Which monitor should I buy?

[bellgamin]

I recently sought advice from you folks concerning which router to buy. I ended up buying a D-link. It installed very easy, & runs flawlessly. I am delighted, and offer my sincerest thanks to the Wilders forum ohana (family).

Now I need your help again. To wit ---- I plan to buy an LCD-type of monitor in the next several days. I would very much appreciate your comments and advice.

1- I read somewhere that 22" is the optimum size for a monitor. Agree? Disagree? Comments? (Example: At Wal-mart the 22" costs only $20 more than the 19" -- both of them HP.)

2- Speaking of brands, what is a good reliable make of monitor, with good tech support? (Conversely, what is a bad brand that I should definitely NOT buy?)

3- I read somewhere that I should buy a monitor which has a "native resultion" that is approximatrely the same as the resolution that I normally set for my computer. I usually use a setting of 1024X768. Given the fact that I have NO idea what "native resolution" means, can you folks offer comments &/or educate me on this matter?

I very much appreciate any help or encouragement that you folks care to offer.

Aloha... bellgamin

[Arup]

Check out Viewsonic, Eizo or Samsung/SONY. Viewsonic offers best value, EIZO is used by architects, SONY is made by Samsung so either will do. BENQ has had some real bad rep here, Dell as well.

[Huupi]

if you want making photoprints that closely match your screen,then you are in for a steep learning curve e.g. colormanagement,calibration and profiling your screen,learning colormanagement options,most important creating softproofs in Photoshop,profiling your colorprinter,buying the right hardware and reading much,much stuff about that.
And sure if you enter the way,buying a quality screen with hardware calibration options is a requirement.I myself using lcd NEC's imho best quality for the buck.

[Firecat]

"Native resolution" applies only to LCD monitors and refers to the maximum resolution that can be achieved on that monitor. In LCDs the number of horizontal and vertical pixels are always fixed and cannot be changed like in CRTs.

So, say if I have a monitor which has a native resolution of 1280x1024 (1280 horizontal pixels, 1024 vertical pixels), then the monitor's highest resolution is 1280x1024. However, in case of an LCD, the fixed number of pixels is anyway 1280x1024. So, if I set a resolution that is less than 1280x1024 on that monitor, for example, say 1024x768, the resultant image at 1024x768 will be blurry compared to the image at 1280x1024 which will be clear. The reason is that at the resolution of 1024x768, the horizontal and vertical pixels are stretched to a 1280x1024 size thus causing blurring.

In an LCD, the more lower resolution you set the blurrier will be the image. For CRT monitors this restriction does not apply.

The brands I would recommend are Samsung, ViewSonic and HP. I also recommend going for a CRT rather than an LCD if you watch a lot of movies/videos on your computer. I am not very satisfied with the quality of LCDs in the market today.....but that is just my opinion.

[Huupi]

{QUOTE-> "Native resolution" applies only to LCD monitors and refers to the maximum resolution that can be achieved on that monitor. In LCDs the number of horizontal and vertical pixels are always fixed and cannot be changed like in CRTs.

So, say if I have a monitor which has a native resolution of 1280x1024 (1280 horizontal pixels, 1024 vertical pixels), then the monitor's highest resolution is 1280x1024. However, in case of an LCD, the fixed number of pixels is anyway 1280x1024. So, if I set a resolution that is less than 1280x1024 on that monitor, for example, say 1024x768, the resultant image at 1024x768 will be blurry compared to the image at 1280x1024 which will be clear. The reason is that at the resolution of 1024x768, the horizontal and vertical pixels are stretched to a 1280x1024 size thus causing blurring.

In an LCD, the more lower resolution you set the blurrier will be the image. For CRT monitors this restriction does not apply.

The brands I would recommend are Samsung, ViewSonic and HP. I also recommend going for a CRT rather than an LCD if you watch a lot of movies/videos on your computer. I am not very satisfied with the quality of LCDs in the market today.....but that is just my opinion. <-QUOTE}

If you look from a perspective as a proff.the the highend EISO's and NEC with their LED background lichting are way better overall then their Barco / Lacie /Sony[artisan]CRT counterparts.But then i am talking from an industrial workflow,and i guess that the regular LCD is not yet up to par if compared with the regular CRT.So in a way you are right about your statement.But its fate that we have to accept that CRT is "the last of the Mohicans".

Forgive me if this talk has nothing to do in the interest of the original poster!??!

