ACER AL2051W @ Newegg for $200

[*kjm]

Originally posted by: lemon45
Wow now I'm in a predicament. This or the HP w2207? How valuable are those extra 2 inches? I plan on using this monitor to watch downloaded movies+TV shows and casual gaming, and possibly hook up a VGA TV Tuner. I plan on watching from 6-8 feet away on my bed. Will the TN panel (in the HP) be a pain in the ass because of the more limited viewing angle? The HP does have a versatile stand, so I should be able to tilt it to where it needs to be. Even so, I can see it being annoying if the viewing angle is extremely sensitive and I have to be careful not to move around at all. Is the Acer significantly better in this regard?

What would you guys do in my position, if 1: cost was no object, and 2: keeping cost in mind. Anyone's help is very much appreciated. Thanks!

I bought my Dell 9300 for watching video's on the road (field service trips) and its 1900X1200 and the screen is 14"X9". The bed was always about 10 to 11 feet from the bed and I never had a problem... Is it like watching the 42" plasma at home? No but it did the job and I enjoyed the movie. From the information in this thread this screen should be 17"X10.7" with a lower res so it should be fine for your 6 to 8'.

I get mine on Thursday so if no one posts before then I'll let you know for sure but as I said you should be good to go.

 

[njdevilsfan87]

I really hate tax...

Comes out to $230 shipped for me. Still tempting though, that 176 degree viewing angle... And I also kind of like the glossy screens that are on my XPS laptops at work.

It's just that... I don't really need a new monitor... even though I want a WS (current one is almost 2 years old and is a regular 19'' LCD), its so much easier to make a decision when you don't have the money to spend

 

[*kjm]

Originally posted by: *kjm

Originally posted by: lemon45
Wow now I'm in a predicament. This or the HP w2207? How valuable are those extra 2 inches? I plan on using this monitor to watch downloaded movies+TV shows and casual gaming, and possibly hook up a VGA TV Tuner. I plan on watching from 6-8 feet away on my bed. Will the TN panel (in the HP) be a pain in the ass because of the more limited viewing angle? The HP does have a versatile stand, so I should be able to tilt it to where it needs to be. Even so, I can see it being annoying if the viewing angle is extremely sensitive and I have to be careful not to move around at all. Is the Acer significantly better in this regard?

What would you guys do in my position, if 1: cost was no object, and 2: keeping cost in mind. Anyone's help is very much appreciated. Thanks!

I bought my Dell 9300 for watching video's on the road (field service trips) and its 1900X1200 and the screen is 14"X9". The bed was always about 10 to 11 feet from the bed and I never had a problem... Is it like watching the 42" plasma at home? No but it did the job and I enjoyed the movie. From the information in this thread this screen should be 17"X10.7" with a lower res so it should be fine for your 6 to 8'.

I get mine on Thursday so if no one posts before then I'll let you know for sure but as I said you should be good to go.

Well it came a day early
Lemon45 I can only stand back about 5.5 ft. from the LCD in my computer room (room limits me) and movies look great. I moved back to about 6.5' to 7' at about a 45 to 50 deg angle and it still looks great. I did have one dead pixle in the bottom right corner 1" from the side and 1.5" up... it's black and in a corner so it wont bother me. I do have some pics of unpacking, setting next to my old 17" LCD (non widescreen) ect, if anyone wants to see them I could post them by Friday.

I have not had time to do much with it but if anyone has any questions let me know.

njdevilsfan87 I have the Dell 9300 and can tell you this screen looks better just not as much realistate. The screen is bigger though. Xtknight nailed it... it is 10.7" H X 17" W.

 

[njdevilsfan87]

Ok I ordered one. Thank God I get my paycheck tomorrow!!!

Looking forward to finally going WS! Thanks OP - was looking for an 8-bit & good viewing angle monitor. Don't really care that much about response time as the one I currently use is 12ms and I don't really notice anything.

 

[Cheex]

Originally posted by: njdevilsfan87
Ok I ordered one. Thank God I get my paycheck tomorrow!!!

Looking forward to finally going WS! Thanks OP - was looking for an 8-bit & good viewing angle monitor. Don't really care that much about response time as the one I currently use is 12ms and I don't really notice anything.

You're welcome!!

All I ask in return is to give me some feedback about your experience with it. I'm a student so saving is slow (saving up to buy one)...

 

[lemon45]

Originally posted by: *kjm

Originally posted by: *kjm

Originally posted by: lemon45
Wow now I'm in a predicament. This or the HP w2207? How valuable are those extra 2 inches? I plan on using this monitor to watch downloaded movies+TV shows and casual gaming, and possibly hook up a VGA TV Tuner. I plan on watching from 6-8 feet away on my bed. Will the TN panel (in the HP) be a pain in the ass because of the more limited viewing angle? The HP does have a versatile stand, so I should be able to tilt it to where it needs to be. Even so, I can see it being annoying if the viewing angle is extremely sensitive and I have to be careful not to move around at all. Is the Acer significantly better in this regard?

