LCD Buyer's Guide

[paulw86]

Originally posted by: ST

Originally posted by: xtknight

Originally posted by: paulw86
I am determined to set up my own home theatre. xtknight, can you tell me where I can find the Westinghouse lvm-37w1? Is it still the best choice?

According to my HTPC LCD correspondent, ST, it's still a great value for HTPCs. The Westinghouse LVM-37W3 is even better with more inputs and a lower response time. Have you looked on Froogle for purchasing locations? Also try the Westinghouse webpage's 'find reseller' function for the model. The Sceptre 37" X37SV-Naga is also a good choice.

The W1's can be had as little as $1100 on the net; just search around. THe W3's are a little more expensive, but have much better industrial design, feature a revised panel from AUO with better specs, and have more inputs. Just stay away from the W2's, as it is a 1376 x 768 panel.

The Sceptre 37" also has gone through numerous revisions, albeit still utilizing the same panel and exterior. It now features internal QAM support, as well as sporting a very low entry price (see Costco site).

I also experimented with the Emprex 1920x1080p LCDTV that was on sale at Fry's recently. After much fiddling, found out it cannot take a direct 1:1 1080p input @ 60hz. RAther, 1080i or 1080p @ 45hz was its max (and that still showed some issues), so deinfitely stay away from it.

How low can the sceptre get? I'm not gonna bother waiting for Best Buy to get their supply of w3s if the price on the sceptre is decent.

 

[Dark Alchemist]

Originally posted by: drwho9437
I never said they would cost the same. I payed 400 dollars or so for my first 15 inch CRT.

Since when can you see 100 ns? What would be the point? today there are LCDs that show little or no ghosting. They have different characteristics than CRTs to be sure.

If you want an LCD with CRT characteristics then you are waiting for a day that will never come because CRT characteristics aren't the holy grail of monitors. Plasmas for instance have better color gammet.

Do I think 10-bit color LUT will become the norm, now. Average people who used CRTs for decades did so without colorometers, and detailed calibration over a sometimes fuzzy RGB cable.

If you had read my post I said 2 years tops... so your first sentence makes no sence.... My last LCD: 2003 responce time 32 ms. I don't know the physical limits of crystals turning, but I doubt they have yet been reached. Better backlights will improve color. I plan on keeping the S-IPS panel I just got for at least 4 years, and I do mostly photography.

There is no reason not to look into technology to get the best product you can, but people, not just you seem to get wildly carried away by this strange desire that they must have the best. Is a good dramma really devalued if it is a DVD and not Blu-ray or if it has a tiny twinkle or does it matter what the actors say and how they say it? Perhaps everyone elses eyes are just more senstive than mine.

Then we agree it will come within 2 years only we said it slightly differently. As far as <0ms I see that coming too (a real nano second refresh measured on THG or here) and a 10bit LUT I lay odds will be the norm within a few years (say within 5) but 12bit LUT etc... naw not for a very long time or it will be only on the pro top end models.

 

[kenji4life]

I'd recommend the sceptre at a good deal at costco when they go on sale, you cannot beat costco's customer service when it comes to hassle free returns if the display has a problem.

 

[kenji4life]

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11098479&whse=&topnav=&browse=

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11042448&whse=&topnav=&browse=

call your local costco to see if they have either of these in stock.

edit: the 42" doesn't say if it supports HDCP, might want to look that one up. The 42" might be a lower model than the 37" anyone know?

 

[Dark Alchemist]

Originally posted by: ThanatosGOD
Got the NEC MultiSync LCD20WGX2! (BRIEF REVIEW)
...
Overall the NEC MultiSync LCD20WGX2 monitor is superb, you would not regret the decision to purchase one and the technical support from NEC UK seems competent too. One piece of advice though, in hindsight I think it would be good to get a larger widescreen monitor with a bigger native resolution and then make sure its capable of 1:1 Pixel mapping so you can play games at lower resolutions for the sake of graphic cards demands....

Can you name a monitor that does this please?

 

[imported_ST]

Originally posted by: kenji4life
http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11098479&whse=&topnav=&browse=

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11042448&whse=&topnav=&browse=

call your local costco to see if they have either of these in stock.

edit: the 42" doesn't say if it supports HDCP, might want to look that one up. The 42" might be a lower model than the 37" anyone know?

