OLED and High Refresh Rate monitor (and software - MonitorTools) come to RISC OS

We are pleased to announce that at the London Show this weekend we will
displaying a range of high refresh rate monitors, including stunning OLED
displays.

There are essentially three components here:

• High refresh and super-wide monitor driver software (Also allows for larger screen modes for failing eyesight).
  A range of other utility applications included.

• High refresh IPS displays

• High refresh OLED displays

Let’s break these down in more detail:

1) Driver software
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Available via !Store or free with monitor purchases, these drivers and
RISC OS application software unlock a wide range of modes and capabilities
at refresh rates up to liquid smooth 175 frames per second.

For a long time, no matter what RISC OS computer you purchased, your
desktop has been limited to 60 frames per second (or less), largely
dictated by the capabilities of your monitor. You could buy a nice, fast
computer, but the smoothness of your desktop would be (largely) unchanged
because the monitor itself was the limiting factor.

Now, with high refresh rate displays becoming more affordable (from
199ukp) it is now possible to deliver high refresh rate experiences on
RISC OS, breaking the 60 hz barrier.

The drivers unlock a huge range of modes up to 4K resolution, including
many that are not exposed by the monitors themselves. This allows more
comfortable use of 27-32" 4K displays on RISC OS which would otherwise
prove a bit too small to use. Additionally, the drivers provide
super-wide support up to nearly 100 frames per second – a far cry from the
40 fps available when we first showed super-wide displays a few years ago.

I’m sure some readers are thinking – “with EDID monitor detection, why do
we need drivers in 2024?”. This is a very simple thing to answer – when
we hooked a high refresh rate monitor up to our test Pi4 board, it gave a
blank screen, and we were effectively locked out (although the included
mode-recovery software helped).

The only way to get a picture via EDID ended up being (if memory serves)
to drop to 30 hz, because of the limited options available.

You see, EDID is great, but most displays only implement a small number of
resolution and refresh rate options. If the connected device is at all
fussy, then you may not have much luck.

Thanks to the monitor drivers, we were able to drive the monitor in
question at more-or-less 100 hz instead of 30. That’s why we need
drivers.

Plus, of course, RISC OS can’t rely on OS-scaling to make things
smaller/larger. The drivers provide a lot of mode-choice so that users
can easily magnify their desktop if you’re eyesight isn’t quite as sharp
as it was. This functionality is available even if you don’t have a high
refresh rate screen.

Also included is our Titanium multi-monitor driver software, our !USBvideo
software (allows monitor connections via USB displaylink to RISC OS
computers, eg. Pinebook), !RevertMode, !MultiMon and various other
software that we’ve developed. There are also “standard” refresh rate
drivers for most modern platforms included, allowing you to get the most
out of almost any monitor, on any modern system.

The software can be purchased separately for 14.99ukp on !Store right now.

2) High refresh IPS monitors

High refresh IPS monitors provide a great combination between excellent
picture quality, and high refresh rates. They offer the best
“traditional” display quality, whilst unlocking refresh rates well above
older screens. Starting at around 199ukp and rising based on size of
screen (we’ll have a 299ukp 32" (with adjustable stand and speakers) for
sale at the show), these provide affordable quality.

3) But OLED takes things to another level

You’ve probably heard the press and media raving about OLED TV image
quality. Now, the monitor industry has caught on, and OLED monitors are
now available offering exceptional image quality, accuracy and beauty.

Let’s take a slight digression to understand “delta-E” – the measurement
of image accuracy. Basically this is a rating of how far the colours
deviate from an “ideal” monitor colour curve. A “perfect” display would
have a delta-E of zero, but that’s not something you’d see in reality.

As such, there are broad definitions for delta-E ratings to get some idea
of what is good or bad. Supposedly, a delta-E of under 3 is fine for
print-work, and most people will be happy with things in the 3-4 range.

A well-calibrated display may well be in the 1.5 delta-e range, and this
would be considered decent by most movie or photo users.

A delta-e of under 1 is considered pro-grade and typically something that
requires professional calibration and/or a four-digit+ pricetag.

All this is a prefix to the out-of-the-box delta-e certification that came
with our OLED monitor – just 0.38 ! This is in the industry standard SRGB
mode, and more “vibrant” (read – less accurate) modes are also available
for different purposes.

OLED displays are available from 599ukp and super-wide options for
not-too-much more.

Whilst this may seem expensive, you can have an OLED display AND a N.Ex.T
computer for less money than an Iyonix cost new, and about half what
many people paid for their RiscPC. And that’s ignoring inflation!

ie. show visitors can order a N.Ex.T with an OLED display for 999 ukp inc
VAT. Or why not go super-wide for 1199ukp (including the N.Ex.T)?

(For reference, the Iyonix launched for 1249ukp).