What would you guys do in my position, if 1: cost was no object, and 2: keeping cost in mind. Anyone's help is very much appreciated. Thanks!

I bought my Dell 9300 for watching video's on the road (field service trips) and its 1900X1200 and the screen is 14"X9". The bed was always about 10 to 11 feet from the bed and I never had a problem... Is it like watching the 42" plasma at home? No but it did the job and I enjoyed the movie. From the information in this thread this screen should be 17"X10.7" with a lower res so it should be fine for your 6 to 8'.

I get mine on Thursday so if no one posts before then I'll let you know for sure but as I said you should be good to go.

Well it came a day early
Lemon45 I can only stand back about 5.5 ft. from the LCD in my computer room (room limits me) and movies look great. I moved back to about 6.5' to 7' at about a 45 to 50 deg angle and it still looks great. I did have one dead pixle in the bottom right corner 1" from the side and 1.5" up... it's black and in a corner so it wont bother me. I do have some pics of unpacking, setting next to my old 17" LCD (non widescreen) ect, if anyone wants to see them I could post them by Friday.

I have not had time to do much with it but if anyone has any questions let me know.

njdevilsfan87 I have the Dell 9300 and can tell you this screen looks better just not as much realistate. The screen is bigger though. Xtknight nailed it... it is 10.7" H X 17" W.

Awesome thanks for letting me know! I wish I could see this monitor side by side with the W2207 in a store though! For some reason none of the major electronics stores around me carry the Acer. I went in to take a look at the W2207, and I was actually surprised by how not-terrible the viewing angles were. Everyone gives TN such a bad wrap for having poor viewing angles, but on a whole I don't think they're that bad. Certainly not any worse than a projection television. The real question for me now is whether or not the extra 2 inches is worth the $150+ price difference.

 

[Smartazz]

Originally posted by: Aflac
For those interested in this monitor - make sure you're okay with glossy panels. I was 90% ready to fire away on this monitor, then I found out it had a glossy screen. Today, I went and tried some gaming and stuff on a friend's glossy laptop screen, and despised it. I absolutely cannot stand glossy screens, and that's the only reason I'm not picking this monitor - I'll be going with the Samsung 216BW for $240 (after coupon) instead. :x

I have the same problem with glossy screens. I def. considered buying one until you stated this. Thanks.

 

[TanisHalfElven]

Originally posted by: Cheex
Does anyone know if this is a temporary price drop or whether it is going to stay at this price?

if the price come down once its usually an indicator of lower prices in general. eg. buy.com had a benq 20" for 145 a month ago. hottest deal at the time. mountains of lava are colder. now 200-170 is commonplace for 20".

 

[NoStateofMind]

Geeks.com $185

EDIT: Note that it is refurbished!

I dont like this either:

Additional Information:

* Notes:
* Model: AL2051W
* P/N: ET.L7008.006

* Product Requirements:
* VGA or DVI adapter
* Available power outlet

* Diclosures:
* LCD displays may have cosmetic imperfections that appearas small bright or dark spots.
* This is common to all LCD displays used in products by all vendor and is not specific to any vendor or brand.
* Below are the acceptable amounts of"dot defects" for LCD displays that we sell:
* 19-Inch to 20-Inch:
* Total Defects: 8
* Bright or Dark Dots (random): 4
* Bright or Dark Dots (2 adjacent): 2
* Bright or Dark Dots (3 adjacent): 0
* Minimum distance between defects: 15 mm (bright to bright dots); 5 mm (dark to dark dots)

 

[njdevilsfan87]

I just hooked this monitor up today... and it's just fucking awesome! No dead pixels - I was slightly worried being that "8 dead pixel policy" but everything is good.

I can actually see my reflection when the screen is darker (but hey, it's 4PM and bright as hell in my room) so I was expecting that. So if CRT-like reflection bothers you, then I wouldn't get this monitor. But the colors, are just amazing. I will never buy a TN panel again.

The screen is clear, everything looks sharp. That's another I went with 20'' over 22'' - the smaller dot pitch. Games without anti-aliasing... it's like free anti-aliasing with a 20'' when compared to a 22''. This size is also perfect when you are like 3+ feet away.

I was a bit skeptical when I ordered this monitor, but now that I'm using it - DAMN GLAD I DID, thank you again OP.

Now time to go so see how much my 7900GS doesn't like the new resolution That's my only downside. But whatever, it'll still hold me over until G92.

 

[Cheex]

You're welcome!! (I am feeling so important these days.)



Your 7900GS should hold you over. I wouldn't recommend buying a new card now, so late in the product cycle.

Again, I'm loving the reviews!!

I just wish you people would send me all the money I saved you...

 

[Cheex]

Does anyone that have this monitor, play FIFA?

Does it ghost with long passes, crosses or clearances?

FIFA is a BIG thing with me and my friends.

 

[loucnr]

Mine seems to have a slight flicker and when aiming a camera at it, it has the refresh scan artifact which I've not seen yet on an LCD. Just wondering if anyone can fill me in on what could be going on there?

