LCD Buyer's Guide

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xtknight

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Oct 15, 2004
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LCD Buyer's Guide - Archived Thread, 11/28/2005 ~ 05/19/2007

NEW THREAD: click

NOTE: THIS THREAD IS NO LONGER BEING UPDATED. IT HAS BEEN REPLACED BY A NEW THREAD DUE TO POST VOLUME (200+ pgs). IF YOU POST HERE YOU WILL NOT RECEIVE A REPLY. THIS THREAD WILL STILL EXIST FOR ARCHIVAL PURPOSES ONLY.

This is the old guide, kept here for reference.
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Website: lcdresource.com

SCREAMIN' DEALS! (satan will visit your door personally if you do not purchase)
My goal with this guide is to bring you the most accurate, practical, and up-to-date information possible on liquid crystal displays. I hope you as a reader find said info helpful. Read on, and enjoy!

There won't be one question in here (that I can possibly answer) that I won't provide at least some kind of reply to, so if you have any concerns/suggestions/constructive criticism/need recommendations on what to buy, do not hesitate to ask! Everything is welcome. After all, that is the point of this thread.

We are in dire need of reviews, so if you own any LCD, no matter the size, please post the model and how you like it. Thanks!

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Changelog:
  • 6/30/2007: added some notes about the VP930b/971P's photo editing capabilities
  • 6/15/2007: recommended HP w2207 (glossy Samsung panel) in place of 226BW (S). Current info indicates that there is no lottery with the w2207; all panels received have been high quality.
  • 6/15/2007: note: L226WTQ may be fixed since firmware 1.14
  • 6/15/2007: added link to TFT Central panel search
  • 6/2/2007: fixed cosmetic issues due to AT forum upgrade (translucent HIGHLIGHT tag)
  • 5/30/2007: added helpful link about anti-reflective/glossy coatings (thanks BernardP for the finding)
  • 5/5/2007: note that the LG L226WTQ is inferior to the L226WT (ghosting issues)
  • 4/25/2007: updated prices
  • 4/22/2007: considerably re-ranked multimedia section
  • 4/22/2007: removed Acer 22"; not adding 226BW because of panel lottery (reportedly three or four types of panels now!)
  • 4/12/2007: updated price of NEC 90GX2 (now $210)
  • 3/31/2007: added Dell 2707WFP
  • 3/28/2007: added links to English axofiber LCD lookup sites
  • 3/3/2007: added LG L226WT (22" high-quality LPL TN)
  • 2/20/2007: added Acer AL2051W (20" 8-bit P-MVA, cheap)
  • 2/20/2007: removed VX2025WM yet again (truly discontinued)
  • 1/28/2007: moved 215TW above LP2065 for photo editing (LP2065 doesn't do dark tones that great)
  • 1/25/2007: relisted VX2025WM (not discontinued?)
  • 1/22/2007: later rev of Acer AL2216WBD has HDCP support
  • 1/12/2007: replaced Samsung 971P (Multimedia) with ViewSonic VP930b (latter has an updated panel, is cheaper/faster, and has less motion/overshoot issues). 971P kept in Office Work, Desktop Publishing, and Prosumer Photo Editing categories due to higher contrast and more uniform screen. VP930b offered as an alternative in those categories.
  • 1/7/2007: clean-up, fixed silly wordiness, rewrote {1. Criteria}, revised {2. Types of Panels}, changed {Input Flexibility}->{Video Inputs}, added information
  • 1/7/2007: consolidated {Appendix A-Panel Look-Up Sites}+{Appendix B-Informational Sites}-->{Appendix A-Helpful Links}
  • 1/7/2007: added link to http://www.prad.de/en/guide/vergleich_auswahl.html
  • 1/7/2007: added link to http://www.widescreengamingfor...e=Master_Monitors_List
  • 1/7/2007: added link to http://axofiber.no-ip.org/insi...otebook.lcd.panels.htm
  • 1/7/2007: added link to http://lcdtech.no-ip.info/data/lcd.panels.htm
  • 1/7/2007: added link to http://lcdtech.no-ip.info/data/pixel.size.htm
  • 1/7/2007: added link to http://axofiber.no-ip.org/inside/monitor.lcd.panels.htm (thanks 0x0BADF00D for above links)
  • 12/28/2006: prices updated (details follow)
  • 12/28/2006: $400 IR at Newegg for Westinghouse LVM-37W3, price $1100 AR
  • 12/28/2006: $50 MIR at Circuit City for Acer AL2216WBD, valid until 12/30/2006, $300 AR
  • 12/28/2006: $30 MIR at Circuit City for LG L204WT, valid until 12/30/2006, price rose $310->$345 USD, $315 AR
  • 12/28/2006: $50 MIR at Newegg for NEC 20WMGX2, price $550-565 USD (depending on bezel color)
  • 12/28/2006: avg price for NEC 90GX2 fell $350->$330 USD, rebate at Newegg for $300 USD
  • 12/28/2006: rebate for BenQ FP93GX no longer valid, price now $255 USD
  • 12/28/2006: avg price for Samsung 205BW rose $300->$330 USD
  • 12/28/2006: removed Sony SDM-P234 (discontinued)
  • 12/28/2006: avg price for HP LP2065 rose $400->$450 USD
  • 12/28/2006: added 8 ms. (g2g) rating to HP LP2065 spec

