[Retired] The LCD Thread

[Nullvoid]

I do agree about the Belinea Bernard, but I can't find it in stock at any store I trust. It had been available for only £176.24 but I guess that was a last of stock clearing out price since they aren't giving any indication of receiving more. Why couldn't I have been looking to buy instantly rather than in about a month's time

The same goes for that al2032wm price, it's from a store called shopmagenta which upon further study appears not to be safe to order from. The next highest price was away up near £300 so I guess that should have set alarm bells ringing.

 

[mgutz]

[removed] gave bad review of Acer AL2051W cuz of stupid ATI Catalyst panel

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: keatster
Hi XT
I am looking for a 20" WS and have a few questions.
I'll mostly be doing some games, videos, some CAD/CAM work.
My first question is do you know if there is a difference between the Samsungs 204BW , 205 BW and 206BW.
And after that what are your thoughts between the Samsungs and the LG 204WT and do you have any other recommendation
Thanks
keat

204BW - 6 ms (bwb, no RTC?), 700:1, dithering or FRC (poor emulation of 8-bit)?
205BW - 6 ms (bwb, no RTC), 600:1, dithering or FRC (poor emulation of 8-bit)?
206BW - 2 ms (gtg, RTC), 800:1 (DCR 3000:1), Hi-FRC (good emulation of 8-bit)?
L204WT - 5 ms (bwb, no RTC), 800:1 (DFC 2000:1), Hi-FRC (good emulation of 8-bit)?

The 8-bit emulation algorithm listings are just guesses there. I'm going off the trends I see.

The 206BW is probably the newest gen panel with all the goodies (Hi-FRC, dyn contrast, overdrive). I'm not sure why the two older ones still exist, to tell you the truth.

The L204WT, I believe, is the best when it comes to color reproduction (it has a good default gamma, typical of LG displays). It should be suitable for those activities that you list. I would take a good look at the Acer AL2051W, too, although default, uncalibrated gamma may not be quite as good. It has a true 8-bit panel, as far as I know, and a glossy coating. I'm not sure whether that's ideal for you or not, but it's definitely a display you should also be looking at.

 

[mgutz]

I originally posted about how mediocre the Acer AL2051W I received 2 days ago. Well it turns out the ATI Driver for the Sapphire X1950XT has two modes depending on your intended use. it default to PC black and white level mode for graphics. This mode desaturates colors and it's horrible ! the setting supposedly optimizes your display for normal graphics. What are they smoking? Setting it to Windows MCE levels for video graphics fixed the problem. Anyway, now that i see the monitor in its true colors this by far is the best LCD under $300. Don't get fooled by all the inferior 6-bit 22" displays out there.

rich, beautiful colors
crisp/clear text
basic base, no height or rotation adjustment (tilt adjustment only)

i have another one of these on order to replace my Dell 2007FP. i run dual monitor for software development and now i cant stand to look at the Dell next to this Acer. thanks for the buyer's list and all the recommendations for this panel. 5+ of 5 stars considering the display quality and the price.

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: flounder
The question is: should people buy the 2407 now at the 680 price point or will it go down in anticipation of being discontinued?

I don't think they can afford to lower the price any more.

Originally posted by: Nullvoid

Originally posted by: xtknight
The Acer AL2051W is the pretty easy choice here. 8-bit P-MVA glossy panel; great viewing angles, good response time, decent color reproduction.

Hah, I had almost settled on this monitor but the price here just puts me right off. At £235 it's only £6 cheaper than a Dell 2007wfp (also pretty expensive at £240.58). Now I see on Newegg that the al2051w sells for $239.99 for you guys, I mean seriously why do I have to live in such a rip-off country (£235 = roughly $468).

I tried tracking down all of the 20" P-MVA panels I know of (taken from the widescreengaming site) and these are the best prices I could find:

Viewsonic vx2025wm - £233.81
Belinea 102035w - £216.04
Asus PW201 - £309.99 (just lol...)
Philips 200WP7ES - £220.40

It seems I'm destined not to be buying one of them

Would an Acer al2032wm 20" at £195.52 be a worthy alternative to all of the above?

