[Retired] The LCD Thread

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: adamsleath
MMM, so generally, antireflective coating/s attempts to improve on antiglare coating.

duss it verk?

Yeah it uhh verks very vell. It would be hard for me to go back to a standard antiglare screen personally, let alone an uncalibrated one.

Originally posted by: Modular
I have just purchased the Acer AL2051W after tons of debating and reading/re-reading reviews etc. I'm really excited to get it and fire it up. But I wanted to know what steps if any I should take before I turn it on (let it sit inside and acclimate to room temp, etc).

It may be desirable if you live in Siberia but other than that you don't have to 'thaw' the LCD. True, LCDs perform faster in warm conditions but the backlight and everything will heat it up in no time anyway.

Mayhaps take a look at this article: http://lcdresource.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=47&Itemid=36

Also, I'd like to benchmark the panel, but I'm not sure how to do that. If anyone can provide links to programs that test colors, ghosting, etc that would be great.

There are several on my site. As for ghosting the best thing is to just use it as you always would.

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: Low Radiation
Can you guys tell me how good lg l204wt, samsung 206bw, HP 2045w and especially NEC 20wgx2 are with this test http://lcdresource.com/tools/blacktest.htm

And what do you know about this new LG L206wtq?

Thanx in advance

Unfortunately, I can't tell you about any other LCD than the 20WGX2 as I don't own the others. The 20WGX2 can display up to level 7 in standard mode, uncalibrated. It can do down to level 1 reasonably well when calibrated (in short, very well).

L206WTQ? Not much yet, but rest assured I will be paying attention when things come up about it. If I had to take a guess, it'd be the L204WT with RTC (though hopefully this Q model won't have the problems the L226WTQ did!)

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: deadseasquirrel
Ugh. I went to Mexico for vacation for a week, come back, and now my Mitsu 2070sb 22" CRT is going on the fritz. Colors don't look good and no amount of tweaking helps. Then, all of a sudden, it *pops* back to normal... but then promptly goes back to crap within minutes/hours. I think it's finally going out.

So, today, I've cried a bunch, but now I'm ready to do my research and pick an LCD. I've never owned one, but have used a tiny few, built some systems for family with them, and have used laptops for work for the last 10 years. But, at home, I've always been a CRT-guy.

My wife and I use the machine-- she, mainly for surfing and photo play; me, surfing and gaming. We use a desktop res of 1280x960 to keep things easy on her eyes, but I could handle higher easily (on a 14x10 laptop now). I loved the flexibility of my CRT for gaming resolutions, though I prefer to play at 16x12 (my x19xtx is aging and making that difficult).

I'm nervous about picking out my first LCD and am unsure as to what to get. I feel I want widescreen for the real estate, and because it seems more and more games are starting to support it. Since I've been on a 22" CRT, I feel I should at least be looking at a 20" widescreen LCD, but the 24" are probably not only out of my budget, but also would make it more difficult to game at native res.

The NEC 20WMGX2 sounds enticing (I have 3 Nec-Mitsu CRTs), but it is a bit pricey. But that might be the price to pay for a good LCD. I have no idea. I guess it just seems like a bit of a downgrade from a 22" CRT to a 20" ws LCD. Maybe that's just the CRT-lover in me talking.

I'm also wondering about things like Vsync and whatnot. I've never really needed Vsync since my CRT does 100hz+ at 16x12 and, when raising the eye candy, I never really shot over that. What will it be like with an LCD?

What sounds good for you is an NEC 20WMGX2 if you're accustomed to DiamondTron quality. The LG L226WT is not a bad choice, either. Honestly it's a pretty good LCD and sounds right up your alley, but don't expect colors to be as good as the 20WMGX2 in a lot of cases. I've used both side by side, and the L226WT more than met my expectations though. The only thing I missed that much by using the LG rather than the NEC was the viewing angle, but it doesn't bother a lot of people.

There is of course the BenQ FP241W for a 24" LCD also, but that sounds like it may be too high res for you and especially your wife. The 20" may not be great for her either due to small dot pitch. 22" and 24" are more reasonable (0.282 and 0.270 mm respectively, compared to 0.264 of 20").

