didn't really improve things and I found that the
>>nvidia
>>color correction software does a far better job of improving contrast
>>levels
>>etc.
>>
>>Shortly after tinkering around I noticed that my games started to look
>>*awful* - as though the gamma correction had been turned right up. This
>>has
>>had me really tearing my hair out for the past week or so and totally
>>stumped me - having only recently acquired an LCD monitor I simply
>>presumed
>>that all games must look like this on a cheap LCD.
>>
>>It turns out that the ever helpful 3-Deep installs something called
>>"Lightsurf" - (the .exe is called something else) without telling you.
>>This
>>"helpfully" adjusts games so they "look right" on your monitor.
>>
>>Needless to say, uninstalling 3-Deep got rid of this POS and my games are
>>now looking great.
>>
>>There was no indication that 3-Deep was going to make any changes to my
>>system and there is no icon in your taskbar, so the only reason I spotted
>>this was whilst checking MSConfig to remove a QuickTime thing.
>>
>>Regards
>>
>>Schrodinger
>>
>
> I apologize for recommending that program for you then. I usually skip
> that part of the calibration for that very reason, it washes out the
> gamma. I have a very old version archived and the newer version might
> be different. Sorry about that. (my version has a LCD calibrater and
> has not expired as it stated)
>
> Pluvious
>

Hey, don't apologise for being helpful! Not your fault that 3-Deep did
this. It isn't beyond the bounds of possibility that I may even have ticked
a box or something without realising!

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action (More info?)

Schrodinger wrote:
>
> [snip]
>
> Needless to say, uninstalling 3-Deep got rid of this POS and my games are
> now looking great.
>
> There was no indication that 3-Deep was going to make any changes to my
> system and there is no icon in your taskbar, so the only reason I spotted
> this was whilst checking MSConfig to remove a QuickTime thing.


I would never use a program whose name looked like: 3D-eep!


;-)