Is the 24" Samsung flat panel on sale at Fry's the one I want??

[Ronstang]

I have been wanting a 24" flat panel for a while and I have enough store credits and gift cards from Fry's to get this thing but I would rather spend more if I have to in order to get the monitor I really want since I will be using it for years. I want something that is good for gaming and watching movies. Is the 5ms response time enough for games? I get so confused with the contrast ratio because the same model will be advertised with different ratios at different stores. I saw one the other day with 8000:1. I am not sure what model this Samsung is because it is not stated in the ad. I am guessing it is last years model but I do not know.

I just need a little help before I plop down over $400. If there is a better brand/model I will spend the extra money but if this one is adequate I will just save the money.

 

[Ronstang]

Since no one can help I guess I will just have to take a shower and go contribute to global warming and drive the 50 miles round trip and see this monitor in person.

 

[BassBomb]

its a TN

I wouldn't buy it

 

[Ronstang]

Originally posted by: BassBomb
its a TN

I wouldn't buy it

Thanks but I don't know what that is. I didn't buy it anyway as it was last years model (which I assumed) but I got the LG W2452T instead. It has a much better picture. I am not going to open it until I verify that this is a decent monitor. I had $400 worth of store credits/gift cards so I went ahead and bought it while I was there.

 

[Maleficus]

Check the LCD thread man. I don't know crap otherwise I'd tell you here.

 

[Ronstang]

Originally posted by: Maleficus
Check the LCD thread man. I don't know crap otherwise I'd tell you here.

That's great if I want to spend three days reading information hoping what I am looking for is in there. I don't have that kind of time or patience.

 

[BlueAcolyte]

TN panels have crap color and a really bad viewing angle, which you seem to have picked up on. The monitors you want are called TFT panels, or thin film transistor (something like that) which do better at not sucking.

 

[Ronstang]

Originally posted by: BlueAcolyte
TN panels have crap color and a really bad viewing angle, which you seem to have picked up on. The monitors you want are called TFT panels, or thin film transistor (something like that) which do better at not sucking.

Well now I am confused. After googling the LG W2452T the results say it is TFT and then looking through some of the LCD thread people say it is TN so I know less now than I did a little while ago because I don't know which is right....HAHAHA.

 

[DarkRogue]

Here's a quick copy/paste from the LCD thread for you, should help a bit:

All desktop LCDs are based on a-Si (amorphous silicon) TFT (thin film transistor) technology. We effectively have three major classes of TFTs: TN, VA (MVA/PVA), and S-IPS. Each of these main classes has its own subclasses, but the differences tend to be minor. We will first discuss the most primitive TFT technology, twisted nematic (TN).

TN displays are known for their excellent response time, but also poor viewing angle. The vertical viewing angle can be especially limited, making the use of portrait mode (pivot) difficult. Most people sit right in front of their screen without moving, so the problem may be insignificant. TNs tend to produce a less uniform brightness output than other panels, so looking at large areas of a light color can be uncomfortable at any angle. When you look at a TN from below, the image will appear almost fully inverted.

----

There you have it. TN seems to comprise the majority of the LCDs in the market as they try to replicate the response time of CRTs (seems like anything under 12-16ms nowadays) at the expensive of color accuracy and such. VA panels seem to be better, but not as good for gaming. IPS panels appear to be a superior combination of both but of course it's the most expensive to produce. I'm by no means knowledgeable in this field though, this is just my interpretation of the information. I'm trying to look for a good LCD to replace my Samsung SyncMaster 172x, but the amount of information is overwhelming. If I'm wrong, feel free to correct me.

 

[Maleficus]

Originally posted by: Ronstang

Originally posted by: Maleficus
Check the LCD thread man. I don't know crap otherwise I'd tell you here.

That's great if I want to spend three days reading information hoping what I am looking for is in there. I don't have that kind of time or patience.

Information is there man... it would take maybe 10-30 minutes to gather enough information to make an educated decision, if you don't want to use it, don't complain.

 

[Ronstang]

Originally posted by: Maleficus

Originally posted by: Ronstang

Originally posted by: Maleficus
Check the LCD thread man. I don't know crap otherwise I'd tell you here.

That's great if I want to spend three days reading information hoping what I am looking for is in there. I don't have that kind of time or patience.

Information is there man... it would take maybe 10-30 minutes to gather enough information to make an educated decision, if you don't want to use it, don't complain.

I am not complaining. I tired reading through the thread. I experienced information overload and ended up more confused than when I started. I like FPS gaming and I want to watch movies on a 24" monitor.....I just want to know what I should buy if the LG W2452T is inadequate??? I don't really want to know all there is to know about a monitor I just want to use it.

 

[xtknight]

Ronstang: this is why you can just reply and most of the time I'll be kind if you didn't read the OP. (Unless you want to learn more in-depth about LCD technologies in which case you should definitely read the OP.)

TFT is a higher-level type of LCD, which includes TN, MVA, PVA, IPS, etc. If simply "TFT" is specified it usually means just TN, because VA and IPS are more like "improvements".

Anyway I think you made a decent choice with a decent brand but that's just intuition; I haven't seen reviews on the LCD in question.

 

[Puffnstuff]

Well I've got an lg 246wp-bn and it's the best monitor I've used yet. It has very clear text and graphics and does great in gaming or watching videos. I think you made a good choice so open the box and enjoy your purchase.

 

[Grinja]

Originally posted by: Puffnstuff
Well I've got an lg 246wp-bn and it's the best monitor I've used yet. It has very clear text and graphics and does great in gaming or watching videos. I think you made a good choice so open the box and enjoy your purchase.

I'm using the same (LG 245/6 WP). These are PVA panels. I think the LG W2452T is a TN panel...

Can't tell you anything about it since I've never seen the LG W2452T in person. Typically the TN panel's have faster response times and less input lag but the colour and viewing angles are not as good as a non-TN panel.

 

[Cookie Monster]

I guess its all tradeoffs. Most average users can't tell the difference between a TN and a VA (the difference gets smaller when both are calibrated). The only thing they notice is the sheer size of the monitor! I dont hate TNs simply because they are affordable (not to mention that TN technology has gotten so much better compared to some of the original ones), and unless you have restrictions that apply like the need for 178degree viewing angles, i dont think one can just write it off as crap especially when IPS panels cost a fortune.

 

[hans007]

the new LGs are TN.

i've got a lg246wp and its a fantastic monitor. very nice. I suppose most people cant tell the difference between TN and mva, but its usually because most monitors now are TN (anything 22" and under now on the market is).

i suppose the difference depends on how you use your monitor, and it seems to matter more if the monitor is big (and if its a crappy TN which some are siec some arent really too bad).

i guess the way i think about it is this. a crappy TN vs an mva is like this. I used to think my aiwa studio size $30 headphones were great. but then i bought a pair of sennheisers and realized they were crappy.

 

[shortylickens]

I just saw a 24" Samsung at Office Depot for 400 bucks.
Maybe if you're lucky you have a similar deal going on at one of your local office stores.
A lot of those place price-match.

 

[ther00kie16]

Don't worry about response times. All LCDs these days seem to be 8ms or less, which is virtually unnoticeable. So you want a VA panel. According to some reading, PVA may have lag of a couple of frames so you should look for a MVA panel if you want absolutely no lag.