[19monty64]

Ah, boys & their toys...
I was quite content with 15" 1024X768 monitor, but when last Xmas brought with it a 19" Samsung LCD with 1440X900 resolution, it was like being at a drive-in. Had to get new speakers too, just to complete the Dolby surround-sound effect. But a 22" bad-boy lol that'd be the one to get!
Ah, boys & their toys...

[Huupi]

{QUOTE-> Ah, boys & their toys...
I was quite content with 15" 1024X768 monitor, but when last Xmas brought with it a 19" Samsung LCD with 1440X900 resolution, it was like being at a drive-in. Had to get new speakers too, just to complete the Dolby surround-sound effect. But a 22" bad-boy lol that'd be the one to get!
Ah, boys & their toys... <-QUOTE}


To survive in a hard competitive world like mine i have to be deadly serious in my choice for a screen among others !!!

[RealResults]

bellgamin,

Here is an extremely informative link to AnandTech forum LCD thread. Tells you about all the different types of LCD monitors and then goes on to suggest monitors for different types of uses.

http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.aspx?catid=31&threadid=2049206&enterthread=y

Once you determine an LCD you think you like, then check out the feedback in the display forum over at HardOCP here. Some very knowledgeable folks posting at this site.

http://www.hardforum.com/forumdisplay.php?f=78

Hope this helps.

[Peter2150]

HI Bellgamin

I have two 21" and two 19" and I love the 21's. All are samsung, and I recommend buying the best of the lines you can afford.

As to support can't say, I'm on my 5th samsung, 1 4 years old. Never needed support. They just work.

Pete

[WSFuser]

2. Samsung and Dell are good brands.

3. If you really want your native resolution to be 1024X768, youll have to settle for a 15" LCD.

[19monty64]

A friend of mine was so impressed with my monitor that he eventually decided upon the 24", just to make sure I couldn't one-up him for a while. (Ah, boys & their toys...) No guy is gonna tell ya to get the smaller monitor...

[Huwge]

This link will hopefully give you some guidance

http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/

[ccsito]

I haven't purchased a monitor for many years so don't know anything about the new stuff out there. Here is an ad for a 22" LCD one that will sell for $167 on Black Friday next week at Target.

http://www.target.com/Westinghouse-Digital-22-LCD-Monitor/dp/B000PDD130/sr=1-1/qid=1195173026/ref=sr_1_1/601-7527098-2666564?ie=UTF8&index=target&rh=k%3Awestinghouse%20LCD&page=1

[ccsito]

{QUOTE->
I also recommend going for a CRT rather than an LCD if you watch a lot of movies/videos on your computer. I am not very satisfied with the quality of LCDs in the market today.....but that is just my opinion. <-QUOTE}

Does this apply to TVs too? I was thinking of getting one of those new LCD TVs (32 to 37 inches) since my old tube TV audio keeps going on the blink now. I have heard complaints of audio feedback, dead pixels, video/audio lag, very hot surfaces, and blurred images on some LCD TVs. Are SDTV a better choice?

[Huupi]

depend on what purposes the screen is needed,only beautifull colors then the choice is abundant,nowedays theres so many cheap screens with good color out there,but if you depend on ''real color'' for your livelyhood,then the outlook on screens takes quite a different way. but i guess that most folks are not involved in coloraccuracy so the choice for a good and cheap screen is not that difficult.

[bellgamin]

Many MANY thanks for all of the helpful & informative comments.

As to the Westinghouse advertisement at Tiger -- my 19" Westinghouse LCD monitor started flickering & went all funny colors after just 15 months of use. It's the one I'm replacing. Of course I might just have got the 1 in a million lemon, but....

Is there anything I might have done to screw up my Westinghouse monitor? I saw on one of the links given above that an LCD should be cleaned with nothing more than water. Confession: I often cleaned my LCD with "Endust" antistatic & dusting spray. I wonder if that *messed up the gauss* or something?

By the way, has anyone ever bought computer stuff from Wal-mart? If so -- good experience or bad experience? (I'm inclined to buy from them because they have a liberal return policy for the first several weeks after buying something from them.)

{QUOTE-> No guy is gonna tell ya to get the smaller monitor... <-QUOTE}Aw shucks -- are you telling me that size really DOES matter? :-[

[DVD+R]

Buy one that has the Greater Warrenty and Service on it.. Samsung currently Offer 3 year parts and labour.. and if they cant fix it.. they replace it no questions asked ;D

[19monty64]

{QUOTE-> Aw shucks -- are you telling me that size really DOES matter? :-[ <-QUOTE}
Only when you're looking at it... lol

[clambermatic]

'bellgamin & monty64'.... the bigger the better, right??