VSync is just to prevent frames from ripping. I have always used it, as frame ripping is especially bad on LCDs that have more trouble handling partial frames (it is not "instinctive" for them to do so like CRTs). Most LCDs don't go over 60 Hz at native/highest resolution. A few of them can do higher at lower resolutions but then you get the scaling which some people hate.

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: Starbuck1975
For the benefit of everyone else on this thread, nearly a month ago I purchased an LG 226WT based on the positive reviews and recommendations posted in this thread and others. After making the purchase, I was experiencing ghosting issues which contradicted the reviews I had seen.

A little research exposed that LG subsequently released a "Q" version of the 226WT, with numerous users reporting the very ghosting issue I was experiencing. As it turns out, I had the "Q" model. The common recommendation was to return the "Q" model for a "WT." Granted, the ghosting issue wasn't extremely terrible...more of a distraction...but doing the exchange seemed logical at the time...get essentially the same model, but an earlier revision without the ghosting problem...easy solution, or so I thought.

I managed to find a "WT" at a Circuit City, and made the return. However the WT is not without its share of problems. xtknight directed me to pull up the service menu info on my WT. Here is a brief summary of the discussion points thus far.

LG226WTQ: European users with the "Q" version are not reporting ghosting issues, with a firmware date of mid March. Similarly, these users are reporting that they have LG manufactured panels in their "Q" models. I didn't think to check the service menu on my LG226WTQ before returning it, so I have no idea what firmware or panel version it had. However, I can confirm that Forte Manager, the LG monitor calibration utility, and the device driver, both worked on the "Q" model. It is also reasonable to assume that there may be "Q" models out there now with a firmware fix, and LG panel, that are not experiencing the ghosting issue. After numerous calls to LG, I wasn't able to confirm the source of the ghosting issue, or any fixes that they deployed.

LG226WT: I checked the service menu on my current WT, and I have a CMO and not an LG panel. There is definitely a blue shift in terms of the color, and the color is not nearly as vibrant as on the "Q" model. Similarly, Forte Manager doesn't work with the WT, nor does the device driver. After several calls to LG, they said to simply use the default XP plug and play device driver, and to uninstall Forte Manager. Unfortunately, now I am unable to calibrate my monitor to match the color vibrance of the WTQ, and on top of that, I have found a few dead pixels...granted, dead pixels are probably inevitable, but kind of annoying at this point after hunting all over God's green earth for a WT.

Unfortunately, I cannot simply exchange my WT for another WT because all of the local electronics stores are now stocking WTQs. I was lucky to find the one WT I did, and really dont have the time to go on another LCD hunt.

So here are my options.

Thanks for posting in the thread (vs PM).

1. Exchange my WT for a WTQ yet again, and hope that I receive a later revision model that doesn't have the ghosting issue.

I don't think this is a good idea. Did you try switching the 'CMO' panel to an 'LPL' in the service menu? I believe this warms up the colors.

2. Keep my WT and "suck it up."

Now that's what I'm talking about. As for the driver problems, I wouldn't worry about them in the least. You may consider removing monitor cache from your OS as this sounds like it may be a problem. Essentially, your OS is probably screwed up, not your monitor. There's an option in XP to show hidden device manager items and in there you will see several instances of a monitor device, all of which you will proceed to remove. This will clear perhaps now-corrupt or -invalid EDID cache. After this, forteManager may work, and the device driver may install properly. The monitor does not sound like the problem in this case.

3. Return my WT to Circuit City, eat the 15% restocking fee (rip-off), and get a Dell 2407 which is now on sale...I went with the LG initially because the Dell was out of my budget, but the recent price reduction and a stackable coupon I have allows me to get the Dell for only $200 more than the LG. Of course, then I have to worry about my GPU not being able to handle a 24" LCD, another factor I considered that resulted in my going the 22" route.

Nah...just keep what you got and wait for better LCDs to come out, IMO.

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: nytmarezz
xtknight,

First off I wanted to say this is a great thread and a real benefit to the community. I have been reading it for a while now since I have started thinking about a new moniter for the last month. I had a few questions that perhaps you or one of the other people in this thread can answer.

