[Updated]Review: Dell 1900FP vs Planar 191M 19inch LCDs

[Schnieds]

The difference for me is obvious. The picture is brighter, sharper, the colors more vivid, etc. Basically it enhances everything that makes me love working on an LCD.

But I digress, it is all subject to opinion of course.

 

[RalfHutter]

It's pretty obvious to me too how much better DVI-in is over analog-in. I run 2 boxes on my 1900FP and use the DVI input for one box and the analog input for the other. The DVI is much sharper and brighter than the analog input. My DVI card is a retail ATI Radeon 8500 64MB, my analog card is an ATI Radeon LE 32MB.

There is such a difference in the picture quality between DVI and analog that I went an bought a Radeon 7500LE that has DVI and analog to use in my other box and a DVI KVM switch ($400 - owwwwwcchh!, apparently this is the only one available in the entire universe. There must be close to zero demand for DVI KVMs). Now I get the stunning quality of DVI from both different computers.

Damn, this 1900FP has ended up costing me a lot of $$$. I paid $1100 for the monitor back in April. This was during a big "20% off, plus free shipping plus another coupon" deal that Dell had at the time. Retail price back then was $1500. Now I've spent close to $500 more for a DVI KVM switch so I can get the best image quality possoble from two different computers. Oh, well, nobody said computers are a cheap undertaking.

 

[Eman1]

Hey Ralfhutter,

I was wondering if one of those existed for a flatpannel screen. I have my 1900fp hooked up to my personal pc but will be getting a pc from work. I've been planning on using the analog input for the work pc but was wondering if there was a way to use both PC's with DVI. At $500 I guess I'll keep my plans for the analog. That's a bit pricey.

I like this monitor better each day I use it. (especially at a price of $694).

Thanks for the post.
Eman

 

[RalfHutter]

Originally posted by: Eman1
Hey Ralfhutter,

I was wondering if one of those existed for a flatpannel screen. I have my 1900fp hooked up to my personal pc but will be getting a pc from work. I've been planning on using the analog input for the work pc but was wondering if there was a way to use both PC's with DVI. At $500 I guess I'll keep my plans for the analog. That's a bit pricey.

I decided not to get the DVI KVM also, due to the high price, but after a few weeks of switching to the analog display I just couldn't take it any more. There is a very noticable difference in the image quality. I could never put it out of my mind, no matter how long I was using the analog input. So I finally sucked it up and got the KVM.......I'm a happy camper now but there's a large dent in my wallet.

 

[valic]

here's my question.

I normally always run in 1024x768 on a crt. i never used 1280x1024.

i also run at 85Hz with a crt because I get nautious in games if it is at 60 Hz .... SO is a LCD not for me then? My friend said a 60Hz on a LCD is not like a 60Hz on a crt monitor and 1280 by 1024 on a LCD is better then 1280 on a crt.

thoughts?

i am a huge gamer and play battlefield 1942 ALOT etc etc

 

[Sabs]

I don't know the specifics of it, but with LCD's you won't notice flicker at 60Hz as with CRT's - it won't be a concern for you at all.

 

[upquark]

So I got a 1900fp... Looks good, no dead pixels, BUT it emits a faint high-pitched noise if the brightness is anywhere between 0 and 62. Since I find brightness over 50 a bit too much, and am running a virtually silent system this is a problem. Before, I briefly owned a Samsung 191t with the same exact issue.

Could anyone comment on whether their monitor does the same thing? You should be able to hear the difference pretty clearly if you turn the panel on and off... Especially if you listen near the top back of the panel. If all the monitors suffer from this, I might have to exchange it for a Planar.....

--l

 

[Schnieds]

Upquark,

I have a pretty much silent PC and I can confirm that this monitor is silent also. I don't get any type of monitor whine coming from this baby. I also have a friend that owns two 1900FPs and have never heard him talk about a problem with noise, so I think that you either got a bad monitor or there is something about your configuration that is causing the noise.

Here are a few questions:

-What resolution are you running at? The panel's native res is 1280 x 1024 and if possible you should be running that.
-What kind of connection are you using, analog vs. DVI?
-Have you tried the auto adjust feature on the panel?
-Have you tried other resolutions and settings to see if it gets rid of the whine?
-Were you using the same video card on both panels that caused the problem?

