Cool rainbow effects! Wait...that shouldn't be there.
February 20, 2015 7:33 AM   Subscribe

I have just built this pc. All drivers, os, and anything else updatable are current. I was watching some videos through youtube and noticed rainbow flashes along outlines of people.

It looks like a very thin broken outline, slightly cartoonish, generally where there is high contrast with the background. I thought it was just an art decision by the producers of that series, but I have seen it since then in places I know should not have those effects. I'm suspecting a graphics card issue, but I don't know what to google.

What would this effect be called, how do I google it, and/or what else could cause it.?
posted by Talia Devane to Computers & Internet (6 answers total)
 
I would first check to see if you are watching the videos using HTML5 or Flash. I would try some other sites to see if you are seeing artifacting there as well.

I'd reseat the graphics card. I would reinstall the driver (not just make sure it's current).

Does the PC have onboard video you could switch to to test?

Try a different graphics card (you know, one of the ones you have laying around).

Run the onboard diagnostics and see if it passes the video tests.

That list should get you started.
posted by cjorgensen at 7:54 AM on February 20, 2015


Could it be your monitor? Try attaching the monitor to a different computer to see if you observe the same effect.
posted by akk2014 at 9:27 AM on February 20, 2015


a very thin broken outline, slightly cartoonish, generally where there is high contrast with the background.

I've seen a couple of things cause this.

One is ringing in VGA cables operated at high resolution and/or frame rate; easiest way to get rid of that is to use DVI-D or HDMI instead.

Another is "enhancement" settings in LCD display monitors, notably those from Samsung and HP. Poke around in your monitor settings for anything labelled "smart" or "sharp" or "enhance" and turn all that shit off.

I've never seen a graphics card fault do it.
posted by flabdablet at 10:17 AM on February 20, 2015


Response by poster: I should have mentioned that. The monitor is a new Asus mx279h connected by hdmi.

I do not have another graphics card to test, but I will test with my older monitor, as well as reseating that card. That would also be a good time to test the onboard video of the motherboard.
posted by Talia Devane at 10:43 AM on February 20, 2015


If you can post a decent photograph of the effect, somebody somewhere is pretty sure to have seen it before and found the cause.
posted by flabdablet at 10:13 PM on February 20, 2015


Also, having just taken a look at ASUS's description for that monitor, it has something they call SPLENDID and may also have something they call VividPixel.

All those "features" are just bullshit marketing names for unsharp masking applied in realtime, and while they might sometimes make movies look subjectively better while on display in the shop, they badly screw up everything else. If you can find a way to turn all the ASUS video enhancement nonsense off, try doing that.
posted by flabdablet at 10:20 PM on February 20, 2015 [1 favorite]


« Older which whisk which whisk which whisk which whisk...   |   "If you ain't Dutch, you ain't much." Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.