Give me all of your opinions about the Planar 17.4" PV174 monitor

[zippy]

I know a lot of you got in on the Planar PV174 deal (I did not...), so I want to hear all of your opinions. I'm about to order it (for a lot more... ) and I want to make sure I'm making the right decision.

So tell me about...

Viewing angles
DVD quality
Game quality (not so important to me)
DVI vs. Analog quality
Image quality
Brightness/contrast
etc.

Thanks!

I'm finally getting an LCD...I decided there will be no more procrastination of this! It's now or never!

 

[PlatinumGold]

I've got a dell 17" LCD monitor, i believe it's a rebadged samsung. Samsung LCD's have a VERY good reputation. Planar only seems to have a good rep here, not so much when you read the reviews, like PC magazine.

if you can get a equivalent Samsung for the same price i'd get the samsung.

 

[Dre]

I have the planar and use it for gaming and normal web surfing and word processing. it kicks ass, no complaints. everythign looks great.

Mine is hooked up via analog to a geforce2 card.

 

[Bluga]

it kicks ass

 

[zippy]

Can I get some more specifics?

Thanks to all who have replied (and will reply)!

 

[Dimitri]

Wait until Eviscerate comes around as he shares the same opinion I do on the Planar models. They look quite good in 2D, but ghost noticably in 3D.

 

[zippy]

Okay...hrmmm...how can it be perfectly fine in 2D (movies too?) but crap in 3D? (note: a serious question, not trying to be a cynic)

BUMP

I need more opinions!

Also, if you have any recommendations for a good LCD that is bigger than 17" and less than about $750 (I might be able to swing $800 but I don't really want to), that would be great.

 

[Dug]

I highly recommend the NEC Multisync 1700v. Comes in black or beige.
It's the best I've seen by far, and I've tried a lot of them.
No ghosting (which I don't think is the biggest concern with lcd's)
It's brightness and contrast are right on (which I think is far more important than ghosting)
It can display dark shades and colors better than anything I've seen.
You can get it for about $630-650.

The only other monitor that I would recommend but I haven't tried is the Samsung 171P.
It hasn't hit retailers yet though and its $900.

I personally thought the Planar and Viewsonic's were the worst at producing colors and contrast correctly.

 

[zippy]

Thanks!

Keep the replies coming!

BTW, I can use DVI...and I'm kinda partial to them...why, I do not know.

 

[Gunbuster]

I have the 18.1" Planar
I dont see any more ghosting than my Iiyama VMP 510 21" tube (not much, if any)

Love it

 

[Dimitri]

When I said 2D I was mainly referring to IQ of web and office apps, not animation. I only play 3d games and don't watch DVD's so those weren't an issue. Also remember people differ in how noticeable ghosting is. I'm probably pickier than most. There are people with 50ms that swear they don't see ghosting, yet if I looked at the panel I would think they're either blind or stupid.

 

[zippy]

BUMP

 

[schmeckp]

I've had the pv174 for about a month and absolutely love it. I have 3 comps, and use the planar on two - my main gaming rig (geforce3 ti500 - DVI) and as an "as needed" monitor to a server (through a Geforce 2 MX400 - analog), and because the planar supports both analog and digital, I can leave both hooked up and with a couple button presses switch between them.

My gaming system used to have a KDS RAD7 on it, but after using the planar on my work box, I decided it was better than the RAD7 and promptly switched it over to my main gaming box.

I've watched numerous DVDs upon it and haven't experienced any really noticable ghosting. I think the only time I noticed ghosting was about the first 5 minutes of gaming on it, but after that I easily adjusted. I tend to have fairly sensitive eyes (I need at least 85hz refresh on a crt), but I've been completely impressed by this planar. Definitely one of the best purchases I've made.

++schmeckp

 

[Eviscerate]

Opinions of ghosting/blurring/afterglow (call it what you may) vary from person to person. What one person finds acceptable another may find terrible. This is a very subjective thing and the opinions you will hear depend on one's tolerance for these things more than anything else. That and the applications you will use.

Personally, I can only compare the pv150, 15" version of the pv174 (same fujitsu mva panel tech) with the kds rad-5 and the envision 7100. IMHO the Planar unit blurred/ghosted/afterglowed MUCH more than either the rad-5 or the 7100. One torture test that I found good for testing my LCDs is the red nazi flags in MOHAA. On the pv150, they looked disgusting when strafing in front of them. On the rad-5 and 7100, it looked imperfect but very clean, certainly leagues better than the pv150.

When one considers that the rad-5 and pv150 share a 25ms response time rating, it makes me question the validity of using these specs to guess how the units will actually perform. Considering that the 7100 has a 50ms rating (twice as bad as the pv150) and performs much BETTER (not a typo), it really makes me think that the response times as reported by the panel's manufacturer's marketing department means precisely squat. Take into account that the raw panel is tested for response time and not the finished unit and you can see how different LCDs based on the same panel could vary in performance. Also, the conventions for testing and reporting response times are not standardized so 25ms can mean very different things on various units.

I would not reccommend any of the planar units that use the fujitsu mva screens if you will be doing any fast action gaming. As some will no doubt point out, it is not the mva tech per say that is to blame but either the planar components or something else about the fujitsu screen that is responsible for it's poor performance in the area of ghosting/afterglow/blurring.

