Acer AL1731 17" DVI 24-bit LCD - ~$310 + S&H

[sleepeeg3]

Acer w/ HyDis for ~$310 + shipping:
http://www.pricegrabber.com/se...id=3492434&blsrt=1

This is one of the handful of LCDs with the discontinued HyDis panel, as reported by *cough* THG! While it's specs only list it as having 20ms, that is deceiving. The current standard says that LCD response time can be claimed as the lowest response time it can achieve throughout the entire range of colors. Not only does this LCD have a better average response time than most of the LCDs out currently, it is also a true 24-bit panel and displays the full 16.7 million spectrum. The others are all 18-bit panels (256k colors) that dither the colors, which causes banding and bluriness in motion video. It is one of only two available, to my knowledge, with a response time under 20ms. The other is this unaffordable (yet kickass specs.) Samsung 193P. Still, the 193P uses PVA tech, so it's unlikely that's a realistic response time. This Acer is it.

 

[Slaz13]

Acer's LCD monitor receives Red Dot award for outstanding design
World-class German design institute commends the AL1731 LCD

Acer's AL1731 LCD monitor has won the prestigious Red Dot award that represents one of the most coveted quality marks for excellence in design around the world. Noted for its streamlined design and user-centric interface, the AL1731 LCD is a winner in the 2004 Product Design - Media and Home Electronics category. Acer is honored to receive this recognition for design capability; IT innovations that humanize technology and enhance the quality of life, and thus break the barriers between people and technology, is Acer's long-term mission.

The AL1731 LCD's design aspect encompasses a sleek frontal plane with elegantly crafted buttons to give users a comfortable and easy viewing experience. The combination of smart cable management and stand support reflects the utmost simplicity in design for enhanced user experience, while the clever integration of the 17-inch LCD body portrays a clear, visual form for sheer elegance. The recyclable aluminum that makes up most of the AL1731 helps protect the environment.

The annual Red Dot award was founded by the Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen in Germany, with over 50 years of history; the center is one of the oldest and most highly reputed design institutions in Europe. This year there were 381 winners chosen out of 1,673 entries from 32 countries. The Red Dot award for product design comprises of 11 product groups, in which the Media and Home Electronics category includes information and communication technology products.

The design center's panel of jury judges each product on innovation, aesthetic design, market penetration, performance, and contribution toward environmental protection. The jury consists of international design experts, and changes every year to guarantee maximum independence and assessment. Each year, winning products are displayed at the Red Dot design museum in Essen, which houses the world's largest exhibition of contemporary design. Winners in year 2003's Media and Home Electronics category include products from Sony, Nokia, Bose, Apple, and Logitech. More information may be found at www.red-dot-world.com.

 

[winzonly]

Originally posted by: Slaz13
Acer's LCD monitor receives Red Dot award for outstanding design
World-class German design institute commends the AL1731 LCD

Acer's AL1731 LCD monitor has won the prestigious Red Dot award that represents one of the most coveted quality marks for excellence in design around the world. Noted for its streamlined design and user-centric interface, the AL1731 LCD is a winner in the 2004 Product Design - Media and Home Electronics category. Acer is honored to receive this recognition for design capability; IT innovations that humanize technology and enhance the quality of life, and thus break the barriers between people and technology, is Acer's long-term mission.

The AL1731 LCD's design aspect encompasses a sleek frontal plane with elegantly crafted buttons to give users a comfortable and easy viewing experience. The combination of smart cable management and stand support reflects the utmost simplicity in design for enhanced user experience, while the clever integration of the 17-inch LCD body portrays a clear, visual form for sheer elegance. The recyclable aluminum that makes up most of the AL1731 helps protect the environment.

The annual Red Dot award was founded by the Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen in Germany, with over 50 years of history; the center is one of the oldest and most highly reputed design institutions in Europe. This year there were 381 winners chosen out of 1,673 entries from 32 countries. The Red Dot award for product design comprises of 11 product groups, in which the Media and Home Electronics category includes information and communication technology products.

The design center's panel of jury judges each product on innovation, aesthetic design, market penetration, performance, and contribution toward environmental protection. The jury consists of international design experts, and changes every year to guarantee maximum independence and assessment. Each year, winning products are displayed at the Red Dot design museum in Essen, which houses the world's largest exhibition of contemporary design. Winners in year 2003's Media and Home Electronics category include products from Sony, Nokia, Bose, Apple, and Logitech. More information may be found at www.red-dot-world.com.

you join today just to post this???

how about the AL1701?

 

[Slaz13]

No I joined today because I want to be able to post stuff not just that. Ive been wanting to post deals Ive just been to lazy to sign up.

 

[sleepeeg3]

Good post, slaz.