The 42" does support HDCP. I have it and is much better model than my old 37".

 

[thedamian]

I am looking to buy the Viewsonic VP2030b. Does anyone know of any reviews other than the one on BeHardware? I would like another opinion before deciding on this. My other less favored potential candidate is the Samsung 204B.

I see the advantages of the VP2030b as:
8 bit P-MVA Panel
Better Viewing Angles
Slightly better actual ghosting/response perception
Picture in Picture capability
USB Hub (although I dont really care about this)

I do not plan on using this display heavily for gaming (my Radeon 9500pro would have a hard time keeping up with the resolution anyways). My main uses are image editing, web browsing, some video viewing, CAD and web design.

Looking at the reviews on newegg, 8/37 people mention dead pixels versus 0/76 for the 204B. Do you think this will be an issue? I believe the monitor comes with a zero dead pixel return policy in Europe, Australia, Singapore, etc, but not the US. Does anyone have personal experience with this monitor and issues in the US?

Also, on a side note, I am looking only in the 4:3 format due to higher resolution of 1600x1200 vs 1680x1050 when compared to widescreen versions. With the lower resolution, why do so many seem to prefer widescreen displays these days? Other than for watching movies, are there other advantages of lower resolution in a wide format? I'm planning on waiting for more widespread HDCP support before buying a widescreen display anyways.

 

[Dark Alchemist]

thedamian, Viewsonic now has a 0 dead pixel policy on the VP series but their customer service that enforces that policy is the suck. So, I dunno what to tell you but for me Viewsonic is a negative mainly because of their really lackluster customer service.

edit: I am with you as I hate WS for anything but my movies but it seems for 20" that is the way the companies have made them (at least the good panels) like it or not.

 

[ThanatosGOD]

NEC LCD20WGX2.

Having had the NEC for while now, I actually think the backlight bleeding has all but completely disappeared. I'm still going to have NEC ship a replacement to me however and see if thats better. The 1:1 Pixel mapping is supported at resolutions of 1280x1024 and below. It really does work though and I think it will be invaluable with future games which my 7900GTX will struggle with.

Personally though I must say that I think the ideal format for 16:10 widescreen LCD's is 23-24" 1920x1200. Then you really get the advantage of the width. Coupled with 1:1 pixel mapping I think these monitors are unbeatable. I checked around for 24" screens though and theres no doubt that I cannot justify the cost as of now. Hopefully in the future the prices will drop, but currently there at least £750, and theres only a couple with 1:1 pixel mapping; which really is essential-since most games simply cannot run very smoothly at 1920x1200, especially with FSAA, HDR etc; for desktop, movies, editing etc though this resolution is the best.

As far as the NEC LCD20WGX2, I think its probably the best choice in its size and format. Other contenders are the Samsung 215TW 21", Viewsonic VX2025wm, and possible the Dell UltraSharp 2007WFP 20.1" (providing gradient banding has been sorted). I think the Samsung is good if gaming is not your priority, the Viewsonic if budget is an issue, and the Dell if ergonomics and inputs are important.

But I wouldn't choose widescreen for the sake of widesceen but rather for the merits of the individual screen; thus I think these 4:3 monitors are also very good at this price range:
DELL
Dell UltraSharp 2007FP 20.1" LG.Philips S-IPS (LM201U04)
NEC
MultiSync® LCD2070NX 16 ms S-IPS (LG.Philips LM201U04) panel
Samsung
204T 20.1" 16 ms S-PVA (Samsung LTM201U1) panel
214T 21.3" 8 ms (g2g) S-PVA (Samsung LTM213U6) panel
Viewsonic
VP2030b 20" 8 ms (g2g) P-MVA (AUO M201UN02 V5) panel
VP2130b 21" 8 ms (g2g) S-PVA (Samsung LTM213U6) panel

I hope some of you will benefit from my research and eventual ownership opinions of the NEC.

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: thedamian
I am looking to buy the Viewsonic VP2030b. Does anyone know of any reviews other than the one on BeHardware? I would like another opinion before deciding on this. My other less favored potential candidate is the Samsung 204B.

