Confused over my Time Sleuth measurements

[jsteel]

Before I got a Time Sleuth I measured my LCD against my CRT using a passive splitter (SCART with RCA breakouts) to put 240p composite straight to a CRT, and RGB via my OSSC at 480p to my LCD. I then used the 240p test suite and took a picture to see my LCD was about 2 frames behind the CRT. This makes me think the Time Slueth should show my LCD at 480p has approximately 33ms of lag (if 1 frame is about 16.6ms at 60fps) however it says it has 5ms. I’m confused by this result and wonder if someone can help try and explain it.

Many thanks

[BuckoA51]

is the measurement consistent across all the bars?

[jsteel]

Yes all bars give the exact same reading. I tested a second LCD TV that with the CRT comparison test gives about 4 frames of lag, but the Time Sleuth thinks this one is just 3ms (all bars). So it’s not even consistent telling me which TV is actually better :\

[BuckoA51]

These ultra low readings might indicate the sensor is picking up some light it shouldn’t.

Try closing the curtains in the room, also, try holding the time sleuth at a 90 degree angle (so the side is to the screen and the sensor is pointing down).

[jsteel]

Thanks for the suggestion but it hasn’t helped. At 90 degrees it reads less than 1 ms. If I hold it away from the TV it stops updating the readings (as expected) so I don’t think there’s something else in the room that it’s picking up. I’ve tried raising and lowering the brightness/contrast but readings remain the same. Might be worth mentioning I get similar results with 480i, a resolution that you would expect to be much worse, but on both TVs I have it tells me it’s between 3ms and 5ms on both, crazy.

To be clear I didn’t buy it from this site, I just thought these forums might be a good place for some advice as I couldn’t get any support from Castlemania Games where I got it from. I also commented on RetroRGB’s Youtube video on this product, and Castlemania Games product review to share my experience and see if I can get some help, and both have deleted (or not approved) my comment, so I’m trying to find a place to discuss this issue uncensored.

[jsteel]

I stumbled upon https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyNpZkbtvjc and the last question by Tofuman seems to be the same experience I’m having. Strange that Bob completely missed his point and didn’t comment on this issue, but at least I’m not alone.

[BuckoA51]

Can you try on another TV?

If your readings are more realistic on another TV, you have just found a TV that’s not compatible for some reason, if they aren’t I’d return the Time Sleuth.

[jsteel]

Yes I mentioned I tried another, similar result. I tried a 3rd, same issue, however I have tried a 4th (and old LG) and that gives more believable results, eg 60+ms. So maybe I’m lead to believe I’ve found a bunch of TVs incompatible with the Time Sleuth (an old: Panasonic, Samsung and Sony) but it’s not that it gives no reading, it tells me they are amazing. So my unfortunate conclusion is if I test a TV and it’s really good, either it is, or the Time Sleuth is lying.

Playing on the idea that maybe it’s picking up too much light, I tried lowing my brightness/contrast/backlight right down, which didn’t make any difference, but then added a bit of paper in between the TV and Time Sleuth. This time, I was able to get some more realistic readings from these TVs (which match my CRT comparison readings at about 20ms and 60ms) but only on the centre bars; I could get no reading from top or bottom.

Has no one else found this issue? Or do they just think they have a really good LCD with 5ms or less?

[BuckoA51]

No, your LCD definitely isn’t 5ms lag or less 🙂 I have come across this on some displays but they are really rare, one was a Sony KDL-37EX400 which I couldn’t get a reading with Leo’s tester on. Another was a Dell monitor but that worked by holding the Time Sleuth at 90 degrees.

To find 3 TVs that don’t work, well, I’d want to try another Time Sleuth personally.

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