ZylonBane on 14/2/2010 at 01:11
Further complicating the issue is that the quality of TN panels apparently varies wildly. At work I've been using a Dell 2001FP for years, and it has excellent viewing angles-- no visible color shifts at all under normal viewing conditions. By contrast, the 27" Hannspree I tried out a few weeks ago was absolute shit. There was literally no viewing position that didn't leave some part of the screen color-shifted. Ugh.
Renzatic on 14/2/2010 at 02:59
Oh damn. Hannspree. I also had one of those craptastical monitors dirtying up my desk for a couple of hours. I walked into Best Buy to get the Dell I'd been researching (and now have sitting in front of me), but ended up getting suckered in by the nice looking Hannspree display model they had out. It was 25" instead of the 24", 20 dollars cheaper, and had a great picture based on all the little tests I ran out on the floor. Thought it was a helluva deal, so I grabbed it.
Let me just say I never quite knew what light bleed was until I got this thing. First off, it was the complete opposite of what you usually get with most LCD. Dark in the middle, super bright along the top and bottom edges. And by super bright I mean it was nigh on white, almost like the backlights were exposed. No amount of poking and prodding could make it anywhere near acceptable.
Secondly, the viewing angle was just GAWWWHHH. I set out wanting to buy a good inexpensive TN panel so I'd have a nice 16:9 monitor to goof around on without costing the earth. I knew what I was getting into. Or at least thought I did. The Hannspree almost made me change my mind on getting a TN altogether. I kept with it though. The Dell, while not having near as nice a viewing angle as the old S-IPS, isn't exactly horrible by any stretch of the imagination. Specially considering what I just had as comparison. For reference, I could pivot in my chair 180 degrees and not notice a bit of difference on the IPS. With the Dell, I see my whites shift to a light beige when I'm nearing the end of my arc. The Hannspree, I could barely move my eyes without getting color distortion.
Thirdly. Contrast ratio. I'm always suspicious of the contrast ratio ratings. Everyone pretty much knows it's been marketing gimmicked to hell and back, and most LCDs don't come anywhere near the advertised 1000:1. Well, the Hannspree drove that point home in a big bad way. It had 10000:1 contrast ratio slapped right on the outside of the box."WOOHOO", I thought, "I'm gonna have whites like driven snow and blacks as black as the ebon heart of a deep dark cave". No. Not quite. The colors were so washed out in Dead Space, the darker sections were almost like playing through a faint, near unseeable film negative. That, on top of the light bleed, made even using the desktop a trying experience.
Long story short, I took it back and got the Dell I originally set out to get. It has absolutely no bells and whistles. No adjustable neck, no USB slots, nothing beyond being just a monitor. But despite that, it's been worth $300 I paid for it, TN and all. In some areas, it actually beats out my old $650 Gateway. But, even if the Dell did end up being an absolute piece of crap, it still would've been 10 times better than that Hannspree.
Sulphur on 24/3/2010 at 19:59
I got a newb question here.
I'm planning on binning my trusty old 17" CRT of 5 years and getting one of these widescreen jobbies soon. It's pretty much a dead cert that I'm getting a Dell, probably one of the models referenced in this thread. However, my question has to do with the resolution game. If I get one of those 1080p native-res 24" monitors, how do games fare on less-than-native resolutions? I'm pretty sure running Metro 2033 at 1920x1080 on Very High is going to be out of the question on a 4890HD, so if I run it at 1680x1050, how much of a hit is the picture quality likely to take? Is it very noticeable, or...?
Like I said, newb question. Be gentle, please. :)
bikerdude on 24/3/2010 at 22:24
Quote Posted by Sulphur
so if I run it at 1680x1050, how much of a hit is the picture quality likely to take? Is it very noticeable
it will All depend on how good the internal scaling of the monitor is, that said most of the top end Dells should have good scaling. Which model are you look to buy and whats your over all budget..?
BLACKJACKER on 25/3/2010 at 00:43
Quote Posted by Renzatic
Oh damn. Hannspree. I also had one of those craptastical monitors dirtying up my desk for a couple of hours.
I've got 3 of them one 22" I've had for about 18 months and 2 23" for about 6 months now I have no issues with them
Aja on 25/3/2010 at 00:53
Quote Posted by Bikerdude
it will All depend on how good the internal scaling of the monitor is, that said most of the top end Dells should have good scaling. Which model are you look to buy and whats your over all budget..?
Where can you find out about scaling options? I kinda want a smaller (ie 19-24") television (or monitor? I don't need a tuner) to use with my Xbox and PS3 and maybe laptop. But a lot of the PS3 games run in 720p, and will only upscale if your TV supports it. 1080p, even upscaled, looks noticeably better. But upscaling seems to be a feature most people don't really care or know about, so manufacturers don't exactly list it in their spec sheets.
If you know offhand of a model in the $300 range that supports 1080p and scales 720 well, I'd be interested to hear it.
bikerdude on 25/3/2010 at 01:47
Quote Posted by Aja
If you know offhand of a model in the $300 range that supports 1080p and scales 720 well, I'd be interested to hear it.
I'll have a look tomoz as its way past my bed time atm.. :-D
Sulphur on 25/3/2010 at 16:12
Quote Posted by Bikerdude
it will All depend on how good the internal scaling of the monitor is, that said most of the top end Dells should have good scaling. Which model are you look to buy and whats your over all budget..?
I'm looking at something in the vicinity of ~$300. The 2408WFP looks rather nice, but I'm going to have to wait until the prices get knocked out of orbit and come back down to earth. A quote from the local Dell store here puts it at ~$850 which, needless to say, is ferkin' ridiculous. Might have to get a TN panel if it comes down to it.
bikerdude on 25/3/2010 at 22:23
Firstly the video card you have will only run games comfortably with medium/high detail at nothing higher than 1680*1050, so at this point there is not reason to get a 24". Secondly your budget wont allow for even a half descent 24" monitor that's any good.
So what the above in mind and my predilection towards IPS based panels (IPS is currently the best panel type out there) and you seem to like Dell's one suggestion is the Dell 22" 2209WA. Its an e-IPS based panel and its under $300 :eek: But at that price you have to expect some foibles and caveats.
* Some reviewers have reported that the uniformity isn't as good as it could be, but this is subjective and it could be better or worse from panel to panel. - I assume you guys in the USA have a similar thing to us in the UK which is the 7 days distance selling act (if what ever reason i don't like the monitor I can send it back for a full refund minus shipping)
* Some reviewers have reported the scaling on some resolutions isn't up to par, in that you get some stretching.
Everything else about the monitor appears to be better than good and considering how cheap it is, my 2 cents would be to go and buy it. Ive read that some are calling it the king of 22" monitors and I'm inclined to agree.
Some reviews -
(
http://www.overclock.net/monitors-displays/467862-my-review-dell-2209wa-ips-panel.html)
(
http://www.avforums.com/forums/monitors-webcams-external-video-devices/977623-dell-2209wa-e-ips-monitor-review.html)
But if you still want that extra screen space then the Dell G2410H might be to your licking as its only $339. What is the major selling point of this monitor is that it is WLED backlit. Unfortunately its a TN based panel so your viewing angels will suffer.
I wasn't able to find any meaningful reviews, which in my mind dosen't speak well of the monitor.
