[Retired] The LCD Thread

[Away]

I suffer from opthalmic migraines and have a hard time using computers because of that. I need a monitor that caters to my condition and was hoping to get some recommendations here. As you can imagine, a 24" glossy widescreen is not good for me so I need the exact opposite of what is normally asked for here. I have mainly used 17" and 19" CRT's and LCD's and prefer those resolutions (XGA and SXGA). A widescreen is not necessary as the stretched apperance seems to aggrivate my condition. So I guess to sum it up, I'm looking for a non-widescreen 17" or 19" LCD with DVI. I'm not to concerned with cost since I want something that will last a long time and has a nice screen (evenly lit, good colors, etc). Thanks for any help you can give.

 

[LittleNemoNES]

Originally posted by: BassBomb

Originally posted by: gersson

Originally posted by: albovin
Hello, xtknight
Here is the NEC 3090 WQXi user's review.
I believe it deserves placement in this classification.
It seems to me 3090 would be surely above 3007 in Office Work section.
In all other areas it will be at least #3 after 2490/2690.
Thank you.

I love my 2690 but MAN I am jealous

I wish I made enough to justify having this baby

I love NEC!

aye, mate
my 20wmgx2 will always have a place in my :heart:

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: albovin
Hello, xtknight
Here is the NEC 3090 WQXi user's review.
I believe it deserves placement in this classification.
It seems to me 3090 would be surely above 3007 in Office Work section.
In all other areas it will be at least #3 after 2490/2690.
Thank you.

Cool. Thanks a lot for the review. I will take a look at it in a bit and very likely add it.

Originally posted by: Squidmaster
It took a little trial and error but xcalib works great, and wow does the profile matter I might add.

Yup. Some people think it makes a huge difference, and others very little. For me profiles are very preferred if not vital (even for general use).

Couple things...

Does monitor 0 in xcalib correspond to monitor 1 in Windows, and monitor 1 (xcalib) to monitor 2 (Windows)?

Yup.

The file is no longer available on the website linked in the calibration thread. I couldn't find it today, but fortunately I already had the executable from last night. Hopefully that is a temporary problem.

Hmm. I hope so...

Now that I have this running, I still want to provide the profile through display properties for other programs to use? What is the point of doing that if xcalib already handles the display elements? If Windows changes the display and then Photoshop changes it again, won't I wind up with a much darker gamma look?

Thanks again.

xcalib reads gamma but nothing else. It does not store the filename of the profile anywhere where programs can access it. Other programs need to access it so they can handle gamut conversion, which is not something that can easily or speedily be done on a global level. Only gamma correction, a global property, has been applied so far under xcalib.

Adding it to your Windows monitor HW page ensures that applications know what profile to use when they perform their own, individual gamut transformations based on their own Preferences. A program will literally get the filename of the ICM profile associated with the monitor you're using, and process it itself to do gamut transformation. It will not read the video card gamma table (vgct), because that is not the job of the application and this is standard, accepted practice. Doing so would result in twice the correction. vcgt is applied by a "LUT loader" such as WinColor or xcalib, and uploaded to the whole video card (except in some cases the Overlay where video may be processed).

I'm probably explaining it about 80% as well as I want to, but I hope that makes sense. If not keep asking so I know what to address if I ever write an article on this (I might decide to, because explaining it over will get a bit tedious). I can not blame you for asking though because I don't answer all the same questions about ICM in one post you can easily search. So I plan to add this info to the OP.

 

[imported_Maz]

I've been looking to get a new monitor and was thinking of nabbing the Acer 22'' AL2216W. However I saw in town the P221w model which Acer claims is their "premium" monitor line. I'm just wondering if the P221w will offer comparable performance to the entry level AL2216 as far as input lag etc. for gaming. I'm most concerned with gaming. Anyone game with the P221 or know about it?

 

[ah802]

My 27" ViewSonic 720p TV after 3.5 years bit the dust, now I need a replacement as monitor and Video panel. I liked the 1:1 pixel mapping, the size etc... but would have liked 1080p

Now I'm shopping for another with 1080p res, so the KDL32XBR6 has my attention, but it's a hunk of cash... QUESTION: wondering if the 37" or 40" would be to large for a 3' desk (I have an articulated arm) todo dual duty of monitor & TV?