Well the Acer AL2032WA is a P-MVA...I don't know about the WM. Is the WA available there?

I guess I could also go for either a £211.49 LG L226wtq, £227.00 LG L226wa (how does it differ from the wtq?) or, if it ever comes in stock, an LG L206wtq for £179.00

I never imagined picking which LCD monitor to buy could get so complicated.

The L226WTQ offers an LG Philips (or CMO/LG) TN panel with RTC, but no multimedia inputs.
The L226WA offers multimedia inputs, and to my knowledge, the same panel with RTC.
The L226WT/L226WTX (not very common anymore) offers the same panel without RTC and no multimedia inputs.

 

[xtknight]

On 6/18/07, LG registered the FCCID "L227WTS", presumably for a new panel they will release.

Features:
-DVI-D and D-Sub inputs
-F-engine and RTC
-Panel: LG Philips LCD LM220WE3-TLA1-E11 (RoHS), standard anti-glare
-eZ zooming, and Scaling (ARC); 1:1, aspect ratio expansion modes

It looks like it's using L226WT v1.10 firmware. The LM220WE3 is a new, unlisted panel (not sure what's in store with regards to that...) Could be MVA, TN, who knows...but probably TN.

The main difference is most likely RoHS and Pb-free compliance. It does add the ARC scaling too. The proposed user manual is available on the FCC details link.

 

[BernardP]

L227WTS looks very interesting. My favorite quote from the usr manual is:

Only One touch of ez-zoom, you can fine the best resolution
you want and it is possible to magnify the size of characters and
pictures for the old not having good eye sight, housewives not
dealing with computer well and children.

 

[Pens1566]

I bit the bullet and went with a 2407. Damn, this thing is big!

Can anyone out there with this already help with some settings/profiles? It's not too bad out of the box, just some minor tweaks based on the images on xtnight's web page so far.

 

[BernardP]

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: xtknight
The LM220WE3 is a new, unlisted panel (not sure what's in store with regards to that...) Could be MVA, TN, who knows...but probably TN.</end quote></div>

Re: LG L227WTS

The last picture in the Test Setup Photos pdf document shows an oblique view of the monitor in which the dark brownish hue of an off-angle TN panel is clearly noticeable, when compared to the straight-on shots in the preceding photos.

Concerning fixed-ratio scaling, it seems, from page 13 of the manual, that 1:1 pixel mapping is not supported, but that common non-16:10 signals can be stretched to fill as much of the screen as possible while keeping the correct aspect ratio. Also, this bad wording:

The input signal which the ARC does not support the 'ORIGINAL'
is the following.
- The 22 inch monitor is 720x400,1280x768,1360x768,1680x1050

possibly means that 720x400,1280x768 and 1360x768 can't be stretched-to-fill with correct aspect ratio. This is of course the case for native 1680x1050.

 

[imaheadcase]

How does the ViewSonic VX2835wm 28-inch Widescreen fair? Or is it something awful?

Compusa has it for $609 this weekend!



http://www.compusa.com/product...cj&product_code=346672

 

[pcslookout]

Originally posted by: xtknight

Originally posted by: flounder
The question is: should people buy the 2407 now at the 680 price point or will it go down in anticipation of being discontinued?

I don't think they can afford to lower the price any more.

Originally posted by: Nullvoid

Originally posted by: xtknight
The Acer AL2051W is the pretty easy choice here. 8-bit P-MVA glossy panel; great viewing angles, good response time, decent color reproduction.

Hah, I had almost settled on this monitor but the price here just puts me right off. At £235 it's only £6 cheaper than a Dell 2007wfp (also pretty expensive at £240.58). Now I see on Newegg that the al2051w sells for $239.99 for you guys, I mean seriously why do I have to live in such a rip-off country (£235 = roughly $468).

