Strobelight - LightBoost Utility for AMD/ATI and NVIDIA

[ToastyX]

(07-01-2013 08:58 PM)Mek. Wrote:  Ok I reinstalled with 4 refresh rates this time and it I sucessfully rebooted into windows. However, It doesn't seem like Lightboost is running. The lightbulb icon never turns on, and I do not see the menu options for "Strobing on" or "Strobing off".

The only thing I can think of is maybe you have the monitor connected to a single-link DVI port. If your card has two DVI ports, try the other DVI port and run the setup program again.

(07-01-2013 08:58 PM)Mek. Wrote:  I tried copying strobelight.exe to desktop and renaming to strobelight-debug.exe then running, but nothing happened.

It won't start if another copy is already running, and since it's running and showing the icon, that means it's detecting the monitor just fine, so I don't need the log. This is basically an issue with getting the refresh rates to work.

[Mek.]

Thanks changing ports worked Toasty. However not seeing much of a difference with it on and then off. Maybe because in the game I play I get 500 fps and it's already super smooth?

[ToastyX]

First, make sure the monitor's menu says "3D-Mode" when the game is running to verify that it's running at the strobed refresh rate. Note that toggling doesn't work in full screen games, so you might have to toggle it before running the game.

The difference should be noticeable with high frame rates, but try it with vsync on and a lower strobe brightness:

(07-01-2013 04:40 AM)mdrejhon Wrote:  Try temporarily turning VSYNC ON, and playing exact framerate=Hz -- 120fps@120Hz with LightBoost ON versus OFF. VSYNC ON is not good for competition gaming, but it's good for amplifying the difference between LightBoost ON vs OFF. Also try simultaneously doing this with LightBoost=10% (strobe brightness) instead of 100%; this amplifies the difference between LightBoost vs non-LightBoost even further. Also a gaming mouse makes a huge difference here. Try turning left/right in front of a wall with your mouse. Now try strafing left/right in front of a wall with keyboard. (stare at stuff on the wall as the wall scrolls by). If your mouse is more jittery than the keyboard, you need a better mouse (1000Hz, good mouse pad). Also when testing this, don't be too close to the wall that makes everything blurry, but something like a few feet in front where everything is detailed.

So in a nutshell, to maximize the difference between LB and non-LB:
-- Test VSYNC ON (temporarily)
-- Test LightBoost=10% (clearer LightBoost)
-- Test using keyboard instead of mouse (eliminate mouse jitters from affecting LightBoost clarity)
When you do all the three of the above, the difference can start to become easier to see.

That said, not everyone is sensitive to motion blur, but many of us here are.

[hayne]

I get the "No compatible displays found" error.

I use the AMD 7970m(/Intel HD4000) card
I can think of three things that might have triggered the error:
1) The Intel HD4000 is used instead of the 7970m
2) I use a notebook and the VG248QE but the BIOS screen appears on the notebook monitor, perhaps the VG248QE is initialized "too late"?
3) I use Displayport since my notebook lacks a dual-link DVI port.

Is this utililty compatible with Displayport to begin with? Thanks!

[2013-07-02 05:48:12.849] LOAD(AMD): LoadLibrary("atiadlxx.dll") = ERROR 126
[2013-07-02 05:48:12.853] LOAD(AMD): LoadLibrary("atiadlxy.dll") = SUCCESS
[2013-07-02 05:48:12.881] LOAD(AMD): ADL_Main_Control_Create() = SUCCESS
[2013-07-02 05:48:12.884] LOAD(NVIDIA): NvAPI_Initialize() = SUCCESS
[2013-07-02 05:48:12.885] INIT(AMD, 0): ADL_Display_DisplayInfo_Get() = ERROR -1
[2013-07-02 05:48:12.886] INIT(AMD, 1): ADL_Display_DisplayInfo_Get() = ERROR -1
[2013-07-02 05:48:12.972] INIT(NVIDIA): NvAPI_EnumPhysicalGPUs() = ERROR -6
[2013-07-02 05:48:12.972] INIT: No compatible displays found.
[2013-07-02 05:48:14.336] INIT(AMD, 0): ADL_Display_DisplayInfo_Get() = ERROR -1
[2013-07-02 05:48:14.337] INIT(AMD, 1): ADL_Display_DisplayInfo_Get() = ERROR -1
[2013-07-02 05:48:14.406] INIT(NVIDIA): NvAPI_EnumPhysicalGPUs() = ERROR -6
[2013-07-02 05:48:14.406] INIT: No compatible displays found.

[ToastyX]

DisplayPort is supported. The problem is notebooks with switchable graphics are not likely to work. If it's anything like NVIDIA Optimus, then the inputs go through the Intel GPU. That means the program would need to talk to the monitor through Intel's driver, but Intel's SDK is not publicly available. Even if I got that to work, Intel's driver doesn't support EDID overrides, so I can't install the necessary refresh rates either (the setup program should have no effect). It might be possible with an Intel-specific method, but I also don't have an Intel system to test this on. Basically I would need the Intel SDK and an Intel system to have any hope of making this work.

[hayne]

Oh I see, that's too bad, heh. Thanks for the quick reply and clarification! (and for making this tool available, on behalf of all AMD users.)

[orangetriad]

Hey ToastyX, when I restart my computer it gives the error No compatible displays found. When I hit restart it takes it to lightboost mode and everything works fine I can turn it off and on. Can that dialog be disabled? Everything perfectly except for that error at the very start.

[jackstar7]

After everything you did for the 1440p @ 120Hz community, this is incredible.

Thanks for all this work and you've got me strongly considering picking up one of the 27in DP capable LB monitors to sit next to my Overlord.

[Black Octagon]

I know right. Y'all better be donating!!!

[mdrejhon]

(07-02-2013 06:17 PM)Black Octagon Wrote:  I know right. Y'all better be donating!!!

Agreed. Please donate to ToastyX, or consider buying a monitor through ToastyX's amazon Affiliate links:

• ASUS VG248QE
• ASUS VG278H
• ASUS VG278HE
• BenQ XL2420T
• BenQ XL2720T

Blur Busters also use Amazon Affiliate links and also has a donation page, but in this specific case, if you're reading this post anyway and considering buying a monitor, go ahead and buy through the above Amazon links, which will send a commission fee to ToastyX (as a method of donation).

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(07-02-2013 02:30 PM)orangetriad Wrote:  Hey ToastyX, when I restart my computer it gives the error No compatible displays found. When I hit restart it takes it to lightboost mode and everything works fine I can turn it off and on. Can that dialog be disabled? Everything perfectly except for that error at the very start.

That can actually occur:
-- Your monitor's LightBoost was already successfully initialized through a different method.
-- Your monitor was still switching modes upon startup. Do you have any problems if you run strobelight manually, outside of the Startup folder?

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(07-02-2013 01:53 AM)Mek. Wrote:  Thanks changing ports worked Toasty. However not seeing much of a difference with it on and then off. Maybe because in the game I play I get 500 fps and it's already super smooth?

Also check the LightBoost FAQ entry, "Q: LightBoost doesn’t eliminate motion blur for me. Why?". Also try doing the test while strafing sideways in front of a wall. 500fps should still benefit from LightBoost too, also try a slightly lower LightBoost setting (e.g. LightBoost strobe brightness=50%, or even LightBoost strobe brightness=10% if not too dark).

Also some gameplay styles (e.g. competition/pro gamers that only stare at the crosshairs and watch enemies via corner of eyes) won't benefit as much as people who track moving objects during fast panning motions (where LightBoost can have a major effect).