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LCDs removed:
  • ViewSonic VX2025WM (discontinued)
  • HP L2335 (discontinued)
  • Dell UltraSharp 2007WFP (panel lottery, PVA panel of poor quality). The S-IPS version belongs above the VX2025WM in the Multimedia section. Those who are willing to take the gamble and exchange until they get an S-IPS are welcome to, but because of this panel lottery it can't be recommended to the general public. The dethroning is extremely unfortunate because the S-IPS version is the flagship of 20" widescreen LCDs, second only to the NEC 20WMGX2. The PVA version doesn't even come close (it's bad even for PVA, you'd probably prefer a TN).
  • Sony SDM-P234 (discontinued)
LCDs added:
  • NEC MultiSync 90GX2
  • Acer AL2216WBD

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Table of Contents
  1. Criteria
  2. Types of Panels
  3. Aspect Ratios and Resolutions
  4. Technologies
  5. "Ghosting"
  6. Backlight Uniformity/Leaking
  7. Common Misconceptions
  8. Color Reproduction
  9. Recommendations
  10. Specific Problematic LCDs
  11. Review Sites
  12. Appendix A: Helpful Links
  13. Appendix B: Index of Reviews
  14. Appendix C: LCD Module Reference
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1. Criteria
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  • Color Gamut and Color Depth
    • Colors in computer systems are stored as an array of three elements: Red, Green, and Blue. Typically, each of these is a byte (8 bits) long. This is where you get the 24-bit color mode you're so accustomed to. Or, maybe that is 32-bit color, which is actually Red, Green, Blue, and Alpha, where each is a still a byte, but the alpha simply specifies transparency so you are still really limited to R, G, B in the end.

      The color gamut describes the domain of the monitor's reachable area in the color spectrum. The actual gamut can be seen as three values, being the X coordinate, Y coordinate, and Z coordinate (in a CIE xy chromacity diagram). Color depth refers to the granularity of its color gamut, that is, how far apart each of the values are within the (X,Y,Z) area. That means, if you keep the color depth at 8-bit, and increase gamut from 72% to 92% of NTSC (US TV standards), you will lose color precision (colors will be farther apart) but you will have a wider range (maximum-minimum) of colors that you can display. This is why working on photos captured in a 72% space on a 92% LCD is a bad idea. 92% LCDs can not reach the precision of 72% LCDs, given the same color depth.

      All LCD monitors can take in the 8 bits (per color component), but not all can actually display them. To display them they employ psychovisual methods of emulation such as dithering (grid patterns, spatial [over area]) and FRC (frame rate control, temporal [over time]). These are used to trick human eyes (and even colorimeters) into viewing a color 1/4~1/2 way between two emulated ones.
  • Black Level (brightness of the color black)
    • Transmissive LCDs (the predominant type used in computer monitors) require a source of light behind the panel to display an image. Most today use cold cathode fluorescent lights (CCFLs), while more expensive ones use LEDs. With either technology, the crystals have a hard time blocking the light. How well they can do this is quantized by the black level. This measures how many nits (candelas per square meter) are emitted when black is displayed. This value is ideally zero nits. A low black level and high white level value will produce a high-contrast display, and that's what you're looking for in terms of colors.
  • Response Time
    • Response time measures how long it takes for one crystal cell to change its state from on to off. Some types of panels are faster than others in this category. The lower value of time (usually milliseconds) means a quicker change. A high response time can cause blurry/streaky effects in motion. A technology called Overdrive (ODC, overdriving circuit) can assist in reducing these effects.

      Overdrive is not perfect. It takes advantage of the phenomenon where crystals transition faster when put under a high voltage (and likewise slower under a low voltage). However, it can push this voltage too high, resulting in bright artifacts around moving objects. The opposite can happen with reverse overdrive which droops voltage and can result in dark artifacts.
  • Viewing Angle
    • The viewing angle measurement measures the angle at which you can view an undistorted picture. On TN panels, the colors will invert when viewed at an extreme angle. VAs will generally just wash out, but with little color shift. IPS panels exhibit the fewest abnormal effects when viewed at a different angle (they decrease in brightness just a tad with very little color shift).
  • Video Inputs
    • Many monitors come with both a DVI (Digital Visual Interface) and VGA (Video Graphics Array) interface. DVI will deliver a perfect picture in terms of geometry due to its digital nature. VGA, analog, can sometimes be noisy or blurry. Generally the difference is insignificant with a powerful RAMDAC (digital->analog converter on the video card) and a good analog input on the LCD.