 

[Bonesdad]

well they dropped the price again, for a day. I picked one up on Wednesday for $189.99 + shipping. Total $205. Should be here Monday! Price is back up to $199.99 for now again.

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: loucnr
Mine seems to have a slight flicker and when aiming a camera at it, it has the refresh scan artifact which I've not seen yet on an LCD. Just wondering if anyone can fill me in on what could be going on there?

You're just seeing the backlight modulation, or the moire effect.

P.S. Backlight modulation is typically at 200-600Hz.

 

[Cheex]

Originally posted by: Bonesdad
well they dropped the price again, for a day. I picked one up on Wednesday for $189.99 + shipping. Total $205. Should be here Monday! Price is back up to $199.99 for now again.

What is your impression?
Review?

 

[emelius]

Originally posted by: Bonesdad
well they dropped the price again, for a day. I picked one up on Wednesday for $189.99 + shipping. Total $205. Should be here Monday! Price is back up to $199.99 for now again.

should be noted that while the base price is now higher, the shippin' is now free...so overall it is cheaper than it was the other day ($199.95 total)...

 

[Bonesdad]

that's new...when I saw it, it still had 15 shipping...got mine yesterday....it's flawless...no dead pixels and pretty as a peach.

 

[Cheex]

Originally posted by: emelius

Originally posted by: Bonesdad
well they dropped the price again, for a day. I picked one up on Wednesday for $189.99 + shipping. Total $205. Should be here Monday! Price is back up to $199.99 for now again.

should be noted that while the base price is now higher, the shippin' is now free...so overall it is cheaper than it was the other day ($199.95 total)...

Too bad I just still can't afford it...

Originally posted by: Bonesdad
that's new...when I saw it, it still had 15 shipping...got mine yesterday....it's flawless...no dead pixels and pretty as a peach.

That's great. Hopefully mine will be perfect too (I hope it isn't a pipe dream for me)...

 

[Louisp61]

I just love this monitor. Got mine on Tuesday, and it is freaking GREAT. I am running an Nvidia 7600GT and mepis 6.5. After a quick edit of my xorg.conf file, this thing was up and running at 1680x1050 in seconds. I mainly play enemy territory and QIII arena in linux, and they look fantastic on this monitor at 1680x1050. I can't detect any ghosting or lag at all. In fact, I am able to see things in the game now, that I never saw on my old 17 inch CTR.

For those interested in this monitor - make sure you're okay with glossy panels.

As far as the glossy screen, my perception is that it is not as glossy as the HP 2207 or some of the new glossy laptops. In fact, I see less glare off of this screen than I did off my old CRT

Personally I think this is the best monitor you can buy for less than $200. xtknight was 100% correct when he said "satan will visit your door personally if you do not purchase".

 

[Cheex]

More great news.

I just hope that I can purchase mine before Satan decides to visit....LOL....

 

[NYHoustonman]

I missed out on the 189.99 deal a while back, but now there's a $20 off paypal thing (hot deals forum)... I'm jumping on this now .

 

[DoodieBody]

Just got this monitor today.

Colors look absolutely great. When playing games or watching movies, it seems to have great "depth." Almost feels 3d. The glossy screen doesn't bother me at all. I even have a window pointing right at it.

One dead pixel :/ Kind of off in the corner, doesn't bother me too much.

My only issue with it is gaming. Perhaps I have high standards (this is my first LCD, nothing but CRTs before), but I find it shocking that a lot of you are reporting "no ghosting." Either my monitor has something wrong with it, or I'm spoiled by CRTs. Some games (Oblivion, CS:S, UT) don't seem too bad. I can notice it, but it doesn't bug me. Others (WoW, EQ2) are darn right painful. While PvPing in WoW (when you're strafing and looking all over the place) people get so blurry I can hardly tell what's going on. I've never gotten a headache from gaming until now :/ Perhaps I did something wrong? (although I'm not sure what there is to screw up. Plug in, change resolution to 1680x1050, mess with contrass/brightness colors, enjoy?)

 

[JimRice]

Thanks to XTKnight and Cheex and all of the other reviews, I bought this monitor. Got it for $199+free shipping. No dead pixels.

This is an awesome display. I moved up from a 17" crt. Compared to my old monitor, I'm able to see so much more detail and the colors really pop. I noticed for the first time a defect in a picture I've had as my wallpaper for years now.

Compared to the Dell 17" LCD at work, there isn't any comparison. My wife, who has a 2 year old 17" Princeton Senergy 714 that we paid $300 for, is drooling over this one.

The biggest change so far is how Google earth looks! My god, it's huge!

Thanks, guys, this is awesome.

 

[DoodieBody]

Just as an update, I think I'm probably spoiled by CRTs. I tried out my brothers much quicker, more expensive LCD monitor, and it didn't seem too much better.

I guess all LCDs have a bit of motion blur don't they? Ugh, shoulda stuck with CRTs I guess. Nothing against this monitor though, it looks great compared to other LCDs I've seen. I'm just not used to them yet I guess.