I tried tracking down all of the 20" P-MVA panels I know of (taken from the widescreengaming site) and these are the best prices I could find:

Viewsonic vx2025wm - £233.81
Belinea 102035w - £216.04
Asus PW201 - £309.99 (just lol...)
Philips 200WP7ES - £220.40

It seems I'm destined not to be buying one of them

Would an Acer al2032wm 20" at £195.52 be a worthy alternative to all of the above?

Well the Acer AL2032WA is a P-MVA...I don't know about the WM. Is the WA available there?

I guess I could also go for either a £211.49 LG L226wtq, £227.00 LG L226wa (how does it differ from the wtq?) or, if it ever comes in stock, an LG L206wtq for £179.00

I never imagined picking which LCD monitor to buy could get so complicated.

The L226WTQ offers an LG Philips (or CMO/LG) TN panel with RTC, but no multimedia inputs.
The L226WA offers multimedia inputs, and to my knowledge, the same panel with RTC.
The L226WT/L226WTX (not very common anymore) offers the same panel without RTC and no multimedia inputs.

Is there anyway to tell if your getting a L226WTQ with a LG Philps panel ? What kind of IPS is it ? Normal IPS, S-IPS or AS-IPS ?

 

[KingLeo]

I landed a lp2065 today S-IPS and all. I am one lucky sob.

 

[BernardP]

Originally posted by: pcslookout
Is there anyway to tell if your getting a L226WTQ with a LG Philps panel ? What kind of IPS is it ? Normal IPS, S-IPS or AS-IPS ?

Sorry, no IPS panel in the L226. The available LG-Philips panel is a TN. A very good TN, but a TN.

 

[Gepidae]

Hey guys Im really torn bwt the 22'' Acer AL2223Wd, 20'' SAMSUNG 206BW, and the 20'' Acer AL2051W. So let me start by saying I consider myself a casual gamer/movie and anime watcher and I dont do photo editing. Im not quite sure how a true 8-bit as opposed to a reved up 6-bit will have any impact on my needs. Also Im worried that the 22'' offering the same resolution as the 20'' will make the pixels less sharp and more blurry, true or not? The deal killer for me is that newegg has the 206BW for free shipping! (thats about 15 dollars in savings). So what does the community suggest?

 

[Jodiuh]

Is the Dell 2007 still a guessing game? Also, I thought I read about a couple more panel's using S-IPS...

 

[Chofo]

Hey xtknight,

Had to register to post this: Thanks a lot for this guide! The world in general needs more people like you. Do you have a webpage or anything where we could donate cash/something to you? A wish-list somewhere perhaps? I know you didn't do it because of that, but if everyone you have helped could give like $2, well, it would be nice, I guess.

Take care and thank you again,

Chofo

 

[condor70]

Hi,

Could somebody explain why the Samsung 214T is only recommended for office work, but the Samsung 215TW for almost every other use.
Is the 215TW not suitable for office work? The reviews that I've read so far rate the quality of these monitors as almost identical.

Thanks, Condor

 

[Moab]

Why are there no monitors for gaming that are above 19"? I know there is one all the way at the end at 20" but does that mean if you are a gamer and want an LCD that you shouldn't bother? 19" is kind of small, is there really no option for someone who plays fast FPSs and such and wants a decent sized LCD? I was looking to get a 21" or 22" but according to this there is nothing of decent quality good for gaming at that size that doesnt cost $1,000.

 

[dedejean]

Question for LG 226WTQ users,

i cant seem to use the "EZ ZOOM" button. Nothing happens everytime i pressed it. How does it suppose to work?

 

[imaheadcase]

Why are there no monitors for gaming that are above 19"? I know there is one all the way at the end at 20" but does that mean if you are a gamer and want an LCD that you shouldn't bother? 19" is kind of small, is there really no option for someone who plays fast FPSs and such and wants a decent sized LCD? I was looking to get a 21" or 22" but according to this there is nothing of decent quality good for gaming at that size that doesnt cost $1,000.