      Multimedia LCDs may even feature HDMI (arbitrary-bandwidth digital video and audio interface), component (YPbPr), S-Video, composite (Y/C) inputs. These are typically paired with PIP (picture-in-picture) and/or PBP (picture-by-picture).

      Video quality ranking (1 is best):

      Digital
      1. HDMI (165 MHz+)
      2. Dual-link DVI (310 MHz)
      3. Single-link DVI (165 MHz)

      All digital connections provide the same quality picture. HDMI and dual-link DVI can reach higher resolutions and refresh rates than single-link DVI, which will simply fail at higher bandwidth (resolution * refresh rate).

      Analog
      1. VGA (~350+ MHz@-3 dB)
      2. Component
      3. SCART
      4. S-Video
      5. Composite

      Analog connections can carry an infinite resolution and refresh rate but also decrease with quality at higher bandwidth. Thus, the image is never perfect but it can be more than ideal.
  • Ergonomics
    • LCDs can be very flexible with physical adjustments. These may include height adjustment, tilt, swivel, and pivot (portrait/landscape).

    It shouldn't come as a surprise all measurements are biased when it comes to manufacturers' specifications.
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2. Types of Panels
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  • The most important thing to consider is the type of panel in the LCD.

    (Please note that no guarantees are made regarding the accuracy of the scientific details of these panels.)
  • TN (Twisted Nematic): Without Overdrive, this type of panel offers the fastest pixel response time. This does however come at the expensive of viewing angles and color fidelity. Out of all TFT-LCD panels, the TN type has the lowest contrast. It is also a 6-bit color depth panel, meaning dithering or frame rate control (FRC) must be employed to reach close to a full 8-bit depth. Pixels in their active state on a TN are black, while in their inactive, white.
  • (P-)MVA ({Premium} Multidomain Vertical Alignment): The liquid crystal (LC) cells on MVA panels are in their active state white, and in inactive black and are separated into four domains. This slightly improves viewing angle over TN-type displays (MVAs provide ~45 degrees). MVA panels also provide a high contrast ratio. Grayscale inversion is minimal on these displays. Response time is the second slowest in the industry without ODCs. MVAs and all derivatives hide details at a perpendicular viewing angle due to their multidomain nature. Cells are never perfectly vertical or horizontal in an MVA, but they can be very close.
  • PVA (Patterned-ITO Vertical Alignment): Developed by Samsung, PVA is very similar to MVA. Viewing angles are very similar and inversion is minimal at wide viewing angles. Samsung is not clear on the true color depth of these panels. These panels deliver the slowest response time. Cells are vertical when light is blocked, and horizontal when light is let through.
  • S-PVA (Super Patterned-ITO Vertical Alignment): These types of panels deliver a full 8-bit color depth and have a structure split into eight domains. At wide viewing angles, they have less color shift and a lower black level than MVAs. According to Samsung, they have a higher contrast ratio and better response time than MVAs as well.
  • S-MVA (Super Multidomain Vertical Alignment): Likely similar to P-MVA from AU Optronics, Chi Mei Optoelectronics has developed the S-MVA type of panel. These also include multidomain, vertically-aligned liquid crystals so that the cells stay in the same shape at different positions, increasing brightness at wide viewing angles. According to CMO, S-MVA improves viewing angles from conventional MVA types to 80 degrees in all angles. Like other types of panels, response time has gradually improved on these as well.
  • IPS (In-Plane Switching): The IPS panel was pioneered by Hitachi to fix the problems that plague the VA and TN types. Like TN, most IPSes contain only a single domain, although DD-IPS (dual domain IPS) does exist. This technology sports the least distortion at wide viewing angles. Two transistors per each pixel are needed, so brighter backlighting is crucial and power consumption is higher than competing technologies, but response time benefits greatly from this. Color depth varies. One disadvantage is that a purple-black is now introduced in black colors at different viewing angles.
  • S-IPS (Super In-Plane Switching): LG Philips LCD improved on IPS with their S-IPS technology. These offer a lower black level, higher contrast ratio, lower response time, and a wider viewing angle than traditional IPS technology. Color depth on S-IPS panels is 8-bit. The purple-black tinting still applies to wide viewing angles, but orange and red hues are greatly reduced versus other technologies at wider viewing angles.
  • AS-IPS (Advanced/Enhanced Super In-Plane Switching): These type of panels are LG Philips LCD's third generation of IPS technology. This is mainly just a wieldy moniker for improvements in the front-end driving electronics, including ODC to reduce response time, and a dynamic contrast ratio technology, raising contrast up to 1600:1. The diagonal viewing angle is also increased to 178 degrees, from 170 on S-IPS panels. AS-IPS panels very often include much brighter backlights than S-IPS types.
  • A-MVA (Advanced Multidomain Vertical Alignment): This is a new panel from AU Optronics promising contrast ratio and viewing angle performance comparable to Samsung's 8-domain S-PVA panels. These should be capable of true 8-bit color. Still, it is unknown if ODC will force them to dither.

