Monitor Reviews

[chrisheinonen]

As some of you probably know, I took over as Displays Editor here at AnandTech late last year, and now that the backlog of monitors is basically gone, I wanted to ask what people were interested in reviews of. Some models that came to mind (some are new, some aren't as new) were:

Dell U2412M
HP zr2740w
BenQ XL2420t
Samsung S27A970

What else do people want to see? What would you like to see in the reviews that isn't in there right now? Thanks,

- Chris Heinonen

 

[iamlilysdad]

Do you have a hand in laptop display reviews? If so some of the boutique vendors offer upgraded panels. Would it be possible to get your hands on some of those to see if they are worth the upgrade? Or are raw panels off the table?

 

[chrisheinonen]

I don't do any of the laptop reviews but I hadn't looked into aftermarket panels for them. Who makes these as that's an interesting idea.

 

[LokutusofBorg]

I don't know if there's already a review of the Dell U2410 but if there isn't I would love to see it added to your list (others you have are ones I'd like to see reviewed here as well).

Going past specific monitors, I think it would be good to focus on the decision points and review the monitors that are closest to those lines. Also, for any monitor you do review, it would be helpful/near-essential to try to review the most direct competitors as well.

Shopping for a monitor is either driven by features with not much regard to cost, or it is driven by budget, and you want the best thing you can get for your money. So for instance, the Dell U2412M is a $300 (on sale) monitor. Companion reviews should encompass other quality monitors in the $300 range. They should also encompass the other eIPS panel monitors that offer compelling reasons to buy them instead of the Dell.

If you review a monitor, but you don't also review the monitors that your reader would normally comparison shop against, then you force your reader to go to some other site to get the full scope of reviews that they need to make their buying choice.

 

[gorobei]

any of the asus eips series should really be in the lineup as well as some of the upcoming samsung PLS.

the big thing for multimonitor users would be a harder look at what displayport standard a monitor is using and whether it allows for daisychaining or peripheral passthrough.

 

[moriz]

i'd love to read a review about the HP ZR2740, since that one will likely be my next monitor purchase. the samsung S27A850D is a good one too, and there hasn't been too many reviews on it.

 

[Will Robinson]

The U2410 is a really nice monitor and has been mentioned and recommended quite a lot on this forum,I'm pretty sure lots of the newer members would like to see an Anand review of it.

 

[chrisheinonen]

The Dell U2410 is a couple years old so it wasn't something that came immediately to mind, but if it is still very popular with people and they would like to see a review of it, I will see what I can do in that regard.

I'm not sure about group testing, as that can mean having to wait to run reviews until you're able to get a group of monitors together, so instead of running 3-4 reviews over 6 months, you are waiting for 6 months to run a single review of all of them. As I review more and more displays I will of course comment on how one display compares to another in the same range, but I need to build up the library of reviews to be able to have those comparisons.

For the Samsung display, I will try to find someone at Samsung to talk to about that and determine if the 850 will be replaced by the 970, or if they'll coexist, as well as the release date for the 970.

Thanks for the suggestions from everyone. Are there other elements you would like to see in reviews that aren't already there as well?

 

[imaheadcase]

How about a review of 120hz vs 60hz monitors and what you can take away from if they are worth the actual price/upgrade. Lots of people swear that its a huge difference, i can't tell any difference with games. Maybe screenshots/video compare side by side of that sorts.

 

[AdamK47]

Anything but Dell.

 

[cantholdanymore]

Asus PA246Q

Cheapest current available wide gamut display with 10bit color support.

 

[chrisheinonen]

The Asus PA246Q is very intersting, but to get the best out of it I'll need to upgrade to a video card that can do 10-bit output. Of course for most people they won't be doing it and are more concerned with 8-bit accuracy, so it would still be a good review. Being a true 10-bit panel is very impressive for the price, and even if you only have an 8-bit card now it gives you a nice upgrade path down the road.

For 120Hz, I reviewed a Samsung with 120Hz support recently and touched on that quite a bit. Capturing video of 120Hz performance would require a higher end camcorder, which I don't have, and you'd need to own a 120Hz display already to see the difference. I found it was very nice to use, even for daily use and not just gaming, but it's something you can't really capture with a chart and you would need to see in person.

I'm also certain we will be reviewing Dell displays going forward as they continue to be popular choices with good performance, and are one of the few brands that continues to usually provide highly adjustable stands, which I am a big fan of.

 

[Meaker10]

I don't do any of the laptop reviews but I hadn't looked into aftermarket panels for them. Who makes these as that's an interesting idea.

The big ones are LG and AUO.

The 15.6" auo b156hw01 v4 (matte) and v7 (glossy) are currently the best notebook panels made with 95% adobe RGB coverage along with better viewing angles and contrast. However their other versions are very mediocre.

