What to look for in an LCD display?

daedal · Jul 13, 2005, 08:40 PM

I'm looking to pick up a 19" or 20" LCD monitor but I'm not too sure what to be looking for.
I know response time is an important factor in reducing Ghosting but what else shoudl I be looking at? Are there any brands I should absolutely avoid?

I'll probably go through TigerDirect.ca if you have any good examples on there.

MythicaL · Jul 13, 2005, 09:03 PM

Ummm, like response time between colors, refresh rate and resolution (most likely 1280x1024), whether or not it has dvi, power consumption, weight, etc.

Asmoday · Jul 13, 2005, 09:05 PM

Contrast ratio, luminence..etc

daedal · Jul 13, 2005, 10:44 PM

I saw this model and am intrigued. Looks nice for it's price. Any thoughts?
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...261738&CatId=0

CDsDontBurn · Jul 13, 2005, 11:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by daedal

I saw this model and am intrigued. Looks nice for it's price. Any thoughts?
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...261738&CatId=0

we sell that monitor at my work. very nice, very clean

. i would recomend it

Asmoday · Jul 13, 2005, 11:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by daedal

I saw this model and am intrigued. Looks nice for it's price. Any thoughts?
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...261738&CatId=0

Unfortunatly that monitor only have a analog input(if i didn't miss something)
I'd recommend getting the Hyundai L90D+, ive heard nothing but good things about it.
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...218288&CatId=0

daedal · Jul 13, 2005, 11:45 PM

That was the other one I was looking at. Looks nice too. Don't like the Silver trim but I can live with it..

swimtech · Jul 14, 2005, 02:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Asmoday

Unfortunatly that monitor only have a analog input(if i didn't miss something)
I'd recommend getting the Hyundai L90D+, ive heard nothing but good things about it.
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...218288&CatId=0

Same here... The Hyundai has DVI input too and is cheaper. Looks like the buy of the lot at Tiger...

Too bad they don't stock Viewsonic - Tipstaff likes 'em - and the Samsung 915N lacks DVI (but is rated brighter and faster) - pooh!

daedal · Jul 14, 2005, 02:57 AM

Will there be alot of ghosting on an 8ms?

Tipstaff · Jul 14, 2005, 03:19 AM

I love mine a lot. One thing to watch for is response time. I've mentioned this to someone recently, and that is that faster is not better.

In order to reduce the response time manufacturers are using panels that display less colors. Less colors to display equals lower response time. My VP191b-2 is what's called an 8bit panel. That means it uses 3 seperate colors (8x8x8) to give you 24bit True Color.. essentially 16.7 million colors. The trend for lower response time LCDs (8ms-4ms ones) is to use a 6bit panel which displays 18bit color, or 16.2 million colors. People might think that this isn't too bad, but believe me you will notice a difference. I mean, your missing 500,000 variations of colors not being displayed.. how can you not notice it? Case in point: my business partner just bought the Samsung 930b 8ms LCD as part of Samsungs Demo program. It has both analog and DVI inputs, and while it looks really nice (very sleek, nicely built) he was complaining about the colors, and how no matter what he did he couldn't get the colors to show up right. This is a guy that does a lot of photo/video editing. Sure enough if you check Samsungs website it says that the monitor displays 16.2 million colors.

So, even though you might find a monitor that has a response time of 8ms, 6ms, or even 4ms, just remember to check the amount of colors it displays. As well, find out what exactly is reduced. Even though it might say 8ms response time it may only be that the grey-to-grey response was lowered, yet the color response time may still be 12ms or 16ms. While this grg lowering helps with displaying black (like being able to seperate shadows, or dark areas of a room) it can acutally enhance ghosting problems that may already be present with the panel.

swimtech · Jul 14, 2005, 03:51 AM

I've heard this too Tip, but I've had a really hard time finding the complete listing of response times and the type of LCD (PVA, etc...) - any good sources?

Tipstaff · Jul 14, 2005, 04:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by swimtech

I've heard this too Tip, but I've had a really hard time finding the complete listing of response times and the type of LCD (PVA, etc...) - any good sources?

I wish. It would make my job a lot easier.