    Still confused? Check out the Matrix of all Matrices.
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3. Aspect Ratios and Resolutions
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  • Aspect ratio is a fraction or rational number (width divided by height). Common aspect ratios are listed below.
  • 5:4 (1280x1024 for 17" and 19"): Squarest of all the listed, thus maximum area.
  • 4:3 (1600x1200 for 20.1")
  • 16:10 (1680x1050 for 20.1", 1920x1200 for 24"): Resolution of most "widescreen" monitors
  • 16:9 (1280x720, 1920x1080): True widescreen. No LCD monitors that I know of incorporate this HDTV resolution with a few exceptions (HTPC monitors). 16:10 is the commonly used one for monitors because it's a good compromise between productivity (Word documents anyone?) and movie watching.

    As for scaling quality, it first depends on if you tell your graphics card to do it, or your monitor. If you find your monitor's scaling is sub par, you can engage your graphics card's scaler. In addition there are a number of scaling modes, like 1:1 and fixed aspect ratio scaling. Many monitors deliver OK scaling when viewing photos, however text clarity can easily suffer. Games may not look very pleasing at lower resolutions, mainly due to aliasing (jagged edges) and inconsistency.
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4. Technologies
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  • Overdrive (Response Time Accelerator)
    • Most commonly called ClearMotiv (ViewSonic), MagicSpeed (Samsung), Over Driving Circuit (LG.Philips LCD), and Response Time Compensation (X-Bit Labs). All of the above technologies bump the voltage to increase the speed of the transition (among other things in the case of ClearMotiv). When it goes too far (an overshoot), there can be noise, especially noticeable in subtle transitions or the dithering of TN panels. Tom's Hardware Guide does however have a rating for this overshoot phenomenon. X-Bit Labs has also cracked down on it in their recent reviews.
  • "Widescreen" (16:10 AR)

    • Usually widescreen means 16:9, but LCD monitor manufacturers use the moniker widescreen to refer to a 16:10 ratio instead, a compromise between desktop real estate and movie watching. While it may sound great at first, there are a lot of things to consider. Is widescreen all it's cracked up to be?

      The main problem with widescreen is the resolution itself. As you may know, LCDs can not change their resolution without a loss of quality, and most of the time it's a significant loss of clarity. CRTs can do this much better because they inherently have a Gaussian distribution of the pixels, and in the end it yields much better quality. Think of it like analog zoom vs. digital zoom.

      This means in order to get a good image on a widescreen monitor, you must run it at its native resolution, or deal with black bars on the edges. I'd say 50% of today's games still require you to edit a configuration file manually to achieve the widescreen resolution. Fortunately, many people have already done the grunt work for you. Here's a site that will help you configure your game to work with your widescreen LCD: Widescreen Gaming Forum

      But, not all games can support widescreen, even through the configuration file. For these, you'll have to settle with a game/DirectX DLL proxy hack (if it exists), or use black bars/scaling.
  • X-Brite/OptiClear/HP BrightView/Acer CrystalBrite

    • These are glossy, contrast-increasing coatings. Note, Samsung's MagicBright/MagicColor and BenQ's SensEye are not necessarily related to these, they are internal panel technologies. Anyhow, many people prefer the higher contrast of these coatings and say they look beautiful. One small note of concern is they could increase reflective glare, but that'll depend on the ambient lighting surrounding you. These types of panels do reduce another type of glare (ambient light emanating among the panel, much like a burning effect). Instead the reflections come right off of it and do not affect transmissivity.

      Details: http://www.screentekinc.com/pixelbright-lcds.shtml
  • HDCP

    • High-Bandwidth Digital Content Protection. This will be mandatory for playing Blu-Ray/HD-DVD discs on Vista (or any other OS). You won't need it to boot into Windows though (not even Vista). HDCP can be used through the DVI port or through the HDMI port. It's hardly anything to worry about for computer monitors (very few have it), but you should definitely consider it for multimedia monitors and TVs.
  • Hi-FRC (pdf)

    • This is a new form of FRC (temporal "dithering") developed by Chi Mei Optoelectronics that makes up for the colors lost in conventional FRC (3 tones, (256-3)^3=16.2M). When a color value of 1 is requested, it is remapped to 0.25, 2 to 0.5, 3 to 0.75, and then 4-255 are created by the regular FRC method. The end result is 16.7M colors.
[/list]----------------------------------------------
5. "Ghosting"
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  • Maybe you've looked at LCDs before, and find the colors great, the viewing angles good, but one thing you are especially worried about with your future purchase is the response time. There's a fundamental problem in explaining how good or bad the level of ghosting is. This may be the only way I can relate it to you: if you've ever used an aperture grille CRT and seen its faint lines but still love it regardless, the same thing will probably happen to you with response time.

