[Retired] The LCD Thread

[Tradewell]

LaCie Blue Eye Pro !!
For those who have recently purchased one of these units, what Rev# is listed on the bottom side of the Puck???? I have (A) and you?

Second question: Does the Blue Eye Pro software actually calibrate the hardware LUT on NEC monitors such as the 2490 and 2690 as does the Spectraview software. And how can you tell if it did. I have set the monitor to Programmable color temp and gamma.


Thanks in advance....

 

[grzequ]

Originally posted by: xtknight

Originally posted by: grzequ
Is there any difference between LG L227WT and LG L227WT-PF? I can see there's a -BF too.
The LG website doesn't even say anything about their existance.

To my knowledge the L227 has only ever been sold as a glossy panel.

BF means black bezel, and I guess PF silver, but I don't know about PF. The G (WTG) means glossy.

Ouch, so there's a WTG as well? I just checked and if I'm supposed to believe the specifications posted on the resellers website, it looks like the WT is matt :/

The weirdest of all of this is that the WTG is nowhere to be found here in sweden. The only L227 screens being sold are the WT-PF's, and those are avaiable at lots of places.

 

[CrabJuice]

Originally posted by: xtknight
OK that sounds good to me. I am not 100% sure about the G2400WD but will look into it and hopefully add it sometime soon. The W (and maybe WD) has good default colors, I do know that.

I used a G2200W recently and it looks like BenQ knows that this dynamic contrast thing is a feature not everyone wants. Default mode its not even used and its easy to disable for the display modes that use it. Then its only a matter to figure out if the backlight properties themselves are as good as the old one. They both are rated at 250 brightness which would indicate that its not a huge difference. If they went up over 250 the power rating would probably also go up from 55W. Thus, I should think it has the same properties. It is unlikely that they would make a double oversight with the specifications.

As a side note I saw on the BenQ site that there are T-models comming. Like G2400WT that has a heightadjustable stand. Makes it even better for office work.

Oh. Also Xtknight. You wrote a couple of pages back that no 22" monitor support 60hz. Not in native resolution at least. Although they seem to be able to do 75hz at lower resolutions. Whats your opinion about that?

Weird.. just checked the BenQ site again and the specs of G2400WD RT says 2ms GTG which would indicate the same panel as V2400W.

 

[hsbyl]

hey xtknight, i just started shopping for a monitor after 3 years of use of my cracked screen monitor,
i've gotten used to it but it's still annoying ><
I've recently received a 6CH surround system from someone, and i decided to make a small "home theatre" in my room, which is fairly small
i was about to buy the samsun 226BW but i've heard about the panel lottery
i've tried looking for IPS monitors for more angle view, and its not working out very well
and i see that you mentioned the L227 many times, so i was wondering, is that an IPS? or just another TN?
i'm going to be sitting approx. 8-10 feet away from the monitor during movies
and i also play a lot of games, but not the new high quality ones, so i should be fine on that
please help me! :]

 

[ccubed]

What are people's opinions on refurbished LCD monitors? The LG 22" is pretty scarce these days at anywhere near the listed pricepoint, but there are some refurbs out there around that number. I fear that a monitor isn't somewhere to go taking a risk on manufacturer's repairs, but I don't really know what goes into that testing or where these things originally came from.

Anyone have experience with LCD refurbs or opinions about them?

 

[eddiebravo]

Wow, this thread is HUGE. I am totally clueless when it comes to LCD's and this thread is a bit overwhelming so I'd appreciate it if you guys could help simplify things for me and make a few recommendations based on my needs. I am using a super old school samsung crt that is getting blurry, and while I was generally anti-LCD(for gaming reasons), it seems like they are the best choice now, even for gaming. So, I am looking for something that will provide the absolute best image quality for gaming(pretty much every type of game, but especially fps's like crysis, cs: source, cod4, etc.) and movies. How does widescreen work for older games that do not support widescreen(will they still work)? I'd prefer something in the 20-22inch range with a maximum budget of approximately $750. Thanks for any suggestions!

 

[TehMac]

Yes, I am overwhelmed as well, I have been doing quite a bit of research, going on Anandtech's 24" LCD Review article, reading Custom PC UK, reading bit tech, etc, I'm somewhat in the dumps.

Here's what I am looking for: a 24" LCD that is not exorbitantly priced, yet not shitty looking when viewed from too far away, and works nicely for games. It doesn't need to have extra USB ports or anything, but something along those lines.

Any advice or help would be much appreciated.

 

[prodavacho]

I have always been happy with Samsung.

 

[TehMac]

Originally posted by: prodavacho
I have always been happy with Samsung.

I have been looking on bit-tech.net, and they were discussing the Samsung 245T and they said

If you are serious about you shooters or indulge in online fragging to any significant extent, it seems that the 245T would sadly not be a good choice.