Oh, one other thing.. and this is a big one: Warranty. No matter what it says on the box, on a website, or what a sales person tells you about how long the warranty is, don't believe them! Call the manufacturer up, and ask them point blank: what does your warranty cover, EXACTLY? I've had this happen countless times this past 6 months, and it's really pissing me off (especially since it's costing me money!). If you see an LCD monitor that says it has a 3 year warranty take it as a "limited warranty". A nice trend from a lot of manufacturers is to offer a 3 year warranty on LCD monitors. Looks like a deal, right? Well it's not. In almost all cases the 3 warranty doesn't cover the panel itself, but only the other parts and labour. The panel is usually only covered for 1 year. Yes, 1 year! Hence the "limited warranty" part. Also, find out what their dead pixel warranty is. Some warranties can range from no dead pixels to as high as 8 before being qualified for repair.

So, do yourself a fav, and double check with the manufacturer. Don't even trust their own website. Call them. Viewsonic, Samsung, and NEC all have 3 year warranties that cover all parts, including the panel (sometimes referred to as the backlight or light source), and labour, but again, ask them directly. Make sure to tell them where you live, and the model you are planning to buy since not all regions or models are covered by that 3 years.

Of note, both Samsung and Viewsonic offer "Extended Warranties", with Viewsonics going as high as 5 years. Not too shaby.

daedal · Jul 14, 2005, 08:05 PM

Thanks for the tip, Tip.

Will deifnitly give them a ring before I order it.

thenewguy001 · Jul 23, 2005, 09:14 PM

anyone know of a place in Vancouver, BC that carries the Hyundai L90D+ monitor? no stores i know of carry that model or even other monitors from hyundai.

Tipstaff · Jul 23, 2005, 11:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thenewguy001

anyone know of a place in Vancouver, BC that carries the Hyundai L90D+ monitor? no stores i know of carry that model or even other monitors from hyundai.

Actually, you should call Hyundai up, and ask them for suppliers/dealers in Vancouver. You can get a list of US suppliers, plus their main number HERE, and they should be able to tell you suppliers/dealers in Canada. Do you have a Frys Electronics, or TigerDirect out there? They are official suppliers, and you'd probably find that monitor with them.

Also, while I had to Google to find the location, a friend mentioned a place called Anitec that is outside of Vancouver.

Nice choice for an LCD by the way. Hope you get it.

Necrosis · Jul 24, 2005, 06:40 PM

I recently picked up a Dell 1905 as a secondary display. I have to say it sure gives my 2001FP a run for it's money. I can definitely tell it's brighter (even though that is the same), it's most likely the higher contrast. I only paid a little over 300 /w shipping & tax.

drwho · Jul 24, 2005, 11:13 PM

I've also been looking into purchasing a 19" TFT monitor and the Hyundai L90D+ happens to be at the top of my short list. Awhile back I was doing some searching on Google and came across this listing. I found it very informative, it list all the newer LCD monitors with descriptions and reviews and user opinions. I hope you find it as informative as I did.

drwho

thenewguy001 · Jul 26, 2005, 02:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tipstaff

Actually, you should call Hyundai up, and ask them for suppliers/dealers in Vancouver. You can get a list of US suppliers, plus their main number HERE, and they should be able to tell you suppliers/dealers in Canada. Do you have a Frys Electronics, or TigerDirect out there? They are official suppliers, and you'd probably find that monitor with them.

Also, while I had to Google to find the location, a friend mentioned a place called Anitec that is outside of Vancouver.

Nice choice for an LCD by the way. Hope you get it.

thanks. I actually found anitec on google too. they're about a 10 minute drive from me

. i put down a deposit and should be able to pick it up in a week. now not only do i get an awesome LCD monitor i also found a new store for me to do my geeking and don't have to go all the way across town

i tell ya, cities really need one of them visual directories they have at the mall. if you need shoes, go to section H2, need tech toys? B15.

daedal · Jul 26, 2005, 03:15 AM

I received my Hyundai L90D+ today (19inch, 8ms, 1280x1024, 700:1) and I have to say, it kicks some serious ass. Takes allot of tweaking to get the brightness and contrast right but the thing rocks. Worth a look.

Tipstaff · Jul 27, 2005, 07:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by daedal

I received my Hyundai L90D+ today (19inch, 8ms, 1280x1024, 700:1) and I have to say, it kicks some serious ass. Takes allot of tweaking to get the brightness and contrast right but the thing rocks. Worth a look.

