LCD Buyer's Guide

[Liran xD]

Hello

I'm afraid of buying LCD due to the native resolution though I have X800XL today it's not the best card..
so my first question is how most monitors(19") will handle games with non-native resolution such as(mostly) 1024*768
like the picture will be really corrupted or it will be playable and good looking?

and the second question if I'll decide anyway to go for a LCD is of course the model
the monitor will be mostly for gaming and movies but yet also for surfing, IMing programs..every-day use
the prices here are kinda different so I'll suggest few options I have:
LG L1970HR\1900R
Sony SDMX95F
Samsung 931C
or if I'll have option to add money(tell me if it's really worth it)- Viewsonic VP930b

Thanks in advance, Liran.

 

[Arjunne]

Haha - I can't believe this. Boot up the computer today, and blam - 4 stuck pixels spread out accross the top of the monitor (Acer 2216WBD). I have to say, I'm extremely disappointed - 2 bad panels in a row? Looks like I'll be going somewhere else than Acer henceforth... maybe back to LG. The pixels stay green - but have been dissapearing, reappearing, etc... lame.

 

[LocutusX]

Recieved my Dell UltraSharp 2007WFP (brand new) yesterday from dell.ca.

rev. A04, Made in Mexico, S-IPS.

I'm quite happy about it (I spent 30+ min. looking for dead/stuck pixels which was quite challenging... the best I could come up with were 3 of them in non-obvious spots, which is fine for me as a non-anal, non-purist -- 2 of them I'm not sure if they're really "dead" because I have to stare at a particular spot on the screen at an odd angle for them to appear to my vision)

I'd like to know what tips people have for "tweaking" the monitor for best image quality. I noticed the 3 image modes in the menu, but the docs don't have any explanation on what they really *do*.
Another weird thing is that although web pages and all my digital camera pics look absolutely beautiful (at 1680x1050, DVI-D) -- the same cannot be said for divx movies in WMP or dvd movies in InterVideo WinDVD.

Xbox360 image quality seems to be fine on the VGA cable... what resolution/aspect ratio combination would be the best? I've heard of people using 1280x1024/WS which seems a bit odd.

 

[werdna130]

Do you know what the quality is like from HD Cable TV through VGA on a PC LCD?

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: werdna130
Do you know what the quality is like from HD Cable TV through VGA on a PC LCD?

From what I know it shouldn't be far from DVI quality. VGA is actually a higher bandwidth connection than DVI. Granted, LCDs don't work quite as well with VGA, the difference with video is going to be hard to tell. I'd take a different stance if you were reading text all day. Just so long as both the VGA transmitter and receiver are of highest quality, and the VGA cable is also of high quality, there shouldn't be much difference.

I used to watch terrestrial HD on my Samsung 710T's ancillary VGA input, and it looked about 98% as good as it did when hooked up via DVI. I don't honestly think I could tell the difference whatsoever with HDTV.

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: Liran xD
Hello

I'm afraid of buying LCD due to the native resolution though I have X800XL today it's not the best card..
so my first question is how most monitors(19") will handle games with non-native resolution such as(mostly) 1024*768
like the picture will be really corrupted or it will be playable and good looking?

I personally don't like playing at anything lower than native. It never looks too good in my opinion. For an LCD, I would use a higher resolution and lower texture quality settings, instead.

and the second question if I'll decide anyway to go for a LCD is of course the model
the monitor will be mostly for gaming and movies but yet also for surfing, IMing programs..every-day use
the prices here are kinda different so I'll suggest few options I have:
LG L1970HR\1900R
Sony SDMX95F
Samsung 931C
or if I'll have option to add money(tell me if it's really worth it)- Viewsonic VP930b

Thanks in advance, Liran.

The Samsung 931C is probably the best choice for you. It has the wide-gamut backlight for more vibrant colors. I don't think the VP930b would be worth it over the 931C for gaming purposes.

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: LocutusX
Recieved my Dell UltraSharp 2007WFP (brand new) yesterday from dell.ca.

rev. A04, Made in Mexico, S-IPS.

I'm quite happy about it (I spent 30+ min. looking for dead/stuck pixels which was quite challenging... the best I could come up with were 3 of them in non-obvious spots, which is fine for me as a non-anal, non-purist -- 2 of them I'm not sure if they're really "dead" because I have to stare at a particular spot on the screen at an odd angle for them to appear to my vision)

I'd like to know what tips people have for "tweaking" the monitor for best image quality. I noticed the 3 image modes in the menu, but the docs don't have any explanation on what they really *do*.

Good to hear S-IPS panels are still in circulation.