Can we include the "Komodo" which is a biggy... and "Chameleon" which has vivid colours huh ???

:P After all, they're in cateorically under 'monitors' see?

Boy.... i love monitors... yeah! ;D
-------------------------------------------
edit: typo

[LoneWolf]

Using Samsung LCD here and very happy with it.
Only 19" but looks great. ;D

[bigc73542]

I have used a ProView Monitor for two years and would without a doubt get another one. The proView is made by the same company that makes ViewSonic but the ProView is at least 30% cheaper. I have three proview's and really do like them, great color and image reproduction. I replaced a Sony with the ProView and it out performs the sony easily. The ProViews are available at W-M stores.

[bigc73542]

{QUOTE-> Many MANY thanks for all of the helpful & informative comments.

As to the Westinghouse advertisement at Tiger -- my 19" Westinghouse LCD monitor started flickering & went all funny colors after just 15 months of use. It's the one I'm replacing. Of course I might just have got the 1 in a million lemon, but....

Is there anything I might have done to screw up my Westinghouse monitor? I saw on one of the links given above that an LCD should be cleaned with nothing more than water. Confession: I often cleaned my LCD with "Endust" antistatic & dusting spray. I wonder if that *messed up the gauss* or something?

By the way, has anyone ever bought computer stuff from Wal-mart? If so -- good experience or bad experience? (I'm inclined to buy from them because they have a liberal return policy for the first several weeks after buying something from them.)

Aw shucks -- are you telling me that size really DOES matter? :-[ <-QUOTE}


this will get your monitor clean without damaging it

[Coldmoon]

Hi bellgamin,
Using a Samsung 22" (1680X1050) digital and an NEC 17" (1280X1024) in analog.

The Samsung display is excelent and have had no issues with it at all. The NEC is the real star here as I have had it since early 2003 and has never given me a minute of trouble. I use it now as an extension to my workspace, but it is still rock-solid...

Mike

[jpcummins]

I can only speak from my own personal experience. While I have used numerous monitors in both my civilian and military careers I have only purchased ViewSonic monitors for use at home. I currently am using at home a 19" ViewSonic Professional Series PS790. Everyone is going to have their own personal preference and that is how it should be. However, for me I have only had outstanding experience with ViewSonic and I don't intent on purchasing anything but ViewSonic in the future.

[Huupi]

{QUOTE-> Hi bellgamin,
Using a Samsung 22" (1680X1050) digital and an NEC 17" (1280X1024) in analog.

The Samsung display is excelent and have had no issues with it at all. The NEC is the real star here as I have had it since early 2003 and has never given me a minute of trouble. I use it now as an extension to my workspace, but it is still rock-solid...

Mike <-QUOTE}

A lot of color professionals using either Samsung or Nec highends,but the ferrari screens at the moment are the led Eizo's,must confess barely payable.

[bellgamin]

@bigc -- Very helpful info re maintenance of LCD screens. Many thanks!

@everyone - From what you folks have told me (& from the links you provided) I have learned that the best thing is to set my computer's resolution at ~ the same setting as my monitor's native resolution. This puzzles me a lot because...

BACKGROUND- Pending replacement of my dead 19" LCD monitor, I am temporarily using an old 17" CRT monitor that I had lying around.

PUZZLEMENT (example)-

1- A particular monitor that I have on my "short list" of candidates-for-purchase has a native resolution of 1680x1050.

2- To get an idea of what that might look like, I set my CRT monitor to 1280X1024 -- the closest I could come to 1680x1050. At that setting everything was so tiny that I couldn't effectively see what I was doing.

3- Obviously I'm doing something wrong (unless everybody except me has microscope-vision).

QUESTION #1- If I buy the 22" 1680X1050 monitor, & set my computer's resolution to that same setting, are the icons and text going to be microscopically tiny? Or what?

QUESTION #2- What resolution do you people have your computers set at? Why?

P.S. --- In case you haven't already noticed, I don't even know enough about this to ask intelligent questions. Even so I am having a delightfully good time learning from this thread. :thumb:

[19monty64]

Per Q-2, my res is at 1440X900. Why? When I reformatted my pc and before installing the drivers for the monitor, the native Windows-res made my pc look like it was in safe mode. Everything was super-sized....way too big. Once I installed the drivers everything was set to the pre-set resolution. Icons and such are quite readable, but, I wear pretty strong eye-glasses. Just shy of pop-bottle lenses. The teens in my house (no glasses) have no probs reading while looking over my shoulder. Maybe you should check out some display-model monitors and ask about their resolution just to get a good view before purchasing...

