[Retired] The LCD Thread

[DoctorM]

Anyone ever try the HP Pavilion w2408h?

It's a TN 24" but prad.de gushed about it in their review.

I only see the non-h version in the U.S., I don't know if it is only an HDMI connector difference or something more.

 

[Trean]

xtknight:

Found out that Viewsonic as a manufacturer offers a 30-day zero dead pixel guarantee. So that is good. Also found out that Office Depot carries viewsonic monitors; going to call them today and see if they carry the vx2435wm and if they do I will go check it out.

I seem to be teetering back and forth between which I like better the BenQ or the Viewsonic. I hate making expensive decisions .

 

[muggeh]

Originally posted by: DoctorM
Anyone ever try the HP Pavilion w2408h?

It's a TN 24" but prad.de gushed about it in their review.

I only see the non-h version in the U.S., I don't know if it is only an HDMI connector difference or something more.

I have one on my desk right now and well, it's going back or will be sold however it works out. The reason for this is that i can't stand TN's i thought it wouldn't be so bad but i was dead wrong, the color shifting and discoloration is just too annoying for me even more so then the sparkly effect on my old Samsung 213T which is the main reason i "upgraded".

I figured the glossy coating would be easier on my eyes but it ended up the other way around because of the viewing angles.

Since however reading this thread from start to finish(i deserve a beer i reckon) i consider myself more enlightend in this subject and have come to understand that the newer screens don't use that harsh coating anymore like they did 3 years ago.

My current options (i'm willing to spend some more seeing as i'm quite fussy about it) are:

Samung 275T 1050,-
Nec 2690Wuxi 1150,-

I've decided to not look at any 24" offerings since the Nec 2490Wuxi isnt sold in Europe (If someone from Nec is reading this, please b-slap whoever made that call).

When Xtknight's review is done i might decide on which one it's going to be, speaking of which great job so far man you are helping out allot of people making the right choice !

P.S. The w2408h has hdmi+vga and the w2408 has dvi+vga

 

[DoctorM]

Hmm.
I was just at my local Costco. Mostly to look at the VX2255wmb (since they carry them for $300).

They had a w2408 (non-h) out and it looked really good. I had a hard time believing it was a TN. (I didn't notice a narrow viewing angle, and the colors looked vibrant. (Under bright warehouse lighting.))
If it wasn't only available as a system bundle I probably would have bought it.

Are you sure the h and non-h are the same panel? HP's website lists different contrast ratios for these.

(I did find the Viewsonic unacceptable. TN's suck suck suck. A few degrees off center and your whites turn yellow. Blech.)

Edit: Hmm. Just found several reviews from the w2408 and they aren't great. I wonder what prad.de was seeing...
I guess I'll keep looking.

 

[muggeh]

Mine uses the LG Philips LPL_LM240WU3 (TN) according to the service menu, maybe they used a samsung s-pva panel for the dvi version for a bit, which could explain the contrast difference, i don't know if only the samsung panels have dynamic contrast though.

Also the dvi version is discontinued over here and you can only get the hdmi, maybe the same is happening in the us as well i don't know really.

 

[DoctorM]

I'm scratching my head why the HP looked good.
Maybe after staring at all those TN panels my eyes were fried.

Btw muggeh. You sound like you're somewhere in Europe. You should take a look at the Belinea 2485 S1W.

http://www.prad.de/en/monitore...-belinea-2485-s1w.html

Seems like you couldn't go wrong with it. After reading the review I wish I could find one on this side of the pond.

 

[Trean]

Originally posted by: DoctorM
I'm scratching my head why the HP looked good.
Maybe after staring at all those TN panels my eyes were fried.

Btw muggeh. You sound like you're somewhere in Europe. You should take a look at the Belinea 2485 S1W.

http://www.prad.de/en/monitore...-belinea-2485-s1w.html

Seems like you couldn't go wrong with it. After reading the review I wish I could find one on this side of the pond.

I am scratching my head after reading that review; mostly about the "Very Good" rating given for DVD/Video playback. Without HDCP I don't believe this monitor deserves the very good rating. If it had this it would be a wonderful monitor; it is certainly very good without it -- the lack of HDCP is a very constraining factor though in my opinion.

 

[DoctorM]

I'm really stumped.

