Brief review: Planar 17.4" LCDs- Analog vs. Digital

[JWilco]

So last night I had the opportunity to plug in 2 Planar 17.4" LCD - one digital and one analog into my
dual head Radeon 8500. Supposedly, they both have a 17.4" Fujitsu MVA screen, but I couldn't confirm that fact.

First some external aesthetics:
The analog version, CT1744Z, has a thicker bezel, but allows swiveling horizontally. The PV174 does not allow horizontal swivelling but rotates from landscape to portrait, and includes a built in USB hub for what its worth.

2D quality:
To my eye, 2D quality is excellent for both monitors. Certainly better than any CRT I've ever seen, but YMMV. At my usual 24" viewing distance, there was only a *slight* improvement in sharpness on the digital monitor. My wife thought it was slightly better to - but didn't feel it was signficant. Color fidelity was equivalent on both monitors as you might expect.

3d ghosting:
In Max Payne, I didnt' notice much ghosting at all, though I'm not a hardcore 3d player
In Serious Sam, it was more noticeable, but doesn't really interfere with gameplay IMHO.

Bottom line: The PV174 is ~$75 more at Dell after discounts which may be worth it if you really want portrait mode or already have a DVI card. If you have an analog video card, you're really not missing out on much just getting the analog version which is still excellent.

Feel free to ask me about any differences before I send this CT1744Z back.

Josh

 

[MikeD83]

I agree about the LCDs, ghosting is not a problem, at least for me anyway. I have a 15" Sylvania LCD, I absolutely love it. I play Quake 3 and Counter-Strike on it almost daily. I never notice any of the ghosting that people talk about with LCDs. My 2 cents.
- Mike

 

[chillywang]

In your experience with the Planars, was the ghosting that was evident on both the Analog and the Digital model relatively similar? Was it moreso on the Analog than the Digital?

Or, are there any other Digital LCDs that you would recommend in the <$900 range?

I've been contemplating purchasing a Planar PV174 and a DVI output GeForce card here soon. Though I do a whole lot of Gaming and am trying to make sure that the Planar really is the least expensive, best quality Digital LCD available.

Thanks for any insight you can provide.

 

[Dre]

I've got a planar and love it. I use it for fast action games. nuff said

 

[Demonicon]

I have a Planar LCD, and I play fast games i.e FPS. I get 0 ghosting ghosting is a myth as far as i'm concerned

BTW, I use DVI

 

[chillywang]

So I guess the bottom line is... is it worth it?

Should I spend the money on an LCD or should I save it and get a really nice CRT for less than half of the money?

I don't know!! augh!! *head exploding like scene in scanners*

 

[Rhombuss]

chillywang: I posted a thread in the Hot Deals forum about this Hyundai LCD that has recently entered the North American market. Check it out here, the specs for this monitor are among the top 10% of available LCDs out there, and the price is about the lowest you will find for a 17" monitor ($510-530 USD range). Two of the guys in that thread have already went ahead and sent in a purchase order for the Hyundai LCD. We're all waiting for the verdict (hopefully this week).

 

[corkyg]

If $917 (Newegg) doesn't scare you - look at the new Viewsonic VX900. 19 in viewable; analong and digitial connectors and cables; 500:1 Contrast Ratio; Luminence 250 nits; Silver gray frame on black pedestal; audio connections & speakers. It replaced my Hitachi CM771 flat CRT. The absence of heat has made my room more comfortable. I drive it with a Radeon 8500. I have tried both digital and analog ports. Digital is much better in that it automatically fills the screen without having to make adjustments. In XP, with Cleartype font, it is crystal clear and sharper than analog.