Viewsonic 19" Flat Screen Question

[Atomic]

Hi, I have a Viewsonic PF790 refurbed monitor that I bought from Fry's for $300. I think there's something wrong with it, but I'm not sure. If I set the background to black and turn off the lights in my room, the background looks brownish. Also when I start up the computer after the monitor has been off for a few hours the left and right edges of the display have a different color than the middle. After a few minutes it goes back to uniform color except for one spot on the upper right side. I'm pretty sure that is a defect. The guy at Fry's says that the tube is a Sony tube. Before I bought this monitor, I bought a NEC 19" flatscreen refurb(which is supposed to have the same Sony tube) that had a dark spot on the upper left corner. I ruturned that one and got the Viewsonic that I have now.

Here's what I'm planning to do, and I hope I can get some help from people who have a flat screen Viesonic(or other). Since a brand new Viewsonic Flatscreen is only $350($400-$50) at Fry's, I was planning on returning the one I have and getting a new one. However, I'm worried that these tubes might inherently have flaws. I'm affraid that they might have a tendency to go bad after a short period of use. I'm also affraid that the black might look brownish if I turn off the lights. The reason I'm looking for a flat screen is because I wanna use it at high resolutions of at least 1280x1024 for a software package that I'm using for work. Does anyone have experience with Viewsonic flatscreens or suggestions on other monitors that will do 1280x1024 with clear lines and text that won't make me blind? Thanks!

 

[GT578]

NEC and the Viewsonic PF790 has a NF(mitsubishi) tube, not Sony. Mess with your settings...looks like you might have to adjust the focus and purity settings and also check to see that your brightness isn't up all the way. I don't know if the viewsonic has those settings but my 900NF does....and it uses the same NF tube.

 

[BreakApart]

I have the same model PF790, though i never noticed anything like what you have.

"Set the background to black and then turn off the lights?" lol, sounds like a naughty movie...j/k

Tonight when i get home i'll test this out to see if mine looks brown. I'll post back if i notice it, or needed to adjust anything.

BTW- are you using the correct drivers for your monitor? Also, what video card are you using?

My PF790 has been flawless-IMHO. I'll cry like a lil girl when it burns out... lol...

 

[Atomic]

What do you set your brightness and contrast to?

 

[BreakApart]

On average my contrast is set to about 50, and the brightness is at 19.

When i play CS i set the contrast to 75, and the brightness about 25. It all depends on the time of day/night. But as a rule i always use more contrast than brightness.

 

[waycool]

I just got a Samsung SyncMaster 955df at Best Buy, $350 with $50 mir.
It's not aperture grill like the ones youv'e been carting back and fourth
to Fry's. I think shadow mask monitors have a sharper picture and this thing rocks I love it. Same price as your lookin at and is not a refurb.

Just my 2cents.

 

[MrHelpful]

The optimal setting is 100 for contrast and as high as you can make the brightness setting while the blacks are still very black.

 

[Salvador]

Waycool: Too bad you missed out on the Buy.com deal last week for $250 shipped on the Samsung 955DF. :frown:

Sal

 

[Atomic]

waycool, how is it at high resolutions? Any eye strain? Thanks.

 

[duragezic]

No the monitor shouldn't be like that. Maybe you are having bad luck because although I don't like refurbs at all for monitors, they shouldn't be that bad. There is nothing wrong with the DiamondTron tube (or FD Trinitron, just for the Fry's guy ).

I'm not really a fan of Viewsonic monitors but the PF790 looks okay if it's not defective. I'd try and return that and then search the forums for monitor suggestions and don't get a refurb.

 

[BreakApart]

Atomic, i tried out your "blackness test". The only time i could get the black to look washed out was when i set the contrast and brightness too high. Other than that it never began to look brown. Also checked the on/off mixed colors test and everything looked great for me.
Yea, it's sounding like you know why it was a refurb monitor, with the color problems. Sorry to hear that...



<< MrHelpful, The optimal setting is 100 for contrast and as high as you can make the brightness setting while the blacks are still very black. >>



From my experience/and articles i have read the ONLY time 100 contrast should be used:
In &quot;bright&quot; daylight to balance the screen intensity with the outside lighting, or inside an office building with Fluorescent lighting.
Any other time the contrast should never be 100%, as this can damage your eyes. I have heard no-less than 4 stories from customers who have gone temporarily blind/blind-spots from having the monitor set wrong. After i had explained to them how to correctly adjust the contrast/brightness and re-adjust these settings every 20-30mins as it gets darker outside. No more problems after following these steps. Please be more careful with your advice, as some people may try it...

 

[Mem]

<< After i had explained to them how to correctly adjust the contrast/brightness and re-adjust these settings every 20-30mins as it gets darker outside. No more problems after following these steps. Please be more careful with your advice, as some people may try it... >>



I think it depends on other factors as well like monitor type and video card,since with my old CTX 19&quot; I had the contrast at 70 and brightness 20,while my new LG I`ve it 98 for contrast and 17 for brightness,setup is all down to personal taste,I like my blacks to be black and prefer a slightly dark image once I set it up right it never needs to be adjusted again,readjusting every 20-30 minutes or so as it gets darker outside is overkill IMHO.

 

[BreakApart]

True, Overkill once you know the best settings for yourself. However, new people should do this till they find the best balance-(there have been more than a few articles written about this same issue) As i mentioned in my earlier post i already know my best balance for both the desktop setting and my CS gaming setting.

My point in mentioning the correct/over-kill-or-not procedure is to help others that may not know the correct way to adjust monitors. Better to be safe than sorry when dealing with your eyes, IMHO.

Good Luck...