I WANT to get the vx2435wm, but the reviews aren't particularly glowing.
It just seems to be the best of whats out there... which I'm not sure is enough to justify the price.
To boot, it's response time for games is a bit too slow to be good.

And if not the 24" it looks like I have to settle for the VX2255wmb... and I just hate the really narrow viewing angle.

Is there anything in between at all? Anyone? Waaaah, I hate this!

 

[breckenridgej]

After reading through all of these great messages, I think I am getting closer to a decision... But, I still have some questions. This is my criteria:
- Looking for a 21-27" LCD - I'm not particularly hung up on the size. I'm using a 19" so I think anything > 21" would be fine.
- Primary use is image editing (I'm critical, but not a purist) and will also use it for some occasional gaming, surfing and movie watching.
- Price limit is probably around <$1500

I think it comes to balancing color accuracy with speed and size. Although I would appreciate an s-video input, its not a deal breaker. Given the low price difference between the NEC LCD2490WUXI and others I am considering, I think it comes out at top. This is my short-list with Amazon prices:

1. NEC LCD2490WUXI $1130
2. Samsung 275T $1060
3. NEC LCD2190UXP $900
4. HP LP2465 $790
5. Samsung 245T $880

Does this list make sense, any others you would consider (or not consider) given these criteria? Will the NEC LCD2490WUXI be fast enough for occasional gaming and/or movies? I had initially included the NEC 20WMGX2 but its a bit small and virtually impossible to find. I also eliminated the Viewsonic VX2435WM because of negative comments I had read on the glossy finish being temperamental with cleaning/calibration. In terms of value both the HP LP2465 and Samsung 245T seem like they are well priced and its not clear to me how badly I need the color accuracy associated with the LCD2490WUXI.

Thoughts, comments very much appreciated.

Jordan

 

[muggeh]

Originally posted by: DoctorM
I'm scratching my head why the HP looked good.
Maybe after staring at all those TN panels my eyes were fried.

Btw muggeh. You sound like you're somewhere in Europe. You should take a look at the Belinea 2485 S1W.

http://www.prad.de/en/monitore...-belinea-2485-s1w.html

Seems like you couldn't go wrong with it. After reading the review I wish I could find one on this side of the pond.

Thanks for the link, though the lack of HDCP and a wide gamut backlight means its not really for me.

Atm im nudging towards the 275T since i had a good experiene with my 213T except for the coating which should be fixed on the 275T.

Then again that Nec isnt that much more expensive here in Holland so i'm going to have to think about the advantages for both, price is not really an issue.

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: GarfieldtheCat
@xtknight:

First off, thanks for taking time to answer my questions (and all the questions in this thread!).

Yes, yes, glad I can.

Luckily, I've just upgraded my PC (passing my parts to my wife's PC) with a Q6600 @3.4GHz and a OC'd 8800GT. So SupCom and Dawn of War should run OK.

As a proud new owner of a bouncing baby Nikon D300, and who is just getting into editing/touching-up my photos (currently using Capture NX, might try out Lightroom and maybe CS3), I am a bit confused as to the whole "wide gamut" problems. I have searched over at dpreivew, and it seems several people don't like the "HC" displays, because Windows isn't colorspace aware, so you get one color in photo programs like CS3 or CNX, and another color when viewing in IE or other programs.

Rest assured the color management/ICC stuff is all very complex and confusing to me too. I never found it explained in terms I could understand. I believe Windows, at least XP, is entirely based on RGB(r,g,b) or ARGB (alpha+RGB) and nothing else like Lab. So as far as I can tell, unless the application specifically implements color management features, there's no reason there would be any compensation. Which apps do implement color management features? I was under the impression only Photoshop or other image editors (maybe The GIMP) did.

CaptureNX supports color management fully so you should be able to do this. I recommend reading a tutorial though just to make sure you know what's going on, because color stuff is easy to confuse. It's hard to know if it's applying double the calibration since you already have the ICC applied to your desktop, if it's just reading gamut info or what exactly.

CS3 does as well. Lightroom doesn't look like it supports proofing, at least not print proofing.

The 3007 (and it appears the 305T does as well) doesn't have any hardware calibration options, but it could be done in video driver, with a spyder or Eye one I mean, correct?