 

[manko]

LG 22" L227WTG-PF is $289 at BestBuy this week

 

[zod96]

Ha I was just going to post that myself

 

[Isaac MM]

I need a 24'' LCD monitor, max price 500$. I will use it for gaming, occasional movies. What do you suggest?

 

[faxon]

Originally posted by: 10e


If you are a heavy multiplayer gamer the XHD3000 is renowned to have excessive input lag. It would be great for console gaming, but not nearly as good with computer multiplayer FPS games. I have also heard that the input lag rises if you get the XHD3000 to scale up lower resolutions. The best thing is to set your video card to scale up to 2560x1600 resolution and play games at lower resolutions in order not to get a performance hit from scaling or trying to run games at specifically the 2560x1600 resolution that is native to this screen.

LG has a new W3000H monitor that has HDCP, 30" S-IPS wide gamut screen, and the same scaling options as the Dell. My only caveat with this screen is the super wide gamut which will oversaturate colors and can be difficult to calibrate. It is comparable in price to the 305T and generally cheaper than the Gateway XHD3000.

Regards,

10e

yea im aware of the input lag on the XHD3000 but im honestly not worried about it. i mainly do MMORPGs so the input lag isnt as big of an issue as it would be for FPS, and tbh if i were going to get a monitor for playing FPS games i would probably just get a second monitor lol. also, the huge lack of connections on the LG in comparison to the gateway isnt worth saving $50 (newegg has the XHD3k for $1499 + S/H). also, if the input lag becomes an issue out of the box, i can just return it, since newegg has a good return policy.

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: Moab
This review beats up the 227 pretty bad:

http://www.digitalversus.com/article-358-3278-35.html

Makes it out to be a pretty bad monitor.

Yeah, I don't really trust that review. PRAD's review of it was great and the consumer opinions have been good, especially in regards to response time. It uses a consistent panel unlike the Samsungs, as well.

Originally posted by: Away
I suffer from opthalmic migraines and have a hard time using computers because of that. I need a monitor that caters to my condition and was hoping to get some recommendations here. As you can imagine, a 24" glossy widescreen is not good for me so I need the exact opposite of what is normally asked for here. I have mainly used 17" and 19" CRT's and LCD's and prefer those resolutions (XGA and SXGA). A widescreen is not necessary as the stretched apperance seems to aggrivate my condition. So I guess to sum it up, I'm looking for a non-widescreen 17" or 19" LCD with DVI. I'm not to concerned with cost since I want something that will last a long time and has a nice screen (evenly lit, good colors, etc). Thanks for any help you can give.

I think you should give the ViewSonic VP930b or HP LP1965 a try. These are decent 19" MVA LCDs with a nice viewing angle. However, standard 19" TNs like the LG L1933TR might be even easier on your eyes. It's hard to tell.

 

[kalrith]

Originally posted by: ah802
My 27" ViewSonic 720p TV after 3.5 years bit the dust, now I need a replacement as monitor and Video panel. I liked the 1:1 pixel mapping, the size etc... but would have liked 1080p

Now I'm shopping for another with 1080p res, so the KDL32XBR6 has my attention, but it's a hunk of cash... QUESTION: wondering if the 37" or 40" would be to large for a 3' desk (I have an articulated arm) todo dual duty of monitor & TV?

How far will your eyes be from the TV? From what I've read, 32" works great for around 2.5-3 feet away. Going up to 40" would probably require you to be closer to 4.5-5 feet away. I sit about 3 feet from my monitor and plan to get a 32" 1080P TV as my second monitor (unless I change my mind...again). It'll look nice next to my 20" 4:3 LCD in portrait mode as they'll both be almost the same height (within .4" of each other).

 

[tofu]

has anyone created a standard 2253bw profile yet? i can't seem to find one.

i understand it won't be completely accurate, but considering i don't have the hardware to properly calibrate myself, it's better than nothing.

thanks.

