TBE on 1/10/2009 at 01:56

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Ok, at the top of this thread you said you had tested my monitor I listed. A 2408WFP. You said it had terrible polarization...blah blah blah.

Now you're saying that you tested the 2407WFP, which is a completely different tech build, and not the monitor I was trying to recommend. A Dell 2408WFP.

You consistently don't read people's posts fully and assume you know the answer. If you do read the entire post, you're leaving out key details of their post. You're quite a bright tech guy, but it's extremely annoying when you act like you know everything, but haven't even seen the monitor I described and linked to.

Would you kindly read the entire post people make, and then give a good tech response?

LarryG on 1/10/2009 at 03:53

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As long as I eventually get some actionable recommendations I don't mind. :p

heywood on 1/10/2009 at 16:35

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Bikerdude,

Both the Dell 2407WFP and 2408WFP are VA panels, not IPS. And this is just a nit, but the 'HC' designation first appeared on the later revision of the 2407 which came out in mid or late 2007. It refers to a different backlight providing a wider color gamut. Dell claims a wider color gamut for the 2408WFP, but test results indicate it's the same as the 2407WFP-HC.

oudeis,

You don't need 2 HDMI ports. Microsoft makes a VGA cable for the X-Box 360. Or, you can use a monitor with DVI and HDMI ports and use a HDMI-DVI adapter for one of the consoles. Or, you can use a monitor with component video inputs. Or, maybe a monitor with a DisplayPort input. I know you can get DisplayPort to HDMI adapters (mainly for Mac users); the reverse is probably available too. So, I think you have a lot more options than the ones you posted.

I also want to make some points about color gamut. LED backlighting is not necessarily the answer. There are two main types of LEDs used in LCD backlights, "white" LEDs and RGB LEDs. "White" LED are really blue LEDs with a phosphor coating that tries to equalize them to white. These generally do not produce accurate color. Their advantages are size, weight, and power consumption, which is why they are primarily used in laptops, cell phones, and stylishly thin TVs. The second type of LED backlight, consisting of separate red, green, and blue LEDs, is a completely different story. RGB LED backlights can be more accurate and have a wider gamut than CCFLs. However, 24" monitors with RGB LED backlights go for ~$2000 and are intended for professional use.

LEDs backlights can be placed on the edges of the screen and illuminate the screen through a diffusor. This results in the slimmest form factor and lowest power consumption, but uneven lighting. When they are placed behind the screen in a matrix, so that different portions of the screen are independently lit, the illumination is even and the LED output can be varied across the screen to improve contrast.

So, IMHO, edge-lit LCDs are to be avoided unless thinness is the most important factor. LED matrix backlights using white LEDs have a few advantages over CCFLs (dynamic contrast, lower power consumption) but they are generally not going to be as color accurate as a good CCFL. Which is why the "prosumer" grade LCD monitors, such as the Dell u2410 and HP 2475w I mentioned are still using CCFL backlights while some of the lower end stuff is getting white LEDs. And RGB LED backlights are out of our realm for now.

Additionally, there are different types of TN panels. They are all inherently 6-bit, but some interpolate 8-bit color by dithering across multiple pixels and others use Frame Rate Control, which means cycling rapidly between adjacent 6-bit levels on the same pixel to produce the same light output as you would get from the specified 8-bit level. Dithering across multiple pixels is more common, especially on laptops and cheaper monitors. It is fairly easy to notice with the right test material once you know what to look for (a pixelation effect on gradients) but not that bothersome to most people and not something I would notice playing games. And Frame Rate Control is very innocuous. I have a TN panel that uses FRC and I can't see the effect unless I stick my eye up against the screen and stare at a dark gradient. For comparison, the glitter/screen door effect you get with S-IPS panels is much more noticeable to me (but still not bothersome).

Here is an example of a monitor with a TN panel and CCFL backlight that covers 100% of the sRGB gamut:

(http://www.prad.de/en/monitore/review/2007/review-hp-w2408h-part9.html) http://www.prad.de/en/monitore/review/2007/review-hp-w2408h-part9.html

When I compared that monitor to the Dell 2407 which had a supposedly superior VA panel, the Dell had an obvious greenish tint. Even after adjusting that tint mostly out, it still couldn't do reds & yellows as convincing as the HP. The difference was a lot more noticeable than any FRC artifacts. In short, there is a lot more to image quality than panel type. What you see is a combination of backlight, crystal, polarizer, coating, controls, and calibration.

LarryG on 2/10/2009 at 03:06

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Can someone help me interpret the specs for (http://www.lge.com/us/computer-products/monitors/LG-led-monitor-W2486L.jsp) this new LG monitor? I don't see where they mention the screen technology ... ???

I read this


So I guess this is a TN panel ... Oh well.

LarryG on 2/10/2009 at 15:34

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Well the place that it falls down vs. your criteria is color gamut ...