[clansman77]

me using a viewsonic 19 inch widescreen at 1440x900 resolution and its really good.i suggest you to go for a 22/24 inch widescreen one.no the icons and the letters wont be tiny at native resolutions.

[Peter2150]

Hi Bellgamin

I run all my monitors below native resolution,so I can see stuff. The loss of image quailty is minute compared to not being able to read stuff at all.

Pete

[ThunderZ]

Just a quick note on LCDs, as I have been looking\thinking of replacing my old 21" CRT. The screens\display part of the monitor are all made by only 2 or 3 different manufacturers. I read this somewhere and later had it confirmed by several reliable sources. They are then assembled by the final seller with all the bells and whistles....or lack of. In most cases it is this final assembly that dictates quality and of course $$$$.

[WSFuser]

1. The icons look smaller, though you can change the size (its easy to do in Vista).

2. Check this recent poll on monitor resolutions (http://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=189616).

[bellgamin]

The most recent difficulty I have encountered in choosing a monitor is the fact that all the stores use beautiful photographs to display their monitors, whereas my main concern is clarity of text.

In any event I now have a Proview & a Dell & a Acer on my short list - all 3 are 22". Any further comments pro or con concerning those brands?

[MR X]

proview,dell,acer. i think you need to add a glossy lcd in thier. i have a hp w2207 it's a glossy screen and i love it.
a great fourm for displays is /http://www.hardforum.com/index.php

[sweater]

I think Samsung is very good. 8)

[dNor]

Great answers in the thread already, just giving my post/insight...

{QUOTE-> 1- I read somewhere that 22" is the optimum size for a monitor. Agree? Disagree? Comments? (Example: At Wal-mart the 22" costs only $20 more than the 19" -- both of them HP.)
<-QUOTE}

"Optimum" size is the most you're willing and able to afford. Large monitors with low resolutions or vice versa could be "not optimal" I guess...

{QUOTE-> 2- Speaking of brands, what is a good reliable make of monitor, with good tech support? (Conversely, what is a bad brand that I should definitely NOT buy?)
<-QUOTE}

Samsung has been excellent in my experience with LCDs, along with Dell. HP is the only brand I've had any issues with. Tech support was so-so all the way around.

{QUOTE-> 3- I read somewhere that I should buy a monitor which has a "native resultion" that is approximatrely the same as the resolution that I normally set for my computer. I usually use a setting of 1024X768. Given the fact that I have NO idea what "native resolution" means, can you folks offer comments &/or educate me on this matter?
<-QUOTE}

They're all going to have one and running the monitor at a resolution other than its native will show stretching/compressing. Set your desktop to this native, and try to bring games to as close to the native as possible.

Personally I've been using this (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824001096) monitor for a while now and it's been fantastic. The contrast ratio isn't awe inspiring, and there's backlight bleeding on the top and bottom edges, but those are both pretty common. Never had any issues or dead/stuck pixels with it, and I greatly prefer widescreen to normal ratio LCDs. Definitely recommend Samsung.

I've always gone to a store and checked out the model I wanted to ensure no dead/stuck pixels on purchase. Can't stand ghosting either so low response times are also important, although up to 8ms is perfectly fine, really.

[19monty64]

I saved a little and got this (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824001088&Tpk=940BW) one. Poor Bellgamin...so many choices...so hard to chose...

[ccsito]

{QUOTE-> I have used a ProView Monitor for two years and would without a doubt get another one. The proView is made by the same company that makes ViewSonic but the ProView is at least 30% cheaper. I have three proview's and really do like them, great color and image reproduction. I replaced a Sony with the ProView and it out performs the sony easily. The ProViews are available at W-M stores. <-QUOTE}

FYI. The MAG LCD TVs are also made by the same company that makes Proview monitors.

[mercurie]

I recently purchased an Acer, I am pleased with it, but could not tell you if it was better then anyother.

Hey BigC thanks for the information. People at my work are always pecking on my LCD monitor, making their "point" >:( . I will tell them to stop. :P

[markymoo]

Oh EIZO like the man said are sheer quality. The rolls royce of lcds. Get one of those if you can afford. There's only about 5 lcd manufacturers in the world and Sony buy there lcds of LG.