 

[colorblind]

1920 x 1200 and text size; Dell 2407wfp-hc:

Need a little help here. In the past i've never run my monitors at the optimum resolution. Maybe I'm getting old, yet I prefer the text size to be large; especially for reading e-mails and internet surfing. With this Dell monitor what is the best way to enlarge the text for reading? What should I set the font size at and the dpi? What else can I adjust? Thanks in advance

One more note; my old monitor was a Dell 20" which I had the resolution set at 1152 x 864; with these settings reading was comfortable.

 

[Away]

Originally posted by: xtknight

Originally posted by: Away
I suffer from opthalmic migraines and have a hard time using computers because of that. I need a monitor that caters to my condition and was hoping to get some recommendations here. As you can imagine, a 24" glossy widescreen is not good for me so I need the exact opposite of what is normally asked for here. I have mainly used 17" and 19" CRT's and LCD's and prefer those resolutions (XGA and SXGA). A widescreen is not necessary as the stretched apperance seems to aggrivate my condition. So I guess to sum it up, I'm looking for a non-widescreen 17" or 19" LCD with DVI. I'm not to concerned with cost since I want something that will last a long time and has a nice screen (evenly lit, good colors, etc). Thanks for any help you can give.

I think you should give the ViewSonic VP930b or HP LP1965 a try. These are decent 19" MVA LCDs with a nice viewing angle. However, standard 19" TNs like the LG L1933TR might be even easier on your eyes. It's hard to tell.

Thanks for the help xtknight. I think I will give that LG a try. I will let you know how it works out.

 

[Squidmaster]

Heya Colorblind. I have health issues and like my text a little larger as well... there are a few answers that aren't entirely perfect but will probably work just fine.

For the web, you can increase the text size, or in some browsers, the "zoom" of the entire page. If you are an IE user, find the "page" button (default position is just under the search bar on the right) and play with either zoom or text size and see what you like. In most browsers, including IE, you can press control plus + or - to increase or reduce text size. In some this will change the zoom, and in others just the text size.

You can also change Windows text sizes by right clicking on your desktop, picking properties, moving to the appearance tab, selecting "advanced" in that window, and then editing the font sizes one by one. Alternatively, you can install large fonts I believe if you have your original disk available. I am going to be giving that a try soon to see what the size difference is.

One of the reasons I went with the DS-263N was due to the high resolution over a bit larger screen area. I am not disappointed in that regard, though text is probably slightly smaller than my old 19" CRT at 1024x768.

xtnight, your gamma post makes good sense. I can't say I have a robust understanding of gamma correction as opposed to gamma conversion, but I certainly can appreciate that they operate independently and to different ends, which is good enough to feel confident about putting the profile in my "advanced settings". Thanks again.

 

[Ardan]

I have to go to to work, so I'll type this out quick. I was browsing Best Buy recently and saw that the L227WTG is on sale for $289, and I just got my $600 stimulus check put into the bank. Since I didn't plan using all of that $600, I thought maybe the L227 would be good. I currently have a 215TW which, of course, is fantastic in many ways but it has always strangely bothered my eyes from time to time. I really can't look at the screen for very long at all and, considering my eyes do have a light sensitivity problem, I figured I should take this chance to get a new one. I do play games and watch movies with the monitor, but text work is, in the grand scheme of things, done more often. I know that it also has some ridiculous input lag and I have seen this, but I was able to adjust to it. It would be a shame to get rid of it (my brother would like to take it if I get a new one), but I'm getting tired of this issue.

I know I was talking on here before about screens (and about the fact that I can see the anti-glare coating very easily) but ultimately decided to wait a little bit. Do you people (primarily the OP) still think the L227WT would be best? Like before, down the line I know I will have a good HDTV for movies, but I do enjoy watching them on here (with WinDVD 9) as well as looking at various photos/artwork. I noticed the Samsung T220 there as well, which is obviously more expensive since it isn't on sale. Is that one any better than the L227WTG? Like I've seen here and elsewhere, the L227WTG will clearly satisfy all my needs with flying colors (unless there is some new problem I don't know about).