____.1a

I currently own a Dell 2005FPW. When I first bought it 2 years ago I went through 2 RMAs until I got one that didn't have the backlight bleed so no problems there. What I wanted to ask about is an increase in "afterimage" that I have been noticing. Not ghosting mind you but more like: I have windowed document with a lot of white open for maybe 2-3 minutes and then I switch to a dark colored image or my desktop background and I see faint outline of the document on my screen for maybe 40 seconds until it finally fades away. Do you have an idea what this is? Is my monitor starting to die? It wasn't always like this and I don't notice anything like that when I move my picture quickly such as playing games but on web surfing its slightly annoying.

This is called "image retention" and it is especially common on S-IPS LCD monitors like yours. It may be an indication of the crystals starting to get old and cranky and just not wanting to move. Sometimes prolonged use may cause this so I'd advise leaving it off for 48 hours (if that's possible) and seeing if the situation improves.

____.1b

I was always told the 2005FPW was a pretty decent monitor. Ignoring the problem I mentioned in 1a, do you think I really stand to benefit at all from moving to a new 22"-24" widescreen? My current moniter does technically meet my needs already of mostly gaming and some movie watching/web surfing.

Oh I think it would be worth it to move to an 8-bit 24" widescreen, but you may be disappointed by a 6-bit 22" display, because your current 2005FPW has great 8-bit color depth already. 8-bit 22" displays do not exist, in addition 22" displays have a lot more viewing angle problems than what you're already used to with the 2005FPW.

____.2a

You mentioned that you are not adding the Samsung 226BW because of the 3-way panel lottery but considering that they only differ in color accuracy and there are now reviews for each version which guide you on how to correct that difference, do you think its worth reconsidering for your list? If you were to place it on your list, where would you place it? Gaming? Multimedia? Xth place?

You know, you bring up a really good point there. I am trying to make a page for the 226BW on my site right now, and I think that we can make that work. I intend to not only recommend the best LCDs but to make sure people get the most out of what they have. A major problem with the AU Optronics and Chi Mei panels is simply "out-of-the-box" accuracy. The AU Optronics P-MVA 19" I have next to me suffers from the same thing, but after calibration it sure shows its true colors, no pun intended. So yes I think I can make that work, and in each category it would be one below the LG L226WT whereever it may exist. Nobody can deny that the LG is still a more "sure" choice. A time estimate for when I will have the Samsung up there and all the pages I need to "coordinate" the effort, I'm hoping sometime this coming weekend.

____.3

All the 22" panels seem to be really fast TNs at 1680x1050 and all the 24" panels seem like slower PVA/MVA panels at 1900x1200. Do you think there are any compromises coming in the future like a fast TN 24" at 1900x1200 or a slower PVA/MVA 22" at 1680x1050? I like the idea of a 22"-24" but each size seems to make for compromises. Bigger size + Bigger res + Better Colors [vs] Big size + Same res + Faster response.

Some upcoming CMO panels were discussed on pg. 2 (depends on your posts-per-page settings) of this thread: http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview...&STARTPAGE=2&FTVAR_FORUMVIEWTMP=Linear

It doesn't seem like there will be any MVA-based or 8-bit 22" LCDs.

24" TNs will make headway with regards to response time and probably input lag, too. The main reason the 22"s are rather low on input lag is their lack of RTC and the ~16ms buffer associated with that feature. 24" TNs may be able to do without RTC too although due to lower pixel pitch (and thus smaller cell gap) than comparable 22" TNs, I believe they will be slightly slower.

____.4

I was always told that refresh rate has no effect on LCDs and yet I hear about 100Hz LCDs to come out in the near future. I see 100Hz LCD TVs available for purchase already in other countries. If I remember right, they are not truly 100Hz but use an alternating black/actual image to fix "afterglow"(?). Do you know if we will see these in the near future? I read these TVs "look" better in high speed action. Do you think they are worth waiting for?