Speaking of which, can you post your final settings, daedal? Like the actual monitor settings, and whatever settings you have in the display panel? It might be useful to know what some people have their monitors setup for, and it would give newguy a starting point when he gets his.

Dark Lord · Jul 27, 2005, 07:44 AM

not quite on topic, but close enough.

im still looking at picking up one of thoes 2001fps (ya ya i know, ive been saying it for almost 6 months now) and i was wondering if theres really any diffrence between those, and some of the newer monitors comeing out now?

i know there actually becming kind of old monitors now, but is there any real diffrence between clearity and brightness, compared to that of the newer monitors that are just comeing out now? what about response time? is anything lower then 16ms really all that noticable for gameing and movies?

and actually.... any one know of other monitors that have S-video, DVI, 1600x1200res, and are 19"+ in size?

daedal · Jul 29, 2005, 01:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tipstaff

Speaking of which, can you post your final settings, daedal? Like the actual monitor settings, and whatever settings you have in the display panel? It might be useful to know what some people have their monitors setup for, and it would give newguy a starting point when he gets his.

It's been a few days and I'm still tweaking it. Sometimes it seems too dark, sometimes too bright.

CDsDontBurn · Jul 29, 2005, 10:16 PM

i picked me up this Samsung monitor from work a couple days ago. for my sister though. haven't set it up yet as i'm also going to be doing a case swap for her as well.

drwho · Aug 1, 2005, 05:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by daedal

It's been a few days and I'm still tweaking it. Sometimes it seems too dark, sometimes too bright.

Any more comments about the Hyundai L90D+, daelal. I've read an ad in Friday's paper where some store is selling the L90D+ for under $300. I'm just wondering how you like yours, because I'm going to check out this store tommorrow and I might buy one if I like it. What's the word.

drwho

Tipstaff · Aug 1, 2005, 06:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by drwho

Any more comments about the Hyundai L90D+, daelal. I've read an ad in Friday's paper where some store is selling the L90D+ for under $300. I'm just wondering how you like yours, because I'm going to check out this store tommorrow and I might buy one if I like it. What's the word.

drwho

$300 US? Good deal. That's about $50-$60 cheaper than the average US price I've seen. Is it new or refurbed though? The reason I ask is that normally they sell for that price (Newegg sells them for $290).

drwho · Aug 1, 2005, 02:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tipstaff

$300 US? Good deal. That's about $50-$60 cheaper than the average US price I've seen. Is it new or refurbed though? The reason I ask is that normally they sell for that price (Newegg sells them for $290).

As far as I know L90D+ is suppossed to be new.

If the LCD is refurbished, I won't buy, I don't like paying alot of money for second-hand stuff. I'll report back later on what I find out.

drwho

drwho · Aug 2, 2005, 04:07 AM

Well, I picked up my L90D+ this afternoon, and man, all I can say is wow. My final price for the monitor walking out the door was $295, not bad. I'm still fiddling with the settings alittle but I found a was to get the fonts so it looks nice and solid. What a difference. So far I'm totally impresssed with this Hyundia LCD monitor.

Just thought I should add that there are no dead pixels either.

drwho

daedal · Aug 2, 2005, 10:56 PM

Yeah, read that a few people off TigerDirect did get some Dead Pixels but I didn't.

thenewguy001 · Aug 4, 2005, 02:56 AM

got my L90D+ today. no dead pixels, and the color and contrast are great at the settings i use on the desktop. however, i notice that the range of contrast/gamma/brightness isn't as large as with the CRT (as I expected) so there may be problems if i'm playing a dark FPS game online, but i'm sure i'll cope with it. the quality is definately more crisp than the CRT

drwho · Aug 4, 2005, 05:44 AM

To daedal and thenewguy001

I just noticed something in my Device Manager. I'm assuming it has something to do with the L90D+ since it wasn't there before I installed the monitor. It reads like this.

