Shadow Mask or AG??

[msb2ncsu]

I am trying to figure out which 19 inch monitor to go with and can't decide to save my life. But I was curious your thoughts on Flat Shadow Mask vs. Flat Aperture Grill.

Oh fyi.. the Hitachi CM721F, Samsung 955DF, and Cornerstone c910, 1450, and 2450 are my candidates.
Do mostly gaming and graphics design... oh and a crap load of web surfing =P.

Thanks!

GO CANES!!!

 

[athlonator]

A paragraph detailing the differences between shadow mask and aperture grill, is given in the article below, if you havent already seen it.

http://www.anandtech.com/showdoc.html?i=1612&p=1

Incidently it is a review for the Samsung 955DF, right here on AT.

 

[Sunner]

I got myself a Shadow Mask 21" when I bought a new monitor a little while back, mostly cause those little lines annoy the crap outta me.

 

[athlonator]

I would agree with Sunner that those lines could seriously get on your nerves. Sony, who developed that technology, has managed to push that into mainstream, because of its might. Had it come from anyone else, it would have been considered a major deficiency.

Since, you mention crap load of web surfing , you would probably be better steering from it.

 

[richleader]

The little lines aren't THAT bothersome, indeed, in smaller monitors, sometimes only one is visible. On the other hand, shadow mask monitors tend to have a lot more curve to the screen, especially as monitors get larger.

I'd say, 19" and under, shadowmask all the way, call me a fan boy, but 21" and up, I'd seriously consider AG if cost permitted it.

 

[Pheran]

Actually I love my 19" Trinitron (AG) monitor. The lines don't bother me at all, and everything is amazingly crisp. I think either technology can be good as long as you purchase a quality monitor, but I am partial to Trinitrons. I'm going to get a 21" Sony one of these days.

 

[tenoc]

About the only times I notice the lines is when someone mentions in a post how much they annoy him!

 

[BFG10K]

In my exprience AG montors are superior to shadow mask monitors in every way. Also those two lines don't bother me at all because I can't see them unless I specifically look for them and I'm using a white background.

 

[Jeff7]

Don't know about anyone else, but I have seen AG monitors and shadow mask ones, and the ONLY difference I can see is that AG monitors have 2 little horizontal lines. In terms of image quality, etc, I can't tell any difference. A Dell shadow mask monitor I have is probably the nicest monitor I've used yet. Good colors, and very advanced controls. Only reason I'm using an AG monitor for so long now is that I can't afford to just go and buy another quality 17" monitor - quality being one that supports 1280x1024 at 85Hz, or higher. It does 1600x1200, but only at 60Hz, so ain't no way I can use it at that res.

 

[GetInMyFatBelly]

Check out the LG 915FT + and get the best of both worlds, no tension lines and similar to AG.

 

[dakata24]

i have a 17" Viewsonic PT775 (AG) monitor. bought it a few years ago.. when i got the first one, i thought it was messed up because of the faint lines. so i rmad it, and buy.com gladly sent me another. 2nd one had a crack in it.. rma again.. 3rd one was fine and all, but it still had the faint lines.. i finally decided to call viewsonic tech support and asked them.. that's when i found out that it's supposed to be that way.. back then, didnt know much about monitors... boy, that cost buy.com alot of shipping $$ back and forth..

anyways, in the beginning, it sort of bugged me.. but now, i dont even notice then lines.. that is until you mentioned it..

 

[Sunner]

There are good SM monitors out there, it's just that most manufacturers dont make high end ones.

Thankfully Eizo does however, their highest end 21" monitor(F980) is SM in fact, I have their standard monitor, the F931, it's SM and the screen is completely flat(well may be bent a few degrees, but I cant see it even if looking from the side).