I don't believe either of them even has an adjustable gamma lookup table in them whatsoever. Meaning, I don't think R/G/B can even be adjusted through DDC/CI (e.g. through use of software like Samsung MagicTune for 275T or a generic util for 3007WFP-HC).

Spyder or Eye One require you to adjust R/G/B if you are trying to reach a specific target. At least, that's the preferred way to do it. Otherwise you either have to calibrate for Native white temp or severely compromise your color bit depth/resolution (number of colors) when compared to a monitor that does have R/G/B controls. Keep in mind the 305T has more accurate colors by default so you wouldn't be sacrificing as much here versus the 3007WFP-HC. Add this to the fact that a lot of IPS panels have trouble with the darker tones...

Spyder and Eye One, after your rudimentary adjustments of what is available on consumer monitors, will then profile your monitor by measuring its gamut and then actually calibrate it and create a lookup table of correction, meanwhile applying this to your video card's gamma correction chip. So in essence, the colors are now corrected, but the bit depth "artery" at this point has been constricted since several colors need to be corrected or clipped.

Since you have a "wide gamut" NEC, how do you handle the color calibration problem? Some people have commented to avoid all HC type displays for photo editing. Is this overkill on their part?

Firefox Gran Paradiso implements color profile support, meaning all websites will appear as proper sRGB colors even on wide gamut monitors as long as you specify the profile. I believe just specifying the one that comes on the monitor CD/drivers is fine (it should just need profiled gamut info, not a lookup table from any sort of calibration). So, I use this for the web.

And I haven't really tried editing photos on this monitor yet much, at least not with any sort of workflow. I have more to learn about this too, like what exactly to set in Photoshop and when to ignore built-in file profiles or whatever else.

I also recently got a scanner that is supposed to exceed sRGB (Epson V200) so I will hopefully also be messing around with the Adobe RGB space since my LCD26 mostly fulfills this. But again this is pretty confusing since there isn't actually an option to scan as sRGB or Adobe RGB yet that I can tell. So I really don't know what it's doing.

EDIT: My worry is that if I use a WC monitor, and edit my photos in CNX, they will look correct when I view then in CNX. But as soon as I email them to friends/family (who will be using regular non-HC non-calibrated monitors), they will look wrong.

Thanks!

Well, this probably is the case but if you have color management enabled in CNX then you should be able to save the JPEG as an sRGB, meaning typical web/screen target. This will cause the software to change the values to match what they are supposed to be seeing. Either this or it will be sRGB all along and the software will dim it down on your monitor. The latter is probably the best option.

 

[redlinez33]

well I went out and bought another w2207 to see if its any better (ill return the one thats worse) and while my new one doesnt have a dead pixel in the middle. Its the newly discovered Innolux panel, with factory blue tint installed (meaning the colors are blue). My other panel is a samsung, damn do I wish there wasnt a dead pixel right in the middle. The samsung is obviously superior with no calibration.

 

[DoctorM]

VP2030b or the VX2435wm?

They seem fairly similar on the surface just 4:3 vs. 16:9... is there any real pros or cons between these?

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: DoctorM

The LP2065 can use either an AMVA or S-IPS panel (a lot have been S-IPS actually). But if you're willing to get this the VX24 is a better idea as it's probably a better VA panel.

To be clear, with the LP2065 you win the lottery if you get the S-IPS, but if you end up with the AMVA it's not as good as the VX2435WM's panel?

I'm guessing this is the case, yes. In fact you may prefer even the VX24 to the S-IPS...I don't know. It depends what you do. If you do more photo editing and general use, maybe S-IPS. More multimedia, then maybe the VA panel (VX24).

Also how is the Viewsonic for gaming (he asked as his CRT monitor continued to slowly shrink in height...)?

You should take a look at the prad review to get the best idea:
http://prad.de/en/monitore/rev...11.html#Responsiveness
http://prad.de/en/monitore/rev...c-vx2435wm-part12.html

It's as good as most VA overdrive panels. It doesn't have overdrive problems.

Edit: Does anyone know how NewEgg and TechOnWeb are for returns?
From what I've read NewEgg seems distinctly unfriendly about returns.
I've dealt with ToW before (not an LCD) and they really seemed determined to be helpful.

Newegg does not offer refunds for LCDs, and their dead pixel policy is eight minimum, I believe, but check their FAQ to be sure.

