Gosharkss: Is it a myth that a flat CRT is best?

[Geist3]

Desiring the crispest possible display, am I being retro to seek out a long-neck, curved-screen shadow-mask CRT?

Though flat screens are in vogue, I gather that:
* A curved screen lends itself to better focus, especially toward the edges.
I can adjust the location of ambient room lighting to avoid glare.

Aperture grilles are brighter, but:
* A shadow mask will give sharper text.
I make a living doing text-based work.

A short neck may fit better on a shallow desk, but:
* A deep CRT will produce a beter image on screen.
Got a deep desk.

My current monitor is a 17" aperture grille, a Decaview PA380 I have been completely satisfied with. But I just built a new system and need two CRTs (19" and/or 21&quot to run dual head off a Matrox G450 with 32 MB video memory. Pondering getting one shadow mask and one aperture grille. I've read that having a flat screen next to a curved one would not work well. Any suggestions?

I'll probably buy one monitor this week and the other in six weeks.

Thanks.

 

[Mday]

well, whatever monitor you get, get 2 of them. don't mix models or manufacturers.

your eyes will thank you.

 

[Geist3]

Mday, thanks. Was kind of hoping to have one shadow mask and one aperture grille. But as a text workstation, two shadow masks would work.

I'd been debating the merits of the Cornerstone 1460 ($469 flat-screen 19" shadow mask, capable of 1600x1200 @85Hz)versus the Cornerstone 910 ($269 curved screen 19" shadow mask, capable of 1200x1024 @85HZ). I figured the 1200x1024 resolution was what I'd use for work. Wondered if the 910 would look as good as the 1460.

The aperture grilles that appeal are the 19" Eizo T761, 19" Mitsubishi 900u, 19" Samsung 900NF or the 21" Samsung 1200NF.

 

[Geist3]

Also considering the 21" Cornerstone P1700. A big question is how much resolution can I run off a 32MB dual head video card.

 

[Punamo]

I am also considering the Cornerstone 1460. I'd like to have the headroom for 1600x1200 if I decide to.

For 2D work, I think the resolution you will get with 32MB will be extremely high (I can go 1280x1024 with 24bit color precision with 4MB, so multiply that by 8 and you'll get what... like millionsxmillions!).

I too want extremely crisp text quality.

 

[Geist3]

The P1460 is my top contender. However, I wish it had dual inputs; or I wish Cornerstone had a superpremium 19" going for about $600. The nagging thing is whether that flat screen is going to cost me in focus: thus curiosity about its image comparison with the C910.

 

[Gosharkss]

Hello everyone.

I agree with Mday, if you want two monitors it is better to have two of the same brand.

If you look at the home page web of my site in the lower center you will see "Download our new white papers" here you will find papers I have written describing CRT's flat vs curved etc. You should get the idea of my opinions from these papers.

Wow this is the first time I ever heard of someone wanting a more expensive monitor. If you want me to raise the price for you I will just kidding.

Geist3
The amount of memory does not determine the resolution capability of the card. 8Mb is plenty to display 1600 x 1200 at 32 bit color. It is the Ramdac speed that determines the resolution and refresh rate capability. A 250Mhz ramdac is capable of 1600 x 1200 at 85Hz resolution. If you want to run 1856 x 1392 at 85Hz you need a 320Mhz Ramdac, etc.

Thanks for your interest ing my products, let me know if you need more help.

Jim Witkowski
Chief Hardware Engineer
Cornerstone / Monitorsdirect.com

 

[Moz]

Great to have you onboard Jim!

 

[OneOfTheseDays]

personally i wish they made some higher quality shadow mask monitors. i dont really like these two wires that run through my screen, plus the distortion is worse than on a shadowmask.

 

[Geist3]

Boy, I'm beginning to feel like a cheapskate.

According to what I read, if the convergences of two models of monitor are equivalent, the dot pitches are equivalent, and the resolutions to be used are the same, then the image quality of those two models should be equivalent.

The Cornerstone C910 and the P1450 have those specifications in common, but the more expensive P1450 may be more integrated because it's smaller and thus less likely to fail; and the 1450 has a five-year versus three-year warranty. The main advantage of the P1460 is higher resolution capability.

Oh, I'm very tempted to get a C910. If I'm disappointed, I can always use it on my second machine, and still have money to buy higher. I can surely better afford two C910s in the dual-head setup, though two P1460s is doable over time.

This is a decision to sleep on. Does beauty come in a shape that's curved or flat? Or would I really get two P1700s?

 

[Gosharkss]

The major difference between the c910 and the p1460 is the CRT. Yes they have the same specs, but the c910 uses a Samsung CRT and the p1460 uses the new Hitachi ergo flat CRT. Along with the other things you mention this accounts for must of the price delta.

