1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:05,440 The scourge of gamers everywhere is screen tearing, or at least it was, 2 00:00:05,440 --> 00:00:10,720 until tech like G-Sync from NVIDIA and FreeSync from AMD came along to save the day. 3 00:00:10,720 --> 00:00:17,200 Unlike the old FIX, V-Sync, these technologies don't sacrifice frame rate and actually improve 4 00:00:17,200 --> 00:00:22,640 responsiveness. But unfortunately, these variable refresh rate technologies are both still pretty 5 00:00:22,640 --> 00:00:27,760 inconsistent in terms of how well they work, and are pretty confusing, with both sides offering 6 00:00:27,760 --> 00:00:32,240 three different performance tiers for a feature that really should be pretty straightforward. 7 00:00:32,880 --> 00:00:38,000 To be fair, NVIDIA and AMD do keep lists of certified monitors, but if the monitor you're 8 00:00:38,000 --> 00:00:42,320 considering isn't on one of those lists, it's a crapshoot as to whether variable refresh rate 9 00:00:42,320 --> 00:00:48,000 will even work, leaving you to rely on trial and error, or on a second-hand account from some 10 00:00:48,000 --> 00:00:54,400 rando online. Can't trust those guys. So maybe it isn't surprising that Vesa has swooped in 11 00:00:54,400 --> 00:00:59,600 to try to both clear this whole mess up, and also make sure the tech actually works as intended. 12 00:00:59,600 --> 00:01:04,320 And if you don't know who Vesa are, they're not the credit card people. Thank goodness. 13 00:01:04,320 --> 00:01:08,880 It's an industry association that defines display standards for everything from DisplayPort 14 00:01:08,880 --> 00:01:13,920 to HDR to those holes that let you wall mount your screens. Love those guys. 15 00:01:13,920 --> 00:01:17,840 But how are they going to fix variable refresh rate? Like many problems in life, 16 00:01:17,840 --> 00:01:22,480 they're trying to solve this one by slapping a spiffy logo on displays that actually do play 17 00:01:22,560 --> 00:01:28,560 nicely with VRR, and fittingly, the logo will say Vesa Adaptive Sync, and look a little something 18 00:01:28,560 --> 00:01:32,720 like this, with the number indicating the display's maximum refresh rate. 19 00:01:32,720 --> 00:01:37,120 But how is this different from the lists of monitors you can already get from AMD and NVIDIA? 20 00:01:37,120 --> 00:01:42,800 One huge distinction is that Vesa is requiring that displays get sent to an authorized independent 21 00:01:42,800 --> 00:01:48,000 testing facility in order to earn the badge. Neither the GPU nor the monitor manufacturers 22 00:01:48,000 --> 00:01:55,360 can put the logo on a specific display's box until it passes verification, aka basic training. 23 00:01:55,360 --> 00:01:59,920 And the testing is quite stringent, partly to ensure that it actually does give gamers an 24 00:01:59,920 --> 00:02:04,560 adaptive sync experience that works as the good lord intended, but also partly because there are 25 00:02:04,560 --> 00:02:10,800 key specifications that monitor manufacturers are notorious for fudging. A big one is pixel 26 00:02:10,800 --> 00:02:16,000 response time, which affects how much the display will suffer from artifacts like ghosting. 27 00:02:16,000 --> 00:02:21,200 Vesa's procedures require that monitors are tested at room temperature and default settings, 28 00:02:21,200 --> 00:02:26,160 criteria that were chosen precisely because display makers unfortunately use high ambient 29 00:02:26,160 --> 00:02:31,280 temperatures and aggressive overclocks to achieve a response time figure that doesn't always reflect 30 00:02:31,280 --> 00:02:37,280 reality. On top of this, the Vesa standard also ensures flicker, jitter, and dropped frames are 31 00:02:37,280 --> 00:02:43,840 well within limits. In short, the Vesa Adaptive Sync badge means the monitor is good, and that the 32 00:02:43,840 --> 00:02:48,800 actual adaptive sync functionality will work within a reasonably wide range of frame rates, 33 00:02:48,800 --> 00:02:54,160 something that isn't always guaranteed on many displays marketed as gaming monitors. 34 00:02:56,160 --> 00:03:00,240 But if you're not into gaming, there's another badge for displays that you should know about. 35 00:03:00,240 --> 00:03:06,720 This media sync logo means that the screen should show most kinds of video content without tearing, 36 00:03:06,720 --> 00:03:13,440 flicker, or other artifacts, whether it's 24fps movie content or the buttery smooth 60fps video 37 00:03:13,440 --> 00:03:18,080 we've gotten used to seeing on social media. This testing procedure is a little more lenient 38 00:03:18,080 --> 00:03:22,560 than the one for adaptive sync, so it shouldn't be too hard for well-built mid-range displays to 39 00:03:22,560 --> 00:03:28,240 pass. Note, though, that even though an adaptive sync badge means the display is also media sync 40 00:03:28,240 --> 00:03:33,520 certified, I'm sure you'll see some manufacturers slap both logos onto the box to make it look 41 00:03:33,520 --> 00:03:38,480 more impressive. It might work with me. Although these programs are very new, 42 00:03:38,480 --> 00:03:42,880 there are already a couple of displays from LG that earned the badges at the time we wrote this video. 43 00:03:42,960 --> 00:03:46,960 Hopefully, we'll be seeing more in the near future, so our monitor buying lives 44 00:03:46,960 --> 00:03:52,400 can be a little easier. But do keep in mind that these Vesa tests don't cover brightness, 45 00:03:52,400 --> 00:03:57,440 HDR quality, or viewing angles, so be sure to read reviews and the rest of the spec sheet for 46 00:03:57,440 --> 00:04:01,520 any monitor that you're interested in. You don't want to end up with a display that runs your games 47 00:04:01,520 --> 00:04:08,080 flawlessly until you move your head a little bit to the left. And then it's, oh, it looks horrible. 48 00:04:08,320 --> 00:04:12,720 That's it for this video, guys. Thanks for watching. Like the video if you like it, 49 00:04:12,720 --> 00:04:17,040 dislike it if you disliked it. I'm cool with both. Check out our other videos, 50 00:04:17,040 --> 00:04:21,200 comment below with video suggestions, and don't forget to subscribe and follow Techquickie, 51 00:04:21,200 --> 00:04:27,520 because if there's a pipe and the content is coming out of the pipe, then this pipe ain't blocked. 52 00:04:27,520 --> 00:04:29,040 I'll tell you that much.