I see the advantages of the VP2030b as:
8 bit P-MVA Panel
Better Viewing Angles
Slightly better actual ghosting/response perception
Picture in Picture capability
USB Hub (although I dont really care about this)

I do not plan on using this display heavily for gaming (my Radeon 9500pro would have a hard time keeping up with the resolution anyways). My main uses are image editing, web browsing, some video viewing, CAD and web design.

Looking at the reviews on newegg, 8/37 people mention dead pixels versus 0/76 for the 204B. Do you think this will be an issue? I believe the monitor comes with a zero dead pixel return policy in Europe, Australia, Singapore, etc, but not the US. Does anyone have personal experience with this monitor and issues in the US?

Also, on a side note, I am looking only in the 4:3 format due to higher resolution of 1600x1200 vs 1680x1050 when compared to widescreen versions. With the lower resolution, why do so many seem to prefer widescreen displays these days? Other than for watching movies, are there other advantages of lower resolution in a wide format? I'm planning on waiting for more widespread HDCP support before buying a widescreen display anyways.

The ViewSonic VP930b that I have arrived with no dead pixels, but there is some backlight bleeding. I wouldn't hesitate giving the VP2030b a try for a good non-gaming monitor that has strength in color reproduction.

There are great deals on widescreen monitors these days and 1680x1050 is still bigger than the 1280x1024 many are used to.

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: kellaklor

I'm looking for a good monitor in the region of $200 to replace my CRT, I don't really care about gaming or size, but would like one with excellent color richness/clarity. I was considering BenQ FP93GX and LG L1752TX (what's with the freakishly good contrast). Also what about the Benq FP72G+. It has lower specs but claims to have "senseye" which I can't find many reviews about. BenQ claims it enhances picture quality, but would it be a big enought boost to compete with the other 300:700 or the LG 300:1400. If you have any other monitor recommendations please post.

With $200 you won't be able to get an LCD with exceptional color reproduction, but I can still help you find the one that's best for that price range. The LGs with dynamic contrast are probably the best you can find, especially for the price.

Give the LG L1752TX a try.

 

[kellaklor]

Does the 1400 contrast provide a notable improvement? I haven't been able to find many reviews for the L1752TX, Newegg only offers 3.

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: kellaklor

Does the 1400 contrast provide a notable improvement? I haven't been able to find many reviews for the L1752TX, Newegg only offers 3.

Yes it certainly does provide improvement and it can help the color accuracy, even if it's dynamic contrast. I don't think you'll find better than that for $200. BenQ's SensEye is basically the same thing as LG's contrast adjustment.

 

[drwho9437]

Originally posted by: kellaklor

Does the 1400 contrast provide a notable improvement? I haven't been able to find many reviews for the L1752TX, Newegg only offers 3.

I didn't have the LG XTknight mentions, and I agree that better is probably not likely at under 200, however I had this LG: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16824005070

(I had got it for 350) it was like looking into the sun it was so bright. Probably great for reading, but banding from it being a TN panel so I dumped it on ebay. This panel that X links too is probably the same panel type as all the specs are the same.

 

[paulw86]

Originally posted by: kenji4life
http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11098479&whse=&topnav=&browse=

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11042448&whse=&topnav=&browse=

call your local costco to see if they have either of these in stock.

edit: the 42" doesn't say if it supports HDCP, might want to look that one up. The 42" might be a lower model than the 37" anyone know?

I'm in Canada

What should I do? =\

 

[zoolap]

Viewsonic 2030b - Potential DVI-D Issues

I've been considering TFT for a while now (looking at this forum and trying to decide what to go for), as my 17" crt Belinea is just not big enough in terms of screen area. I thought I'd go for something that would be good for gaming, but also give me plenty of desktop real-estate. The problem shown on the below forum is a really annoying one and has put my plans on hold. If I pay that much for a monitor I expect the dvi-d to work with my 6600gt card (amd 2100+, 512mb ram, nforce 2 - i know it's old, but i get soundstorm and dolby digital encoding). This has put me off buying one and I'm unsure what to do at the moment.

http://forums.nvidia.com/index.php?showtopic=13116&st=0&p=90805?entry90805

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: zoolap
Viewsonic 2030b - Potential DVI-D Issues