LG panels don't have the colour accuracy but as a whole their 15.6" range offers the good contrast and viewing angles.

AUO also do a 17.3" auo b173hw01 v4 with 90% adobe RGB coverage.

 

[amenx]

I got a SA27950D recently and pretty happy with it. Not too keen on the styling/ergonomics, but all else fine.

 

[Ryan Smith]

The Asus PA246Q is very intersting, but to get the best out of it I'll need to upgrade to a video card that can do 10-bit output.

I'm pretty sure I have a spare video card or two lying around, so that won't be a problem. The hardware is easy; it's the software that's hard.

 

[chrisheinonen]

I know the software is hard, but I can find people with content that I can test out on it. Calibrating it might be a challenge, depending on what packages support. I did buy an ATI FirePro card today that can do 10-bit color off eBay for $18 shipped, so I can handle displays that need 10-bits per pixel now (ASUS, HP DreamColor).

 

[LokutusofBorg]

I'm not sure about group testing, as that can mean having to wait to run reviews until you're able to get a group of monitors together, so instead of running 3-4 reviews over 6 months, you are waiting for 6 months to run a single review of all of them. As I review more and more displays I will of course comment on how one display compares to another in the same range, but I need to build up the library of reviews to be able to have those comparisons.

I agree the idea of holding up reviews is inherently bad. Making sure to mention the monitors that are direct competitors, and getting those reviews done when you can is all I meant.

I'm also certain we will be reviewing Dell displays going forward as they continue to be popular choices with good performance, and are one of the few brands that continues to usually provide highly adjustable stands, which I am a big fan of.

Anand is known for calling manufacturers out on things, and so it would certainly be fitting, as well as welcome, if your reviews were hard-hitting and made sure to call out the deficiencies compared to the highly desirable features that other monitors offer. This fits inline with comparisons to the other monitors a person would shop against for any particular model but is more like a vertical comparison instead of horizontal. e.g. detailing what you would get if you stepped "up" to the next tier/price range or whatever. But also saying stuff like, this is a feature *all* monitors should have regardless of price.

 

[AdamK47]

DoubleSight DS-307W

 

[Lonbjerg]

As some of you probably know, I took over as Displays Editor here at AnandTech late last year, and now that the backlog of monitors is basically gone, I wanted to ask what people were interested in reviews of. Some models that came to mind (some are new, some aren't as new) were:

Dell U2412M
HP zr2740w
BenQ XL2420t
Samsung S27A970

What else do people want to see? What would you like to see in the reviews that isn't in there right now? Thanks,

- Chris Heinonen

Just for the kick of it...compare this new and shiney LCD/LED thingy to a quality CRT...so I know when I can upgrade without losing I.Q./getting 60Hz ghosting/screen tearing ect.

The result might take you by surprise...

 

[darkewaffle]

Just for the kick of it...compare this new and shiney LCD/LED thingy to a quality CRT...so I know when I can upgrade without losing I.Q./getting 60Hz ghosting/screen tearing ect.

The result might take you by surprise...

If it were ten years ago, sure

I'm not in the loop but I've always loved my NEC and Mitsubishi displays if they've got anything new coming. Also, personally, the amount of space I have is kind of limited so if you can still find any quality, smaller monitors these days I think there'd be an audience for it.

 

[chrisheinonen]

I'd almost forgotten about DoubleSight, though I own a DS-263 that I really like. I have a 24" Sony GDM-90W11 CRT monitor that serves as the lag reference, as it can do up to 1920x1200 at a decent refresh rate. I keep it running at 1920x1080 most of the time to run it at a higher refresh, but after using LCDs for so long I can't go back to the inherent slight fuzziness that is present even on a well maintained CRT.

On the Dell comment, you can easily add a nice, adjustable stand to another LCD for $40 or so, but it's worth factoring the cost of that when comparing two displays to each other. Some people won't care about the adjustments, or already have their own stand, and some won't be able to live without it. An adjustable stand isn't a make-or-break proposition, but it's one thing to keep in mind when looking at a display.

 

[Lonbjerg]

If it were ten years ago, sure

I'm not in the loop but I've always loved my NEC and Mitsubishi displays if they've got anything new coming. Also, personally, the amount of space I have is kind of limited so if you can still find any quality, smaller monitors these days I think there'd be an audience for it.

Try gaming...or watch a movie.
I'll bet you that current LCD's don't have the same I.Q. as CRT's...which is really sad.

 

[Volkswagen]

BenQ XL2420t Please

 

[chrisheinonen]

BenQ XL2420t Please

It will be reviewed, I'm just not sure of the timing.

 

[CuriousMike]

Perhaps slightly off topic:

What's on the horizon for PC displays pixel density?

All the effort is on cellphone displays; where and when are we getting a pixel boost?