AMD "FreeSync" Variable VBLANK supported monitors?

[Dark_Nemesis]

Does anybody here on the forum know how to find out if your monitor supports variable VBLANK, as this is required to take advantage of AMD's "freeSync" feature?

 

For those of you that haven't read it already, AMD recently demonstrated their response to Nvidias g-sync, called "FreeSync". 

Technonlogy explained here:

http://www.anandtech.com/show/7641/amd-demonstrates-freesync-free-gsync-alternative-at-ces-2014

 

Since this is a technology that requires no additional hardware, providing you have a relatively new AMD graphics card/apu, this is a pretty intersting technology for us, that are not about to buy a new monitor (and maybye graphics card) just to take advantage of G-Sync.

 

 

 

 

Not sure if this thread is under correct categoy, but it is a monitor question...

If misplaced, mods feel free to move it =)

 

 

Edit:

 

My monitor is a Syncmaster S27A950, so this monitor is my main interest, but any input is greatly appreciated! =)

Edited January 8, 2014 by Dark_Nemesis

[Hazy125]

A lot of people look at freesync and think "Yes! I don't need to buy a super expensive monitor to have g-sync".... But, there aren't any monitors that are cheaper than g-sync monitors that support this as of yet unless you want to try and use a laptop or tablet screen. Someone please correct me if they know of a monitor that already supports VBLANK and doesn't cost $11,000.... But as far as I'm aware, they don't exist yet because there has bee zero need or want for them for PC users

[Goldilock]

A lot of people look at freesync and think "Yes! I don't need to buy a super expensive monitor to have g-sync".... But, there aren't any monitors that are cheaper than g-sync monitors that support this as of yet unless you want to try and use a laptop or tablet screen. Someone please correct me if they know of a monitor that already supports VBLANK and doesn't cost $11,000.... But as far as I'm aware, they don't exist yet because there has bee zero need or want for them for PC users

 

I thought in anand article, they said VBLANK has been supported by manufacturer for quite a time, it's just the manufacturer never to care to inform the customer.

[Hazy125]

I thought in anand article, they said VBLANK has been supported by manufacturer for quite a time, it's just the manufacturer never to care to inform the customer.

They've had the ability to integrate it, it's not new technology as such... But it's pointless to have on a desktop monitor until now. On mobile devices, having the syncronisation between the GPU and monitor allows for battery saving potential, on a monitor that's more or less irrelevant. There is only line somewhere about VBLANK being a VESA standard...  But yeah, except for specialised applications... Very specialised applications, I still haven't seen or even heard about a VBLANK desktop monitor, which is annoying since we don't know what, if any, manufacturers will charge extra for a VBLANK enable monitor

[qwertywarrior]

A lot of people look at freesync and think "Yes! I don't need to buy a super expensive monitor to have g-sync".... But, there aren't any monitors that are cheaper than g-sync monitors that support this as of yet unless you want to try and use a laptop or tablet screen. Someone please correct me if they know of a monitor that already supports VBLANK and doesn't cost $11,000.... But as far as I'm aware, they don't exist yet because there has bee zero need or want for them for PC users

Goldilock is right

i didnt read it through the first time

but reading it again this is very interesting

 

i got the important  bit from anand

 

Using two Toshiba Satellite Click notebooks purchased at retail, without any hardware modifications, AMD demonstrated variable refresh rate technology. According to AMD, there’s been a push to bring variable refresh rate display panels to mobile for a while now in hopes of reducing power consumption  There’s apparently already a VESA standard for controlling VBLANK intervals. The GPU’s display engine needs to support it, as do the panel and display hardware itself. If all of the components support this spec however, then you can get what appears to be the equivalent of G-Sync without any extra hardware.

In the case of the Toshiba Satellite Click, the panel already supports variable VBLANK. AMD’s display engines have supported variable VBLANK for a couple of generations, and that extends all the way down to APUs.

[Hazy125]

Goldilock is right

i didnt read it through the first time

but reading it again this is very interesting

 

i got the important  bit from anand

 

Using two Toshiba Satellite Click notebooks purchased at retail, without any hardware modifications, AMD demonstrated variable refresh rate technology. According to AMD, there’s been a push to bring variable refresh rate display panels to mobile for a while now in hopes of reducing power consumption  There’s apparently already a VESA standard for controlling VBLANK intervals. The GPU’s display engine needs to support it, as do the panel and display hardware itself. If all of the components support this spec however, then you can get what appears to be the equivalent of G-Sync without any extra hardware.

In the case of the Toshiba Satellite Click, the panel already supports variable VBLANK. AMD’s display engines have supported variable VBLANK for a couple of generations, and that extends all the way down to APUs.

Do you know of a monitor that supports VBLANK though

[qwertywarrior]

Do you know of a monitor that supports VBLANK though

they  arnt advertised as such

ive seen many monitors with eco mode etc

they might have it under a different name

 

im pretty certain that when AMD gets ready they will have a list ready for us

[Hazy125]

they  arnt advertised as such

ive seen many monitors with eco mode etc

they might have it under a different name

 

im pretty certain that when AMD gets ready they will have a list ready for us

Fair enough... Just a note, VBLANK isn't listed as VBLANK in VESA's standards either. The biggest part of that paragraph you quoted... It's a standard. One of 96... There are very few that a manufacturer doesn't have to actually pay to implement.. Oh, and eco mode for most manufacturers just controls brightness...