There are tons of details about these LCDs on BeHardware.com if you want to look in their Monitors section. Keywords include Samsung's "MPA" (Motion Picture Acceleration), "RTA" (Response Time Acceleration), and BenQ's "BFI" (Blank Frame Insertion). If it has to do with MPA/RTA/BFI it's on BeHardware.

Basically though they take a 60 Hz image and make it 120 Hz somehow, but 120 Hz is not being input to the LCD from the graphics adapter; only a 60 Hz physical signal is being sent. A 120 Hz signal is then extrapolated by either inserting blank frames, or by estimating the motion (rather unreliable technique), much like a video compression codec (e.g. MPEG-4 AVC) would with a 4x4 or 8x8 search. They have managed to drive the crystals at higher than 60 Hz also. One more technique is by using 16 horizontally stacked switchable backlights. They just turn one off after the other, roughly estimating the raster motion of a CRT's electron gun. This blanking helps wipe your retinal persistence of the image that was last in the place of the blanking. I hope that helps.

Are they worth waiting for? Well, there are a couple that already exist (TVs and monitors). The BenQ FP241WZ implements BFI (or similar) technology with 3 possible presets and an 'OFF' setting, if I remember properly. Here is a link: http://www.behardware.com/articles/646-...q-fp241wz-1rst-lcd-with-screening.html

I believe manufacturers are more focused on getting wide-gamut CCFLs and LED backlights to market than reducing response time, though. Reducing response time does have some fairly diminishing returns.

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: BernardP

Originally posted by: xtknight

Originally posted by: BernardP
Following a discussion here some time ago, I just came across a web site that explains the workings of the glossy LCD panels aka Brightview, CrystalBrite, etc.


http://www.screentekinc.com/pixelbright-lcds.shtml

Amazing resource you found there.

Maybe you could link to it in Section 4 of your Master OP "X-Brite/OptiClear/Acer CrystalBrite"

Fix committed.

I do realize some of the OP is getting a bit out of date with the current market (actually some of it has been the same for 2.5 years). I plan on redoing at least some of it sometime this weekend. Up until now most of it has just been patchwork but I think a rewrite may be in order.

 

[Low Radiation]

Thanx, xtknight!

One more question for you, are L204wt and L226WT similar in picure quality (what do you think)?

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: Low Radiation
Thanx, xtknight!

One more question for you, are L204wt and L226WT similar in picure quality (what do you think)?

Actually, I think they are quite similar though the L226WT may appear to be higher contrast. The L204WT is supposed to have really good blacks. I would be fairly confident that either of those LCDs are the best TNs that money can buy.

 

[xtknight]

arswihart (you happen to not wish to receive PMs): Hello,

I was wondering about the conditions under which I could use the ICC profiles from your review ( http://www.andrewswihart.net/blog/review-samsung-226bw-lcd-c-panel ).

I'd like to recommend the 226BW, but part of the problem is that out-of-the-box accuracy is poor on the 'C' and 'A' models (as you may be aware). I figure that if I can provide ICC profiles on my site to compensate for the problems, I can relist the 226BW on my LCD recommendations. BeHardware has provided ICCs for 'A' and 'S' already although I'll have to check their copyrighting conditions as well. Ideally I would just host all the ICCs on my site to save everybody else's bandwidth. If you want to be credited in some way, please let me know how.

Thanks!

 

[deadseasquirrel]

Originally posted by: xtknight
What sounds good for you is an NEC 20WMGX2 if you're accustomed to DiamondTron quality. <snip> The 20" may not be great for her either due to small dot pitch. 22" and 24" are more reasonable (0.282 and 0.270 mm respectively, compared to 0.264 of 20").

Well, there's a touchy point. I took my CRT up to 1680x1050 for her to see and, although she forgave the fact that things were now squished into a WS format on a 4:3 CRT, she squinted, wrinkled her nose, and said, "So I'll need to get glasses...?"

This research has also brought me to a different direction. The Westy 37". For about $200 more ($300 if you could the MIR for the 20WMGX2), I could get the Westy. I would think text would be easier to read, even at 19x10. The black levels probably aren't near as good as the NEC, and it does cost more. But it's practically double the size.