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: redlinez33
Well I have the HP W2207 and have played a few games now, and I notice a few things. First it has backlight bleeding around the edges of the screen. Is this normal for a TN panel? or should I return to get a new one? It also has a dead pixel right in the middle.

Otherwise its a pretty good monitor. Image quality isnt as good as my samsung 971P but its much better for games. I love the size. Right now I wouldnt consider myself happy with this monitor, but its not BAD..... I am thinking of either returning it for another w2207, or returning it for a viewsonic 22" or samsung 22".......

xtknight (or anyone else with experience) what would you recommend? Is backlight bleeding around the edges normal for TN panels????

I have actually heard of many people disappointed with the HP w2207 for several reasons (inferior to HP w2007, lots of backlight bleeding, poor color setup). I don't know if it's that bad to take it off the list though; I think a lot of people are happy with theirs.

The w2207 seems to possess poorer quality control than many other LCDs, but hardly atypical for TNs. It's more like the other ones are just above average (LG L226WTQ, VX2255wmb, 226BW(S)) right now.

Maybe you would be happier with the ViewSonic VX2255wmb. I would avoid Samsung 20"/22" widescreens (except 226CW), you never know what you're going to get.

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: Mallomar
Nope, I didn't cancel my order for the 2490 -- buy.com did it for me.

I'm one of the people who ordered it for $825 when buy.com was flipping the prices back and forth a couple of weeks ago. I waited a week, during which I heard nothing, then got an e-mail telling me the item was out of stock and they were canceling my order. I bought mine from the buy.com eBay store, but the same thing happened to several people who ordered it at the lower price from the web site. Buy.com still has the monitor listed (their eBay store claims to have dozens of them in stock), but they raised the price.

One person in another forum said he did receive the monitor he ordered at the $825 price. I guess he was just lucky. I'm very disappointed in buy.com -- never had a problem with any of my previous 14 transactions.

But I really wanted the 2690 anyway (I just ordered the 2490 on impulse because it was such a deal -- I was going to give it to my husband if I didn't like it), because I'm a graphic designer and frequently have to adjust photos in Photoshop. So I'm convinced that the wide-gamut 2690 is the monitor of my dreams. My current CRT is very good, but it's too small (21"). I'm so tired of moving palettes around so I can see what I'm working on!

I'll probably go ahead and order the 2690 SV from one of the US resellers next week. And then relax and wait several weeks to get it!

OK. Actually, 21" CRTs reach a high resolution (maybe even higher) in some cases than 26" LCDs do (1920x1200). Are you sure you are getting a greater resolution? I assume you are just running the CRT lower than its max because of refresh rate or blurriness issues.

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: DoctorM
Anyone ever try the HP Pavilion w2408h?

It's a TN 24" but prad.de gushed about it in their review.

I only see the non-h version in the U.S., I don't know if it is only an HDMI connector difference or something more.

I think HDMI is the only difference. That's all I saw, at least.

Originally posted by: Trean
xtknight:

Found out that Viewsonic as a manufacturer offers a 30-day zero dead pixel guarantee. So that is good. Also found out that Office Depot carries viewsonic monitors; going to call them today and see if they carry the vx2435wm and if they do I will go check it out.

Are you sure ViewSonic has this in North America? I don't see it documented anywhere.

http://www.viewsonic.com/support/warranty.htm

Through this limited warranty, you are guaranteed high-quality screen performance with no more than four (4) improperly operating pixels total and no more than three (3) bright or three (3) dark pixels.

I seem to be teetering back and forth between which I like better the BenQ or the Viewsonic. I hate making expensive decisions .

Well I'd go for the ViewSonic if you can verify this policy. Maybe it's only something they like to tell you over the phone or something.

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: muggeh
...

Since however reading this thread from start to finish(i deserve a beer i reckon) i consider myself more enlightend in this subject and have come to understand that the newer screens don't use that harsh coating anymore like they did 3 years ago.

My current options (i'm willing to spend some more seeing as i'm quite fussy about it) are:

Samung 275T 1050,-
Nec 2690Wuxi 1150,-

AFAIK this is my understanding of it also (my VP930b seems to have a harsher coating, though).

As for 275T vs 2690...what are your usage patterns mostly?

