Flat panel TFT computer monitors

[ScoPro]

Saw a 17" one at Fry's this morning for $189.95/no rebate. The picture looked ok to me, but I know nothing about the specs on these or what they mean:

1280X1024 Native Resolution.
500:1 Contrast Ratio.
300cd/m(2)
12ms Response Time.

It was some odd brand like Equinox. Is this a piece of crap, or a servicable hunk of hardware?

We do not play video games on our desktop, mainly Internet stuff. My tower is a 1 year old Compaq, but the monitor is a 5 year old 17" CRT which still works ok. Would just like to get rid of the bulky box in our computer cabinet.

 

[Campus Loop(y)]

Good question. I too want a flat panel.

 

[Ags_EE]

It's a servicable hunk of hardware. It's 25 bucks + shipping cheaper than the Dell branded version. The only question is whether or not the company will stay in business if you need to use the warrantee.

 

[Campus Loop(y)]

This company probably makes monitors for Dell, lol.

 

[next2naus]

most hardware if it works the 1st six weeks out of the box will live to ita life expectancy. YMWV

 

[gunnerhorn]

i got a dell 17" flat panel

it's pretty sweet. i'm a believer in getting what you pay for and well, i skipped on one of these deals and jumped in on one of the big *** discounts dell was running. it was i think 233 (lcd+tax+shipping)... and shipping was from mesquite so it was overnight.

 

[Campus Loop(y)]

I think Dell is over priced though and don't think their quality is what it used to be. Can somebody who knows chime in on this. Dont' they have cheaper places make their stuff than before?

 

[Horn_Spanker]

Watch the response time if you're a gamer. I picked up a used 19" LCD the other day and it looks great, but too slow for games. It's stats. showed 24ms, 12ms is probably much better, but I have seen 8ms ones out there.

 

[Quagmire]

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[dustin_c1]

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[longhrnfan]

what is the average CRT response time? I'm too poor to buy a monitor for my new computer, but I have a viewsonic crt that is only a few years old that doesn't give me problems.

 

[LosIllini]

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[dustin_c1]

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[Quagmire]

The colors on LCD's are much brighter and vibrant than a CRT. The only think that's lacking is the black levels.

 

[dustin_c1]

Brighter, yes. More vibrant, no. Colors are either displayed correctly or they aren't. The extreme brightness of an LCD monitor is often used to enhance perceived contrast -- it won't change actual contrast though.

However, some of the newer LCD panels are able to display nearly the entire sRGB gamut at a pretty high fidelity.

Most LCD monitors only display 6 bits of color per channel (that's about 262,000 total colors which is far, far fewer than the number of colors the human eye can discern). 6-bit monitors use a variety of tricks to simulate 8-bit monitors (16.7 million colors), but in the end, 6-bit monitors are clearly lacking. Unfortunately, most monitors on the market use 6-bit panels.

On most LCDs 5-10% of the colors differ so much from the correct color, you don't need a trained eye to notice that the color is incorrect. About 20% or so of the colors need a trained eye to tell whether they are correctly displayed or not. The rest are displayed correctly as far as the human eye can tell.

On the best LCDs, near 100% of the colors are close enough to correct that only a trained eye can see any difference and 90% or so of the colors are so good that even a trained eye can't tell the difference.

LCDs are making progress...and fast. But we are just now to the point where only the very best of the LCD monitors can be put next to a decent CRT and not be embarrassed.

The problem is that there is such a demand for low priced LCD monitors that 6-bit TN panels dominate the marketplace. There isn't a lot of demand for a decent quality LCD screen. The ****** screens are apparently good enough.

 

[kellenarb]

Dustin, I've got a question for you,

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[Quagmire]

Yeah where are u gettin these statistics?

U put my LCD side my side with the same picture to CRT and the LCD looks 100x better.

Even in games I've noticed the picture is much clearer, CRTs have a more washed out look.

 

[Quagmire]

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[dustin_c1]

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[kellenarb]

good site link. I see what you mean, the blacks don't change as fast, and I've noticed this with LCDs...full black loading screen popping out of a colorful game takes a lil bit to get fully black, and I do agree that CRTs have better black.

I still prefer the look of a nice LCD screen, however. Brighter, sharper...can't beat it.

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[sessamoid]

Most any decent (marked 12ms or better) current generation LCD will do fine for gaming. I used a nice Planar monitor during my Q3A days, and I had no complaints. I'm about as sensitive to refresh problems, as I was a completely hyperspastic player. Consecutive snap 180s in much less than a second were typical for me. Mind you Planar is better known for their medical imaging monitors, and I use those too. Great monitors with 10 bit color depth.