In the last few weeks we have been reviewing and exploring the world of FreeSync 2. Now this is not a new technology - it was announced at CES 2017 - but it's only now that we are starting to see the ecosystem FreeSync 2 is developing with new display options. As HDR and extended-range monitors become more and more a reality over the next year, there's no better time to discuss FreeSync 2 than it is now.
There is a lot of confusion around what is really FreeSync 2, how it works, and how it differs from the original FreeSync iteration.
This article will explore and explain FreeSync 2 as current technology because it is a little different from the technology announced by AMD more than a year ago. Our detailed impressions on the use of a FreeSync 2 monitor will come next week.
What is FreeSync?
Here's a little reminder about the original FreeSync. The name FreeSync is a brand name that refers to AMD's implementation of adaptive synchronization technology. It basically allows a display to vary its refresh rate so that it matches the rendering ratio of a graphics processor, so that, for example, a game running at 54 FPS is displayed at 54 Hz and that these games reach 63 FPS. This reduces the stuttering and tearing of the display compared to the monitor operating at a fixed refresh rate, say 60 Hz, displaying a game operating at an unparalleled rendering rate of 54 FPS.
FreeSync requires some modifications on the internal controllers of the screen, as well as a compatible graphics processor, to work. Nvidia's competing technology that achieves similar results, G-Sync, uses an expensive proprietary controller module. FreeSync is an open standard, and has been adopted as the official VESA Adaptive Sync standard, so any display controller manufacturer can implement the technology.
The core technology of FreeSync is just this feature: adaptive synchronization. Screen manufacturers can integrate FreeSync into their screens by any means, provided that they successfully complete adaptive synchronization validation.
A certified monitor compatible with FreeSync means that the monitor supports adaptive synchronization. there is no additional validation for the quality of the screen or other features, so just because a monitor has a FreeSync logo on the box does not necessarily mean that c & rsquo; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; Is a high quality product.
What is FreeSync 2?
And that's where FreeSync 2 comes in. This is not a replacement for the original FreeSync, and it's not really a direct successor, so the name & # 39; FreeSync 2 & # 39; is a little misleading. What it does provide, however, are additional features on the original FreeSync feature set. Each FreeSync 2 monitor is validated for having these additional features, so the idea is that the customer who buys a gaming monitor can buy one with a FreeSync 2 badge knowing that it is better than the monitors FreeSync standard.
FreeSync and FreeSync 2 will coexist on the market. Although the naming scheme does not suggest it, FreeSync 2 is actually the mark of AMD for premium monitors validated at a higher level, while FreeSync is the mainstream option.
You do not get the old technology by buying a monitor with the original FreeSync technology, in fact the way adaptive synchronization works in FreeSync and FreeSync 2 is the same. Instead, FreeSync monitors simply no longer have access to the premium features offered by FreeSync 2.
What are these new features? Well, it breaks down into three main areas: high dynamic range, low framerate compensation, and low latency.
FreeSync 2: High Dynamic Range
Let's talk about HDR support first. When AMD announced FreeSync 2, they explained in detail how their implementation of FreeSync 2 would differ from a standard HDR pipeline. The FreeSync 2 HDR tone mapping was supposed to use the calibration and specification data sent from the monitor to the PC to simplify the tone mapping process.
The idea was that the games themselves correspond directly to what the display was capable of presenting, the FreeSync 2 transport transmitting the data directly to the monitor without the need for additional processing on the monitor itself. even. This contrasted with the standard HDR tone mapping pipelines that see the game tone map in an intermediate format before the display then determines how to map it according to its capabilities. Having games do most of the tone mapping work HDR was supposed to reduce latency, which is a problem with HDR games.
This is how AMD detailed the HDR implementation of FreeSync 2 at CES 2017. Although it sounded good in theory, one of the major issues raised at the time was that the games themselves had to correspond specifically to the FreeSync 2 displays. This meant that the games would need to integrate a FreeSync 2 API if this HDR implementation had to succeed, and we all know how difficult it is to convince a developer to incorporate a niche technology.
As FreeSync 2 is right now, this original HDR implementation is not quite ready yet. The AMD website on FreeSync 2 simply states that the technology includes "support for displaying HDR content", and there is no mention of games compatible with FreeSync 2. And when you actually use a FreeSync 2 monitor, the HDR support relies entirely on the Windows 10 HDR implementation for now, which slowly improves but is not at the same level as the solution Original AMD is configured to provide in an ideal environment.
The reason for this is that FreeSync 2 support has only been introduced into AMD Services 5.1.1 GPUs in September 2017, so game developers do not have the support of FreeSync 2. had the tools to implement the GPU mapping of FreeSync 2 for more than 7 months. The implementation of this type of technology in games can be time consuming, and for the moment, there is no word that currently released games use AGS 5.1.1 in the process of development.
One of the features mentioned by AMD as part of their HDR implementation was the automatic switchover between HDR and SDR modes, allowing you to take full advantage of your screen's HDR capabilities while finding a comfortable SDR for office applications. Unfortunately, this does not seem functional either yet, FreeSync 2 again uses the standard HDR implementation of Windows that does not handle the HDR to SDR transition too well.
However, while the implementation might not be something special at the moment, FreeSync 2 guarantees several things related to HDR. All FreeSync 2 monitors support the HDR format. So you are guaranteed to get an HDR compatible monitor if it is equipped with a FreeSync 2 badge. FreeSync 2 also ensures that you can run both Adaptive Synchronization and HDR at the same time for an optimal gaming experience. And finally, AMD states that all FreeSync 2 monitors require "twice the perceptual color space of sRGB for better brightness and better contrast."
