What is DPMS MODE and what is a HIBERNATE option on my Diagnostic Display?

Article number: [3981] - Legacy code: [7531]

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DPMS MODE

VESA Display Power Management Signaling (or DPMS) is a standard from the VESA consortium for the power management of video monitors. Example usage includes turning off or putting the monitor on standby after idle time to save power. Some commercial displays also incorporate this technology. (source: Wikipedia)

How can it extend the life of your Barco displays?

When a display gets older, the backlights that light up the pixels you see get darker. You can slow down this process by properly using DPMS (in the display) and power save settings (on your workstation) which will in combination turn off the display (and thus the backlights) so they do not wear out.

Furthermore, properly using DPMS and screensavers on your workstation can prevent irreversible damage to your Barco displays because of image burn-in. By default, DPMS mode is enabled on your Barco display, but it also needs to be activated on your workstation. To do this, go to the “Power options” of your workstation. Barco recommends setting DPMS activation after 20 minutes of non-usage. You can find the information on how to enable/disable DPMS mode in the User Guide of your Barco display.

MediCal QAWeb and DPMS

The DPMS feature can be turned off in the display's OSD menu, however, this is not recommended for obvious reasons. When MediCal QAWeb Agent is installed on the workstation to which the displays are connected, a policy will ensure that the DPMS setting in the display is enabled daily to make sure that when users tamper with this feature, the effect on your display's lifetime is minimal.

QAWeb Enterprise and DPMS

When the QAWeb Enterprise Agent software is installed on the workstation, the DPMS Setting of the Barco displays is by default set to "Enabled". QAWeb Enterprise doesn't include any option to disable DPMS anymore (like in QAWeb1) on the Barco displays.

HIBERNATE OPTION

When DPMS mode is enabled, an additional power-saving function becomes available: HIBERNATE. When hibernate is enabled, not only the backlight but also other functions will be disabled to reduce power consumption to a minimum. This happens after an adjustable period of time. You can find the information on how to enable/disable the hibernate option in the User Guide of your Barco display.

PRO TIP: Barco recommends connecting the keyboard, mouse, touchpad, etc. directly with the workstation (and not with the display) to be able to wake the workstation and display from hibernation.

Barco warranty policy

To optimize your Barco display lifetime, the Barco Healthcare warranty policy states that a screen saver shall be activated after 5 minutes of non-use of the workstation and the displays shall be turned off after a maximum of 20 minutes of inactivity.

NOTE: Power save settings in Windows can be user-specific (depending on local IT policy). When you suspect your displays are not going into standby mode, test this with different users and then check with your IT department if specific policies exist or shall be created according to the Barco warranty policy. There also seems to be a power save setting for when no user is logged in so make sure to configure and test this one as well.