So I don't know what to think...I'm surprised it's harder to find a good gaming 24" LCD.

Any other recommendations, from 24" users or people in general who might willing to dispute this claim?

 

[HorseFace]

Just got the LG L227wtg, it's the best monitor of all. If you can't afford the doublesight, this is pretty much all you can ask of a 22" TN. I had a samsung 2232GW, and the LG blows it away.

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: GnomeKing
This is a great thread, and has proven useful, but I could still use some help in determining what model might be best for me.

I will be playing games and would like the game to look at good as possible, but I am not a hardcore gamer and wouldn't play multiplayer a whole lot. I also plan on watching movies, although I might use my 42" LG LCD tv for that. I was going to get a 22", but I am now considering 24". My price range is 300-425, bit will consider spending a bit more if the panel is worth it.

I would greatly appreciate any recommendations. Thanks!

I recommend a BenQ G2400WD (or W if you can still find that). You can't really get a 24" VA for that price range and it probably isn't really worth it. The one exception for that is the Westinghouse L2410NM (24" VA) which may be available at a lower price than most 24"s. The L2410NM will have higher contrast and better viewing angles with more input lag.

Originally posted by: Tradewell
LaCie Blue Eye Pro !!
For those who have recently purchased one of these units, what Rev# is listed on the bottom side of the Puck???? I have (A) and you?

Second question: Does the Blue Eye Pro software actually calibrate the hardware LUT on NEC monitors such as the 2490 and 2690 as does the Spectraview software. And how can you tell if it did. I have set the monitor to Programmable color temp and gamma.


Thanks in advance....

I don't know the answer to the second question. I would ask LaCie about that. I think the SpectraView software can use that colorimeter although can't confirm this either.

http://www.necdisplay.com/supp...monitors/spectraview2/
http://www.lacie.com/intl/prod.../product.htm?pid=10900

Hardware: LaCie blue eye pro is delivered with the LaCie blue eye colorimeter but is also compatible with the GretagMacBeth eyeOne Display and eyeOne Pro spectrophotometer, the Monaco-XRite DTP94 and the ColorVision Spyder 2.

 

[sethk]

Originally posted by: iamap

Originally posted by: xtknight
Maybe you should just try the KDS because the DPI of the 24" NEC will probably be the same as other 24"s.

After talking blix into more testing, I've finally decided on the KDS K-2626mdhwb - 26" monitor. After bugging him for days to get scaling tests, the results show it's scales 1080p, 1:1 with zero overscan.

http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1304046

This means that it'll be good for PC, gaming consoles and/or external blu-ray players with excellent picture quality and no stretching nor cropping. Being a tn it doesn't have the best viewing angles but it has good gaming performance. All in all, $400.00 for the KDS 26" seems like a no-brainer to me.

Thanks, everyone, for all of the input...

It looks like the KDS does NOT support monitor based scaling. The screenshot with proper scaling was done through the ATI control panel, i.e. with GPU scaling. Any monitor "supports" this since its not doing the work. This means that a BluRay Player, PS3 and 360 at 1080p will not look right (stretched vertically.)

 

[zod96]

Looking for a glossy screen 19 inch LCD, are their any? I know the Nec 90GX2 is one, but their impossible to find..

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: CrabJuice

Originally posted by: xtknight
OK that sounds good to me. I am not 100% sure about the G2400WD but will look into it and hopefully add it sometime soon. The W (and maybe WD) has good default colors, I do know that.

I used a G2200W recently and it looks like BenQ knows that this dynamic contrast thing is a feature not everyone wants. Default mode its not even used and its easy to disable for the display modes that use it. Then its only a matter to figure out if the backlight properties themselves are as good as the old one. They both are rated at 250 brightness which would indicate that its not a huge difference. If they went up over 250 the power rating would probably also go up from 55W. Thus, I should think it has the same properties. It is unlikely that they would make a double oversight with the specifications.

As a side note I saw on the BenQ site that there are T-models comming. Like G2400WT that has a heightadjustable stand. Makes it even better for office work.

Oh. Also Xtknight. You wrote a couple of pages back that no 22" monitor support 60hz. Not in native resolution at least. Although they seem to be able to do 75hz at lower resolutions. Whats your opinion about that?

I am not sure if I said this or not but few 22" monitors support above 60 Hz. The only one I know of is the 226BW. Why they would be able to do them at lower resolutions, and not the native, is really anyone's guess.

Weird.. just checked the BenQ site again and the specs of G2400WD RT says 2ms GTG which would indicate the same panel as V2400W.