I've been considering TFT for a while now (looking at this forum and trying to decide what to go for), as my 17" crt Belinea is just not big enough in terms of screen area. I thought I'd go for something that would be good for gaming, but also give me plenty of desktop real-estate. The problem shown on the below forum is a really annoying one and has put my plans on hold. If I pay that much for a monitor I expect the dvi-d to work with my 6600gt card (amd 2100+, 512mb ram, nforce 2 - i know it's old, but i get soundstorm and dolby digital encoding). This has put me off buying one and I'm unsure what to do at the moment.

http://forums.nvidia.com/index.php?showtopic=13116&st=0&p=90805?entry90805

I've also had a problem where the boot sequence randomly does not appear under DVI, but it seems I haven't had the issue for ages (was it my old 6800NU?). It certainly doesn't only happen on ViewSonic LCDs though. Virtually every video card I've heard of defaults to analog at boot-up, so it's certainly not limited to a specific video card and absolutely not to that monitor. You may not see your boot sequence messages pop up as quickly as on the analog connection but I have been running DVI for 2 years and I have never had to switch to VGA to adjust BIOS settings or the like. It appears, it just takes a little longer to initialize. My monitor has 'input select' defaulting to DVI.

Then again, what I can tell you is that my ViewSonic VP930b will not accept a 720p DVI signal. In Windows, graphics card scaling supports 1280x720 so everything is A-OK, but not when you try to hook up an external device like an HDTV tuner. It goes into that 'power save' mode and won't get out. But that is probably because the scaler simply does not support 1280x720, not that there's anything seriously wrong with the firmware (though an OSD error message like Out of Range would be nice, which only appears in other unsupported resolutions). I've flashed the EDID with 1280x720 support into it, and the problem persists. But it doesn't work in VGA mode either.

They don't mention what they have 'input select' set to in the monitor OSD? It can be auto, which chooses whatever connection is active (or the first active one), or you can have it locked onto one input and use the input button to flip through inputs in consecutive fashion.

 

[conlan]

I've had my BenQ FP93GX up and running for about 2 weeks now and love it. No ghosting in games, Video playback is clear and brightness and color are excellent.

 

[jabronidan89]

I'm thinking about getting the Viewsonic VX2025WM. I don't game a lot, only play a mod for UT2004, MVP 2005, and Madden. Anyway, should I go for it, get something else, or wait (I have $400 to spend right now.) Thanks.

***If I will order the viewsonic, what site is the best to get it from (just in case I get a bunch of dead pixels, etc.)

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: jabronidan89
I'm thinking about getting the Viewsonic VX2025WM. I don't game a lot, only play a mod for UT2004, MVP 2005, and Madden. Anyway, should I go for it, get something else, or wait (I have $400 to spend right now.) Thanks.

***If I will order the viewsonic, what site is the best to get it from (just in case I get a bunch of dead pixels, etc.)

That's a great monitor for <$400. I hear Buy.com has a policy where you can return for any reason, but I'm not sure about that. I only order from Newegg, and I've never gotten a dead pixel out of two monitors from them (not within a few months of arrival).

 

[LoneWolf69]

Hello All,
I am new to the site and wanted to say "HI" and thanks to everyone who has worked on this thread about LCD monitors. I have been researching the last few weeks on LCD's and this is by far the most thorough and informative resource I have found on the web concerning this topic. I have tried to read through this full thread because I am desperately trying to decide which would be the best LCD monitor I can afford for image/photo editing. I am not interested in it for any other reason other than just image/photo editing and would like to find the best one I can for working on my photos in Photoshop. I must also tell you right up front until I started looking at new monitors a few weeks ago I knew ABSOLUTELY nothing about them and my knowledge in this field is EXTREMELY limited. I am a photographer and just need a REALLY good monitor to hook up to my Dell Inspiron 9300 notebook for editing my photos prior to printing. The only reason I am buying one now is so I can hopefully get it correctly calibrated to match the profiles of the printing service I use so when I get my prints back they will actually look like I thought they were going to look and look the way they look on my monitor when I edited them.

Anyway, everytime I just about think I have my mind made up on a monitor I will read something which either confuses me or concerns me about a particular monitor and I change my mind again. So, I have just decided to ask straight out which monitor to buy so I can hopefully get it ordered and here where I can get it calibrated.

