We’ve had LCD monitors at work for a few years, and I could never understand the fuss - especially when folks said they reduce eye strain; I never had eye strain until we switched to these monitors. Then I discovered a few months ago that this is because they only make one lower tier of specs for LCD monitors.
Now that I know that my experience with LCD is just with bottom of the barrel models, I think I’m finally ready to retire my several years’ old 17" CRT monitor which has finally begun to noticeably flicker. Pretty much any monitor is going to be an improvement over my current one, but I’d like to get the best one I can at the price range I’m willing to spend for improvements. Obviously, however, given that I didn’t know that the monitors at work are examples of ones that suck, I’m not too savvy when it comes to identifying a good one so I thought I would ask your opinions.
What do you think of this one by LG? (with this code it’s on sale until the 22nd for $130 plus free shipping). It’s a 20.1" widescreen, which is good because I wanted one 19-20," having recently decided that 22" is too big for my needs. The Image Contrast Ratio is “8000:1 (dynamic)”, and this is the highest I’ve seen in this price range; far far higher than the ones at work that are just in the hundreds. What does “dynamic” mean, though, is it something to be concerned with, or just a typical descriptor? And the Response Time is 2 ms, which is better than those in the 5 ms range, correct?
Am I right to think that this one sounds pretty good, or should I continue to look for something better in the same price range (up to $150 or so)?
** I don’t know if it matters much when it comes to monitors like it does ram and graphics cards, but the type of games I play on my computer are primarily ones in the Sims and Zoo Tycoon lines, which seem to require lower specs than a lot of the newest more male-oriented games. Other than that I use the computer mostly to read, write, and use paint programs.
The response time isn’t very important unless you’re playing action-type video games. 2ms vs 5ms is pretty academic.
There aren’t any standards on how to measure contrast ratio, so the advertised specs don’t really mean much.
Regarding dynamic contrast, some LCDs can temporarily dim their backlight when there’s an image that is dark. This allows the screen to get darker and have more detail in the blacks, but it reduces the maximum brightness, so it doesn’t work if there are deep blacks and bright colors on the screen at the same time.
There are different types of LCD panels. TN screens are the cheapest. They’re found in low-end desktop monitors and almost all laptops. They’re the worst when it comes to shifting colors when you move around. They’re the fastest though, so gamers like them. The other types such as PVA, MVA, S-IPS and H-IPS have better colors and viewing angles than TN. VA monitors are the slowest, though. The marketing doesn’t usually say which type of panel is used, but it can sometimes be figured out by other specs. If it has a 178-degree viewing angle, it’s probably IPS. In your price range, they’re probably all TN.
You can get an LCD with either a glossy or matter finish. It’s a matter or personal preference, and it depends on where you’re going to use it. If you have any bright lights directly behind your computer desk, then you will probably want a matte screen.
1680x1050 resolution is pretty much standard for a 20" widescreen. Sometimes when you move up a size in monitors, you might get a monitor that’s bigger but doesn’t actually show any more detail. The resolution should go up as you look at bigger monitors. 1920x1080 is useful because it will let you view 1080p high-resolution video, such as found on Blu-Ray or some HDTV channels, without scaling.
It would probably be a good idea to take a look at some monitors at your local store, or take a look at www.newegg.com which has good user reviews and ratings. I don’t know anything about the monitor you mentioned. Another option is to get a used monitor on Craigslist, which would let you get a higher-end unit for the price but it might not last as long as a brand-new one.
How can a monitor be too big for your needs? I’ve got a 30" monitor at work and wish I had another, which my boss does.
Anyway… riker1384 is right about TN vs. other types of displays, but most displays sold today use TN panels. The HP LP2065, at $383, is the least expensive non-TN monitor I’ve been able to find (it’s MVA).
Among TN panel monitors there’s still a big variation, but I’ve never been able to figure it out from specs. I think you should just make sure you buy from a reputable shop/site with a good return policy, and be prepared to return it if you don’t like the quality.
LCDs are pretty much commodity items these days. Agreed that the TN versus MVA/PVA is the biggest difference. In a nutshell, TN panels are cheap and have fast response times. MVA/PVA are more expensive, but have better colors and viewing angles. In practice, for every day uses the differences are negligible:
You can crowd a whole bunch of people around a MVA/PVA display, and everyone will be able to see without the colors going off. For a TN panel, two people sitting side by side can still see it, but more would be a stretch.
The color reproduction on a TN panel is fine for everyday purposes. Go with MVA/PVA only if you’re really picky about editing digital photos, or something similarly demanding.
Response time, again, only matters for some games.
As for the manufacturer, LG is fairly reputable. You’ll be able to deal with US return centers, rather than shipping a broken monitor all the way to and from Taiwan.
