Needs opinions on an LCD screen.

[ebeattie]

Im going to keep this short and sweet.

Im in the market for a new monitor. I have been using my faithfull 19" Dell Trinitron going on 7 years now and... I think she is ready to be promoted to net surfing work; monitor retirement. lol

Anyway, Im very key to wanting a monitor that will bring me longevity similar my Trinitron. Im going to pass on the CRT's and step into the LCD world. I have been reading the LCD guide here on the forums, as well doing some research on my own. I have my choices down to a few monitors.


Primary Choice:

SCEPTRE x22wg-Gamer

Moster deal, great specs..... this just might be it!

Secondary Choice:

SAMSUNG 215TW Black 21"

bit-tech.net review

Seems like its getting good reviews, the native resolution is great, the response time looks good and the contrast ratio looks good. Can anyone tell if the panel type is a good type? I read in the guide that it (a PVA) has a slow response time, but 8ms seems pretty good to me and the bit-tech review stated that in gaming that it performed great.

Will Consider:

Dell E228WFP 22-inch WideScreen

Unable to find any reviews, but some comments sections are saying that its a good monitor. Can anybody verify this?

EDIT: I was going to get the 21 Samsung, but this Sceptre 22" is going to be the winner. Too good of a deal to pass up.


So... penny for your thoughts?

 

[Gouv]

I have the HP f2105, which uses the same panel and the 21" wide Samsung. Only complaint so far is that the DVI flickers in games (VGA does not), and the screen is blank on DVI when booting windows. Might be a video card issue.

Otherwise, the panel is S-PVA, bright, has vibrant colors, and has wide viewing angles. I don't notice ghosting in games, but I don't play any FPS. No complaints here, and it was $363 after rebate from HP. The wide Samsung is probably a good choice too.

The 22" ones were cheaper, but they have the same resolution and are 6-bit panels. Narrower viewing angle but faster response. Some people seem satisfied with them, especialy for fast games.

 

[IlllI]

out of those 3 i would say the 215. the dell uses a TN panel, which isnt the best quality. not sure what the 204b uses

 

[ebeattie]

As far as these TN panels, are people talking about the picture quality or the actual physical build quality of the panel?

 

[imported_RedStar]

In a few other threads i have mentioned..i love my dell 22 inch monitor

edit: if you want your monitor to last 7+ years though..best wait on those 120Hz lcd due to show up in 6 months...

or oled!

 

[ebeattie]

Well, what is the life expectancy of these current generation LCD monitors? Please tell me at least a few years!

 

[imported_RedStar]

sure they will last...the question is..will you be able to stand the current ones for that long

 

[ebeattie]

hehe, touche'. I just want to make sure that it will last until I can afford a truly badass monitor. Who knows, maybe in a few years monitor sized plasma's might be affordable!

 

[TanisHalfElven]

Originally posted by: ebeattie
hehe, touche'. I just want to make sure that it will last until I can afford a truly badass monitor. Who knows, maybe in a few years monitor sized plasma's might be affordable!

i hope in a few years 50" screens cost 200 bucks.
other than that if your on a budget there a acer 22" on newegg for 299.

 

[Gouv]

Now that the HP is sold out I would probably go with one of the 22" panels. It should look good for a couple of years plus it costs much less than the Samsung.

 

[Captante]

I would say to spend the extra money for wide screen ... its 100% worth it IMO, also I would stay away from the 22 inch 6 bit TN panel models unless color accuracy isn't very important to you, I looked at a bunch of them back in December & they were a real letdown.

The Samsung 215TW has great image quality & very good color accuracy, but if you plan on doing much gaming with it, be aware that MANY people have reported serious input lag which can become a serious problem in FPS's or anything else fast-paced. I would suggest taking a look at the
Gateway FPD2185W 21 inch model instead because it offers very close to the same color accuracy with no reported input lag. I looked at one of these next to the 22 Inch TN-Panel Gateway in my local Best Buy & there was no comparison between the two, the only negatives are that no DVI cable is included & the standard warranty is only one year. (Increasing to 3 is another $30)

 

[ebeattie]

Ok, to play devils advocate, if I were considering buying an new flat panel display a few years down the line (1.5-2 years) and go nuts and get the best then, would it best to get the 22" Dell for 300 now? I know the Samsung is about 200 more, but the way that technology is advancing, its possible that in two years, 500 bucks will get me something that destroys what ever is the top line monitor now.

Does this sound like a decent way to go?

 

[Dainas]

Just got my Dell 2407WFP, damn thing had single vertical line of bad pixels(stuck green) so back it goes.

Even discounting the defect though, god damn large LCDs looks like crap for gaming compaired to a good CRT. When are we going to start seeing pixel pitch smaller than .260mm on standard size(17inch+) monitors?

I know its not a matter of technology as Toshiba and Fujitsu have been putting out small laptops with microscopic pixle LCDs for many years.

 

[ebeattie]

There is truth to this Dainas.