I believe the modes are called Desktop, Multimedia, and Gaming. The modes other than Desktop compress the grayscale to achieve vibrancy, and they introduce banding. I wouldn't be able to stand them, personally.

Another weird thing is that although web pages and all my digital camera pics look absolutely beautiful (at 1680x1050, DVI-D) -- the same cannot be said for divx movies in WMP or dvd movies in InterVideo WinDVD.

Not sure why that is.

Xbox360 image quality seems to be fine on the VGA cable... what resolution/aspect ratio combination would be the best? I've heard of people using 1280x1024/WS which seems a bit odd.

Not sure what you mean. Input scaling? 1280x1024 is a 5:4 resolution.

 

[imported_hyper]

hey can anybody help me with this 20WMGX2 problem...

I'm trying to get audio from my PS3 to my PC speakers through the monitor... video is from an hdmi-dvi cable and audio is from an AV cable to the video 2 on the monitor... I set the monitor's audio input to video 2 and using the long audio cable I plug one side in the monitor (green one) and the other side (blue) in the line-in of my PC.. and there's no sound. I've been trying for like an hour here, messing with options on my PC and monitor and PS3 with no solution in sight....

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: hyper
hey can anybody help me with this 20WMGX2 problem...

I'm trying to get audio from my PS3 to my PC speakers through the monitor... video is from an hdmi-dvi cable and audio is from an AV cable to the video 2 on the monitor... I set the monitor's audio input to video 2 and using the long audio cable I plug one side in the monitor (green one) and the other side (blue) in the line-in of my PC.. and there's no sound. I've been trying for like an hour here, messing with options on my PC and monitor and PS3 with no solution in sight....

There is some volume control on the right side of the LCD. Have you tried adjusting that?

 

[imported_hyper]

Originally posted by: xtknight
There is some volume control on the right side of the LCD. Have you tried adjusting that?

Well I'm not trying to use the speaker bar that came with the monitor, instead I'm running sound from my PS3 to the monitor and then to the line-in of my PC... The idea is to use my PC speakers instead of the one that came with the 20WMGX2.

 

[imported_hyper]

Ok it's working!

well not on PS3 but right now I'm playing my ipod through my PC speakers, awesome! I messed around with my sound options and I had the line-in balance at 0... I did change to to higher but apparently I had to do it twice, one through speaker setting and one through the line-in setting specifically, whatever that means. Anyway it's working, hurray! *happy dance*

ahem, sorry for that thread derailment... carry on.

 

[Liran xD]

and the second question if I'll decide anyway to go for a LCD is of course the model
the monitor will be mostly for gaming and movies but yet also for surfing, IMing programs..every-day use
the prices here are kinda different so I'll suggest few options I have:
LG L1970HR\1900R
Sony SDMX95F
Samsung 931C
or if I'll have option to add money(tell me if it's really worth it)- Viewsonic VP930b

Thanks in advance, Liran.

The Samsung 931C is probably the best choice for you. It has the wide-gamut backlight for more vibrant colors. I don't think the VP930b would be worth it over the 931C for gaming purposes.[/quote]

Thanks, how about the Sony ? I've heard lots of recommendations on him for his P-MVA panel compared to the others except the VS, TN panel..

 

[LocutusX]

Originally posted by: xtknight
Good to hear S-IPS panels are still in circulation.

I believe the modes are called Desktop, Multimedia, and Gaming. The modes other than Desktop compress the grayscale to achieve vibrancy, and they introduce banding. I wouldn't be able to stand them, personally.

Ah. So basically, the modes other than Desktop activate some sort of "image processing" chip on the unit? I'd have heard of this issue... so everyone basically favours Desktop so the image processor stays disabled?

Not sure why that is.

I was thinking I might need to play with the "color temperatures" to get them at a setting which is comfortable for me. Are there any web sites which offer tutorials/techniques on this sort of thing? Another question; I find that at default Brightness (50), colors such as reds are too bright for me eyes, but white is fine. I lowered it to 40 to get the reds at a more comfortable level but now the whites (Anandtech forum background for example) seems a little too dim.

Xbox360 image quality seems to be fine on the VGA cable... what resolution/aspect ratio combination would be the best? I've heard of people using 1280x1024/WS which seems a bit odd.

Not sure what you mean. Input scaling? 1280x1024 is a 5:4 resolution.

My xbox resolution choices are: 1366x768, 1280x768, 1280x720, 1280x1024 (and a few others). Now, the first 3 resolutions are permanently set to "WS" for obvious reasons. The last one has a toggle option which switches between FS and WS. So it's possible to run the unit at 1280x1024/WS which doesn't really make sense to me based on what I know of aspect ratios.

