Need LCD Monitor advice for video.

[craftech]

I looked at the LCD Buyer's Guide.

I have read a lot of posts here.

I still need help.

My 20 inch Trinitron works well for video editing, but not for playing HD content via Digital input. It is analog. I have an HD DVD player that I want to hook up to the panel as well as connecting it to my MSI Radeon 1950 pro.

With that in mind, I probably should be looking at LCD monitors in the $800 up range, but I don't have the money right now. My price range is around $500 or so.

I have gathered that TN panels are not the best for multimedia yet the LCD Buyer's Guide lists mostly TN panels for the multimedia category. The Samsung SyncMaster 215TW is listed as S-PVA yet the comment : "However, this model reportedly has lots of input lag (like the 2407WFP). If you know you'd be sensitive to this, your best choice would be to avoid it. " changed my mind about that model.

The Samsung 226BW 22in monitor seems to have decent reviews but when I downloaded the spec sheet it said it was TN as well. http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=233604

I don't trust NEC quality control so I won't look at those at all.


Most of you guys are gamers so that may explain why I am not finding what I am looking for by reading this forum every day.


Do any of you have a suggestion?

John

 

[chizow]

If HD-DVD playback is a primary concern, you'll want to look at the 1920x1200 native resolution monitors with 1:1 pixel mapping which are mostly 24"-27" and $600+. This will allow for "Full HD" playback at 1080p.

The 3 most popular in this price range/size are the BenQ FP241WZ, Dell 2407 RevA04, and Gateway FP2485W, but there's also been a few new additions with an LG and Westinghouse 24" available at BB for $600-700. All of them have their pros/cons based on price/performance/features/ghosting/image quality etc. etc.

Its not an easy decision so a good bit of research and ideally, looking at the different monitors yourself is probably the safest route. I'd probably start by checking out the various panel specific threads over at HardForums, then head over to BB and find the 24" Gateway, Westinghouse and LG connected to real PCs to set a baseline expectation.

 

[xtknight]

HP LP2065 for 4:3 20", or Acer AL2016W for 20" widescreen. 215TW's input lag probably won't affect you at all if you're just playing video back. The effect itself is still rather questionable in general usage for most. I recommend giving it a shot: it's like response time in a way, a lot of people aren't bothered by it or it's so minor that it's hard to tell.

 

[craftech]

Originally posted by: chizow
If HD-DVD playback is a primary concern, you'll want to look at the 1920x1200 native resolution monitors with 1:1 pixel mapping which are mostly 24"-27" and $600+. This will allow for "Full HD" playback at 1080p.

The 3 most popular in this price range/size are the BenQ FP241WZ, Dell 2407 RevA04, and Gateway FP2485W, but there's also been a few new additions with an LG and Westinghouse 24" available at BB for $600-700. All of them have their pros/cons based on price/performance/features/ghosting/image quality etc. etc.

Its not an easy decision so a good bit of research and ideally, looking at the different monitors yourself is probably the safest route. I'd probably start by checking out the various panel specific threads over at HardForums, then head over to BB and find the 24" Gateway, Westinghouse and LG connected to real PCs to set a baseline expectation.

I think I may really have to reconsider my price range even though I really am not sure I can afford it right now. From some of the confusing posts here I am also not sure if my MSI Radeon X1950 Pro will be adequate for one of the 24 inch monitors mentioned above. Do you know if that is the case? Again, DVI to DVI from the card to the monitor. HDMI to DVI from the HD DVD player to the monitor is what I am looking to do.

http://www.clubit.com/product_detail.cfm?itemno=CA9654863&nav=2

http://www.msi.com.tw/program/products/vga/vga/pro_vga_detail.php?UID=795

Thanks,

John

 

[craftech]

Originally posted by: xtknight
HP LP2065 for 4:3 20", or Acer AL2016W for 20" widescreen. 215TW's input lag probably won't affect you at all if you're just playing video back. The effect itself is still rather questionable in general usage for most. I recommend giving it a shot: it's like response time in a way, a lot of people aren't bothered by it or it's so minor that it's hard to tell.

Would one of those monitors work for the connections and usage I mentioned above?