I doubt that you will be disappointed in either monitor. If you have a glare problem or plan on using 1600 x 1200 resolution go with the p1460. The real benefit to flat glass is some slight glare reduction. I use indirect halogen lamps in my office eliminating any glare problems.

I use a p1700 on my desk because I like to run 1856 x 1392 at 85Hz. If you need that kind of resolution the p1700 is great, however you can save $$ with the p1500 or p1600, both are capable of 1600 x 1200 at 85Hz.

Good Luck

 

[Geist3]

Thank you, Gosharkss.
I went ahead and ordered the C910. I seems to be a great deal for the resolution I need. If it meets my expectation, I'll decide whether to make its companion the exact same or to explore my curiosity about the P1600 or P1700.

 

[Gosharkss]

Your very welcome, let us know how it is when your get it. If there are any problems you know where to find me.

Jim

 

[Punamo]

Thanks for your postings Jim.

I'm considering the P1460 together with Matrox G450. I'm wondering what else I can do (without selling my left kidney) to make the 2D as focused as possible. I read something about the BNC cable, would it be applicable to my intended setup?

I appreciate your input. I don't seem to find much discussion/reviews about monitors these days *sigh*, but at least I managed to get the whitepaper on monitorsdirect.com. Now I think about it I wish there were some research paper on it!

 

[UNCjigga]

Get FD Trinitron and never look back...

 

[Gosharkss]

Punamo
With any connector (BNC or DB-15) there is a possibility of an impedance miss match that could send ripples up and down the video cable. The ripples can be amplified by the video amp and show as shadows or ghosts after light to dark or dark to light transitions on the screen.

Most manufacturers are taking the connectors (BNC and DB-15) off the monitor all together and permanently attaching the cable to the monitor. By doing this they can solder the cable wires directly to the video amplifier board inside the monitor, effectively eliminating any chance of impedance miss match on the monitor end from a connector. An added benefit to a permanently attached cable is, you will never loose it, should you move your system.

Many monitors have the video cable and power cords coming straight out the back of the unit. These cables add 1-2 inches to the total depth of the monitor. If desk space is a problem these 1-2 inches are a big deal. On my 21" professional models I solved this problem by recessing the cable connectors and use right angle video and power cords that go straight down or sideways instead of straight out. This way you can put the monitors back right up against a wall of a cubicle for example. The p1460 video cord is permanently attached to the monitor thus, no impedance miss match on the monitor end is possible and it comes out strait down and adds no length to the total depth of the monitor.

In any scheme there are trade off. The trade off in permanently attaching the cable is that if the cable should go bad, you need to send the entire unit in for service. My experience says that occasionally cables do break, but the failure rate of cables is very low.

Jim Witkowski
Cornerstone

 

[Urinal Mint]

Jim (Gosharkss):

I noticed that you made mention of the fact that the p1460 model has the cable both permanently attached and recessed into the back at a 90° angle. Does the p1450 model share this feature, or is this just another difference making up the $70 gap between the two?

As always, thanks for your input...

 

[Gosharkss]

Both the p1450 and p1460 have the same cable assembly. Both are recessed and come out straight down.

Jim

 

[Punamo]

Thanks for the detailed explanation of the cables Jim!!!

You will soon have a new customer!

 

[digim0rtal]

After doing alot of research before purchasing, I am entirely satisfied with my 19" Samsung 955df. I think the quality is excellent, and at less than $300 (two months ago) a good value too. I am actually picking up another one soon possibly for some dual monitor fun. BTW I personally think it's better to have two COMPLETELY flat screens (case and tube) for dual monitor, much easier to look at and feels more like your're staring at one unit (the illusion is better).

 

[Geist3]

Well, I got my Cornerstone C910 on Monday, but just got around to hooking it up this AM. It looks great -- both the physical unit and the image onscreen!

This $269 19" shadow-mask non-flat CRT is side-by-side with my $450 17" Decaview PA380 aperture- grille cylindrical section (Mitsubishi tube) monitor. I've been very busy, so I haven't had time to really do serious comparisons, but looking at identical text files and identical photos, the Cornerstone knocks the socks off my 2.5 year-old Decaview (which still sells at the same price I bought it). And I believe my professional series Decaview is a decent B+ monitor. Of course, the c910 is on a Matrox G450 and the PA380 is fed by an Intel i740, so maybe this comparison isn't fair yet. But so far, to use a cliche, the Cornerstone rocks!

If the economy model is of this quality, I am very satistfied for the moment and may even quickly get an identical twin for my dual head, but my curiosity will soon want to be gratified seeing what the top-line models look like. My business associate has already staked her claim on my c910. Great work, Gosharkss.

 

[Kingofcomputer]

Get Invar Shadow Mask and never look back...

 

[sitka]

Philips monitors, anyone with any experience