I was checking out newegg and I found this puupy on there:
SCEPTRE x22wg-Gamer

Looks really good, great specs and great user reviews! I honesty think I have found my new monitor! Ill probably go get it at Costco. Lifetime return policy doesnt hurt at all!

Opinions?

 

[NoStateofMind]

Originally posted by: ebeattie
There is truth to this Dainas.

I was checking out newegg and I found this puupy on there:
SCEPTRE x22wg-Gamer

Looks really good, great specs and great user reviews! I honesty think I have found my new monitor! Ill probably go get it at Costco. Lifetime return policy doesnt hurt at all!

Opinions?

Well I know they don't carry it in store, it has to be ordered online. But, it can be returned to any retail location. Just FYI.

 

[BernardP]

Originally posted by: ebeattie
Ok, to play devils advocate(...) its possible that in two years, 500 bucks will get me something that destroys what ever is the top line monitor now.

500 bucks will buy you a full-featured, high quality 24-inch widescreen before the end of 2007.

All the 22-inch widescreens use very similar TN panels. They perform about the same. You can read This Review

The Sceptre is certainly in the same league.

TN panels have viewing angles limitations and the larger the screen, the more this becomes obvious. If you are sitting 18 to 24 inches from the monitor, you will be in the zone where these problems become noticeable. If you are 3 to 4 feet from the screen, no problem.

I am in the same situation as you are. I have a great CRT, the Viewsonic PF775.
It is still running as well as when I bought it in April 2000... It refuses to weaken, but I want a widescreen LCD, and a good one.

I have decided to wait until I can get a nice 24-inch widescreen with a non-TN panel for $ 500. I am betting I will not end the year without it

 

[mset]

Someone started a thread on the Dell 228 unit, and there are a lot of people who seem happy with theirs. I sent mine back because of lack of color vibrancy, viewing angle issues, some strange geometric shapes (dithering?), etc. I was very sad about it as it looked great on my desk.

It seems that the vast majority of the 22" 6 bit TN panels are made by one of 2 manufacturers.

I would say that if you decide to get one of these new 22" 6 bit TN panels, make sure to get it from a place where you can send it back with no hassles if you don't like it. Dell took mine back and gave me a cash refund with no questions asked, no fees or shipping charges... but then I know how to talk to CSRs, and I get the impression that a lot of people don't.

 

[ebeattie]

Wouldnt sitting closer the monitor be better to help eliminate the viewing angle problem?

 

[WaTaGuMp]

Originally posted by: ebeattie
Wouldnt sitting closer the monitor be better to help eliminate the viewing angle problem?

Viewing angles are more about if you move up or down or move left to right and the picture loses its picture quality, its not about sitting close to it cause you can be far away and if you are still looking at the same angle the picture will still look correct.

 

[ebeattie]

Thats what I figured. Lucky for me, Im not a gamer who needs to sit at a funny angle to my screen to play.

 

[BernardP]

Originally posted by: ebeattie
Wouldnt sitting closer the monitor be better to help eliminate the viewing angle problem?

What matters is the relative angle betwen your point of view and the extremities of the screen. Let's illustrate with extreme situations:

Suppose you are 20 feet from the screen. For all practical purpose, the line of sight is almost perpendicular to all points on the screen, even the 4 corners. You are almost perfectly in front of each point of the screen and you will see perfectly a screen even with limited viewing angles.

At the opposite, suppose your eyes are 6 inches from the screen. The small area just in front of your eyes is seen the same way it would be at 20 feet. But the corners of the screen are now at an acute angle relative to a perpendicular line of sight. You are not looking at the corner pixels dead on, but way from the side. In that case, the corner pixels on a TN panel would be much darker and yellow-tinted.

Thus, the larger the screen and the closer one sits from it, the worse the viewing angle aberrations.

To make things really (really) simple, it is useful to think of LCD panels as louvers over a window. Open vertical louvers look almost transparent when viewed from straight on, but if you move 45 degreees to the side, the louvers will block more and more of the view until they look closed to the observer.

TN panels are the variety of LCD "louvers" that are the most sensitive to off-center viewing compared to higher-tech panels (S-PVA, P-MVA, S-IPS). TN means Twisted Nematics and their lower viewing angle is due to the fact that the direction of movement of LCD "gates" is less controlled than in other types of panels. For example, IPS means In-Plane Switching. Just by the name, we can see that there is more precise control in that type of panel.

 

[BassBomb]

Good post Bernard!

I usually use Windows from a distance of 2~3 ft. At a slightly lowered angle. But when I game I bring it much closer.

I used to notice the color shifts and "louvre" effect but now not nearly as much.

 

[ebeattie]

My roomate has a 24" dell widescreen and I have to say that I have not noticed anything like that. I can only hope that its not like that on the Scepter.

 

[BernardP]

The Dell 24-inch widescreen doesn't have a TN panel but a high-quality, wide-viewing-angle Samsung S-PVA panel. You have to check for yourself if you can live with the viewing angles limitations on the Scepter as it is a TN panel.

 

[ebeattie]

oic