Question When purchasing displays, is it always better to buy together?

[modeonoff]

Hi, I want to do a triple monitor setup. However, a store only have two available. Back order 2-3 weeks later. Is it better to buy from another store that has all three together? I read that some ordered their displays in different time periods and even they are of the same models, the color or something else is different.

 

[ex_bubblehead]

8-bit image = 256 colors
8-bit per subpixel = 24bit color (16M colors)
8-bit panel (see 8-bit image)

 

[hotaru.hino]

I think the confusion with "8-bit" whatever in modern contexts is people are using 8-bits to mean "8-bit per channel", although they also erroneous abbreviate it as "8bpp", which is 8-bits per pixel. Also made worse is the new HDR standards refer to bits as the color channel rather than pixel. Although I guess in a technical sense, "per channel" is better than "per pixel", because some displays don't even have a traditional RGB pixel arrangement, such as LG's RGBW for OLEDs or the numerous PenTile type layouts.

So basically, if someone says a display is "8-bits" or "10-bits", it's per color channel, unless they're talking about retro tech.

 

[modeonoff]

8-bit image = 256 colors
8-bit per subpixel = 24bit color (16M colors)
8-bit panel (see 8-bit image)

Thanks for the explanations.

 

[modeonoff]

I think the confusion with "8-bit" whatever in modern contexts is people are using 8-bits to mean "8-bit per channel", although they also erroneous abbreviate it as "8bpp", which is 8-bits per pixel. Also made worse is the new HDR standards refer to bits as the color channel rather than pixel. Although I guess in a technical sense, "per channel" is better than "per pixel", because some displays don't even have a traditional RGB pixel arrangement, such as LG's RGBW for OLEDs or the numerous PenTile type layouts.

So basically, if someone says a display is "8-bits" or "10-bits", it's per color channel, unless they're talking about retro tech.

Thanks for the explanations.

 

[modeonoff]

No matter what you do, it is unlikely to get all 3 exactly the same color output.

I came across this interesting video:

TV PANEL LOTTERY! DEFECTIVE VS INHERENT FLAWS! CLOSER THAN YOU MAY THINK? TECH THERAPY - YouTube

Few weeks ago I saw a guy returning about 10 monitors at the same time. I thought he were crazy. Now I can understand why he did that.
I probably have returned about 30 displays over the past few months. Recently, even before I place an order, my mind expects that there will be issues. Even the smell of the boxes when couriers came made me uncomfortable. I am going to get crazy.

 

[USAFRet]

I came across this interesting video:

TV PANEL LOTTERY! DEFECTIVE VS INHERENT FLAWS! CLOSER THAN YOU MAY THINK? TECH THERAPY - YouTube

Few weeks ago I saw a guy returning about 10 monitors at the same time. I thought he were crazy. Now I can understand what he did.
I probably have returned about 30 displays over the past few months. Now even before I place an order, my mind expects that there will be issues.

"Not exactly the same" does not mean defective!

Seen individually, you would NOT have seen any problem at all with the two monitors in my example above.
Only when side by side, in the right lighting, with the exact same contents on each, could you see the tiny tiny difference.

Neither was "faulty".

 

[modeonoff]

"Not exactly the same" does not mean defective!

Seen individually, you would NOT have seen any problem at all with the two monitors in my example above.
Only when side by side, in the right lighting, with the exact same contents on each, could you see the tiny tiny difference.

Neither was "faulty".

I am talking about different things now. Yesterday three Samsung M8 were delivered. The seal of two boxes were broken probably due to poor handling. Opened two boxes. Two have corners with paint issues. In addition, they both have strange stuffs between the screen and the frame. One has a cyan horizontal line between the actual display area and the black area surrounding the bezel. Both screens have poorly sprayed uneven coating. Both screens arrived dirty with dust. Some dirt could be removed but not all. Didn't they assembly the TVs in a clean environment? Strangely speaking, when standing straight at maximum height, they have noticeably different heights.

 

[USAFRet]

I am talking about different things now. Yesterday three Samsung M8 were delivered. The seal of two boxes were broken probably due to poor handling. Opened two boxes. Two have corners with paint issues. In addition, they both have strange stuffs between the screen and the frame. One has a cyan horizontal line between the actual display area and the black area surrounding the bezel. Both screens have poorly sprayed uneven coating. Strangely, when standing straight at maximum height, they have noticeably different heights.

Maybe you should change your supplier.

Of all the monitors I've bought over the last several decades, I can count the number of times I've had to return one for issues like that on one hand, with 4 fingers left over.