 

[im2good4u]

hello xtknight, i'm wondering if you can provide me with info regarding the AOC 223VW. i searched your site but found nothing. this one is really dirt cheap, about ~320$ its a 22inch 5ms WS display. is it ok to use for gaming? or would you just recoomend me an LG 204WT instead? the LG is about 290$ and samsung 225bw is 380$ and im tight on budget. color says 16.7M so what kind panel do you think its using?

 

[dnyarri]

Hello. after 17 years with CRTs mayb its time to move to a new tech as my current one looks like he doesnt have much time to live as it shrinks and streches and sometimes it thinks he's flatron and shows horizontal lines, and the text seems blurry (but mayb thats bcoz i'v seen few lcd..) well enough with the jokes..

for the last month i'v been reading all the reviews i could find on lcd so i have some monitors in mind, but my main prob is that i love playing old games that dont even know the meaning of resolution.. like doom ii, star control 2, system shock ii, ultima underworld, and the list goes on..

my main reason for moving to lcd are energy consumption and lack of radiation..

im looking for 19" or 20" not WS. theres not much info on interpolation quality on the net, i wonder if u can help me here..
are there few lcd that have better interpolation that u know of?
tnx

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: Liran xD

Originally posted by: xtknight

Originally posted by: Liran xD
and the second question if I'll decide anyway to go for a LCD is of course the model
the monitor will be mostly for gaming and movies but yet also for surfing, IMing programs..every-day use
the prices here are kinda different so I'll suggest few options I have:
LG L1970HR\1900R
Sony SDMX95F
Samsung 931C
or if I'll have option to add money(tell me if it's really worth it)- Viewsonic VP930b

Thanks in advance, Liran.

The Samsung 931C is probably the best choice for you. It has the wide-gamut backlight for more vibrant colors. I don't think the VP930b would be worth it over the 931C for gaming purposes.

Thanks, how about the Sony ? I've heard lots of recommendations on him for his P-MVA panel compared to the others except the VS, TN panel..

Oh? I wasn't even aware it was P-MVA. (I glossed over it since I hadn't heard of the model.)

Even then, I'm a little wary of recommending something I haven't heard a single thing about. Where did you find that it was P-MVA, out of curiosity?

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: LocutusX

Originally posted by: xtknight
Good to hear S-IPS panels are still in circulation.

I believe the modes are called Desktop, Multimedia, and Gaming. The modes other than Desktop compress the grayscale to achieve vibrancy, and they introduce banding. I wouldn't be able to stand them, personally.

Ah. So basically, the modes other than Desktop activate some sort of "image processing" chip on the unit? I'd have heard of this issue... so everyone basically favours Desktop so the image processor stays disabled?

That's correct. Multimedia and Gaming activate image enhancement (color space saturation/hue processing) implemented in the Genesis DSP chip.

I was thinking I might need to play with the "color temperatures" to get them at a setting which is comfortable for me. Are there any web sites which offer tutorials/techniques on this sort of thing? Another question; I find that at default Brightness (50), colors such as reds are too bright for me eyes, but white is fine. I lowered it to 40 to get the reds at a more comfortable level but now the whites (Anandtech forum background for example) seems a little too dim.

There are a couple tests for calibration on lcdresource.com (my site).

Also an article: Tweaking Your LCD

My xbox resolution choices are: 1366x768, 1280x768, 1280x720, 1280x1024 (and a few others). Now, the first 3 resolutions are permanently set to "WS" for obvious reasons. The last one has a toggle option which switches between FS and WS. So it's possible to run the unit at 1280x1024/WS which doesn't really make sense to me based on what I know of aspect ratios.

I have no idea what it means. Rest assured, overcomplication of simple things drives me nuts.

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: im2good4u
hello xtknight, i'm wondering if you can provide me with info regarding the AOC 223VW. i searched your site but found nothing. this one is really dirt cheap, about ~320$ its a 22inch 5ms WS display. is it ok to use for gaming? or would you just recoomend me an LG 204WT instead? the LG is about 290$ and samsung 225bw is 380$ and im tight on budget. color says 16.7M so what kind panel do you think its using?

The AOC 223VW is very likely a TN. There are no MVA/IPS 22" display modules on the market that I know of.

I would have to recommend the L204WT for gaming purposes over most 22" panels. It has a smaller dot pitch, and it may be faster as well. I doubt the AOC can match the performance of the Samsung 226BW or LG L226WT.