    Obviously the first week you get it, that's the first thing you're going to look for, because for most gamers it's the obvious disadvantage. So you bring your LCD home, plug it in and play some Battlefield 2 on it, then turn around a bit, and you can see some smearing. At that point, you're probably already thinking of returning it and thinking you'll never be able to live with it. In reality, once you take your focus off scrutinizing the ghosting and start playing your game, you will find it to be an extremely small obstruction, if it is any problem at all. In the end, that's all that matters. It's also worth noting some people may not even be able to see it if they look for it. Unless you have a panel with an atrocious response time like 25 ms. (min), then it will be a minor issue. That said there are some people who may be especially sensitive to it.
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6. Backlight Uniformity/Leaking
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  • Unfortunately, this can vary a lot per unit. If uniformity is bad, some places on the panel will be slightly brighter than others. This still occurs today, especially in cheaper monitors. However even more expensive ones have their share of duds, such as the VP191b/VP930b, which many users have had leaking issues with, along with some of the Dells. But like I said, this will vary per unit. The majority of the time, this is not a serious problem.
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7. Common Misconceptions
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  • An IPS or VA panel is always 8-bit

    • Just because the crystals themselves have the ability to twist that accurate does not necessarily mean the driving electronics can support it. Don't rely on this. For instance, the Samsung 970P and ViewSonic VP930b use a form of dithering/FRC.
  • "16.7 million colors" is a connotation for a dither-free 8-bit panel

    • You cannot count on this measurement to be true among manufacturers.
  • A lower-listed response time on the specifications is always faster

    • This is very untrue. Manufacturers can measure the response time any way they so desire. Gray to gray, white to black and back to white, only the rise time, only the fall time, or any combination of those. One manufacturer's "20 ms." can be another's "4 ms." Beware. For example, the Samsung 940B is rated as 8 ms., but it reaches 35 ms. most of the time.
  • Contrast ratios

    • Usually the contrast ratios are grossly overrated on spec sheets and there's no telling if they're using the standard ANSI method.
  • Viewing angles

    • This is yet another inflated spec. 160/160 can mean 80/80 up/down and 80/80 left/right or 40/120 up/down and 90/70 left/right. You can't tell. Some manufacturers will list their method as CR>5 or CR>10, this means it maintains a contrast ratio>x at y angle. But there will still be immense distortion on some panels, particularly TN. It does not take that in to account.
  • Bigger is better

    • When you compare a 17" to a 19" which both have a 5:4 1280x1024 resolution, the 19" only has bigger dot pitch. This means your display will be grainier in general, though text will be bigger for the visually-impaired. Unfortunately, manufacturers are mostly only spending R&D on 19"+ panels nowadays, and some are even cheaper than their 17" counterparts.
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8. Color Reproduction
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  • 6-bit LCDs can truly only produce 262,144 colors ((2^6)^3). Thus they must implement a dithering or frame rate control technique to simulate up to 16.7 million colors. These techniques still don't reproduce colors as good as 8-bit panels that don't use the dithering. More primitive forms of dithering can only reach 16.2 million colors (253^3=16,194,277). True 8-bit PVA and IPS panel LCDs can produce 16,777,216 (16.7 million) real colors ((2^8)^3). And to recap: not all PVA and IPS panels are driven by "true" 8-bit electronics, so they could still use dithering! As another precaution, LCDs do tend to have problems reproducing skin/subtle tones vibrantly.
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9. Recommendations
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10. Specific Problematic LCDs
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  • Note: these issues (all of them AFAIK) may only apply for a certain batch or exist in rare quantities so it's hard not to recommend them when there's no suitable replacement.

    General issues
    • Older AUO panels - High gamma/washout effect.
    • Hyundai ImageQuest L90D+ - Vertical line? here's an account: Blue line going vertically down screen (There is more evidence than just that about this issue with the L90D+.)
    • ViewSonic VX924/VP191B/VP930B - backlight leaking (I can definitely attest to that for the VP930b but in rare situations). Backlight usually forms X shape. In my personal experience, the VP930b has another glitch in it where it will show a 'theft deterrent' message. A hard reset fixed it.
    • ViewSonic VX2025WM - problems with DVI port (POST does not show up on some people's PCs).
    • Dell UltraSharp 2005FPW - Backlight leaking.
      Dell UltraSharp 2007FP/2007WFP - Bad gradient banding problems in earlier revisions.
      Dell UltraSharp 2407WFP - Banding, even in A02 rev. Oversaturation in A03 rev.