I saw that they have an open item hooked up to a computer on display which is a 24" LG monitor, the L246WP. This is an 8-bit P-MVA, correct? How do you people feel about that one? I wasn't able to really get any good look at it, so I am unsure on the quality. Is this a type of monitor that is so good, it would be worth the extra money? I am aiming for 22", but a 24" would fit and I would be willing to go for it if it is worth it. I just don't simply know anything about the model. I think the price was around $400-$430 or something like that. Is there anything wrong with that particular model? I have no qualms about getting a 22" TN display after using this nice S-PVA (since TNs are pretty good nowadays, and I don't REALLY need the absolute BEST of the best anyway), but if this a good find, I'd absolutely go for that instead.

Thanks!

 

[hans030390]

I need a recommendation (or a few) for an LCD monitor. It needs to fit the following:

1. 1:1 Pixel Mapping (if 16x10 ratio)
2. 20" or more (Widescreen)
3. Supports HDCP (DVI Input at least)
4. Be good for gaming
5. Prefer a matte finish (less glare...glossy is fine if the contrast and color reproduction is good, but glare must be kept at a minimum)
6. Must be able to take a higher resolution and scale it down

I'm currently running my PS3 on a 19" widescreen LCD monitor from Envision. I love how clear the PS3 looks on it (and colors look good), so I'd like something nicer to take to college with me (it's not my monitor). I am able to run my PS3 at 1080p, which scales down to the monitors native 1440x900 resolution. It looks fantastic like that (cleaner than 720p for sure). I'd like a monitor that can do that as well, BUT I don't like how the monitor doesn't scale the image to a proper ratio. It fits it to the 16x10 ratio instead of putting black bars on the screen to make it a proper 16x9 image...and that's what I'm looking for.

I'm hoping to spend under $300, though if you persuade me, I may go higher.

 

[CrabJuice]

Is there any way to predict humming/buzzing behaviour from any TFT?

Are some models free from this or does it vary with each unit? Are some brands free from it?

Is, less than 100% brightness humming/buzzing, more or less likely with dynamic contrast unit?

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: Maz
I've been looking to get a new monitor and was thinking of nabbing the Acer 22'' AL2216W. However I saw in town the P221w model which Acer claims is their "premium" monitor line. I'm just wondering if the P221w will offer comparable performance to the entry level AL2216 as far as input lag etc. for gaming. I'm most concerned with gaming. Anyone game with the P221 or know about it?

Honestly it's likely there is very little difference. The only 22"s most people should be looking at now are the LG L227WT, ASUS VW222u, and maybe LG L226WTQ. The AL2216 did get good reviews. I don't believe the P221 has been reviewed, but if it has it certainly hasn't been revered.

Originally posted by: ah802
My 27" ViewSonic 720p TV after 3.5 years bit the dust, now I need a replacement as monitor and Video panel. I liked the 1:1 pixel mapping, the size etc... but would have liked 1080p

Now I'm shopping for another with 1080p res, so the KDL32XBR6 has my attention, but it's a hunk of cash... QUESTION: wondering if the 37" or 40" would be to large for a 3' desk (I have an articulated arm) todo dual duty of monitor & TV?

I think that would be just fine. Obviously you'd have to check the dimensions to make sure it fit. What is 3 feet referring to? (What is the width, height, depth of your desk?)

I don't know much about LCD TV models, but the one you linked is 32". The Sharp 32" LC-32GP1U in the OP is supposed to be great for PC use as well.

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: faxon

Originally posted by: 10e


If you are a heavy multiplayer gamer the XHD3000 is renowned to have excessive input lag. It would be great for console gaming, but not nearly as good with computer multiplayer FPS games. I have also heard that the input lag rises if you get the XHD3000 to scale up lower resolutions. The best thing is to set your video card to scale up to 2560x1600 resolution and play games at lower resolutions in order not to get a performance hit from scaling or trying to run games at specifically the 2560x1600 resolution that is native to this screen.

LG has a new W3000H monitor that has HDCP, 30" S-IPS wide gamut screen, and the same scaling options as the Dell. My only caveat with this screen is the super wide gamut which will oversaturate colors and can be difficult to calibrate. It is comparable in price to the 305T and generally cheaper than the Gateway XHD3000.