I forgot to mention, it's sexy too. Mine is in the mail

 

[welst10]

Great deal. I have an acer with the same kind of panel. Awesome for fast FPS gaming. I paid $387 several months ago.

 

[Yzzim]

Ugh, I don't know what to do.

Remind me again why I need a 24-bit capable LCD instead of a 16-bit one.

Also, wish it was black.

 

[Balt]

Pretty sweet if the quality is as good as they. I'm thinking of getting Acer's AL1912, though. ~$80 more for 19" as opposed to 17"

Link to Acer AL1912 19", black, 24-bit.

 

[Yzzim]

Originally posted by: Balt
Pretty sweet if the quality is as good as they. I'm thinking of getting Acer's AL1912, though. ~$80 more for 19" as opposed to 17"

no DVI though, and 19" is where DVI starts to make a difference

 

[Balt]

Originally posted by: Yzzim

Originally posted by: Balt
Pretty sweet if the quality is as good as they. I'm thinking of getting Acer's AL1912, though. ~$80 more for 19" as opposed to 17"

no DVI though, and 19" is where DVI starts to make a difference

Unfortunately, correct. Would be such a sweet deal if it had it. Still, reviews seem favorable.

 

[Nessism]

Originally posted by: Yzzim
Ugh, I don't know what to do.

Remind me again why I need a 24-bit capable LCD instead of a 16-bit one.

Also, wish it was black.

Their are a few different Acer 17" models, does anyone know if some of the others use the same HyDis panel? Most others are cheaper as well since they don't have speakers.

Ed

 

[sleepeeg3]

Originally posted by: Yzzim
Ugh, I don't know what to do.

Remind me again why I need a 24-bit capable LCD instead of a 16-bit one.

Also, wish it was black.

Think 16.7 million colors vs 256 thousand. Ultimately, video will look fuzzier, because it tries to dither colors together. Here's a link on what banding is: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colour_banding. My compressed .AVIs look crap on this 18-bit monitor.

I wish it was black too. Silver still looks good, and I can always change my speakers.

Unfortunately, correct. Would be such a sweet deal if it had it. Still, reviews seem favorable.

Someone said the converter on that is as good as DVI. I doubt it, though.

Their are a few different acer 17" models, does anyone know if some of the others use the same HyDis panel? Most others are cheaper as well since they don't have speakers.

They're cheaper because they don't have DVI. I think I read once that the Acer 1714 had it, though. Then again, I think I read that wasn't true.

Did not play much with VGA vs DVI, but on this Viewsonic 171b, parts of the screen (mainly the middle) were fuzzy, where the signal did not convert well. Also, white text appeared pinkish - it looked crap. Loading a color profile may have corrected that though, but I dunno. VGA might be cheaper, but you're missing the point if you don't go with DVI.

 

[Yzzim]

Please post a review of the LCD when you get it. Looking forward to seeing it, and will probably make my decision based on your review.

Thanks for all the info.

 

[Slaz13]

I'm pretty sure that mine is arriving today so I'll give you an idea of what its all about!

 

[gotensan01]

Originally posted by: Balt
Pretty sweet if the quality is as good as they. I'm thinking of getting Acer's AL1912, though. ~$80 more for 19" as opposed to 17"

Link to Acer AL1912 19", black, 24-bit.

Does this use the famous Hydis panel that I know nothing about?

 

[sleepeeg3]

Originally posted by: gotensan01

Originally posted by: Balt
Pretty sweet if the quality is as good as they. I'm thinking of getting Acer's AL1912, though. ~$80 more for 19" as opposed to 17"

Link to Acer AL1912 19", black, 24-bit.

Does this use the famous Hydis panel that I know nothing about?

Haha. Think it's an Au Optronics. Acer's site says 16ms and the next model below is Au. Only real difference between a 17" and 19" is that they stretch the distance between each pixel to make it bigger. Too bad the 1731 & 1912 are in different product lines.

Will write a brief review compared to a CRT/Viewsonic vp171b (16ms Au). Other than the dithering problem and the occasional, but noticeable wake effect in seriously high-speed games, the Viewsonic has few flaws. (well I wish it was a 19", but that can't be helped ) If this improves both of those, and doesn't add anything significantly new, I will be happy.

 

[tjaisv]

The contrast ratio is rather poor on this AL1731. Suggest stepping up to the AL1721, which has the same Hydis panel and improved specs to boot. Review here:

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articl...play/response-6_2.html

The lowest price i could find for it was $487 @ http://store.wholesaler-depot-2.com/al1721.html
but the site didn't say whether they were in stock or not.

 

[nightkit]

I think the review is talking about the AL1713, BECAUSE its dated
02/03/2004 | 10:57 PM
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articl...isplay/response-6.html

The REAL review of the Acer AL1731m is dated
07/21/2004 | 09:37 AM
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articl...play/response-7_2.html

 

[Balt]

Looks like Techonweb is out of these. It doesn't even say they are out of stock, it just doesn't come up anymore (as of the time of this post, anyway).