DVI to DVI from the MSI Radeon X1950 Pro video card to the monitor. HDMI to DVI from the Toshiba HD DVD player to the monitor is what I am looking to do. What happens to the 1080i output from the Toshiba HD-A1 DVD player to the monitor. Is it scaled by the smaller monitor?

http://www.clubit.com/product_detail.cfm?itemno=CA9654863&nav=2


http://www.msi.com.tw/program/products/vga/vga/pro_vga_detail.php?UID=795

John

 

[chizow]

Originally posted by: craftech

I think I may really have to reconsider my price range even though I really am not sure I can afford it right now. From some of the confusing posts here I am also not sure if my MSI Radeon X1950 Pro will be adequate for one of the 24 inch monitors mentioned above. Do you know if that is the case? Again, DVI to DVI from the card to the monitor. HDMI to DVI from the HD DVD player to the monitor is what I am looking to do.

http://www.clubit.com/product_detail.cfm?itemno=CA9654863&nav=2

http://www.msi.com.tw/program/products/vga/vga/pro_vga_detail.php?UID=795

Thanks,

John

Depends what you're mostly planning to do. For video editing and simply driving 1920x1200 in Windows-based applications you'll be fine. For gaming, it does seem the 1950pro still does pretty well running native resolution in most current games (no AA I don't think). I'm sure you can find more reviews but here's one I found pretty quickly showing framerates are in the respectable 30-60 FPS range for most current games:

1950pro Review at Guru3D

Afaik, ATI drivers don't have the ability to run 1:1 in non-native resolutions (1680x1050 etc.), so simply dropping the resolution will stretch the image but it should still look pretty good.

As for inputs, the BenQ FP241WZ will give you the connectivity you're looking for out-of-the-box, but it carries a bit of a price premium over the others. You could run DVI > DVI from your 1950pro and HDMI > HDMI from your HD-DVD player. For the other monitors, you would need to spend a bit more on an external solution like one of the switches here:

DVI/HDMI Switches at Monoprice

A lot of people might dislike an external solution, but I actually prefer the price premium in this form since the switch adds some functionality that 24" panels don't have natively: a remote to change inputs. You would also need two DVI/HDMI converter cables to use this solution (one from 1950pro to switch, one from switch to monitor). All cables and the switch are HDCP compliant so no worries about the signal being blocked along the way. If your HD-DVD can do 1080p via component, you could also go that route as a stop-gap solution or use VGA from your 1950pro and a single HDMI/DVI cable from the HD-DVD.

 

[craftech]

Originally posted by: chizow

Originally posted by: craftech

I think I may really have to reconsider my price range even though I really am not sure I can afford it right now. From some of the confusing posts here I am also not sure if my MSI Radeon X1950 Pro will be adequate for one of the 24 inch monitors mentioned above. Do you know if that is the case? Again, DVI to DVI from the card to the monitor. HDMI to DVI from the HD DVD player to the monitor is what I am looking to do.

http://www.clubit.com/product_detail.cfm?itemno=CA9654863&nav=2

http://www.msi.com.tw/program/products/vga/vga/pro_vga_detail.php?UID=795

Thanks,

John

Depends what you're mostly planning to do. For video editing and simply driving 1920x1200 in Windows-based applications you'll be fine. For gaming, it does seem the 1950pro still does pretty well running native resolution in most current games (no AA I don't think). I'm sure you can find more reviews but here's one I found pretty quickly showing framerates are in the respectable 30-60 FPS range for most current games:

1950pro Review at Guru3D

Afaik, ATI drivers don't have the ability to run 1:1 in non-native resolutions (1680x1050 etc.), so simply dropping the resolution will stretch the image but it should still look pretty good.

As for inputs, the BenQ FP241WZ will give you the connectivity you're looking for out-of-the-box, but it carries a bit of a price premium over the others. You could run DVI > DVI from your 1950pro and HDMI > HDMI from your HD-DVD player. For the other monitors, you would need to spend a bit more on an external solution like one of the switches here:

DVI/HDMI Switches at Monoprice

A lot of people might dislike an external solution, but I actually prefer the price premium in this form since the switch adds some functionality that 24" panels don't have natively: a remote to change inputs. You would also need two DVI/HDMI converter cables to use this solution (one from 1950pro to switch, one from switch to monitor). All cables and the switch are HDCP compliant so no worries about the signal being blocked along the way. If your HD-DVD can do 1080p via component, you could also go that route as a stop-gap solution or use VGA from your 1950pro and a single HDMI/DVI cable from the HD-DVD.