But jeez... I started out thinking $500 was too much to spend and now I'm considering spending $800+. What's wrong with me??

I want this purchase to last me a while and I want to be completely happy with it, so as much as I'd love to just plunk down $200 for a cheap 19" or 20", I don't think I can. Would I be just fine with the 19" Samsung for $250ish? Or would the NEC at $520 blow me away? Or would the Westy 37" do me in like it has others?

 

[Low Radiation]

Originally posted by: xtknight

Originally posted by: Low Radiation
Thanx, xtknight!

One more question for you, are L204wt and L226WT similar in picure quality (what do you think)?

Actually, I think they are quite similar though the L226WT may appear to be higher contrast. The L204WT is supposed to have really good blacks. I would be fairly confident that either of those LCDs are the best TNs that money can buy.

Thanx, you really helped me...so you think what you said even with panel lottery in mind?
If so, i think i'm gonna get l204wt.

1. viewing angles aren't problem for me
2. i don't do any kind of professional work (i'm talking about colour)
3.i spend many,many hours a day in front of monitor, so i expect brightness to be well calibrated and easy on the eyes

4. i play games

Do you think 204wt would be good choice for me (i like smaller dot pitch so i'm not getting 226wt) or 20wgx2 is a must? (at the moment it's a pretty big problem to find it in my country).

once again, thanx a lot

 

[tizodq]

Quick question....

Right now I have a Dell 22" CRT on a nvidia 6800 card and want to move to LCD. My problem is that I won't be upgrading the rest of my computer till at least July/August probably even later in the year.

My monitor is alright for the time being, but is starting to show its age in flickering and some color representation in the lower left corner.

I would probably go with a 24" since I really don't want to go down in size since I love the 22" screen size and I don't want to bother with 22" TN panels

So do you think it is wise to suck it up and wait and deal with what I have for now or upgrade the monitor even though I won't be able to run the native resolution?

Thanks for the input

 

[Starbuck1975]

You may consider removing monitor cache from your OS as this sounds like it may be a problem. Essentially, your OS is probably screwed up, not your monitor. There's an option in XP to show hidden device manager items and in there you will see several instances of a monitor device, all of which you will proceed to remove. This will clear perhaps now-corrupt or -invalid EDID cache. After this, forteManager may work, and the device driver may install properly. The monitor does not sound like the problem in this case.

xtknight, I went into Device Manager, and enabled hidden devices...however, under the "Monitors" drop down list, I only see one Monitor listed...the default Plug and Play Monitor...I do not see any other monitors listed.

So what does that mean exactly?

 

[Kodomut]

Hi, I just got my samsung syncmaster 720n, I would like to view the panel type, how do I access the service function? thanks.

 

[soltys]

xtknight, I went into Device Manager, and enabled hidden devices...however, under the "Monitors" drop down list, I only see one Monitor listed...the default Plug and Play Monitor...I do not see any other monitors listed.

Before checking them, adding following environmental variable should help:
DEVMGR_SHOW_NONPRESENT_DEVICES=1

 

[soltys]

I've examined the problematic pixel I've found on my new panel. Looking at it closely with a magnifying glass, revealed that it's not really dead or stuck. It actually looks like partially (?) damaged green one - somehow like this. Apart from that, all the 3 subpixels seem to work properly.

Is there a name for this type of thing ?


Also, on purely black screen I've noticed tiny leaks on handful of pixels - mainly green and red ones. Literally as if a subpixel wasn't tight enough to hold the backlight properly. Normaly unnoticable (I have to be a few cms from the screen to start noticing them), but there are 2 bigger red "leaks" that are easy to spot from a distance (and they don't need black background). In this case, all subpixels seem to function correctly as well.

Is this normal thing with lcd screens ? From what I know it doesn't fall into backlight bleeding category.

 

[Low Radiation]

And i want to know a few things about HP lp2065:

1. Is there really a panel lottery with it (i want only s-ips)
2. I saw that xtknight put it on the first place for office work (that means it's really easy on the eyes, right?)
3. How good it is for gaming?

