Monitor for the partially sighted

[Eyeless Blond]

So, it seems I'm getting a last-minute Christmas gift of a 19" flat panel, which is very good as my current 17" Gateway EV700 is getting old. To keep it simple I'm limiting myself to what's available at Costco and Sam's Club, as the 'rents tend to go there often and they've got good return policies in case something better comes up in the sales next week. Here's the ones I'm choosing between for now:

Samsung 916V

Sceptre X9G-NagaV

Viewsonic VA1912wb

Princeton VL1918

The problem is I'm partially-sighted, and not much into FPS-type gaming so most of the considerations everyone else has over a monitor (low ghosting, high resolution) don't really apply. What I'm really looking for is a monitor that:

-does well with *low* screen resolutions (800x600 or 1024x768 max). I'm not up on current tech, but I do remember that LCDs used to have problems displaying lower-than-optimum resolutions.
-Has a decent black-level and good contrast, to prevent eye fatigue.
-Good viewing angles, pretty much for the same reason and because my face is typically closer to the screen than most people.
-Good color couldn't hurt.

So, of those monitors what would be the best to get? Any suggestions for other monitors to look at at different B&M stores?

(Edit): Oh, and all four of the above cost about the same where I've seen them: ~$299-ish. I'm leaning toward the Spectre at the moment, but more than willing to look elsewhere.

 

[Eyeless Blond]

So, noone then? Thanks anyway I guess.

 

[mwmorph]

crt is the way for you to go. lcds dont handle contrast, cannot give a perfect black, interpolates for a non native resolution. CRTS have basically 180* veiwing angle, no trouble with res from 5x4 to ~2000x1500(depends on size), perfect blacks, good contrast.

this seesm like a good choice fro you
http://www.azatek.com/details.asp?iid=786
It's refurb, but it's a grade a refurb so it's not defective in any way and not cosmetically affected in a realy noticalbe way.

 

[Tu13erhead]

Originally posted by: mwmorph
crt is the way for you to go. lcds dont handle contrast, cannot give a perfect black, interpolates for a non native resolution. CRTS have basically 180* veiwing angle, no trouble with res from 5x4 to ~2000x1500(depends on size), perfect blacks, good contrast.

this seesm like a good choice fro you
http://www.azatek.com/details.asp?iid=786
It's refurb, but it's a grade a refurb so it's not defective in any way and not cosmetically affected in a realy noticalbe way.

CRTs have flicker and, at least for me, put much more strain on my eyes. I'd take an LCD any day.

 

[selfbuilt]

I've often wondered myself what would make a better gift for the partially sighted. Personally, I find high quality LCDs give better color and B&W contrast than older CRTs. But compared to the lower-end LCDs you are considering, I would think CRTs would be a better choice (for all the reasons mwmorph pointed out). At the moment, you should be able to find a good 21-22 inch grade A CRT refurb for less the price of entry level 19 inch LCD.

If you want to stick with LCDs, I'd go up at least $100 or so in price to something a little better than those models - the difference would be considerable for you, I suspect. At the very least, I'd go and personally examine each monitor in operation to see which looked the best for me. Good luck!

 

[Smokin Joe]

EB, I have a 19' Sceptre X9-Komodo II that I have had since 9/03. Pluged in in , didn't change anything and it has not missed a beat. I had a highdollar 19"CRT that it replaced. It is the best thing I have done in 10 years of having a computer. Much less eye strain than the CRT. I am not a "Gamer", so that is not a consideration for me.

I like the Sceptre so much, I am at the present considering purchasing two Sceptre HD LCD TV's!!


Smoke

 

[Eyeless Blond]

Originally posted by: mwmorphthis seesm like a good choice fro you
http://www.azatek.com/details.asp?iid=786
It's refurb, but it's a grade a refurb so it's not defective in any way and not cosmetically affected in a realy noticalbe way.

Wow, now that is one posh monitor. Not a bad deal for something that incredible, but yikes $479? The thing would probably break my desk. It's far too good for my aging Raedon 9200, I think.