Quite a few monitors above 19inch for gaming, the Dell 24inch is a top pick for under $700

 

[Nullvoid]

Hey guys.

Can anyone think of reasons as to why http://www.lambda-tek.com/comp...ndex.pl?prodID=1051637 this offer of an acer 2032wa at £196.54 might not be all it seems to be? I've already noticed their product description is for a 2032wm instead (which http://www.prad.de/en/guide/er...der=asc&Submit=compare according to prad.de is an S-IPS panel...hardly a terrible alternative), but I've trawled through pages and pages of user reviews of the site and it seems to come out with glowing recommendations all round.

It just somehow doesn't seem right as all the other stores I can buy from generally have 20/22" TN panels in that price range, with the P-MVA and S-IPS panels away up closer to £250 and beyond.

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: Gepidae
Hey guys Im really torn bwt the 22'' Acer AL2223Wd, 20'' SAMSUNG 206BW, and the 20'' Acer AL2051W. So let me start by saying I consider myself a casual gamer/movie and anime watcher and I dont do photo editing. Im not quite sure how a true 8-bit as opposed to a reved up 6-bit will have any impact on my needs. Also Im worried that the 22'' offering the same resolution as the 20'' will make the pixels less sharp and more blurry, true or not?

That is true. The 22" will have bigger pixels, so details won't be as crisp.

The deal killer for me is that newegg has the 206BW for free shipping! (thats about 15 dollars in savings). So what does the community suggest?

I suggest the Acer AL2051W. It's a true 8-bit glossy panel, and additionally it's a P-MVA which gives you better uniformity and viewing angles, huge pluses over the comparable TNs you listed. And, it's actually priced lower than the 206BW.

AL2051W: http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16824009105
206BW: http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16824001095

Originally posted by: Jodiuh
Is the Dell 2007 still a guessing game? Also, I thought I read about a couple more panel's using S-IPS...

Yes, it's still a lottery.

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: Chofo
Hey xtknight,

Had to register to post this: Thanks a lot for this guide! The world in general needs more people like you. Do you have a webpage or anything where we could donate cash/something to you? A wish-list somewhere perhaps? I know you didn't do it because of that, but if everyone you have helped could give like $2, well, it would be nice, I guess.

Take care and thank you again,

Chofo

Naw it's not really a big deal. Keeping up on LCDs is more a hobby of mine than anything else, and this helps me do that. What I do appreciate is comments on how I could improve the resources available for picking an LCD. I'm still working on getting a better website up, and also am getting pretty far in rewriting the OP guide. It'll still be awhile, though. I also greatly appreciate folks who chime in to answer more fundamental LCD questions.

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: imaheadcase
How does the ViewSonic VX2835wm 28-inch Widescreen fair? Or is it something awful?

Compusa has it for $609 this weekend!



http://www.compusa.com/product...cj&product_code=346672

It's a TN and honestly I wouldn't be too crazy about it. 28" is a bit big for 1920x1200 and that's besides the fact I've never even heard of a 28" LCD. The 3 ms rating looks a little suspicious. It might not be bad at all but I know I wouldn't be getting it until it was at least reviewed by a couple people.

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: condor70
Hi,

Could somebody explain why the Samsung 214T is only recommended for office work, but the Samsung 215TW for almost every other use.
Is the 215TW not suitable for office work? The reviews that I've read so far rate the quality of these monitors as almost identical.

Thanks, Condor

The 215TW is certainly suitable for office work (I'm not sure what would have indicated otherwise). It's a true 8-bit S-PVA like the 214T. It's just a different aspect, and its color accuracy characteristics are slightly better according to DigitalVersus calibration charts.

The 214T's input lag is almost atrocious but as an X-Bit Labs editor said, you'd probably get used to it. Plenty use it without a problem.

http://www.digitalversus.com/d...6&mo2=104&p2=1040&ph=1