Regards,

10e

yea im aware of the input lag on the XHD3000 but im honestly not worried about it. i mainly do MMORPGs so the input lag isnt as big of an issue as it would be for FPS, and tbh if i were going to get a monitor for playing FPS games i would probably just get a second monitor lol. also, the huge lack of connections on the LG in comparison to the gateway isnt worth saving $50 (newegg has the XHD3k for $1499 + S/H). also, if the input lag becomes an issue out of the box, i can just return it, since newegg has a good return policy.

You can not return LCDs to Newegg under any circumstance unless you have 8 dead pixels, and you can't get a refund either. If your LCD is defective you generally deal with the manufacturer.

See http://www.newegg.com/Info/ReturnPolicy.aspx#21

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: tofu
has anyone created a standard 2253bw profile yet? i can't seem to find one.

i understand it won't be completely accurate, but considering i don't have the hardware to properly calibrate myself, it's better than nothing.

thanks.

Sorry, not that I know of. Somebody here said he may provide an ICC. http://forum.ncix.com/forums/i...age=1&product_id=29091

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: colorblind
1920 x 1200 and text size; Dell 2407wfp-hc:

Need a little help here. In the past i've never run my monitors at the optimum resolution. Maybe I'm getting old, yet I prefer the text size to be large; especially for reading e-mails and internet surfing. With this Dell monitor what is the best way to enlarge the text for reading? What should I set the font size at and the dpi? What else can I adjust? Thanks in advance

One more note; my old monitor was a Dell 20" which I had the resolution set at 1152 x 864; with these settings reading was comfortable.

If you were fine with the Dell 20"'s scaling, then the Dell 24" will also probably scale well for you when you adjust the resolution. If not, then I would set the DPI to a value you deem readable.

Originally posted by: Squidmaster
xtnight, your gamma post makes good sense. I can't say I have a robust understanding of gamma correction as opposed to gamma conversion, but I certainly can appreciate that they operate independently and to different ends, which is good enough to feel confident about putting the profile in my "advanced settings". Thanks again.

Well it is gamut conversion/transformation and gamma correction. The gamut is basically the range of colors a device can display. So with different gamuts, with one being wider, you need to make colors more intense on the smaller one. Gamma correction is just fixing the gamma which is the brightness response. Gamma is the little small fine tuning of your particular device and gamut is the big dirty job of "color matching". The "color matching" takes too much effort to be done across the whole OS by the OS itself, and it may also be context-sensitive, meaning that an image may be converted differently depending on its content. That's why each app must do the gamut conversion, while the small fine tuning gamma correction is just a lookup table that can be placed on the video card.

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: Ardan
I have to go to to work, so I'll type this out quick. I was browsing Best Buy recently and saw that the L227WTG is on sale for $289, and I just got my $600 stimulus check put into the bank. Since I didn't plan using all of that $600, I thought maybe the L227 would be good. I currently have a 215TW which, of course, is fantastic in many ways but it has always strangely bothered my eyes from time to time. I really can't look at the screen for very long at all and, considering my eyes do have a light sensitivity problem, I figured I should take this chance to get a new one. I do play games and watch movies with the monitor, but text work is, in the grand scheme of things, done more often. I know that it also has some ridiculous input lag and I have seen this, but I was able to adjust to it. It would be a shame to get rid of it (my brother would like to take it if I get a new one), but I'm getting tired of this issue.

The L227WT is glossy and TN. I'm not sure if this is more comfortable for you than matte and VA, but for me it probably would be, actually.

I know I was talking on here before about screens (and about the fact that I can see the anti-glare coating very easily) but ultimately decided to wait a little bit. Do you people (primarily the OP) still think the L227WT would be best? Like before, down the line I know I will have a good HDTV for movies, but I do enjoy watching them on here (with WinDVD 9) as well as looking at various photos/artwork. I noticed the Samsung T220 there as well, which is obviously more expensive since it isn't on sale. Is that one any better than the L227WTG? Like I've seen here and elsewhere, the L227WTG will clearly satisfy all my needs with flying colors (unless there is some new problem I don't know about).