Yea it is weird, I didn't realize the G2400W was not rating as having RT. I guess that is another difference in addition to dynamic contrast. I am not sure how this bodes with input lag, that's why I haven't added it up yet. Haven't seen any reviews. Still, seems like people like the WD.

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: grzequ

Originally posted by: xtknight

Originally posted by: grzequ
Is there any difference between LG L227WT and LG L227WT-PF? I can see there's a -BF too.
The LG website doesn't even say anything about their existance.

To my knowledge the L227 has only ever been sold as a glossy panel.

BF means black bezel, and I guess PF silver, but I don't know about PF. The G (WTG) means glossy.

Ouch, so there's a WTG as well? I just checked and if I'm supposed to believe the specifications posted on the resellers website, it looks like the WT is matt :/

The weirdest of all of this is that the WTG is nowhere to be found here in sweden. The only L227 screens being sold are the WT-PF's, and those are avaiable at lots of places.

The WTG is all that is sold in the US. It is a glossy version. I did not know that there was a matte elsewhere.

But I would assume the WT-PF is of the same quality as its WTG counterpart. I say go for it. I am not sure about the return policies over there, maybe that "go for it" is a bit premature?

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: hsbyl
hey xtknight, i just started shopping for a monitor after 3 years of use of my cracked screen monitor,
i've gotten used to it but it's still annoying ><
I've recently received a 6CH surround system from someone, and i decided to make a small "home theatre" in my room, which is fairly small
i was about to buy the samsun 226BW but i've heard about the panel lottery
i've tried looking for IPS monitors for more angle view, and its not working out very well
and i see that you mentioned the L227 many times, so i was wondering, is that an IPS? or just another TN?
i'm going to be sitting approx. 8-10 feet away from the monitor during movies
and i also play a lot of games, but not the new high quality ones, so i should be fine on that
please help me! :]

The L227 is a glossy TN panel. At 22", viewing angles are not as noticeable as at 24" for a TN. Yet, if you'll be sitting far away you might want to consider a more stable type of panel (that is, if you will be far away and off-axis at all). There is not a 22" IPS panel, but two 22" S-PVAs that I know of are available: The Lenovo L220X and Eizo S2231W. I unfortunately have no experience with 22" VAs and no idea how they perform.

So, there is also the 24" VA option which I consider to be the best value for your money, in your situation. 22" VAs are just about as expensive, anyway, especially per inch.

There will of course be a little more input lag with 24" VAs than 22" TNs. What I usually go by is whether you game competitively/seriously or for fun. If it's the latter, VAs will be fine for you.

Originally posted by: ccubed
What are people's opinions on refurbished LCD monitors? The LG 22" is pretty scarce these days at anywhere near the listed pricepoint, but there are some refurbs out there around that number. I fear that a monitor isn't somewhere to go taking a risk on manufacturer's repairs, but I don't really know what goes into that testing or where these things originally came from.

Anyone have experience with LCD refurbs or opinions about them?

Refurbs can be as high quality as the originals. I have heard people have good luck with them, and that's what you get when you want an exchange from Dell because your original new one had a defect. I think it is well worth the try if the place is reputable. But, you know what to expect going in: backlight bleeding, bad pixels, or something undesirable for which the LCD was returned. The "refurbishing" process is certainly not going to get rid of dead pixels, and probably not backlight bleeding. They just make sure the things turns on and turns off.

 

[hsbyl]

Originally posted by: xtknight

Originally posted by: hsbyl
hey xtknight, i just started shopping for a monitor after 3 years of use of my cracked screen monitor,
i've gotten used to it but it's still annoying ><
I've recently received a 6CH surround system from someone, and i decided to make a small "home theatre" in my room, which is fairly small
i was about to buy the samsun 226BW but i've heard about the panel lottery
i've tried looking for IPS monitors for more angle view, and its not working out very well
and i see that you mentioned the L227 many times, so i was wondering, is that an IPS? or just another TN?
i'm going to be sitting approx. 8-10 feet away from the monitor during movies
and i also play a lot of games, but not the new high quality ones, so i should be fine on that
please help me! :]

The L227 is a glossy TN panel. At 22", viewing angles are not as noticeable as at 24" for a TN. Yet, if you'll be sitting far away you might want to consider a more stable type of panel (that is, if you will be far away and off-axis at all). There is not a 22" IPS panel, but two 22" S-PVAs that I know of are available: The Lenovo L220X and Eizo S2231W. I unfortunately have no experience with 22" VAs and no idea how they perform.

So, there is also the 24" VA option which I consider to be the best value for your money, in your situation. 22" VAs are just about as expensive, anyway, especially per inch.