 

[speedlever]

XTKnight... good to see you've maintained this thread. I need to get another LCD and was thinking 17" size... but seeing the screamin' deal on the LG L204WT... I'm mighty tempted by that to replace my 970P (which is fine, btw). I just need another LCD for another computer and wasn't thinking of replacing the 970p until I saw this.

Guess I better look at one in person before I jump on it. Not sure about the 1680x1050 native res compared to the 1280x1024 I've been used to.

Still, if the IQ is similar to my 970P, that sounds like a DEAL.

Update on the 970p... monitor is great... but the stand sags and Samsung has been hard to work with to replace the stand. They want to replace the monitor with a refurb... which I do NOT want to do. There's another thread somewhere on Anandtech about that.

I decided to just brace it and live with it for now.

Edit: I see the L204WT is showing out of stock. Rats.

 

[Starbuck1975]

Before checking them, adding following environmental variable should help:
DEVMGR_SHOW_NONPRESENT_DEVICES=1

Thank you for the additional advice, but how to I add an environmental variable through Device Manager?

I also run CCleaner to cleanse my registry on a routine basis, so wouldn't that catch any monitor residue floating around on my system?

 

[soltys]

Originally posted by: Starbuck1975
Thank you for the additional advice, but how to I add an environmental variable through Device Manager?

my computer -> properties -> advanced -> environment variables

add to system ones

 

[nytmarezz]

xtknight,

Thank you very much for taking the time to answer my questions but I have just a few more if you don't mind.

____.1a

Like I mentioned my usage patterns are mostly gaming so when I hear you mention input lag and I see horrifying comparisons on youtube between a CRT and an LCD that gets me very concerned. The video I am talking about (which I can't link to at the moment since I am at work) shows a Dell 2407FPW and some CRT. While the response time on the 2407FPW seems fully capable of displaying the high FPS its obviously lagging behind the CRT enough that you can actually see it when the player makes fast moves. A quick search for "lcd input lag" would probably find the video in question very quickly.

Based on your reply regarding the input lag and response time between a 22" [vs] 24" TN panels would it be thus safe to presume it comes out to something like this: The higher the resolution and/or the bigger the moniter = higher input lag? Likewise do all the other panel types (PVA/MVA) have higher input lag than TNs?

____.1b

If yes to the above question, how big of a difference are we talking about between sizes/resolutions/panel-types?

____.2a

Ok regarding the 100Hz LCDs again. I'll just explain how I understand the whole refresh [vs] response situation and you can just tell me if I'm right, somewhere in the middle or just flat wrong.

Current LCDs usually run at a 60Hz refresh rate at their native resolution. That means they cannot display more than 60 images per second regardless of how many your your video card is sending or how low their response time is. At the maximum that would translate to a response time of 16ms (1000ms/60Hz = ~16ms). So technically, until the refresh rate is increased, response times faster than 16ms are useless since they cannot be fully utilized. However since (as far as I know?) very few LCDs are capable of a 16ms response time (from full black to full white) the issue is moot for now. In that sense refresh rate "doesn't matter" on LCDs since the response time isn't low enough YET to actually make a difference.

____.2b

If my understanding in the above is correct: are higher refresh rate LCDs, capable of truly showing higher FPS not through some "cheat" or other technology, in our near future?

____.3

I looked at the CMO panels mentioned by you earlier in this thread and the M240J2-L01 sounds interesting. It has a low response time and since its not using RTC that should help reduce input lag (right?). I'm assuming its going to be 1920x1200. If it's already gone into mass production, how soon do you think we will start seeing this on the market?

 

[NiKeFiDO]

Just as an aside - has anyone looked into what kind of panels Apple has been using? (Not that they are worth the hefty price)
Also, on their newer iMacs - are these LCDs the typical TN ones used for laptop screens? We got my father a 20.1 iMac and I am wondering how well it does for desktop publishing (as he is in graphic design).