It's unclear exactly what AMD means by "twice the perceptual color space", but the idea is that a FreeSync 2 monitor would support a wider range than sRGB and a higher brightness than a basic gaming monitor.
It seems that the FreeSync 2 validation process of AMD is not limited to a basic HDR implementation. Until now, every FreeSync 2 monitor available or advertised meets at least the DisplayHDR 400 specification. This is a pretty weak HDR specification, but we've seen supposed HDR monitors not compliant with FreeSync 2 does not reach the DisplayHDR 400 specification, so at least with FreeSync 2 you get a display that meets the new industry standard minimum monitor HDR.
Of course, some monitors will exceed DisplayHDR 400, like the original set of Samsung FreeSync 2 monitors such as the CHG70 and the CHG90; Both of these screens meet the DisplayHDR 600 specification. Ideally, I would have liked to see FreeSync 2 stipulate a minimum DisplayHDR 600, but 400 nits of peak brightness of DisplayHDR 400 should be suitable for an entry-level HDR experience .
FreeSync 2: Low latency of entry
The second main feature of FreeSync 2 is the reduced input latency, which we briefly discussed earlier. HDR processing pipelines have historically introduced a lot of late entry, especially on the display side, however FreeSync 2 stipulates low latency processing for SDR and HDR content. AMD has not released any specific metrics targeting input latency, but it's safe to say that 50 to 100 ms of delay as you might get it with a standard HDR TV would not be acceptable for a game monitor.
How FreeSync 2 gets low latency support in 2018 seems to be more on the display side than the original implementation announced in early 2017.
As we mentioned during the FreeSync 2 HDR implementation, the original idea was to push the tone mapping into the game engine to reduce input latency because the slow processor from the screen would not need to involve as much. As the games have not yet started to support FreeSync 2, it seems that this latency reduction comes only from a better display processing. For example, the current Samsung FreeSync 2 monitors include a low latency mode automatically enabled when FreeSync 2 is enabled. activated.
FreeSync 2: Low Frequency Compensation
The last key feature is low framerate compensation. This is a feature that goes with adaptive synchronization, ensuring adaptive sync functions at each frame rate, from 0 FPS up to the maximum refresh rate supported by the camera. display.
There is a simple reason why we need a low framerate compensation: the displays can only vary their refresh rate in a certain window, for example from 48 to 144 Hz. want to run a game below the minimum refresh rate supported, for example 40 FPS when the minimum refresh rate is 48 Hz, you may end up with standard screen or stuttering problems . Indeed, the rendering rate of the GPU is not synchronized with the refresh rate of the display.
Low Framerate Compensation, or LFC, extends the window in which you can synchronize the rendering rate to the refresh rate using adaptive synchronization. When the framerate falls below the minimum refresh rate of the monitor, the images are simply displayed multiple times and the display runs at a multiple of the refresh rate required.
In our previous example, to display 40 FPS using LFC, each image is doubled, then this output is synchronized to the display operating at 80 Hz. You can even launch games at, say, 13 FPS and synchronize this frequency with a refresh rate; in this case, the monitor would run at 52 Hz (to exceed the minimum of 48 Hz), then each image would be displayed 4 times.
The end result is that LFC effectively suppresses the minimum refresh rate of the adaptive sync displays, but for the LFC to be supported, the monitor must have a maximum refresh rate of at least twice as much. minimum refresh rate. This is why not all FreeSync monitors support LFC; some come with only refresh windows of 48 to 75 Hz, which does not meet the CFL criteria. However, in the case of FreeSync 2, each validated monitor for this specification will support LFC so that you do not have to worry about the monitor's minimum refresh rate.
Current FreeSync 2 monitors
It would not be a look at FreeSync 2 in 2018 without exploring what FreeSync 2 monitors are actually available at this moment, and what monitors are coming up.
Currently, there are only three FreeSync 2 monitors on the market, and all are from Samsung's Quantum Dot range: the C27HG70 and C32HG70 respectively in 27 and 32 inches. 1440p 144Hz, as well as the stupidly wide C49HG90, a dual-1080p 144Hz monitor. All three are DisplayHDR 600 certified.
Set for release this year are several other options. We have the BenQ EX3203R, a curved VA panel of 32 inches with a resolution of 1440p and a refresh rate of 144Hz, certified for DisplayHDR 400. The AOC Agon AG322QC4 seems to use the same panel, so it has the same specifications . Then there is the Philips 436M6VBPAB (seriously, who named this monitor) which is a 43-inch 4K 60Hz display displaying the DisplayHDR 1000 certification.
The last thing I will mention here is the GPU support: FreeSync 2 requires an AMD graphics card as can be expected from a technology AMD, and according to this list, all of the RX 200 series of AMD or newer except for a few products is supported. There is also a bunch of APUs with built-in graphics that work.
If you have an Nvidia GPU, FreeSync 2 monitors will work, and you'll get most of the benefits, including support for HDR. What you will not get is an adaptive synchronization support; If you wish, you need to find a monitor with Nvidia's equivalent G-Sync HDR technology.
Next week we will be tracking our practical impressions on FreeSync 2 monitors, reflections on the use of FreeSync and what needs to be improved.
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