There will of course be a little more input lag with 24" VAs than 22" TNs. What I usually go by is whether you game competitively/seriously or for fun. If it's the latter, VAs will be fine for you.

the thing is, i'm only 16, and don't have a lot to spend
and from what I've read, don't VAs also have a bad angle view?
i game for fun, never competitively, and when i watch movies, i'll be sitting in a slight angle and at the most about 125(?) degrees angle
and what are PVAs? those seem expensive ><

 

[hsbyl]

and does glossy mean the screen?
that shows like reflection?
what is the other called then? the smooth one

 

[HorseFace]

Matte = translucent
Glosst= clear

 

[DaveLessnau]

Originally posted by: xtknight
Refurbs can be as high quality as the originals. I have heard people have good luck with them, and that's what you get when you want an exchange from Dell because your original new one had a defect. I think it is well worth the try if the place is reputable. But, you know what to expect going in: backlight bleeding, bad pixels, or something undesirable for which the LCD was returned. The "refurbishing" process is certainly not going to get rid of dead pixels, and probably not backlight bleeding. They just make sure the things turns on and turns off.

I just wanted to add my 2 cents worth on the refurb bit. A couple of months back, I bought a refurbished NEC 20WMGX2 from Directron. Visually, the monitor is flawless. The one problem I have with it is that when the screen blanks during standby, its power supply (or transformer or whatever it's called) makes an oscillating high pitched whine. It's very noticeable. But, since the monitor is beautiful, not available elsewhere, and cost me only $195, I'm very happy with it (I just physically turn it off when I'm done using it instead of letting it time out and go blank).

With refurbs, some things you have to watch out for is what you get in the box and how returns are handled. My refurb came with everything a new unit comes with. But, when I bought it I noticed reviews on the site saying that people were missing various items (like the remote and cables). Look around the site where you are thinking of buying and see what it says about what comes with the box. Also, in my case, Directron specifically stated that they wouldn't accept returns. Any problems had to go through the manufacturer. So, you might be rolling the dice with that (again, in my case, I was willing to risk $195 to get a 20WMGX2). Oh, and check the manufacturer's web site to see what their warranty policy is on refurbs. For mine, instead of the standard two or three year warranty, there's just a 1 year warranty. Also, that warranty can't be extended via an Extended Warranty through the company. And, check the manufacturer's policy on whether or not it will accept warranty repairs for monitors bought from wherever you're looking. With mine, I noticed some threads where people were having trouble getting warranty repairs because the place where they bought the refurb wasn't on NEC's list of authorized resellers (that did get resolved, though).

 

[ati666]

xtknight can you helo me with my lcd?

i just bought a benq e900w which has a native res of 1440x900, i would like to know what type panel it is using and what sort of dac does it have 6-bit or true 8-bit.

i am also using vista 64 with a 8800gts512 card using dvi, my question is how can i get 64bit color depth? if there is a way please tell me.

thanx

 

[Aggressor22]

xtknight, ive made the decision to go for the Dell 2408WFP, but according to my company, i can get the Dell 2709W for the same price. I can still change the order from 2408wfp to 2709W. Ive read only one review of it (no more can be found?), on prad.de:

http://prad.de/new/monitore/te...8/test-dell-2709w.html

The monitor gets 'Very Good' as a result, apart from the size, is it any better then the 2408WFP? Both are the same price, which surprises me cause the 27'' is alot bigger. If it does have the same or better image quality, ill swap it for the 24'' dell, i mean, why not? same price, i only need to make space at my desk

 

[ArchAngel777]

The only thing I don't like on TN panels is when viewing solid colors, the color on the top of the display is richer, darker than the color at the bottom of the display. I read where this was common to every TN display. It isn't a huge deal, but no matter what angle you view the display it, it will always be darker on the top than the bottom.

Other than, I find TN to be just fine for head on viewing. I am very, very, very impressed with my LG227WTG. BTW, I do believe NewEgg sells the matte version, whereas the B&M stores sell the glossy version. Also, I think the review that someone posted here from that international site reviewed the matte version of the 227 as well. Anyway, the gloss really makes for a rich gaming experience. Been playing HL2:EP1 & EP2 and have been very impressed. Feels just like a CRT, except no head-ache from refresh rate, and also it has perfect geometry.

 

[ati666]

i just bought a benq e900w which has a native res of 1440x900, i would like to know what type panel it is using and what sort of dac does it have 6-bit or true 8-bit.

i am also using vista 64 with a 8800gts512 card using dvi, my question is how can i get 64bit color depth? if there is a way please tell me.
anyone, please

thanx

 

[mg2plus]

Hi all!

Perhaps you would be interested in an article that I wrote about adjusting contrast and brightness. I think it is a must-read, whether you are expert or novice.

In my opinion, 95% of people have brightness and contrast controls set to wrong values that result in bad picture and soar eyes.

Guide: adjusting brightness and contrast

Any comments are welcome.