Class for PdiPorts devices

PDI Kernel Ports Device Driver

Both these lines have the yellow question marks in front of them. What am I missing or what did I forget to install?

drwho

Jul 13, 2005, 08:40 PM	#1
daedal Uber Coffee Drinker Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Gatineau, Quebec Posts: 2,250 Rep Power: 0	What to look for in an LCD display? I'm looking to pick up a 19" or 20" LCD monitor but I'm not too sure what to be looking for. I know response time is an important factor in reducing Ghosting but what else shoudl I be looking at? Are there any brands I should absolutely avoid? I'll probably go through TigerDirect.ca if you have any good examples on there. __________________

Jul 13, 2005, 09:03 PM	#2
MythicaL I like computers. Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: In front of a monitor Posts: 3,399 Rep Power: 89 System Specs	Ummm, like response time between colors, refresh rate and resolution (most likely 1280x1024), whether or not it has dvi, power consumption, weight, etc. __________________ Always knew I didn't belong in this world. I wasn't made for this. But I'll never forget those who betrayed me, and those who never failed my trust.

Jul 13, 2005, 09:05 PM	#3
Asmoday Demonic Join Date: May 2002 Location: In the cold, dark north... Posts: 5,198 Rep Power: 92 System Specs	Contrast ratio, luminence..etc __________________ How You can help Hardwareheaven by using Digg

Jul 13, 2005, 10:44 PM	Thread Starter #4
daedal Uber Coffee Drinker Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Gatineau, Quebec Posts: 2,250 Rep Power: 0	I saw this model and am intrigued. Looks nice for it's price. Any thoughts? http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...261738&CatId=0 __________________

Jul 13, 2005, 11:45 PM	Thread Starter #7
daedal Uber Coffee Drinker Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Gatineau, Quebec Posts: 2,250 Rep Power: 0	That was the other one I was looking at. Looks nice too. Don't like the Silver trim but I can live with it.. __________________

Jul 14, 2005, 02:57 AM	Thread Starter #9
daedal Uber Coffee Drinker Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Gatineau, Quebec Posts: 2,250 Rep Power: 0	Will there be alot of ghosting on an 8ms? __________________

Jul 14, 2005, 03:19 AM	#10
Tipstaff HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Real capital of Canada: Torauna Posts: 6,773 Rep Power: 191 System Specs	I love mine a lot. One thing to watch for is response time. I've mentioned this to someone recently, and that is that faster is not better. In order to reduce the response time manufacturers are using panels that display less colors. Less colors to display equals lower response time. My VP191b-2 is what's called an 8bit panel. That means it uses 3 seperate colors (8x8x8) to give you 24bit True Color.. essentially 16.7 million colors. The trend for lower response time LCDs (8ms-4ms ones) is to use a 6bit panel which displays 18bit color, or 16.2 million colors. People might think that this isn't too bad, but believe me you will notice a difference. I mean, your missing 500,000 variations of colors not being displayed.. how can you not notice it? Case in point: my business partner just bought the Samsung 930b 8ms LCD as part of Samsungs Demo program. It has both analog and DVI inputs, and while it looks really nice (very sleek, nicely built) he was complaining about the colors, and how no matter what he did he couldn't get the colors to show up right. This is a guy that does a lot of photo/video editing. Sure enough if you check Samsungs website it says that the monitor displays 16.2 million colors. So, even though you might find a monitor that has a response time of 8ms, 6ms, or even 4ms, just remember to check the amount of colors it displays. As well, find out what exactly is reduced. Even though it might say 8ms response time it may only be that the grey-to-grey response was lowered, yet the color response time may still be 12ms or 16ms. While this grg lowering helps with displaying black (like being able to seperate shadows, or dark areas of a room) it can acutally enhance ghosting problems that may already be present with the panel. __________________ Portal: The Flash Version _________________________________ Brain: So, you sacked the cocky khaki Kicky Sack sock plucker? Mr. Sackett: The second cocky khaki Kicky Sack sock plucker I've sacked since the sixth sitting sheet slitter got sick.

Jul 14, 2005, 03:51 AM	#11
swimtech HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: North Carolina Posts: 4,040 Rep Power: 124 System Specs	I've heard this too Tip, but I've had a really hard time finding the complete listing of response times and the type of LCD (PVA, etc...) - any good sources? __________________ It's not so much getting your way that matters or not - what matters is how you go about getting it.

Jul 14, 2005, 08:05 PM	Thread Starter #13
daedal Uber Coffee Drinker Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Gatineau, Quebec Posts: 2,250 Rep Power: 0	Thanks for the tip, Tip. Will deifnitly give them a ring before I order it. __________________

Jul 23, 2005, 09:14 PM	#14
thenewguy001 DriverHeaven Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Canadian West Coast Posts: 76 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	anyone know of a place in Vancouver, BC that carries the Hyundai L90D+ monitor? no stores i know of carry that model or even other monitors from hyundai.

