Skip to main content

Intel Graphics Drivers - Hue issues?


I'm running Windows XP SP3.


The embedded graphics controller is the Intel GM45 Chipset / Mobile Intel 4 Series Express.


The OEM drivers (it's a Dell Inspiron 1545 laptop) are provided only up to 6.14.10.4990 (Dell driver code R203389).


I usually like to stick with OEM drivers on Dell stuff, since they often have tweaked it for the specific machine. But I needed to run an app that refused to run on the old video driver (it's dated 2009). So I went to Intel's site, downloaded the newest driver (6.14.10.5355), and installed it.


It's working fine except...the screen seems a little "warmer" than usual. I.e., my whites seems slightly reddish. Oh, its ever so slight, in fact my friend was unable to confirm, but then he doesn't look at this screen every day.


Its not enough that its 100% conclusive but it definitely seems to be a little warmer. However the gamma/hue corrections do not seem to have changed, at least the driver panel reports them the same. I'm not using any gamma profiles of any sort, just default (what you get, or don't get, with a clean XP install).


I noticed the new drivers have the ability to customize gamma on a per-color basis (RGB), while the old drivers simply had a master gamma. The new driver also allows the gamma to be set below 1.0 (previous drivers didn't). Nonetheless, all the settings still appear to be the same as before the upgrade: (Brightness: 0, Contrast: 50, Gamma: 1.0). (zero brightness is more or less centered on the slider, so it seems to be the way the driver labels the midpoint.)


Is it possible the screen is actually "warmer" with the new drivers? Or am I just imagining things? Is there any way I can test it? Preferably without buying extra fancy gizmos.


Example: I turn down the Red brightness to the point where whites look bluish, yet human skin in a photo still looks more reddish-pink than it does with the old drivers.



Answer



It's very possible to have your screen colors mess up on you. However, the only was to test the colors is fairly subjective. You can try the Lagom Monitor Tests to see if they can make a problem apparent. in particular the Lagom LCD Gamma Calibration test page may be able to help you discern if this color change is real or only a feeling.


On the other hand, what does it matter if it IS warmer if it FEELS warmer. This is not an ethical or moral issue, so follow your preference. It's your monitor and the way the picture feels to you matters more than a test. I'm somewhat color-blind in the reds and greens, but it affects pretty much entirely how I see all colors. I have my monitor set up so that it displays closer to how I actually perceive the world. Even if the monitor isn't warmer, if it feels warmer, turn it down.


Sorry, that got kind of philosophical, but hopefully that website helps concretely.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular Posts

keyboard - Is there any utility/method to change Windows key bindings to type rare chars to currently empty bindings?

I'm currently typing this post with my windows XP machine and (Spanish) keyboard, and I'd like to add some extra symbols to my text. I could open the "char map" windows utility, look for the desired symbols, and paste them. But I'd like something quickier. For example, when I'm using my OSX Mac at work, I can easily add a ©, ™, ® or similar symbols, just pressing some weird ALT-GR + G / H / J, key combinations. In my (Spanish) keyboard mapping, these combinations are empty, as they don't produce any char at all, which, on the other hand, is perfectly normal and desirable. So, I thought: Why couldn't I add some extra key mappings on top of my currently empty ALT-GR + G/J/H Keys in my Spanish keyboard, and thus, being able to quickly type these special symbols? So that's my question: Is there any utility/method to achieve that effect under windows? (My version is XP). I've even googled this for some time but no luck. I've been a long term Hot...
Post a Comment
Read more

virtualization - How to select paravirtualization interface in VirtualBox?

Given a windows 8 host system (Intel Core i5) and a Linux Fedora host, I would like to determine the optimal setting for the paravirtual interface. Options are none Default Legacy minimal Hyper-V KVM This page suggest the selection is only based on the guest system: The biggest change in VirtualBox 5.0 is the introduction of paravirtualization support, bringing higher performance and time-keeping accuracy to supported guest operating systems (Hyper-V on Windows and KVM on Linux). Is that correct? Answer The VirtualBox Manual , in the section titled Paravirtualization providers explains very clearly when each should be used (emphasis added): Minimal: Announces the presence of a virtualized environment. Additionally, reports the TSC and APIC frequency to the guest operating system. This provider is mandatory for running any Mac OS X guests. KVM: Presents a Linux KVM hypervisor interface which is recognized by Linux kernels starting with version 2.6.25. VirtualBox's implementati...
Post a Comment
Read more

How do I transmit a single hexadecimal value serial data in PuTTY using an Alt code?

I am trying to sent a specific hexadecimal value across a serial COM port using PuTTY. Specifically, I want to send the hex codes 9C, B6, FC, and 8B. I have looked up the Alt codes for these and they are 156, 182, 252, and 139 respectively. However, whenever I input the Alt codes, a preceding hex value of C2 is sent before 9C, B6, and 8B so the values that are sent are C2 9C, C2 B6, and C2 8B. The value for FC is changed to C3 FC. Why are these values being placed before the hex value and why is FC being changed altogether? To me, it seems like there is a problem internally converting the Alt code to hex. Is there a way to directly input hex values without using Alt codes in PuTTY? Answer What you're seeing is just ordinary text character set conversion. As far as PuTTY is concerned, you are typing (and reading) text , not raw binary data, therefore it has to convert the text to bytes in whatever configured character set before sending it over the wire. In other words, when y...
Post a Comment
Read more

Desktop reboots itself on sleep or hibernate

I have been using an ASUS M2NPV-VM motherboard for main home desktop workstation, operating Windows Vista x64. This computer has right from day one not been able to enter hibernate or standby; after Windows performs its final actions and brings the machine down, it would automatically revive itself for a reboot. Updating to the second latest BIOS (1201)has not helped (the latest BIOS revision would induce video refresh problems rendering it unusable). I have been reading related discussions on incidents similar to mine to no avail of a true workable solution. They appear to be more speculative guesses rather than actual knowledge on the inner workings of motherboard hardware. Does anybody have any electronic engineering experience on PC energy-saving standards to provide a more informed opinion how to go about getting this to work? More stories: this motherboard could not even reboot properly the first thing i used it. It was due to refresh rate of the onboard GPU, which had no influe...
Post a Comment
Read more