PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT
The Samsung 215TW is back in stock at Newegg and it's a very viable alternative to the NEC 20WMGX2 for many people. This is important stuff, people!
To reiterate (at least, for those of you who know exactly what you want):
NEC 20WMGX2
- guaranteed LG.Philips AS-IPS panel (true 8-bit)
- better for gaming (low input lag+fast response time)
- glossy screen more prone to reflection, but delivers crystal clear image
- great color accuracy
- no scaling options in PC DVI mode
- smaller dot pitch, good for pictures
- will display pictures with lower gamma shift (2-domain IPS)
- a little more banding even in standard mode
! IPS displays can not display gradients as smooth as VAs because IPS lack the # of domains to do so. With VA displays, each domain can gradually show a bit of the color so that you get a smooth gradient. The combined value of each domain's color value produces the desired color. Banding will be more of a problem with grayscales since the error of gray will be equal to the error of red, green, and blue combined.
- prone to some image retention (IPS)
- no portrait mode
Samsung 215TW
- lower black levels/higher contrast (guaranteed Samsung S-PVA panel, true 8-bit)
- better at displaying dark tones
- anti-glare, matte screens with less reflections but also a tad less clarity. Partially offset by the high contrast though.
- up to a few frames of input lag, unsuitable for gaming for sensitive individuals.
- great color accuracy
- scaling options in PC DVI mode
- larger dot pitch, easier to see fonts
- may not display dark tones in center plane/color shift (8-domain VA)
- portrait mode possible
For photo editing it is a bit of a toss-up (depends on your photos?) but I have to say the NEC has some trouble displaying dark tones by default so the 215TW is not a bad choice. But with a calibrator the NEC could be better. If your targets are mainly matte/plain though you may prefer the 215TW. The NEC has remarkably stable viewing angles though whereas the 215TW is a bit shifty esp. with dark tones. Neither display is suited to print-targeting as much as a wide gamut LCD.
I have seen the 215TW only briefly in real life and all I can say is that it has good contrast. It has a great black level as tested by flatpanels.dk.
I believe my view on the 20WMGX2 is clear as day to most people here but I love it except for the minor burn-in problems. The power button gets stuck a little too but when you see the beautiful image this LCD can reproduce, you honestly stop caring.
Originally posted by: Fadardo
Hi Xknight thanks for all the great info,
From your advice I went and purchased a 20WMGX2, and for the most part I'm very pleased. The one thing that really dissappointed me was there is no 'maintain aspect ratio or pixel for pixel mode' for non-widescreen resolutions for PC input. Its there for the HD-DVI mode which goes to the same dvi cable. I wondering if there is any way or any program to fool the monitor into thinking its running in HD-DVI mode. Maybe sending the monitor a fake HDMI signal or whatever is needed that tells the monitor its hooked up to a high def dvd player?
All my 4:3 games like starcraft and C&C red altert 2 are unenjoyable when stretched. They can't be played windowed mode either as pressing the mouse to the edges of the screen is for navigating the map, but instead the mouse travels out of the gaming window.
Thanks, any input is appreciated.
Can you not use scaling through the graphics card (for NVIDIA, Intel, some ATI)? Not sure how to fake it into thinking it's DVI-HD mode (I don't even know what the difference is). It's preferable to use a hack for those games if one is available. Check Wide Screen Gaming Forum's game list.
Originally posted by: SrKneecap
Greetings! Nice thread, tons of great info here!
I just now realized the potential of a HDTV as a monitor since my brother-in-law bought his 46" Sharp Aquos. I did a few levels of half-life2 at 1080p and I was sold on an HDTV. I'd like something in the range of 30-37 inch, to be used for GAMING and general surfing. Very little work (text, pictures) will be done on this PC.
Westinghouse LVM-37W3(SE) - Availability issue, brick and mortar stores don't seem to carry it any more and I'm afraid of a bad set from newegg (with no return policy)
Sharp LC-32GP1U (or LC-32D62U) - Same brand as my brother-in-law, but the price is a bit steep compared to the Westy
Do you have any suggestions in this range?
Thanks!
Well to be perfectly honest with you I can not keep up on LCD TVs these days which is the reason for the slow or rare updates of the HTPC section. I was planning to add up the Sharp 32" as it seems like a decent choice. All I really have to do is add an entry for it but I would like to research it more to find solutions to the dynamic contrast issue of it before committing to this addition. And, not to mention, I would like to see if there are better choices in this range although at this point that seems not to be the case. The Sharp 32" is probably a great choice even if it's not the best as it had been recommended to me a few posts back and my general impression from reading online about it was good. I still don't know what panel it uses though, and this is stuff I like to find out before adding a monitor, too. I doubt that it's a TN.
Have you looked at the Sceptre 37"? The Westinghouse's availability is indeed waning.