 

[modeonoff]

Maybe you should change your supplier.

Of all the monitors I've bought over the last several decades, I can count the number of times I've had to return one for issues like that on one hand, with 4 fingers left over.

By supplier, do you mean store? I don't know if they are from the same source and distributed to different companies. Tried various models from BestBuy, Amazon and Costco (sent directly from Samsung) already. There was a sale. Many units went out of stock. I got the last ones. A CS representative said that usually the last ones are the ones with more issues since they have been sitting in the warehouse for longer. I bought 2022 models. Those I got were made in March or May.

For the ones sent from Samsung directly. They were all dirty with dust at the back. One even had a large dust patch under the screen. All three had some faint lines on the screen surface probably due to poor coating.

 

[modeonoff]

Perhaps it is psychological effect, perhaps it is for real. When having a browser spreading across all the screens, the white background looks different. Even all three displays have the same settings, they seem to have different white and brightness. Let's call them Monitors 1, 2 and 3 counting from the left. Monitors 1 and 2 came from the same store in one order. One was made in February and the other was made in May. Monitor 3 was made in February sold by another branch but the part of the browser on that screen also looks a bit different compared with that of Monitor 1. Among the three, the one in the middle (made in May) seems to look more different.

In this case, what can I do besides asking the store to replace the middle monitor?

 

[USAFRet]

In this case, what can I do besides asking the store to replace the middle monitor?

Adjust the color settings so they look the same (or close), not so the number settings are the same.

 

[kerberos_20]

I am very sorry but still at a lost.

Are 8-bit image, 8-bit per subpixel and 8-bit panel the same?

What I have in mind is that 30 years ago in PowerPC Mac Era, when we chose 8-bit (256 Colors) from System 7, we could see gradient of color with ugly transition. Later, with better video cards, we could choose 16-bit color to see smooth transition of color gradients. These days when people say 8-bit, it means something different?

well actually you could make 8bit images looking like 16bit images, those 256 colors werent fixed, color palette can be changed to any gradient of color you need in image, microsoft never bothered with it, thats why it looked ugly, but lots of proffesional software could use much better collor palettes...back in dos i had one which could convert 16bit into 8bit and you wouldnt notice any difference

 

[modeonoff]

Adjust the color settings so they look the same (or close), not so the number settings are the same.

Will that help if I have a color calibrator?

The remote controller for that display is dead in about a week of use! QC is so poor.

Now I am considering whether to ask for a replacement or just keep two displays and buy a 3rd one later if needed. So far, I two displays are needed for my work. The 3rd one is nice to have but not necessarily.

 

[USAFRet]

Will that help if I have a color calibrator?

The remote controller for that display is dead in about a week of use! QC is so poor.

Now I am considering whether to ask for a replacement or just keep two displays and buy a 3rd one later if needed. So far, I two displays are needed for my work. The 3rd one is nice to have but not necessarily.

Yes, a hardware calibrator can help.

Currently, I have a Datacolor Spyder X Pro.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07M6KPJ9K

 

[modeonoff]

Thank you. What are the cons of having two displays now and possibly add one more later? By later, I mean perhaps at the end of the year or when 2023-2024 model become available? With different models, will a calibrator still be able to make them look the same? I can imagine that if I do need one more display later, besides possible different color/brightness, the displays' dimensions could be different even at the same size.

 

[USAFRet]

Thank you. What are the cons of having two displays now and possibly add one more later? By later, I mean perhaps at the end of the year or when 2023-2024 model become available? With different models, will a calibrator still be able to make them look the same? I can imagine that if I do need one more display later, besides possible different color/brightness, the displays' dimensions could be different even at the same size.

Just know that no 2 monitors will ever be "exact" out of the box.
They will all take some fiddling.

And even then....maybe never "exactly the same".

For photo/video work, choose one of yours, and use that as the reference screen.

 

[Karadjgne]

From my experience, country of manufacture is often a QC telling point. Screens from Korea tend to be better, screens from Japan tend to be the best, screens from Mexico...

But that's often a price point decision. I bought a big screen Panasonic plasma some years ago. The S10, G10 and G15 were identical specs except for the origin and built-in apps. S10 was Mexico, G10 was Korea, G15 Japan. $1k difference in price between the S10 and G15, but the picture reflected the price difference, not the inclusion of easy access Netflix and Vudu.

More often than not, you get what you pay for, but there is a big difference between a quality panel and a budget panel and it's very rare to get a quality panel in a budget monitor. Hardware Unboxed has a lot of in-depth monitor reviews explaining the differences.