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: dnyarri
Hello. after 17 years with CRTs mayb its time to move to a new tech as my current one looks like he doesnt have much time to live as it shrinks and streches and sometimes it thinks he's flatron and shows horizontal lines, and the text seems blurry (but mayb thats bcoz i'v seen few lcd..) well enough with the jokes..

for the last month i'v been reading all the reviews i could find on lcd so i have some monitors in mind, but my main prob is that i love playing old games that dont even know the meaning of resolution.. like doom ii, star control 2, system shock ii, ultima underworld, and the list goes on..

my main reason for moving to lcd are energy consumption and lack of radiation..

im looking for 19" or 20" not WS. theres not much info on interpolation quality on the net, i wonder if u can help me here..
are there few lcd that have better interpolation that u know of?
tnx

I really don't know of any LCDs with considerably better interpolation than any other LCD.

LCDs with lower dot pitch will naturally have better interpolation. So, I would suggest the HP LP2065 if you're looking for a 20" non-WS with decent interpolation quality. I don't think you will be disappointed at the quality of older games on an LCD.

Keep in mind that for a lot of those games you may end up using the graphics card for scaling anyway, if they use odd or really low resolutions. But, the dot pitch will still be to your advantage. Again I don't think they will look disappointing.

You might also consider using "centered mode" (1:1). Not sure off the top of my head if the LP2065 supports this in its own electronics. If you have an NVIDIA video card you can select it under the flat panel scaling options, which will make it work with any LCD.

 

[LocutusX]

Alright, this is annoying. I THOUGHT I had only 1 dead/stuck pixel when I had gotten my monitor (on Friday), but today, after checking out some super high-rez photos from Steve's Digital Camera reviews... I was astounded to find a whole bunch more!

I think I'm going to have to exchange this Dell and "play the lottery" again. That makes me sad.

 

[Liran xD]

Originally posted by: xtknight

Originally posted by: Liran xD

Originally posted by: xtknight

Originally posted by: Liran xD
and the second question if I'll decide anyway to go for a LCD is of course the model
the monitor will be mostly for gaming and movies but yet also for surfing, IMing programs..every-day use
the prices here are kinda different so I'll suggest few options I have:
LG L1970HR\1900R
Sony SDMX95F
Samsung 931C
or if I'll have option to add money(tell me if it's really worth it)- Viewsonic VP930b

Thanks in advance, Liran.

The Samsung 931C is probably the best choice for you. It has the wide-gamut backlight for more vibrant colors. I don't think the VP930b would be worth it over the 931C for gaming purposes.

Thanks, how about the Sony ? I've heard lots of recommendations on him for his P-MVA panel compared to the others except the VS, TN panel..

Oh? I wasn't even aware it was P-MVA. (I glossed over it since I hadn't heard of the model.)

Even then, I'm a little wary of recommending something I haven't heard a single thing about. Where did you find that it was P-MVA, out of curiosity?

http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/
Search for Sony SDM-X95FB
yet the response time bit concerns me..

 

[im2good4u]

@xtknight, so having a smaller dot pitch mean a better LCD overall? the reason i even considered AOC is because its dirt cheap thats why im tryin to look for a review of that product but didn't find any

 

[Matt2]

Originally posted by: im2good4u
@xtknight, so having a smaller dot pitch mean a better LCD overall? the reason i even considered AOC is because its dirt cheap thats why im tryin to look for a review of that product but didn't find any

IMO having a smaller dot pitch doesnt make the LCD better overall. You can have a LCD that has a very small dot pitch, but still looks like crap.

Having a smaller dot pitch is nice because you have the same amount of pixels in less area creating a sharper, cleaner looking image.

I've always been a fan of smaller dot pitch because I think the picture looks terrible with a high dot pitch. Take a 17" 1280x1024 and compare it to a 19" 1280x1024. The 19" looks grainy and everything looks huge and distorted (to me anyways). Same thing goes for 20.1" vs 22". I swear, you have to be going blind to think a 19" or 22" LCD looks good.

Then again, I have always been a guy that would gladly take quality over size.

 

[Hycron]

Hi

Was just wondering what monitor you would recommend for text/internet and dvd playback. Not for gaming. I spend allot of hours in front of my computer reading, so require an lcd monitor that's easy to look at for long amounts of time. My current lcd seems to enjoy burning my eyes out of their sockets, regardless of how I play around with its settings.

 

[bobov]

For those who want a 20.1" non-WS S-IPS LCD, you may check NEC MultiSync LCD2070NX on Amazon.com. I just received my 2070NX from amazon today at $249.99 plus $9.95 shipping. The monitor looks great. Even backlight, great color, no dead pixel, and it's guaranteed to have an IPS panel. Here's link.

http://www.amazon.com/NEC-MultiSync-LCD...F8&s=electronics&qid=1174364946&sr=8-2