You and selfbuilt make a good point about "value" LCDs being a bit low on quality. Guess I'll have to wait until next week before I can go out in person and check out the different screens in person, especially since apparently LCD specs are about as misleading as MPG ratings on cars.

 

[Eyeless Blond]

Tu13erhead: really? The flicker on my current monitor isn't so bad @70-75Hz, but below that I agree it's distracting. Does the switch to LCD--or a larger monitor for that matter--make that effect worse?

 

[nitromullet]

Eyeless Blond, it sounds to me that what you are looking for is a screen that is large, but not hi-res... Have you considered looking into a LCD flat panel TV/monitor as your computer screen?

Something like http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11044571&whse=&topnav=&browse=?

These screens are huge, and would probably suit your purposes extremely well. The reason that most people don't opt for such a screen as their primary monitor is because the resolution is not high enough, but it sounds like you are specifically looking for a large and relatively low resoultion monitor. The cost is a bit steeper then what you mentioned, but I imagine that a 26" 1366x768 screen would give you much more screen real estate to work with, while still providing you with the lower resoltion that you want.

btw... if you aren't gaming your Raedon 9200 will be fine for running 2D applications. I use an old 7500 with my 1680x1050 LCD in my secondary box, and it works just fine.

welcome to AT forums

 

[Eyeless Blond]

Originally posted by: nitromullet
Eyeless Blond, it sounds to me that what you are looking for is a screen that is large, but not hi-res... Have you considered looking into a LCD flat panel TV/monitor as your computer screen?

Something like http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11044571&whse=&topnav=&browse=?

btw... if you aren't gaming your Raedon 9200 will be fine for running 2D applications. I use an old 7500 with my 1680x1050 LCD in my secondary box, and it works just fine.

welcome to AT forums

Thanks! Hm, that might well work, though it's hideously expensive to buy a television for use as a computer monitor. That particular one probably wouldn't work, as my Raedon doesn't have DVI out and that screen doesn't have VGA in, so I'd have to use component or S-video to connect the two--ugh.

And yeah, the Raedon works just fine for now, but if I were to sink $500+ into a monitor it would almost be a crime not to uppgrade the rest of the computer too. Give a Blond a cookie...

 

[mwmorph]

Originally posted by: Eyeless Blond

Originally posted by: mwmorphthis seesm like a good choice fro you
http://www.azatek.com/details.asp?iid=786
It's refurb, but it's a grade a refurb so it's not defective in any way and not cosmetically affected in a realy noticalbe way.

Wow, now that is one posh monitor. Not a bad deal for something that incredible, but yikes $479? The thing would probably break my desk. It's far too good for my aging Raedon 9200, I think.

You and selfbuilt make a good point about "value" LCDs being a bit low on quality. Guess I'll have to wait until next week before I can go out in person and check out the different screens in person, especially since apparently LCD specs are about as misleading as MPG ratings on cars.

here. half the price 21" and still has the fabled sony trinitron image quality.

 

[nitromullet]

And yeah, the Raedon works just fine for now, but if I were to sink $500+ into a monitor it would almost be a crime not to uppgrade the rest of the computer too. Give a Blond a cookie...

Well, monitors tend to last longer than PC's in my experience, so it might be worth it. Whenever I am making purchasing recommendations to anyone, I always recommend that people don't skimp on the interface components: keyboard, mouse, and especially the monitor. My recommendation: If you go to costco and try out a 26" LCD TV/monitor on a PC and you find it superior for your needs than any of the flat panets you listed, but you can't afford it at the moment... wait and save until you can. Then again, you might go there and see that the LCD TV doesn't meet your needs... I think that you have a pretty special case scenario here that most of us can't really speak to, so you will most likely have to try out a few things to see what works the best for you.

 

[Tu13erhead]

Originally posted by: Eyeless Blond
Tu13erhead: really? The flicker on my current monitor isn't so bad @70-75Hz, but below that I agree it's distracting. Does the switch to LCD--or a larger monitor for that matter--make that effect worse?

LCDs have no flicker.

I'd strongly recommend a monitor that uses DVI. For me, there is a noticable improvement in most aspects of the display. Of course, you'll need a video card that does DVI out.