Here is a list of some of the monitors I have been mainly considering and reading about and are in no particular order:
Viewsonic VP930B
Viewsonic VP2030B
Samsung Syncmaster 215TW
Samsung Syncmaster 214T
Samsung 204B
NEC MultiSync 20WMGX2

I had wanted to stay under $400 but it doesn't look like that is going to be possible and get the qaulity and size monitor I am wanting. I would like to have at least a 19" monitor (larger is better) if possible but the size is not as important to me as getting the very best image quality and color quality and being able to calibrate it to match the profiles my printing service uses so my prints will actually match what is on my screen. I would definitely like to have one I can use in both portrait and landscape mode since I have a lot of images to work on in both. I am also not sure which aspect ratio and resolution is better for working with photos or if it really matters and I hope someone can help me with this as well.

I thought I had made up my mind to order the Dell 2007WFP and then found out about the banding issue. Then I was set on the Viewsonic VP2030B and read some things which concerned me so now I am just totally confused again as to which monitor to buy. Anyway, I feel if anyone can help me decide which will be the best monitor for my work it will be you folks here and I really appreciate any help you can give me. As I said, I know how to use a camera pretty well but when it comes to things like this I am totally lost.

Thanks again very much to everyone for the great forum and valuable information.

Take care!

 

[LoneWolf69]

Hello again,
I have another quick question concerning the Samsung LCD monitors. I just ran across a VERY good deal on a Samsung 204T and I was wondering how it differs from the Samsung 214T? The 214T seems to be favored as one of the very best for image/photo editing and I was wondering how well the 204T would compare, especially if I can get it for a real good deal. Will any of these differences hurt me as far as my image/photo editing goes?

I hope all of this makes sense. I guess what I really should ask is will the 204T be just as good or close to the same as the 214T for image/photo editing?

Thanks again for the help!

 

[zoolap]

xtknight

One of the things that concerned me in relation to the 2030b DVI-D issues it that they say on that forum that switching to DVI-D from analog makes the pixel clock frequency drop and that this causes increased ghosting:

With the DVI-I cable, running in analog, my Pixel Clock runs at 162mhz. If I force Digital, it runs very slow around 120-140mhz (again, only with the eVGA card). My old LCD ran great in Digital at around 160mhz. One monitor I had ran at around 100mhz and ghosted horribly, and Viewsonic had me return it as defective.

 

[pencilcase]

Originally posted by: xtknight

Originally posted by: pencilcase

Originally posted by: xtknight
If one of your worries is support, I'd avoid ViewSonic. I've not gotten a single reply from ViewSonic support via e-mail. I was very pleased with my 17" Samsung 710T. You'll want the DVI input just in case you ever get a display adapter with DVI out. Having never dealt with Iiyama before I couldn't tell you how good their support is. If portrait mode isn't that important, get the Samsung SM740B. I'm confident you'd be happy with that one in the other aspects. If you think you'd miss the portrait mode then grab the Iiyama.

xtknight, thanks for your reply. I've decided to leave the Iiyama out of the picture, as I've read reports of users who had problems with buzzing from the inverter and I have a silent system! I'm sure the Samsung is a solid performer, most all users report being very pleased with their Samsung monitors and I have a feeling they ship with fewer dead pixels, ViewSonic's 'zero bright pixel' warranty notwithstanding. On the other hand, I think the ability to use portrait mode would be a good feature to have, as I'll be doing tons of wordprocessing. So I think I'll mull this over for a little longer...

Sorry I can't help you further with that. I'm not familiar with too many monitors in the UK. Is there a store you're planning on ordering from that has a list of available monitors?

morecomputers and ebuyer have a decent selection and seem to have the best prices here in the UK. Unfortunately, AFAIK, nearly all available 17" and 19" monitors in the UK are based on TN panels. I haven't been able to find any S-IPS or PVA ones apart from the sm770p/sm970p and the vp930. Ebuyer has the 770p on sale for £211.49 shipped (388 USD), which is not bad if you consider that the 740b is priced at £200 (367 USD), the 740n (with height adjustable stand and pivot) at £158.34 (290 USD) and the 710n at £140 (257 USD).

My questions:
1) Is the 770P worth shelling out for, given that my main uses will be text and video (no gaming) and that I'll be using it on vga?
2) Is the panel on the 740n likely to be better or worse than the one on the 710n? The information on flatpanels.dk is that "Samsung 710N has a 17 inch 12 ms TN (Samsung LTM170EU) panel" while "Samsung 740N has a 17 inch 8 ms TN panel" without specifying the manufacturer. The people on this forum are building their own diy projectors and on opening up a 710n they found that the panel inside was by AU Optronics! On their transmissivity tests, the 740n performed better but whether this has any relevance for normal monitor use I have no idea.