[qwertywarrior]

Fair enough... Just a note, VBLANK isn't listed as VBLANK in VESA's standards either. The biggest part of that paragraph you quoted... It's a standard. One of 96... There are very few that a manufacturer doesn't have to actually pay to implement.. Oh, and eco mode for most manufacturers just controls brightness...

i think i found it

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coordinated_Video_Timings

[Hazy125]

i think i found it

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coordinated_Video_Timings

That's it... But... It isn't a free VESA standard and until now hasn't needed to be implemented on desktop monitors as nothing used it and no one wanted it as it can reduce performance. So why would manufacturers pay licencing fees for this

[qwertywarrior]

That's it... But... It isn't a free VESA standard and until now hasn't needed to be implemented on desktop monitors as nothing used it and no one wanted it as it can reduce performance. So why would manufacturers pay licencing fees for this

http://www.vesa.org/vesa-standards/free-standards/

from what im reading i l believe CVT is one of the free standards

 

+ u can get rest of the standards for free if ur a member  which im sure most of the big companies are

 

we will see what will happen

this is very interesting

[Hazy125]

http://www.vesa.org/vesa-standards/free-standards/

from what im reading i l believe CVT is one of the free standards

 

+ u can get rest of the standards are free which im sure most of the big companies are

 

we will see what will happen

this is very interesting

I'm going to remain stubborn until I can actually find a monitor that has it... But you might be right... CVT spreadsheets...

[silberdrachi]

Hopefully this is something does gain traction because I for one don’t want to support GSync at all. Companies adding more proprietary tech to force consumers to choose between "Feature set A" and "Feature set B' is just going to suck for the gaming community. It’s like all the games with PhysX implementations like the cloth and the hair stuff, To play the game at its best looking you are forced to buy their partners products, as well as forcing developers to work on parts of a program that only a sub-set of their audience will ever see means they aren’t working on improving the game as a whole. Plus it saddles the user with extra cost in needing to buy specific parts in order to make it work well.

 

Sure this implementation is really early, but the fact that its built off of standards that other companies can and do use means that I have more faith in this being picked up. In a year or so I think it will be more clear where the industry is heading.

[Dark_Nemesis]

I'm going to remain stubborn until I can actually find a monitor that has it... But you might be right... CVT spreadsheets...

I can see what you're getting at, I may just be a little bit too optimistic...

But to me, I can't see how they could write

"and shouldn’t require a hardware change to those panels that support the spec), hence the current working name “FreeSync”"

If there weren't any supported ones on the market, that would make it exactly the same as G-sync, you'd have to buy supported hardware from either green or red team, but that seems to be the opposite of what the article states. (unless it's just marketing BS). 

 

The reason I started this thread is that I personally won't upgrade my monitor either way, simply beacuse I don't suffer from any of the problems that g-sync will solve, this just caught my eye beacuse, the article made it look like it builds on already existing technology, that only requires software to get it working, and most of all, no proprietary stuff.

[untamed]

According to the list here http://www.vesa.org/vesa-standards/standards-summaries/ the cvt v1.2 standard is for purchase, so not free. But I'd pick supporting a VESA standard over an nVidia standard any day.

[beefalo]

I can see what you're getting at, I may just be a little bit too optimistic...

But to me, I can't see how they could write

"and shouldn’t require a hardware change to those panels that support the spec), hence the current working name “FreeSync”"

If there weren't any supported ones on the market, that would make it exactly the same as G-sync, you'd have to buy supported hardware from either green or red team, but that seems to be the opposite of what the article states. (unless it's just marketing BS).

The reason I started this thread is that I personally won't upgrade my monitor either way, simply beacuse I don't suffer from any of the problems that g-sync will solve, this just caught my eye beacuse, the article made it look like it builds on already existing technology, that only requires software to get it working, and most of all, no proprietary stuff.

The biggest difference is that what and is using is a standard so any manufacturer should be able to use it without partnering with amd or making any sort of deal with them.

[Dark_Nemesis]

The biggest difference is that what and is using is a standard so any manufacturer should be able to use it without partnering with amd or making any sort of deal with them.

Yup, lets hope so =) 

[AznKnight82]

From what I took from NVidia's response to Free-Sync being already an open-standard is this:

 

The scaler chip, which allows for a broader compatibility of monitors to different inputs (HDMI, DVI, USB ports, etc), is what cripples the ability of Free-Sync. Which is why the G-sync module eliminates all other inputs to the monitor and effectively replaces the scaler chip in your monitor. If you have built-in speakers, you wouldn't be able to use it (unless you had a separate analog input).

 

Free-sync is found mainly on laptop displays for power-saving, and, also, you don't use any video inputs directly into a laptop-display like you would a monitor.

 

I would imagine you would be hard-pressed to find any monitor today that could use free-sync. It's a niche product like g-sync.