The T220 I don't know much about, but I doubt it's better than the L227. I don't say that because I just want to throw you the L227 and be done with you ( convenient, just kidding ), but because every previous Samsung model has never stood up to its equivalent LG model. Often that's because the Samsungs use a variation of panels depending on the unit you get, and I don't see proof of this going away for good anytime soon. I don't believe the T220 is glossy which may negate that advantage. Whether the 2253BW and T220 have different panels, I don't know, but I've been going off reviews and neither of these have been reviewed by X-Bit or the likes of them. And based off Samsung's poor track record I'd want to see it done by the best like X-Bit or Tom's Hardware before I put it on my list.

I saw that they have an open item hooked up to a computer on display which is a 24" LG monitor, the L246WP. This is an 8-bit P-MVA, correct? How do you people feel about that one? I wasn't able to really get any good look at it, so I am unsure on the quality. Is this a type of monitor that is so good, it would be worth the extra money? I am aiming for 22", but a 24" would fit and I would be willing to go for it if it is worth it. I just don't simply know anything about the model. I think the price was around $400-$430 or something like that. Is there anything wrong with that particular model? I have no qualms about getting a 22" TN display after using this nice S-PVA (since TNs are pretty good nowadays, and I don't REALLY need the absolute BEST of the best anyway), but if this a good find, I'd absolutely go for that instead.

Thanks!

There is nothing wrong with the LG L246WP other than a few scaling quirks. For eye comfort you still might want to consider the L227WT, however, and I have to say that the L227 is what I recommend you try, after your VA giving you discomfort.

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: hans030390
I need a recommendation (or a few) for an LCD monitor. It needs to fit the following:

1. 1:1 Pixel Mapping (if 16x10 ratio)
2. 20" or more (Widescreen)
3. Supports HDCP (DVI Input at least)
4. Be good for gaming
5. Prefer a matte finish (less glare...glossy is fine if the contrast and color reproduction is good, but glare must be kept at a minimum)
6. Must be able to take a higher resolution and scale it down

I'm currently running my PS3 on a 19" widescreen LCD monitor from Envision. I love how clear the PS3 looks on it (and colors look good), so I'd like something nicer to take to college with me (it's not my monitor). I am able to run my PS3 at 1080p, which scales down to the monitors native 1440x900 resolution. It looks fantastic like that (cleaner than 720p for sure). I'd like a monitor that can do that as well, BUT I don't like how the monitor doesn't scale the image to a proper ratio. It fits it to the 16x10 ratio instead of putting black bars on the screen to make it a proper 16x9 image...and that's what I'm looking for.

I'm hoping to spend under $300, though if you persuade me, I may go higher.

It is very difficult to discern console capability of small monitors, so your best bet on that is to search for 'PS3' and the model in question.

Otherwise, the ASUS VW222u sounds like a good option. It supports HDCP, it's great for gaming, although I am not sure about the scaling options. Brief searching reveals slightly conflicting information.

The LG L227WT is another option but it is glossy. It has everything you want with 4:3 and 1:1 scaling, at least that I am aware of. Glossy is fine if you can control the lighting around you.

Not all monitors may work with the PS3 so it's your best bet to search around for experiences.

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: CrabJuice
Is there any way to predict humming/buzzing behaviour from any TFT?

Are some models free from this or does it vary with each unit? Are some brands free from it?

Is, less than 100% brightness humming/buzzing, more or less likely with dynamic contrast unit?

That I know of, there is no way to predict this. It depends on the quality inverter they use and maybe the transformer. I don't think it is part of the LCD module, but mainly an electrical problem.

Even high quality brands like NEC have models with these problems, especially the bright and higher end ones. Dynamic contrast would probably just make it worse since that reduces brightness, and when you reduce brightness, more PWM (pulse width modulation) is engaged which is reputed to be the cause of the problem. 100% brightness is usually quiet.

When you have a really bright LCD you're going to want to use PWM (brightness control) a lot, and this might cause the noise on less reliable inverters or transformers.

This buzzing probably isn't something you could hear if you had headphones on, so it's not very loud. And no I don't mean hearing protectors, I mean headphones.