Best 20" LCD display

[Tannin]

Whoa, take it easy. I'm not Tannin and feel no obligation to convert people to UKor Australian spelling!

I heard that

 

[time]

Hey, I thought you were supposed to be roaming the countryside?

Speaking of which, will there be piccies?

Welcome back, Tony. I hope you find what you were looking for. Happy New Year!

 

[time]

CityK, you rule. I glanced at the specs for current S*ny DV cameras, and they are clearly still designed around 4:3. So that's only 1440x1080 we're looking for.

That falls into the realm of common-as-muck displays such as the Samsung 214T. Some ape has been making a lot of noise about them ...

 

[CityK]

I glanced at the specs for current S*ny DV cameras, and they are clearly still designed around 4:3.

DV yes ... but HDV is a different beast that happens to use non-square 4:3 pixels See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HDV

So that's only 1440x1080 we're looking for.

That falls into the realm of common-as-muck displays such as the Samsung 214T.

I goofed time. While the image recorded is indeed 1440x1080, because the non-squrare, 4:3, PAR (pixel aspect ratio), for fullscreen playback with proper image geometry on a monitior with square pixels (like an LCD), you do indeed want a 1920x1200 monitor [(1440 x 4/3) x 1080]

I would consult http://www.dvinfo.net/ ... they have good forums. See what people say about editing on a 1600x1200.

If the editing software takes into account the PAR, it would probably be seamless to the end user. So when monitoring, you'd get a scaled image with proper aspect ratio.

Also see http://www.adamwilt.com/HDV/
http://www.adamwilt.com/HDV/hp2335.html

Some ape has been making a lot of noise about them ...

Rumour has it that that ape don't know nothin' ... just like me though

 

[fb]

I'm looking for a LCD that's good for photo editing and playing racing games once in a while. I'm using a Viewsonic VX922 right now and it's perfect for games and lurking on forums, but it leaks (a lot of) light around the edges and it only has 16.2 million colors.

I'm leaning towards a 19" right now. I've gotten the impression that Samsung make great LCD's, but I've also looked at Eizo 1931 which looks very interesting on paper. But I don't know, would I be better off with a Samsung, like the 971? Or should I maybe save some extra money and go with a 21" of some kind?

 

[time]

Well, I don't think bread and butter Samsung displays are either value for money or bleeding edge, just predictable. And available, which is a pretty big feature.

So, one is looking at a 1920x1200 display for HD1080 capability. There are a few, although I strongly suspect they all use the same panel:

* Dell - I'm usually allergic to this brand, due to the fact that it's a Dell.
* Samsung 244T - seems overpriced.
* Benq - Lots of inputs, but dumb enough to try to alias 16:9 to 16:10.
* Acer - Completely basic, but look at that price! US$670 even in Oz!

Any thoughts?

 

[Tannin]

I don't know what Acer's big screens are like. Their small screens are the best I have ever used, if you go with the top model. A few months ago, I compared Acer, Phillips and Mitsubishi premium 17 inch models, and the Mitsu was very nice, the Phillips no match for it by no means disgraced, and the Acer, once again, clearly the best of the lot. (Not by much, compared to the Mitsu, but no doubt about it.)

Their current 19, unfortunately, is not a patch on the 17. They had two models, and the dearer one was excellent, but now there is only one, and it's quite cheap but nothing at all special. I use a Mitsubishi one instead now.

Time I looked at the 19 inch market again, and learned more about bigger ones. If there are any bigger ones with a proper aspect ratio.

I agree with Time as regards the entry-level Samsungs.

However, the $1200 Samsung 214Ts I bought a while back are absolutely brilliant. The first gloss of love has worn off (they no longer look big to me, everything else looks little) but the quality remains immaculate. For photo work, I could never go back to anything less.

 

[ddrueding]

I've got 0.3" on you, but I'm afraid that is the end of the road WRT 4:3 screens. I would love a 24" version with the same resolution, or a 30" version with 2048x1536.

 

[time]

Actually Dave, they're both 21.3". The specs are identical and I imagine they use the same panel.

Tannin, those were really useful observations, thanks.

 

[Tannin]

By the way, I had my first faulty Acer LCD the other week. This one was a 17 inch, two and a half years old. I had to ring up my distributor to find out what to do for R/A service, as I'd never had to RMA one before. They gave me a 1800 number, which I rang. They answered promptly, said it would have to go to their repair centre in Brisbane, and gave me an RMA number. Told me to box it up and write an address on it, include a copy of the original invoice. Did all that, and the next morning Australian Air Express arrived to collect it. That was a Thursday. The following Tuesday morning, it was back.

5000 kilometre round trip, 5 days - 3 days if you don't count the weekend. Pretty damn good!

PS: I haven't actually opened the box yet - but I assume that there is only one thing you could expect to find in a monitor-shaped parcel shipped from Brisbane. Better plug it in and make sure, I guess.

 

[Buck]

I haven't actually opened the box yet - but I assume that there is only one thing you could expect to find in a monitor-shaped parcel shipped from Brisbane. Better plug it in and make sure, I guess.

It could be that same Acer monitor, not repaired.

 

[ddrueding]

It could be that same Acer monitor, not repaired.

...or a frog. It could be a frog. Don't discount that possibility.

 

[Mercutio]

The box could also be infested with wallabies. I hear they get into everything.
Could also be dingos. Hard to go anywhere in Oz without stepping on a dirty baby-stealing dingo.

 

[time]

Actually, it's me. Just don't tell Tannin, or it'll spoil the surprise.