How to Use Your Monitor's OSD: A Guide to Freesync, HDR, MPRT, Crosshair & Overdrive

Your monitor's OSD (On-Screen Display) menu can be confusing with all its unfamiliar terms and settings. This guide will equip you to navigate the OSD and unlock the full potential of your display. Today, we'll explore five common gaming features: Freesync, HDR, MPRT, Crosshair (LoS), and Overdrive.

Freesync

For a buttery smooth, tear-free gaming experience, look no further than Freesync. Imagine your graphics card outputting images at a high FPS, but your monitor can only display them at a slower, fixed rate. This mismatch creates stuttering and tearing. Freesync ensures your monitor displays frames exactly when the graphics card delivers them, eliminating those pesky disruptions.

How to Activate Freesync:

• Compatibility Check: Check if your monitor and graphics card are compatible with Freesync. Consult your user manuals or manufacturer websites for confirmation.
• Graphics Card Settings: Enable Freesync in your graphics card's control panel. The process might vary depending on the brand, but it typically involves navigating to the display settings. Make sure you have the latest AMD drivers installed. 
• OSD Menu Activation: Locate the Freesync option in your monitor’s OSD menu and enable it. The layout might differ depending on the monitor, but for Pixio gaming monitors, it is under 'Gaming Setup'.

HDR

HDR (High Dynamic Range) offers a significant leap in image quality compared to standard monitors. It expands the range of colors your monitor can display, revealing a wider spectrum of hues and deeper blacks. With standard settings, the colors might appear muted. HDR unlocks the monitor’s full potential, showcasing a wider range of colors. This enhanced color palette applies to all types of content, from movies and games to photos and even everyday applications.

How to Enable HDR:

• Content Source Settings: Enable HDR in your content source's settings (e.g. gaming console).
• OSD Menu Activation: Locate the HDR option under ‘Gaming Setup’ and enable it.

MPRT

MPRT (Moving Picture Response Time) focuses on reducing motion blur, a major concern in fast-paced games. When objects move quickly on the screen, pixels can take time to transition from one color to another, resulting in a blurry trail behind the moving object. Enabling MPRT helps reduce this blur, offering sharper visuals during motion-heavy scenarios. Imagine a competitive online game – with MPRT turned on, aiming precisely becomes easier due to clearer player movements.

While enabling MPRT can improve motion clarity, it might sometimes introduce visual artifacts like overshoot (discussed in the Overdrive section). Experiment with turning MPRT on and off to see which setting works best for you. 

Crosshair (LoS)

The Crosshair (or LoS - Line of Sight) feature overlays a customizable crosshair on your screen, primarily used in first-person shooter games. While some games offer built-in crosshairs, the OSD option provides more customization options. Playing an FPS without a crosshair would be like trying to hit a target blindfolded, and a well-placed crosshair serves as a focal point for aiming, helping you line up shots with greater precision.
How to Use Crosshair (LoS):

• Accessing the Feature: Locate the Crosshair or LoS option in your OSD menu. On Pixio monitors, it is under 'Gaming Setup’. For other brands, it may be under ‘Game’ or similar terms. 
• Customization: Once enabled, you can adjust the color and shape of the crosshair to your preference. A thicker, brighter crosshair might be easier to see in fast-paced games, while a thinner, more subtle crosshair might be preferred for a cleaner look. Experiment with different options to find what works best for your gameplay style and visual preference.

Overdrive

Overdrive attempts to accelerate the response time of your monitor's pixels by manipulating how quickly they change color. This can be beneficial for reducing ghosting, a visual artifact where a faint trail of the previous image remains visible behind a moving object. Imagine a scene where a character sprints across the screen – with ghosting, you might see a faint duplicate image trailing behind them. Overdrive aims to eliminate this ghosting effect. However, using excessive overdrive can introduce its own visual artifacts, like inverse ghosting (where a bright halo appears around moving objects) or overshoot (where pixels change color too quickly and appear brighter or darker than intended).

How to Use Overdrive:

• Start Low: Begin with the lowest overdrive setting and gradually increase it until you see ghosting but no artifacts. This is the sweet spot where you've achieved the best balance between response time and image quality.
• Know When to Stop: If artifacts appear, even at the lowest overdrive setting, it's best to reduce the level or disable it altogether. Your monitor's native response time might be sufficient for your needs, and forcing overdrive can introduce more problems than it solves.

• Refer to your monitor's user manual: It's a valuable resource for understanding your monitor's OSD layout and the specific functions of each setting.
• Start with factory settings: Most monitors come pre-calibrated from the factory. These settings might be a good starting point before fine-tuning to your preferences.