I think the last suggestion sounds like what I would probably end up doing. I actually have quite a few DVI to DVI and DVI to HDMI cables that I bought from Monoprice (amazing vendor). The review was good thanks. Mine is 256 instead of 512 but I don't think that will be a factor in terms of what I am looking to do (no games). Not having to go buy another video card (since I JUST ordered that one and didn't even receive it yet) helps in terms of thinking about spending a lot more money on a 24 LCD monitor. Thanks Chizow.

As a side note. Do you know where to buy the WD Raptors where (unlike Newegg) I will get a recently manufactured (quieter) disk?

John

 

[chizow]

Originally posted by: craftech
I think the last suggestion sounds like what I would probably end up doing. I actually have quite a few DVI to DVI and DVI to HDMI cables that I bought from Monoprice (amazing vendor). The review was good thanks. Mine is 256 instead of 512 but I don't think that will be a factor in terms of what I am looking to do (no games). Not having to go buy another video card (since I JUST ordered that one and didn't even receive it yet) helps in terms of thinking about spending a lot more money on a 24 LCD monitor. Thanks Chizow.

Np, I would still check out the specific threads on the panels you're considering to get a good idea of what to expect. If price is a key concern, you'll probably want to stick to the Dell 2407 or Gateway 2485 since they can both be had for around $600+tax with some coupons and luck. Edit: There's the new Westinghouse 24" and LG 24" in the same price range at BB also, but I haven't seen much chatter about them yet.

A lot of people, including myself got the Gateway using a 12% Rewards Zone coupon although its a YMMV situation since PC monitors aren't stated as an eligible category. We were able to use them by suggesting the monitor would be used as an HDTV, which qualifies as a TV $399 and up. Still, the CSR will need to manually apply the coupon making it a YMMV situation. The Dell just saw a price drop to $699 and they constantly run 10% promotions bring it to $629. With some luck and timing, you'd also be able to stack a 10-15% coupon on top of that to bring it well below $600+tax. Getting a Rev. A04 from Dell now is all but guaranteed and you can also get one from one of the large Dell resellers on Ebay for around $600 shipped.

As a side note. Do you know where to buy the WD Raptors where (unlike Newegg) I will get a recently manufactured (quieter) disk?

John

Haha, looks like you caught one of my off-hand NE WD Raptor remarks. The NE CSR stopped replying to me without acknowledging any wrongdoing, still not sure if I want to make a big fuss over it, but it is disturbing. Your best bet would be to buy from a B&M like Best Buy, MicroCenter, CompUSA or Fry's where you can get a retail kit and see the serial #. I'll double-check when I get home to see if they list a mfg. date on the outside of the box. Unfortunately, BB changed their MSRP to $239; if it were $199 still I'd say just buy it there and pay the tax for the peace of mind, but you can probably still catch it for $199 or so with a promotion if you keep an eye out for it. Would be the same price as NE's $230 - $30 MIR for an OEM and potentially defective drive.

 

[craftech]

Thanks Chizow. You really have helped me a lot. I'll do more research and keep my eyes open for the Dell and other deals in the next month.

Please let me know if the date is on the outside of the box because I may stop into B&H photo when I go into the city. They currently have the retail boxed version of the WD740ADFDRTL for $ 136.95.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/control...74Q&is=REG&Q=&O=productlist&sku=473033

John

 

[chizow]

Just checked, and unfortunately mfg. date is not listed on the box itself. The serial # is clearly indicated though. What you might be able to do is look around for 74GB Raptor drive reviews/owners and see what serial #s they're carrying and when they were made. If there's a working PC with internet at J&H you could even enter the serial #s into WD's site and get an idea of when the drive was made. WD bases their warranty on production date, so a recently made drive would be 5 years at least from now, unlike my old "new" drive from NE which had a 4 1/2 year warranty by the time I got it. lol. :thumbsdown:

The Dell is a great and safe choice though. I really liked its colors, finish, and build quality, just the lack of 1:1 was a killer for me in the A03. A04 fixes that though so it just depends on how sweet of a deal you can get on it.