Jul 24, 2005, 06:40 PM	#16
Necrosis HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: Ohio Posts: 8,838 Rep Power: 131 System Specs	I recently picked up a Dell 1905 as a secondary display. I have to say it sure gives my 2001FP a run for it's money. I can definitely tell it's brighter (even though that is the same), it's most likely the higher contrast. I only paid a little over 300 /w shipping & tax.

Jul 24, 2005, 11:13 PM	#17
drwho HardwareHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Carol Stream, IL Posts: 572 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	I've also been looking into purchasing a 19" TFT monitor and the Hyundai L90D+ happens to be at the top of my short list. Awhile back I was doing some searching on Google and came across this listing. I found it very informative, it list all the newer LCD monitors with descriptions and reviews and user opinions. I hope you find it as informative as I did. drwho __________________

Jul 26, 2005, 03:15 AM	Thread Starter #19
daedal Uber Coffee Drinker Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Gatineau, Quebec Posts: 2,250 Rep Power: 0	I received my Hyundai L90D+ today (19inch, 8ms, 1280x1024, 700:1) and I have to say, it kicks some serious ass. Takes allot of tweaking to get the brightness and contrast right but the thing rocks. Worth a look. __________________

Jul 27, 2005, 07:44 AM	#21
Dark Lord HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Grand Rapids, MI Posts: 5,945 Rep Power: 125 System Specs	not quite on topic, but close enough. im still looking at picking up one of thoes 2001fps (ya ya i know, ive been saying it for almost 6 months now) and i was wondering if theres really any diffrence between those, and some of the newer monitors comeing out now? i know there actually becming kind of old monitors now, but is there any real diffrence between clearity and brightness, compared to that of the newer monitors that are just comeing out now? what about response time? is anything lower then 16ms really all that noticable for gameing and movies? and actually.... any one know of other monitors that have S-video, DVI, 1600x1200res, and are 19"+ in size? __________________

Jul 29, 2005, 10:16 PM	#23
CDsDontBurn Lurking DriverHeaven Join Date: May 2003 Location: Southern California Posts: 22,795 Rep Power: 235 System Specs	i picked me up this Samsung monitor from work a couple days ago. for my sister though. haven't set it up yet as i'm also going to be doing a case swap for her as well. __________________ Her First Day \| A year later

Aug 2, 2005, 04:07 AM	#27
drwho HardwareHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Carol Stream, IL Posts: 572 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	Well, I picked up my L90D+ this afternoon, and man, all I can say is wow. My final price for the monitor walking out the door was $295, not bad. I'm still fiddling with the settings alittle but I found a was to get the fonts so it looks nice and solid. What a difference. So far I'm totally impresssed with this Hyundia LCD monitor. Just thought I should add that there are no dead pixels either. drwho __________________ Last edited by drwho; Aug 2, 2005 at 04:31 AM.

Aug 2, 2005, 10:56 PM	Thread Starter #28
daedal Uber Coffee Drinker Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Gatineau, Quebec Posts: 2,250 Rep Power: 0	Yeah, read that a few people off TigerDirect did get some Dead Pixels but I didn't. __________________

Aug 4, 2005, 02:56 AM	#29
thenewguy001 DriverHeaven Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Canadian West Coast Posts: 76 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	got my L90D+ today. no dead pixels, and the color and contrast are great at the settings i use on the desktop. however, i notice that the range of contrast/gamma/brightness isn't as large as with the CRT (as I expected) so there may be problems if i'm playing a dark FPS game online, but i'm sure i'll cope with it. the quality is definately more crisp than the CRT

Aug 4, 2005, 05:44 AM	#30
drwho HardwareHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Carol Stream, IL Posts: 572 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	To daedal and thenewguy001 I just noticed something in my Device Manager. I'm assuming it has something to do with the L90D+ since it wasn't there before I installed the monitor. It reads like this. Class for PdiPorts devices PDI Kernel Ports Device Driver Both these lines have the yellow question marks in front of them. What am I missing or what did I forget to install? drwho __________________