    LCDs with bad Overdrive side effects
    (avoid these whenever possible)
    • Samsung SyncMaster 730BF (X-Bit Labs)
      Samsung SyncMaster 930BF (X-Bit Labs)
      BAD - Samsung SyncMaster 760BF (X-Bit Labs)

      ViewSonic VP920 - orange text when scrolling text.
      Originally posted by: sokos
      I saw a very nice LCD at viewsonic website, the VP920 got one yesterday to play with it and what a dissapointment.
      When you scroll around windows there is an orange color trailing the fonts and borders! (Please keep in mind that I ve been working a lot with TFT's in my life, got a Dell 193P at office, a Philips 190X6 at home and used to own a LG1915S which I sold. At gaming things are better with the Viewsonic VP920, but it's colors and performance in Windows has really dissapointed me :(
      Do you think I should do some tuning at Windows? I run a XFX 7900GT Extreme, but I tried it on other PC's with VGA 15pin cable and same terrible movement .. (titles trailing at scrolling webpages etc..)
      Click to expand...

      Note: Some owners of the 930BF say they have no idea of this defect. To be honest I'm not sure if these "defects" claimed by X-Bit Labs hold any truth. I recommend you check it out for yourself.
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11. Review Sites
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12. Appendix A: Helpful Links
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  • Below are some links that you may find helpful in your buying decision.
  • Flatpanels.dk English Panel Search
  • TFT Central Panel Search
  • Prad.de
  • Google (search with model and "Samsung panel" or "AUO panel" or "CMO panel" or "LG panel", "Hitachi panel", etc. without the quotes)
  • Monitor LCD Panel Table (English)
  • Monitor LCD Panel Table (Russian, old link)
    -Conventions-
    .???????? ????? = Monitor Manufacturer
    .?????? ???????? = Monitor Model
    .?????????? = Native Resolution
    .??????? = Brightness
    .???????? = Contrast Ratio
    .????? ??????? = Response Time
    .???? ?????? = Viewing Angle
    .????????????? = Panel Manufacturer
    .?????? = Diagonal Size
    .??? = Panel Type
    .?????? ?????? = Panel Model
  • Notebook LCD Panel Table (English)
  • Notebook LCD Panel Table (Russian, old link)
    -Conventions-
    ???????? = Reset (clear query)
    ???????? ????? = Manufacturer
    ?????? = Model
    ????????? = Diagonal Size
    ?????????? = Native Resolution
    ??? = Panel Type
    ??????? = Filter

    ?????? = Model
    ????????? = Diagonal Size
    ???-??? = Native Resolution
    ??? = Panel Type
    ??? = Brightness
    ????? = Contrast Ratio
    ???? = Response Time (on/off)
    ???? = Viewing Angle
    ???? = Color Depth
    ???? = Panel Coating
    .???. = Matte (anti-glare)
    .??. = Glossy
  • LCD Module Listing
    -Conventions-
    .????????????? = Manufacturer
    .?????? = Model Number
    .??? = Panel Type
    .???-?? ??????, ???. = Color Depth (millions of colors)
    .???????, ??/?2 = Brightness (cd/m2)
    .?????-??? = Contrast Ratio
    .????? ???????, ?? = Response Time (ms)
    .???? ??????, ??>10:1 = Viewing Angle, contrast>10:1
    .??????? ???????, ?? = Dimensions (mm)
    .???, ?? = Weight (kg)
    .???-?? ???? = Backlight
    ..U-??? = U-CCFL

    .??? ???????? = Panel Coating
    ..???????????? = Anti-glare
    ..????????? = Glossy
  • Dot Pitch Calculator
    -Conventions-
    .?????????? = Resolution
    .????????? = Diagonal Size
    .????????? = Calculate

    .??????? ??????? = Active Area
    .??????????? = Aspect Ratio
    .?????? ??????? = Pixel Pitch
    .???????? ?????????? = Pixels per Inch
    .??????????? = Common Name/Moniker (if any)
  • Widescreen Gaming Forum
    -Master Monitors List
    -Games List
    -Forum

    Should you have any trouble finding your LCD model's panel type, feel free to ask in this very thread. There are a number of tip-offs as well, like 178/178 viewing angle almost always being a A-MVA/S-PVA/S-IPS panel. Beware however that, though rare, some LCDs of the same model may use a drastically different panel!

    Here are some other helpful sites:
    ddekany's site regarding Samsung 970P dithering
    Aspect Ratio Calculator
    HOWTO: Fix a Stuck Pixel
    Monitor Comparisons
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14. Appendix B: Index of Reviews
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N

Navid

Diamond Member
Jul 26, 2004
5,053
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0
Excellent!

Can you add more on when you would go for a wide-screen and what you would lose if you did?
 
