>Psychtoolbox>PsychTests

SyncedCLUTUpdateTest([synced=1])

Perceptual test to test synchronization of hardware gamma table
updates to the vertical refresh and to Screen(‘Flip’).

The command Screen(‘LoadNormalizedGammaTable’) provides the optional parameter
‘loadOnNextFlip’. If set to 1, Psychtoolbox is requested to defer the upload
of the specified gamma table until next execution of the Screen(‘Flip’) command,
i.e. swapping the back- and front buffers and update of the gamma table should
happen synchronously with each other and with vertical retrace.

This test allows to perceptually check correctness of this mechanism. In a loop
it shows two alternating stimuli: A gray-level ramp of range 0-255, displayed
with a hardware lut of *half* intensity range 0-0.5. Then, after next retrace, a
gray-level ramp of *half* range 0-128 with a hardware lut of *full* intensity range
0-1.0. If update of the visual stimulus (the graylevel ramp) and of the corresponding
clut happens synchronously at the same vertical retrace during the ‘Flip’ command,
as expected, then the half intensity stim + full intensity lut or full intensity stim +
half intensity lut should cancel each other out, resulting in the perception of a
half-intensity gray-ramp with no or only minimal flicker. If, on the other hand,
synchronisation of clut update and flip doesn’t work properly, then one should see
a strong flicker of the gray-ramp due to non-matching stimulus and clut.

You can easily produce the visual impression of failed sync by providing the optional
parameter synced = 0 to enforce non-synced updates.

Even if synced updates work, you may see some artifacts at the top of the display,
due to the inability of slow gfx-hardware to update the lut quickly enough. Either
avoid that display area for your stim or buy a faster graphics card. Enabling realtime
scheduling via Priority() command may also help.

The accuracy of stimulus onset timestamps may be reduced on M$-Windows when using
this mode of operation.