I am a tad disappointed in the 2690's contrast (but not surprised). So if you want a monitor for multimedia primarily you might consider the 275T. The 2690 is great for this still though and I have little evidence the 275T can produce a better image other than that fact it's a VA panel which would help in the contrast area.

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: DoctorM
I'm really stumped.

I WANT to get the vx2435wm, but the reviews aren't particularly glowing.
It just seems to be the best of whats out there... which I'm not sure is enough to justify the price.
To boot, it's response time for games is a bit too slow to be good.

And if not the 24" it looks like I have to settle for the VX2255wmb... and I just hate the really narrow viewing angle.

Is there anything in between at all? Anyone? Waaaah, I hate this!

I really doubt the VX24's response time is that slow.

My LCD2690 seems to have worse PixPerAn images than my 20WMGX2, but I notice very little in the way of more ghosting. There really isn't that much difference with overdrive on. It's certainly not enough difference to justify getting a TN panel that might even appear slower since it doesn't use overdrive at all (VX2255wmb). I'd recommend the VX22 more for gaming because it probably has lower input lag, though, if you're sensitive to this. I still doubt it's worth it over the VX24.

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: breckenridgej
After reading through all of these great messages, I think I am getting closer to a decision... But, I still have some questions. This is my criteria:
- Looking for a 21-27" LCD - I'm not particularly hung up on the size. I'm using a 19" so I think anything > 21" would be fine.
- Primary use is image editing (I'm critical, but not a purist) and will also use it for some occasional gaming, surfing and movie watching.
- Price limit is probably around <$1500

I think it comes to balancing color accuracy with speed and size. Although I would appreciate an s-video input, its not a deal breaker. Given the low price difference between the NEC LCD2490WUXI and others I am considering, I think it comes out at top. This is my short-list with Amazon prices:

1. NEC LCD2490WUXI $1130
2. Samsung 275T $1060
3. NEC LCD2190UXP $900
4. HP LP2465 $790
5. Samsung 245T $880

Does this list make sense, any others you would consider (or not consider) given these criteria? Will the NEC LCD2490WUXI be fast enough for occasional gaming and/or movies? I had initially included the NEC 20WMGX2 but its a bit small and virtually impossible to find. I also eliminated the Viewsonic VX2435WM because of negative comments I had read on the glossy finish being temperamental with cleaning/calibration. In terms of value both the HP LP2465 and Samsung 245T seem like they are well priced and its not clear to me how badly I need the color accuracy associated with the LCD2490WUXI.

Thoughts, comments very much appreciated.

Jordan

Well your question is certainly a good one.

If you don't have a colorimeter around, the LCD24 is a good choice for you.

The 275T is a little tough to calibrate because of all its hue/saturation controls instead of straight R/G/B, but it passes all UGRA specs according to the prad review after painstaking calibration efforts.

Besides, if you're doing editing for the screen or web, the 275T is a bad idea. It's a wide gamut.

The LCD2190 isn't worth it when you can get the better S-IPS LCD24 for a little more.

The 245T is wide gamut, so it's as unsuitable as the 275T. The LP2465 has rather poor color accuracy without calibration, so it's not the best idea for photo editing. It pales compared to the LCD24, at least.

It looks like I've eliminated everything except the LCD24 if you're doing screen editing. If you're doing mainly print editing, then go for the LCD2690WUXi IMO. Although, the Samsung 275T is also suitable here and it would be better if you did more multimedia. The LCD26 is good if your primary use is print photo editing though.

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: DoctorM
VP2030b or the VX2435wm?

They seem fairly similar on the surface just 4:3 vs. 16:9... is there any real pros or cons between these?

I don't know, but usually bigger VA panels are brighter. That's about it. Beyond this you'd have to look at more reviews of them. Besides of course the fact VX24 offers more multimedia inputs.

 

[DoctorM]

Besides of course the fact VX24 offers more multimedia inputs.

And yet lacks a DVI connector. That's an additional expense (the HDMI to DVI cable) since I can't see connecting a nice 24" with an analog connector.

Edit: Yes, I was under the impression as well that Viewsonic had a zero dead pixel policy.
My Google-Fu suggests this is only true for Australia and Europe and NOT the U.S.
I believe there's also 15 day no colored pixels as well.
It sucks that that doesn't seem to apply to everyone. It really makes you think before plunking down $500+ on a panel.

