Are LCD's "commodity items" yet?

[SunnyD]

What I mean is are we at the point that other than general build quality, is there any real point to purchasing brand A over brand B considering all of the panels themselves are made by one of about 4 or 5 companies at this point?

 

[Red Squirrel]

I usually just go by price and buy whatever seems mid end, and from a brand I actually heard of before. When I see a weird brand name like YotmutchiTek I stay away. (I just made that name up, but you get the idea)

 

[akugami]

I do think we're at a point where LCD's are commodity items. Prices on the low end don't vary by a whole lot and neither does quality. Only things I would look at is monitor design. For the average person, that's all they need. Obviously gamers and those doing stuff like image editing need higher quality monitors.

 

[Yuriman]

PVA/MVA/IPS panels are still superior to TN panels, and have a price premium because of it.

Some new LCDs have LED backlighting, or can display 120hz.


Not commodity items yet.

 

[SunnyD]

PVA/MVA/IPS panels are still superior to TN panels, and have a price premium because of it.

Some new LCDs have LED backlighting, or can display 120hz.


Not commodity items yet.

Even so, when shopping for a PVA panel, Brand A over Brand B? Or IPS, brand A over B? Is there really any difference?

 

[brblx]

yes.

this is like asking if you should just buy whatever car is cheapest, 'cause they all have engines, anyway.

 

[nitromullet]

Even so, when shopping for a PVA panel, Brand A over Brand B? Or IPS, brand A over B? Is there really any difference?

Yes. There are huge differences in price and quality.

 

[SunnyD]

Yes. There are huge differences in price and quality.

Care to point out a few? I'm talking within the same family of panel technology, not between technologies.

 

[exar333]

Even though the panel may be the same, a company like Dell or HP may put that panel in varying packaging that includes power supplies, connectivy features, and bezel choices. These choice can significantly impact how long the panel can operate, how hot/cool they run, what connections they do or do not include, and how cheap/expensive the housing is. I don't know about you, but if the same panel is available in a vastly superior bezel that allows articulation, that would be my choice.

If you research panels, you will see they can be put in vastly more (or less) reliable applications.

 

[kmmatney]

I don't think there is that much difference in LCD panels, if you stay within the same panel type. For instance the Dell and HP IPS panels, aren't "that" much different, so you need to look at other factors like return policy, warranty, other features, etc...I would say all teh top teir braqnds are pretty equal, and I don't think there is much difference if your purchase an LG, Samsung, Viewsonic, Dell, HP or other big name. The cheaper second-tier brands (Hanns-G, Acer, Asus, BenQ, Sceptre, etc...) are also all about the same.

I have seven LCDs panels here at home, 5 TN panels, 1 MVA, and one e-IPS. Of the 5 TN panels, they are an Acer, BenQ, Hanns-G, and 2 Viewsonics. The TN panels all have about the same picture quality (although one of the Viewsonics is a little worse than the rest). They have all been very reliable, and no dead pixels on any of them. The BenQ and one of the Viewsonics are over 5 years old.

My MVA and e-IPS panels are about equal to each other as well, in terms of picture quality, and both are lot better than the TN panels. This is especially true for dark scenes in movies and games.

 

[Winterpool]

SunnyD, the short answer is no, definitely no.

I mean it's more commodified than some markets, certainly, but there's considerable variety even within panel types (there's an active thread right now debating TN quality distribution). IPS is a more problematic niche, as the 'computer' displays are all being produced by one manufacturer (LG.Display), and there are so few IPS monitors available in the States. But even the HP LP2475w and Dell U2410 (which seem to use more or less the same 24-inch H-IPS panel) have different features (eg an almost usable sRGB mode in the Dell). Meanwhile the Apple 24-inch display is glossy and LED-backlit (and may have a better sample of panels than the cheaper HP and Dell marques), and of course the NEC LCD2490WUXi really does seem to justify the thousand-dollar price tag (presuming one can afford $1000 for a monitor). In the case of the NEC, one of the things you're probably paying for is the pick of the litter from amongst LG.Display's 24-inch IPS panels.

 

[oatmealstorm]

PVA/MVA/IPS panels are still superior to TN panels, and have a price premium because of it.

Some new LCDs have LED backlighting, or can display 120hz.


Not commodity items yet.

Superior, but depends on your need. My TN samsung 226BW does everything I need to do FINE.

Sure, versus the 3-4x more expensive IPS's and PVA's, it might not do certain things equally, but it's really stupid to get them just because its 'superior'.

As with everything it depends on what you're using it for. Like, if you're not going to do graphics, photo, blu-ray watching, then there's no point in over-spending for those expensive panels. Bragging rights are for nerds.

 

[nitromullet]

Care to point out a few? I'm talking within the same family of panel technology, not between technologies.

Dell 2408WFP and EIZO FlexScan SX2461W: Both 24" PVA panels, worlds of difference in quality and price. I've owned both of these, and I can tell you after returning two of the 2408WFPs these monitors are not even in the same league. Granted, the EIZO is way more expensive than the Dell. I actually have a refurb, which supposedly was a demo unit. I came up about $1000 short on a new EIZO, but the refurb arrived in mint condition and it is hands down the best 24" LCD I've ever owned.

Planar PX2611W and NEC 2690WUXi: These two screens share the exact same IPS panel, but according to users these LCD's really aren't at all the same. I have no personal experience with either of these, so I only have second had reports to go on.

HP consumer (TN panels) vs. pretty much everyone else's consumer models: HP has switched their entire line of TN panels to a glossy display, while most of the other manufactures have stuck with matte. The glossies tend to have better color depth/contrast at the expense of reflections. It's really a matter of personal preference and the intended environment with regards to which is 'better'.

Wide gamut: Some PVA and IPS LCDs are wide gamut, some are not. Within the subset of wide gamut LCDs there are also different "widths". Dell advertises a 110% color gamut, while HP touts 102% color gamut on their comparable LCD.

1:1 pixel mapping: some LCDs support it, some don't. This may or may not be an issue for you depending on your intended usage. However, I imagine there are a decent amount of people out there running their 360, PS3, or watching HD movies horizontally stretched on their "better than 1080p" 1920x1200 LCD because it doesn't support 1:1 pixel mapping.

If you think LCD's are all the same, you either haven't done much shopping around, or you just aren't very sensitive to the differences. If it's the latter, be happy it will save you a lot of time and money.

 

[nitromullet]

Superior, but depends on your need. My TN samsung 226BW does everything I need to do FINE.

Sure, versus the 3-4x more expensive IPS's and PVA's, it might not do certain things equally, but it's really stupid to get them just because its 'superior'.

As with everything it depends on what you're using it for. Like, if you're not going to do graphics, photo, blu-ray watching, then there's no point in over-spending for those expensive panels. Bragging rights are for nerds.

It depends on how much you notice or how much the shortcomings bother you. For me, spending an extra $100-150 on a screen that doesn't drive me nuts or cause eye fatigue is money well spent. Considering how much time a lot of people spend on their computers for both business and pleasure, it sometimes astounds me how little attention is paid to the quality and comfort of the I/O devices.

 

[evolucion8]

Is also a matter of good research looking for a balance of quality and price, I bought my monitor brand new on Ebay for $189 with shipping included, and I think it was well spent, at the time that I bought it, in Newegg was priced near $400. Now it is cheaper. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824176072

I couldn't be happier with it, the blacks are deep and realistics, the viewing angles are great and there's little or no color banding at all.