going flat

[Guest]

I've been reading up and reading up on TFTs.

I have a 19" CRT and don't want less screen real estate because I often have a hoard of windows scattered around, so I'm shopping 18"ers. I understand 17s often have the same native resolution and are lots less $$, but I like big screens.

I am mostly using text and graphics apps but occasional gaming does occur - do I really need the low response time? I was about set up for a Viewsonic VG181 until discussion of low response times has me concerned. Lots of monitors seem to leave that off the spec sheet..

I currently operate in 1152 X 864 because that font size seems to work well for me - I realize that isn't going to happen with an LCD. Hopefully the increased clarity of a TFT will make up for 1280 x 1024...I'm assuming I will go digital in the next round of upgrades, so have left analog only monitors off my list.

Contenders
Compaq TFT 8030
Viewsonic VG 181
Planar 18.1

or how about the Viewsonic VG 191 (500:1 contrast!)for $1045?!

A grand is a pile of dough to put into a screen - I would sure be peeved if it was a mistake, but I really need the space (and less eyestrain).



But they are useless. They can only give you answers. -Picasso, on computers.

 

[flamethrower205]

You say you have a 19" screen? In that case, you need a 17" LCD- 17" LCD = 19" CRT, since in an LCD, 17" if of that 17" is visible, where as on a 19" CRT, only 17" is visible. For 17", the Compaq TFT7020 is very nice. Oh, and yes, response time doe smatter for you, especially if u do graphics and gaming. A great screen is also vital, so I think the TFT8020 woulf fall out of teh pic (if u decided not to listen to my suggestion, and get a larger that 17" TFT), as TFT8020 has only 300:1 contrast. Same thing w/ the VG181, and 18.1 inch planar. What u need is a response time of under 30 ms, so the VP191 would be good- except that it uses MVA, and I don't like that cause u'll get color banding on gradient ramps (u have a strip of color which goes from white to black, and instead of it being smooth, it bands together). I really would advise a 17". Plus, w/ an 18", u get same res as 17", just not as tight pixel pitch.

What if your life moved.....2 inches to the left?

 

[flamethrower205]

Oh, and the planar has a response time of 50ms- that's really, really bad- hell, u'r gonna get pissed just watching ur mouse move across teh screen!

What if your life moved.....2 inches to the left?

 

[Oni]

Actually most 19 inch CRTs are 18.1 Viewable, but regardless I understand his wanting to keep with 18.1 viewable. I was the same way........until I got my TFT7020
its 17.1 inchs and I honestly don't notice a difference in replacing my Hitachi 19 inch (18.1 viewable). The TFT7020 is sweet and looks very good in analogue so far (until I get a new video card). Just as Flamethrower205 said its very good for everything you would need. So far I've used it for several games without any problems, and I've also used it with Photoshop, and some game map editors. I got to show it off at a lan party today and man I saw some peoples jaws hit the floor *grin*

You also might be interested in some of the Planar 17.4 inch LCDs. They are even closer to that 18.1 size and are in the same price area as other 17.1 LCDs I've seen. The dell store sells them for $699 a piece and I almost got one instead of the Compaq. They have 25ms response time just like the Compaq, and they also have buillt in USB hubs. Also exactly like the compaq they have both Digital and Analogue interfaces. Plus depending on the model you choose you can get either cool looking clear casing, or the ability to spin the monitor for various features (like more accurate print preview in word) which is actually a cool feature.
So basically my suggestion is get a 17.1 or 17.4 inch LCD and save yourself $300 or more. Put that money into a nice Geforce 3 Ti500, or Radeon 8500 (what ever tickles your arse) and you'll be set.

 

[Guest]

I have seen a couple of 17" screens - for whatever reason they seem smaller to me. My current screen is 18" viewable. I'm already concerned that a smaller screen with a higher resolution (1280 x 1024) will result in a tiny font. I do a LOT of text based work.
I have resigned myself to blowing a grand and getting a big screen so that really isn't the issue.

Flamethrower;
Mouse trails would definitely pish me off. The Viewsonic 191 has 500:1 contrast and 25ms response time (15+10) even better than the pro series VP181. These monitors have got rave reviews - its hard to beleive they have bad color. I know that stats can fail to tell the whole story - but I wonder if you just had a bad experience with one monitor. The VP 191 was just out in October, though perhaps "SuperClearMVA" technology is not an improvement over what you saw.



But they are useless. They can only give you answers. -Picasso, on computers.

 

[flamethrower205]

Ok, here's the thing- I used a Viewsonic w/ this SuperClear MVA, and there was color banding. Then I saw reviews of a few other LCD's w/ MVA, and they all suffered from the color banding problem.

What if your life moved.....2 inches to the left?

 

[flamethrower205]

Oh, and by the way, 1280x1024 on 17" isn't small text- it's just right imo (and I write like an essay every day- stupid english and history).

What if your life moved.....2 inches to the left?