 

[muggeh]

Originally posted by: xtknight

Originally posted by: muggeh
...

Since however reading this thread from start to finish(i deserve a beer i reckon) i consider myself more enlightend in this subject and have come to understand that the newer screens don't use that harsh coating anymore like they did 3 years ago.

My current options (i'm willing to spend some more seeing as i'm quite fussy about it) are:

Samung 275T 1050,-
Nec 2690Wuxi 1150,-

AFAIK this is my understanding of it also (my VP930b seems to have a harsher coating, though).

As for 275T vs 2690...what are your usage patterns mostly?

I am a tad disappointed in the 2690's contrast (but not surprised). So if you want a monitor for multimedia primarily you might consider the 275T. The 2690 is great for this still though and I have little evidence the 275T can produce a better image other than that fact it's a VA panel which would help in the contrast area.

Well my uses are pretty all round really, i don't do anything with image editing though but i do like good black levels and the sound of more natural whites on the 2690 sounds good to me as well, i imagine that being easier on the eyes when reading text or something.

How's the coating and pixel pitch on the nec, would i notice any of it if i sit 2 feet away ?

Thanks for your help

 

[GarfieldtheCat]

Originally posted by: xtknight

Rest assured the color management/ICC stuff is all very complex and confusing to me too. I never found it explained in terms I could understand. I believe Windows, at least XP, is entirely based on RGB(r,g,b) or ARGB (alpha+RGB) and nothing else like Lab. So as far as I can tell, unless the application specifically implements color management features, there's no reason there would be any compensation. Which apps do implement color management features? I was under the impression only Photoshop or other image editors (maybe The GIMP) did.

Thanks for the help. I did some googling of the dpreview forums, and found some interesting links to help me figure this out. I figured I would post what I have learned for the benefit of anyone else needing this info.

Basically any wide gamut (WG) LCD monitor, once calibrated will be able to display the Adobe RGB color space. "Regular" LCD's only will display sRGB color space.

For photo editing in CS3 or other "color space aware" program, having a WG monitor is a good thing, if you take photos in Adobe RGB. Because you can use (and see) the wider color range in your photos (depending on the photo, of course). If you want to send pictures to friends, or post to the Web, you just save the picture as sRGB. Everything stays as Adobe RGB on your editor and monitor, and everything looks correct.

The problem comes when using non-"color aware" programs, such as IE6,IE7, and Firefox2 (among others). Windows XP doesn't really handle different color spaces. Most windows programs always assume your monitor is sRGB, and act accordingly. But with a WG monitor, it isn't (it's Adobe RGB). Since almost all of the "regular" images on the internet are all sRBG, this causes a big problem. Windows displays a regular sRGB picture using Adobe RGB colors, leading to the over saturated incorrect colors. If windows (and all windows programs) were accurate, it would see the color space of the monitor, and then convert and display appropriately. This is why so many people with 3007-HC's say they have very saturated colors. The monitor is showing a sRGB image as Adobe RGB with any conversion.

As an example, if you had a solid bright red picture saved in sRGB, the color value (as an example) would be 10,1,1. But in Adobe RGB, bright red might be displayed 15,1,1. So in Adobe RGB, 10,1,1 might be maroon (as an example).

When you go to view that bright red picture on your WG LCD in IE6 or other program, Win XP doesn't know any better and says "show color 10,1,1". The monitor does, and you get maroon on your screen.

Now in say Photoshop, which understands color spaces, when you go to view your bright red picture, Photoshop says "wait a second, I need to convert sRGB to Adobe RGB". So it tells the monitor to display 15,1,1 to get the same bright red color.

Vista has better built in color management, but still some programs are not color space aware, and still have this problem. Also, the beta of Firefox 3 includes correct color management, so using this would help with incorrect pictures while internet surfing.

So it looks like things are slowly getting better, but still a long way to go before things work correctly all the time.

Hope this helps proves helpful to anyone interested.

 

[DoctorM]

Interesting.
Regarding the vx2435wm, this is one of the product pictures on NewEgg: http://tinyurl.com/2vm7dz

Is it just me or does the cable second from the right look like a nice DVI to HDMI cable?
Maybe it's just in the U.S.

If true xtknight should update the first post with regards to this.