Go to a store and evaluate some units. You will likely not find the unit you are considering for purchase but at least you will have a point of reference to compare with the unit you buy. I know it is not easy to do, but attempt to find an LCD hooked up to a pc with an FPS game on it and load it up. You may have luck at CompUSA with this.

 

[Eviscerate]

P.S. Read the following threads for more opinions on the pv174 and other 17" LCDs:

Planar PV174 Discussion

AND

17 - 18 in. LCD Panel Discussion

 

[zippy]

Yeah, I went to CompUSA and looked at a bunch of LCDs. Some were playing Star Wars Episode 1 and some were playing Shrek. Only problem was that there were 15" and 17" mixed playing one movie and 15", 17", and 18" mixed playing the other! So I put the reso to 1280x1024 for Shrek...and I got a decent idea of how they looked. However, for Episode 1, the computer wouldn't go beyond 1024x768! Not to mention, I don't think any were hooked up via DVI (I don't think they had many, if any, DVI LCDs there anyway) and they didn't have any Planar LCDs.

 

[zippy]

The I-Need-To-Order-A-LCD-Tomorrow Bump!

 

[lastig21]

I can't give you any help on what lcd to buy, but I do recomend staying away from Viewsonic. We use them at my school and their colors are completely off and much blurrier than other lcd's I've seen. Good Luck

 

[zippy]

<< I can't give you any help on what lcd to buy, but I do recomend staying away from Viewsonic. We use them at my school and their colors are completely off and much blurrier than other lcd's I've seen. Good Luck >>

Agreed. The ones I saw at Compusa were very dark and the colors were way off.

 

[Eviscerate]

The only thing about viewsonic that I can comment on is that I purchased a 17" CRT for a customer about 16 months ago. It was (and is) a viewsonic. It is DEAD. All I remember is that is was an aperture grill and that it looked very nice at the time. Now, because best buy needs a good *skull fukking*, me, my gf, and him all have to go in, just to get the service on the stupid 3 year PRP we got for him because of who happened to sign the thing.

P.S. Just a note, the local PC store in town says, And I quote "customers were dissatisfied with viewsonic's response to warranty claims, so we now carry NEC"

 

[Yoshi]

I have the 18.1" Planar and love it. Very bright and crisp display, fine for gaming, better than average off axis viewing, and nice price to boot.

You will not be disappointed by the Planar.

 

[zippy]

Thanks for the replies...keep em coming!

Think it's worth it to spend $800 on a Samsung 170t? It got rave reviews at CNet...and the specs are great!

 

[Dug]

<< Think it's worth it to spend $800 on a Samsung 170t? >>


Nope.
Their 171p, Yes.

I'm tellin ya. Find a place that has a good return policy locally and try every one that you can.
Then find an online retailer that has a good return policy and try the one's you couldn't get locally.

That's the only way you will know. Don't always go by specs, although they do help.
For instance the Viewsonic and Planar have great specs, but imho they are the worst. (17in that is)
The Samsung you mentioned is good, but I still prefered the NEC which has 250 cd/m2 white luminance and 400:1 contrast ratio.
And don't worry about dvi connections. When you really get down to it, it won't make a difference on a high quality monitor.
I have not met one person that can really tell the difference. And good reviewers will say the same thing.

 

[zippy]

<<

<< Think it's worth it to spend $800 on a Samsung 170t? >>


Nope.
Their 171p, Yes.

I'm tellin ya. Find a place that has a good return policy locally and try every one that you can.
Then find an online retailer that has a good return policy and try the one's you couldn't get locally.

That's the only way you will know. Don't always go by specs, although they do help.
For instance the Viewsonic and Planar have great specs, but imho they are the worst. (17in that is)
The Samsung you mentioned is good, but I still prefered the NEC which has 250 cd/m2 white luminance and 400:1 contrast ratio.
And don't worry about dvi connections. When you really get down to it, it won't make a difference on a high quality monitor.
I have not met one person that can really tell the difference. And good reviewers will say the same thing. >>

Well, DVI vs. Analog is a concern because I plan to have this monitor for the next few years (3 at least), so I don't want to be sitting with an analog monitor and a DVI video card. <shrug> It's not a big deal really, because there will be adapters, I just like the thought of having my computer and monitor both be digital with no conversion.

What good B&M stores have good return policies? The following B&M places are here: Best Buy, CompUSA, Staples, Office Max, Sam's Club, BJs (another wholesale place...Envision 7100 for only $500), Sears (do they even have LCDs?). That's all I can think of.

Have you actually used the Samsung 170t btw?

 

[Dug]

<< Have you actually used the Samsung 170t btw? >>


Yes, I have used it. It's a good monitor, but I see no reason why it should cost that much.
If you can get one for around $600 then it would be worth it.
It is similiar to the NEC that I'm using now, but I still didn't like the colors as much.

Best Buy has a great 14day return policy. Staples is also great. Compusa has a 15%restocking fee unless you talk to the manager and let him know up front what you want to do.

If you plan on keeping this monitor for the next 3 years then I really suggest you wait until you can get your hands on the Samsung 171p. I believe this will be the one and only lcd for some time to come. (I haven't tried this model though) I'm only going by the specs and what I've seen from the t models.