 

[Guest]

I am considering getting the VG191 too, but haven't read any reviews on it about MVA. There is also the Compaq TFT8030 which is very nice and doesn't use MVA.

http://www.compaq.com/products/monitors/flatpanel/tft8030.html

However, I wouldn't discard MVA just yet with the VG191. It's new, and I would wait for some reviews on it just to see what people say.

Jack Burton is a great man...

 

[upec]

The best way to choose a LCD is look at it youself. If you like it than it is right for you.

 

[flamethrower205]

That's quite true, but in many places, they don't have the LCD ur looking for. For instance, don't even think about finding a TFT5030/TFT7020 in a store.

What if your life moved.....2 inches to the left?

 

[GoSharks]

Flame

You used or say you have a single ViewSonic 15" LCD, which and you keep spreading these false rumors about color banding. This is completely untrue for all MVA based LCD monitors.

Your read this an article in a magazine or on the Internet and take it for fact. Dont believe everything you read especially on the Internet, who knows you, may be talking to a 14-year-old high school freshman.


Jim Witkowski
Chief Hardware Engineer
Cornerstone / Monitorsdirect.com

Jim at http://www.monitorsdirect.com

 

[Guest]

This is pretty obvious, however I don't live within 150 miles of a big city so going to look at a bunch of screend is an ordeal. Not to mention new products like the Viewsonic 19" may not even be in stores yet. Plus the salesman is hardly likely to point out that company XYZ has lousy customer service and flaky products even though it looks real good in the store.

But they are useless. They can only give you answers. -Picasso, on computers.

 

[flamethrower205]

Yes, let's just say I'm incompetent because of my age. can't belive you'd point at such a petty fact to enforce selling your monitors. Dude, I used to own a VP150m, and there was visible color banding. I have also seen articles from reputable magazines, and have noticed a correlation. This is not a false rumor- I have nothing to gain from lying. Hell, if it wasn't for the issues I have seen with MVA, I'd go for an MVA monitor- I can get one for cheaper than a non-MVA that has the same specs. I really used to like MVA, and went ahead and bought a VP150m, and u can imagine how pissed I got when I saw what I saw. Then I noticed there articles about the monitors using MVA, and knew something was wrong.

What if your life moved.....2 inches to the left?

 

[Guest]

Flamethrower; can you point me to some of these articles about MVA monitors? I find magazine articles in general rather complimentary - and no where (except here) have a I read any discussion of "color banding". I did read a post from a user who reported banding over his whole screen - by adjusting the refresh rate just 3Hz the problem was entirely eliminated.
The only review I found of new Viewsonics was of the VP181 - that one went so far as to declare it the new reference standard in LCDs for graphics professionals - a far cry from a flawed technology.

However, thanks for relating your experience. GoSharks - have you had direct experience with the Viewsonics?

But they are useless. They can only give you answers. -Picasso, on computers.

 

[GoSharks]

KeeWee

Yes I have a lot of experience with ViewSonic, and Planar products. Both of these use the same Fujitsu MVA panel that I use in my Cornerstone f1200 product. The issue of color banding is simply NOT an issue.

I evaluate monitors and monitor technology for a living, unlike those who read an article by some reviewer and take it for fact that all of a particular technology suffers from a particular symptom.

There are many causes of a color banding, including the video card used to test the unit, what color depth you use or it could be a problem with the drive circuits of a particular model. To accuse all Models based on a single article is very short sighted.

Check out these reviews.

http://www.myelabs.com/reviews.asp?name=1335

http://www.zdnet.com/products/stories/reviews/0,4161,2820531,00.html

http://www.dustin.se/viewsonic/MVATechBrief2.pdf

http://www.pctechguide.com/07panels.htm


Jim Witkowski
Chief Hardware Engineer
Cornerstone / Monitorsdirect.com


Jim at http://www.monitorsdirect.com

 

[Guest]

Thanks for the links and insights, GoSharks. You have provided much detail to the issues.

But they are useless. They can only give you answers. -Picasso, on computers.

 

[Guest]

So you getting the VG191 from Viewsonic?? I have looked around at a lot of LCD's, and that seems the best. If you do get it and can't get it at a local store, I recommend getting it online at www.mwave.com. $1045 is a sweet deal for a 19" LCD.

Jack Burton is a great man...<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by Buddwm on 12/19/01 04:34 PM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

[upec]

What I am saying is that decide on a few monitor you want to buy by doing research on them. To make the final decision you should always check them out in the store.

 

[Guest]

Since at this point I would not get the unit before Christmas anyway, I'm going to wait until after - maybe the prices will drop a few $$.

It looks like the screen for me though.

But they are useless. They can only give you answers. -Picasso, on computers.

 

[Guest]

They may use the same panel, but do they use the same electronics to run them? Compaq and Viewsonic both use the latest technology (Pixelworks) that supposedly allows seamless scaling to resolutions other than the default without distortion.

In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice; In practice, there is.