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CP5670

Diamond Member
Jun 24, 2004
5,569
652
126
Nice guide. :thumbsup: You might also want to throw in a comment on the Xbrite/Opticlear coating LCDs. I think those look dramatically better in games than pretty much any other type of LCD, although the color accuracy isn't that great.
 
Wreckage

Wreckage

Banned
Jul 1, 2005
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OK, so I just ordered a Dell 2005FPW for $350. How well does this rate? I was looking at the Viewsonic 19" (1280x1024) with a 3ms :Q refresh, however the price, size, inputs and widescreen changed my mind.
 
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xtknight

Elite Member
Oct 15, 2004
12,974
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Originally posted by: Navid
Excellent!

Can you add more on when you would go for a wide-screen and what you would lose if you did?
Click to expand...

Yup...that was going right through my mind as I wrote that, just didn't have time to update it. I'll update it really soon. Thanks all.

Originally posted by: w00t
forthed/forthly, but i like the one over in xtreme systems better.
Click to expand...

Well this is far from finished but what do you like about the xtremesystems one? The formatting does kinda suck for the moment and I'll probably make it in to an HTML page instead and link it from here (or just copy the text to the main post).
 
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Keeir

Member
Jun 7, 2005
138
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TN type panels have the best contrast?

I was under the impression that contrast is typically measured as brightness of white/brightness of black

wouldn't that make PVA/MVA type panels the best at contrast (since they have the lowest black level at a given brightness)?
 
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xtknight

Elite Member
Oct 15, 2004
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Originally posted by: Keeir
TN type panels have the best contrast?

I was under the impression that contrast is typically measured as brightness of white/brightness of black

wouldn't that make PVA/MVA type panels the best at contrast (since they have the lowest black level at a given brightness)?
Click to expand...

Corrected.
 
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Navid

Diamond Member
Jul 26, 2004
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This is fantastic work. Thanks for sharing your knowledge. Please keep working on it as you have suggested.

I am a little bit frustrated in my search for the right monitor. I think the main reason for my frustration is that there is no standard for the response time measurement that the manufacturers use. So, I have no way of comparing different monitors considering that response time is important for me as I do game. I cannot keep buying monitors and returning them until I find the right one. If I do that, they will not let me in the store eventually!
 
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Hadsus

Golden Member
Aug 14, 2003
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Disadvantages not listed.......

Poor blacks. Supported by contrast ratio specs but also supported by real world viewing. LCDs I've seen don't render deep blacks which affect depth, color accuracy, and immersiveness in games. LCDs do poorly with dark games such as Doom3 and Theif series. Technological limitations make it doubtful that blacks can ever be rendered accurately.

Excessive brightness. Screen much brighter than ambient light and CRTs. Reducing brightness affects dynamic range of colors. Long term physiological affects of excessive brightness on eyes unknown at this time.

Silk screen effect. Shimmering of multi-colored pixels and subpixels on the face of the screen.

Screen door effect. User dependent. Some users are distracted considerably and others not at all. Caused by dark filler material to hide electrical connections to pixels.

Bad pixels. Still too common and distracting.

Bound resolution. You have just one native resolution which causes issues with text size and interpolation in games. Requires high end video card with very large screens in order to achieve proper frame rates in many video demanding games.

Screen fragility. CRTs have a glass face which is more difficult to damage accidently (i.e., cracks and scratches) than LCDs.
 
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xtknight

Elite Member
Oct 15, 2004
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Added these too, even though some are kinda debatable.

As for the bad pixels, I agree they are common but they are hardly distracting to say the least unless you have two in a row or have an extremely high dot pitch monitor. I have two scattered red ones and I notice them once in a blue moon, or...a red moon. ;)
Screen door...I can vaguely see what you mean but I haven't noticed it until I started looking for it, lol.
Resolutions...this one I just forgot.
Brightness...hmmm...I'm not sure LCDs are any brighter than AG CRTs?
The blacks of the best LCDs are near undiscernable from CRTs in regular lighting conditions.
Screen fragility...yes, that can be an issue. This reminds me, LCDs also don't suffer the glass glare which is one advantage to their panel.
Silk screen...this happens on 6-bit TNs, yeah.

Potentially the best LCD could virtually eliminate all those problems except for the screen door effect (maybe with extremely low dot pitch it could). I bet we will see that ideal LCD some day.
 
K

Keeir

Member
Jun 7, 2005
138
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Few Purposes

#1. Bump

#2.
Umm... I have dropped LCDs from hieghts greater than 3 feet and they still work and best of all don't break

I am not sure you can say the same for CRTs. I dropped a TV once from 2 feet and the screen of course broken all over the place.

Edit: Yet again, something that seems like a strength for one (heavy glass screen) can be a disadvantage in certain situations, this leads me into my third point...

#3.
I wouldn't get too caught up in listing all the advantages/disadvantages. Maybe even remove them. Some people will always dislike LCDs and want you to list things that really don't occur for the majority of sets when used the correct way (IE at the correct distance). Conversely, some people will always unreasonably hate CRTs.