 

[Low Radiation]

And one last question:

How does lp2065 pass dark detail tests? I read somewhere that you can calibrate it for good shadow detail, but then for normal use picture looks washed out

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: deadseasquirrel
Well, there's a touchy point. I took my CRT up to 1680x1050 for her to see and, although she forgave the fact that things were now squished into a WS format on a 4:3 CRT, she squinted, wrinkled her nose, and said, "So I'll need to get glasses...?"

This research has also brought me to a different direction. The Westy 37". For about $200 more ($300 if you could the MIR for the 20WMGX2), I could get the Westy. I would think text would be easier to read, even at 19x10. The black levels probably aren't near as good as the NEC, and it does cost more. But it's practically double the size.

But jeez... I started out thinking $500 was too much to spend and now I'm considering spending $800+. What's wrong with me??

You have "I don't know what is best for me syndrome". I however do have a vaccine for that in the form of advice.

• 37" is just too big for any primary computer use (typing, surfing, gaming). Period. It is only for HTPCs.
  
• 22" is a great choice for a midrange, nice general usage display for a reasonable price. 24" is the only other size I would consider for your needs.

I want this purchase to last me a while and I want to be completely happy with it, so as much as I'd love to just plunk down $200 for a cheap 19" or 20", I don't think I can. Would I be just fine with the 19" Samsung for $250ish? Or would the NEC at $520 blow me away? Or would the Westy 37" do me in like it has others?

The NEC's dot pitch is probably just too small for her to see the text. Even with glasses I have to admit the text on this thing is pretty small and that using a 22" is a lot more comfortable for it. Still, it makes pictures unbelievably beautiful (just that "pure and contiguous" look), so that's why I deal with a 20.1".

It sounds like text/general usage is a higher priority for you guys, so a 22" or 24" LCD is the only choice. I would buy the LG L226WT, or the BenQ FP241W, whichever funds allow for. 37" is just nuts for general usage.

A 24" LCD will not only have a reasonable dot pitch (0.270mm), but it will have a resolution that'll last you at least another three years (well if you're not crazy like me probably ten years).

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: Low Radiation
Thanx, you really helped me...so you think what you said even with panel lottery in mind?
If so, i think i'm gonna get l204wt.

I do understand that both CPT and LG panels have been used in the L204WT but I have seen nothing documenting any possible differences between these panels, so I wouldn't worry about it. I still don't know for sure if the L226WT has a CMO or LPL panel in it. It's likely LPL is making a contract with other companies and getting the same quality panels. LG hasn't screwed anyone over yet with a panel lottery as far as I know.

1. viewing angles aren't problem for me
2. i don't do any kind of professional work (i'm talking about colour)
3.i spend many,many hours a day in front of monitor, so i expect brightness to be well calibrated and easy on the eyes

4. i play games

Do you think 204wt would be good choice for me (i like smaller dot pitch so i'm not getting 226wt) or 20wgx2 is a must? (at the moment it's a pretty big problem to find it in my country).

once again, thanx a lot

The L204WT would honestly be a great choice. The NEC would be quite a bit better but like I said, if you're not picky you'll do just fine with the more reasonably priced LG. I can't push the NEC on everyone. To be perfectly honest with you the LG may have better uncalibrated gamma/brightness for general usage. The NEC is a monster but I feel it needs to be calibrated to be as good at general usage.

Originally posted by: tizodq
Quick question....

Right now I have a Dell 22" CRT on a nvidia 6800 card and want to move to LCD. My problem is that I won't be upgrading the rest of my computer till at least July/August probably even later in the year.

My monitor is alright for the time being, but is starting to show its age in flickering and some color representation in the lower left corner.

I would probably go with a 24" since I really don't want to go down in size since I love the 22" screen size and I don't want to bother with 22" TN panels

So do you think it is wise to suck it up and wait and deal with what I have for now or upgrade the monitor even though I won't be able to run the native resolution?

Thanks for the input

Yeah I say suck it up and get something you really want (i.e. a 24") later on.

Originally posted by: Kodomut
Hi, I just got my samsung syncmaster 720n, I would like to view the panel type, how do I access the service function? thanks.

I don't know the service menu code, but the 720N is undoubtedly some type of TN panel. Everything I'm seeing points to a Samsung-made 6-bit TN panel.