Another thing I'm still unsure about is whether a 19" monitor would be easier on my eyes than a 17" one. I'll be spending long hours reading and writing texts in the next few months. If I do go for a 19" monitor, the best deal I've been able to find is the sm913n currently selling at £180 (330 USD) shipped. This monitor's performance in video and image appears to be satisfactory according to reviews and user reports, but I'm not sure how well it handles text.

I've spent days plodding through reviews, and the whole process of choosing an LCD at the present time seems a real minefield. So any advice will be much appreciated!

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: LoneWolf69
Hello All,
I am new to the site and wanted to say "HI" and thanks to everyone who has worked on this thread about LCD monitors. I have been researching the last few weeks on LCD's and this is by far the most thorough and informative resource I have found on the web concerning this topic.

Good to hear.

I have tried to read through this full thread because I am desperately trying to decide which would be the best LCD monitor I can afford for image/photo editing. I am not interested in it for any other reason other than just image/photo editing and would like to find the best one I can for working on my photos in Photoshop. I must also tell you right up front until I started looking at new monitors a few weeks ago I knew ABSOLUTELY nothing about them and my knowledge in this field is EXTREMELY limited. I am a photographer and just need a REALLY good monitor to hook up to my Dell Inspiron 9300 notebook for editing my photos prior to printing. The only reason I am buying one now is so I can hopefully get it correctly calibrated to match the profiles of the printing service I use so when I get my prints back they will actually look like I thought they were going to look and look the way they look on my monitor when I edited them.

Anyway, everytime I just about think I have my mind made up on a monitor I will read something which either confuses me or concerns me about a particular monitor and I change my mind again. So, I have just decided to ask straight out which monitor to buy so I can hopefully get it ordered and here where I can get it calibrated.

Here is a list of some of the monitors I have been mainly considering and reading about and are in no particular order:
Viewsonic VP930B
Viewsonic VP2030B
Samsung Syncmaster 215TW
Samsung Syncmaster 214T
Samsung 204B
NEC MultiSync 20WMGX2

The 215TW is the one that really stands out from all of those for photo-editing purposes. You may be able to use the NEC for photo-editing as well, but it's very expensive and not as well-suited as the 215TW for this particular purpose. Likewise, the 214T is good if you want a 4:3 monitor (standard and not widescreen).

I had wanted to stay under $400 but it doesn't look like that is going to be possible and get the qaulity and size monitor I am wanting.

That is indeed very hard to do when looking for a photo-editing monitor. One you could try is the VX2025WM which is usually under $400, but it's not going to be as good as the 215TW.

I would like to have at least a 19" monitor (larger is better) if possible but the size is not as important to me as getting the very best image quality and color quality and being able to calibrate it to match the profiles my printing service uses so my prints will actually match what is on my screen.

All the 20"+ panels are much higher-quality than the stuff you find in the 19" ones for photo-editing.

I would definitely like to have one I can use in both portrait and landscape mode since I have a lot of images to work on in both. I am also not sure which aspect ratio and resolution is better for working with photos or if it really matters and I hope someone can help me with this as well.

With the widescreen, you will get more of a portrait mode when you rotate it. You can rotate the Samsung 215TW. The 214T can also be rotated. I'm not sure about the NEC, but like I said the 215TW is more suited for photo-editing than the NEC anyway due do its panel characteristics.

I thought I had made up my mind to order the Dell 2007WFP and then found out about the banding issue. Then I was set on the Viewsonic VP2030B and read some things which concerned me so now I am just totally confused again as to which monitor to buy. Anyway, I feel if anyone can help me decide which will be the best monitor for my work it will be you folks here and I really appreciate any help you can give me. As I said, I know how to use a camera pretty well but when it comes to things like this I am totally lost.

Thanks again very much to everyone for the great forum and valuable information.

Take care!

You should go with the Samsung 215TW for its excellent image quality (probably above that of the 214T), unless you have a strong objection against widescreen. In that case, the 214T is also a great candidate.