#4.
I think there is alot of confusion about how to set up and use an LCD properly. Maybe include a setup/use for maximum performance section?
 
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Navid

Diamond Member
Jul 26, 2004
5,053
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Originally posted by: Keeir
#3.
I wouldn't get too caught up in listing all the advantages/disadvantages. Maybe even remove them. Some people will always dislike LCDs and want you to list things that really don't occur for the majority of sets when used the correct way (IE at the correct distance). Conversely, some people will always unreasonably hate CRTs.
Click to expand...

That is a good point. You can make this about everything associated with displays and write a thesis on it (too long)! But, that would make it too general and without focus. It may be better to keep it focused on what it is supposed to be.

You started it originally focused on helping people decide which LCD brand, type or model to buy for each particular type of application. The title says it all (LCD Buyer's Guide). That is a great objective. It would be great if you focus on that and leave the other subjects to other possible threads.


Can you add if there is any disadvantage with a 19" aspect ratio?
Are there any advantages to a wide screen for particular applications?

You may want to add links to other reviews you like if you think that is appropriate.
 
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Nextman916

Golden Member
Aug 2, 2005
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Well done xt. Just outta curiousity what monitor do you plan on buying next? Or are you gonna stick with your current, 710N correct? until till new tech comes out OLED,SED, etc.
 
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wpeng

Senior member
Aug 10, 2000
368
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I would like a list of common problems with popular LCDs. For example, the Viewsonic VX924 and VP930B and Dell 2005fpw have multiple reports (as in, a ton of them) about backlight bleeding. I myself have witnessed bad bleeding in 2 of 3 Dell 2005fpws that were delivered to me.
 
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xtknight

Elite Member
Oct 15, 2004
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Originally posted by: Nextman916
Well done xt. Just outta curiousity what monitor do you plan on buying next? Or are you gonna stick with your current, 710N correct? until till new tech comes out OLED,SED, etc.
Click to expand...

Thanks. I have a Samsung 710T (the DVI version) and planning on getting a Samsung 770P next, the only 17" S-PVA with Overdrive as far as I know. If that's not out by the time I want it, I'll just grab the 970P. Why not the VP930B you ask? Well the backlight issue threads led me to believe they were sacrificing quality for the lower price of the VP930B vs. the 970P.

Yeah I was torn between putting advantages/disadvantages and "this guide is intended for those who have already decided they want to with an LCD". So I guess I'll just put neither in, because the first is likely useless and/or incomplete due to subjectivity, and the second could possibly maybe drive people away when they could have learned something...

Originally posted by: wpeng
I would like a list of common problems with popular LCDs. For example, the Viewsonic VX924 and VP930B and Dell 2005fpw have multiple reports (as in, a ton of them) about backlight bleeding. I myself have witnessed bad bleeding in 2 of 3 Dell 2005fpws that were delivered to me.
Click to expand...

Good idea. Added.
 
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Nextman916

Golden Member
Aug 2, 2005
1,428
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yeah i agree, nice choice on the 970p btw.


P.S- my 940b didnt come today :( im kinda mad considering i ordered it noon thursday.
 
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Ike0069

Diamond Member
Apr 28, 2003
4,276
2
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Excellent write-up xt. I myself am looking at getting an LCD and found this review very helpful.

It would be nice to see a 17" vs. 19" section. This is one dilema I have right now. The 17" LCD's have some serious pro's, but I'm just stuck on the bigger is better idea.

I have 19" CRT now and don't really want to drop in screen size at all, but maybe I should just go with 17". What to do?
 
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wpeng

Senior member
Aug 10, 2000
368
0
0
Originally posted by: Ike0069
Excellent write-up xt. I myself am looking at getting an LCD and found this review very helpful.

It would be nice to see a 17" vs. 19" section. This is one dilema I have right now. The 17" LCD's have some serious pro's, but I'm just stuck on the bigger is better idea.

I have 19" CRT now and don't really want to drop in screen size at all, but maybe I should just go with 17". What to do?
Click to expand...

You'll find that almost all 17" monitors are TN panels, so if you don't like 6 bit color, then don't get a 17". Also, you'll notice almost no difference between 17" LCDs and 19" CRTs since CRTs have 18" viewable area.


EDIT: I found another LCD guide that was made 3 months ago:
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=71226
 
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Nextman916

Golden Member
Aug 2, 2005
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A 19" crt is kinda like a 17" lcd because a 19" crt is only 18" viewable and a 17"lcd is 17" viewable. You might notice a very slight diff between the two but if you get a 17inch lcd with a thin bezel it may appear to be the same size. My suggestion would be to get a 19in because the price difference between to the 2 is minimal, of course it all depends on what you want and what your price range is.
 
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