Pricegrabber link as posted by the OP still works for finding other dealers, of course.

 

[tjaisv]

Originally posted by: nightkit
I think the review is talking about the AL1713, BECAUSE its dated
02/03/2004 | 10:57 PM
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articl...isplay/response-6.html

The REAL review of the Acer AL1731m is dated
07/21/2004 | 09:37 AM
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articl...play/response-7_2.html

Whichever display the AL1721 review was referring to, the fact remains that the AL1731m's contrast ratio never exceeded 200:1 during testing. Since the 1731 and 1731m seem to be one and the same, it would be best to go with the 1721.

 

[Slaz13]

UNREAL! Ill give you a better review later cause right now im going costume shopping. NO DEAD PIXELS AND BEAUTIFUL in games so far.

 

[sleepeeg3]

Yes, I must have bought the only one from Techonweb! It should be on my doorstep right now, so I will post a comparison review as soon as I can, probably sometime tonight.

Bro, the AL1721 is an Au Optronics panel. It's only 256k colors. If the contrast ratio sucks on the Acer AL1731, I will be the first to let you know - not some synthetic test. Even on my Viewsonic with a 500:1 contrast ratio, I have to jack up the gamma on DOOM3. It's a problem with LCDs, but it's not a real noticeable issue once you compensate for it.

Also, if this LCD turns out not to suck, I would suggest you don't hesitate on the deal, because I seriously believe this is BenQ clearing their remaining stock of their former Acer line. Otherwise I think you will have to wait quite awhile for PVA tech to improve, before you will see another 16.7m color LCD that is good for gaming.

Edit: Glad to hear slaz! I am so freaking crossing my fingers that I don't get any dead pixels... damn that would suck.

 

[Slaz13]

I got my from techonweb haha so were the only two that got them! SWEET

 

[Balt]

Jerks.

Is a 17" LCD not too small for 1280x1024? That's why I'm looking at a 19", I hate having to focus my eyes more than absolutely necessary.

I keep my 19" CRT at 1024x768, if that's any indication.

 

[sleepeeg3]

Balt,
Before the Viewsonic, I was really worried about that too. I used to game on a 21" CRT and had the res @ 1152*864 and the same in games, because any smaller and the HUD in any FPS was annoyingly tiny and text could have been easier to read.

You have to take into account the significant differences of the LCD, though. In size alone, a 17" LCD is equal to an 18" CRT. So you are only losing an inch of diagonal viewing area.

The biggest differences is the level off sharpness you gain by switching to an LCD. 1600*1200 is probably a squint fest for most people on a CRT, but 1280*1024 you see every pixel on an LCD. It's shocking! At first it takes some getting used to, because the blurring on a CRT is like optical dithering and the edges look incredibly sharp. But the clarity alone on the Viewsonic compared to the 21" Mitsubishi I had - the LCD was without question easier to read text on.



It's here...
Well it's here so I will have to shut up and start reviewing. Best of all - NO DEAD PIXELS!

Pros:
Have tested a .DivX movie and from every unbiased section of my heart, there is a world of difference between this LCD and the 256k Au Optronics. Looks better than my CRT did, for movies

Gaming is about 20% more responsive than the Viewsonic and definitely improved. My best test for this was through slashing the claws in Alien vs Predator 2. Game is probably the fastest paced FPS shooter out there. The first thing I noticed when I played it on the Au Optronics is that the claw attack was virtually invisible. You would get about 2fps as your claws flash across the screen and be lucky to see anything but the outline. With the HyDis, you get about 6-8fps.

The other thing that makes AvP2 a good candidate for testing response time is how it rapidly changes views. You can do a corkscrew from the floor, left wall, ceiling, right wall, back to floor in about a second. Extremely disorienting and takes getting used to. With the HyDis, that is what I am drawing the 20% improvement from. You don't forget you are playing on an LCD, but it feels smoother than the Au.

Cons:
Damn the naysayer! Contrast ratio feels like it is about 85% of what the Viewsonic was, which was truly vibrant. I almost wished I had not bought it to compare... After extensive tweaking and doing a direct comparison, I have adjusted it to be pretty close and it's probably closer to "natural" than what I had the Viewsonic set at. The deep blacks in the Viewsonic were set to a point where they lost some of the detail. On the flipside, it still is far better than a CRT. Text is extremely crisp. I found this Tom's article that talks about how important contrast ratios are and 18-bit vs 24-bit colors. You average CRT is only 80-100nits, whereas even if this LCD is as low as 200nits, it will still be at least twice as "clear" if you are upgrading.

Bottom line, I think this is the best deal going on a 17" LCD.

*Edited the review after further testing.