 

[LotusNotesGuy]

I receieved a Dell 15% coupon on the back of a catalog, and when I log in, it is there to use . The popup on the details for the "Coupons have been entered but can NOT be used message says its good until january and for up to 5 regular, sale or promotional items and has NOT expired yet according to the popup but won't work over a dozen different things I tried.

I have heard about these coupons not being useable more and more. hmmmm. The popup


Help anyone? I want to buy a 19 inch LCD, I guess I could just call in and ask the to manually apply it, but what a pain in the a$$.

I have heard about these coupons not being useable more and more. hmmmm. The popup


Help anyone? I want to buy a 19 inch LCD, I guess I could just call in and ask the to manually apply it, but what a pain in the a$$.
I have heard about these coupons not being useable more and more. hmmmm.


Help anyone? I want to buy a 19 inch LCD, I guess I could just call in and ask the to manually apply it, but what a pain in the a$$.

 

[chizow]

Originally posted by: LotusNotesGuy
I receieved a Dell 15% coupon on the back of a catalog, and when I log in, it is there to use . The popup on the details for the "Coupons have been entered but can NOT be used message says its good until january and for up to 5 regular, sale or promotional items and has NOT expired yet according to the popup but won't work over a dozen different things I tried.

I have heard about these coupons not being useable more and more. hmmmm. The popup


Help anyone? I want to buy a 19 inch LCD, I guess I could just call in and ask the to manually apply it, but what a pain in the a$$.

I have heard about these coupons not being useable more and more. hmmmm. The popup


Help anyone? I want to buy a 19 inch LCD, I guess I could just call in and ask the to manually apply it, but what a pain in the a$$.
I have heard about these coupons not being useable more and more. hmmmm.


Help anyone? I want to buy a 19 inch LCD, I guess I could just call in and ask the to manually apply it, but what a pain in the a$$.

You probably can't stack the coupon b/c of the current 15% off promo; either that or it is only good in either SB or Home.

Regardless, your post is really annoying and its in the wrong forum. Try one of the posts that deal with Dell Flat Panels in the Hot Deals forum and I'm sure you'll find your answer.

Chiz

 

[Jake52]

I just got the 191T for Christmas and so far I'm happy with it. But I'm only using it with the analog connection to a GeForce 3 Ti200. Is it really that big of a difference if I switch to a DVI connection? If so, I'm definitely going to get a new video card. I'm thinking about a Radeon 9500 Pro. Is anyone out there using a Radeon 9500 Pro with the DVI connection to this monitor? If so, how do you like it?

 

[Dacalo]

I have heard that there are some enhancements with DVI connection. I have heard texts tend to be more clearer and the colors are more vibrant.

Although I do not have radeon 9500, I do have radeon 9700 and is waiting for my 1900fp. If the DVI connection is anything like ATI's awesome image quality, it should be nice.

 

[9ball]

So I finally sucked it up and got the KVM.......I'm a happy camper now but there's a large dent in my wallet.

could've bought another LCD for that price.............

 

[RossMAN]

I have a Ti4200 64 which I bought from my roommate's Dell Dimension 4500 system but I haven't bothered to install it yet.

I'm still using analog, wonder if I'll notice a huge difference when using DVI?

Analog looks fine so far, then again I'm not really a gamer and prefer to watch my DVD's on the TV instead of at the computer.

 

[Schnieds]

You guys should really try DVI... it makes a very big difference in most people's opinion... I have never heard of anyone wanting to go back to Analog after they try DVI...

 

[RossMAN]

Originally posted by: Schnieds
You guys should really try DVI... it makes a very big difference in most people's opinion... I have never heard of anyone wanting to go back to Analog after they try DVI...

Yeah yeah I know, if/when I ever get around to installing my new video card with DVI I'll probably wonder why I didn't do it sooner.

 

[prc00l]

Does anyone know if the Dell 1900FP is wall mountable?

 

[CandyKid]

It is VESA mount compatible which is a standard for mounting hardware and probably other things...

So to answer your question, yes if you have a VESA Wall Mount hardware.

 

[Muse]

bump

 

[oLLie]

No one else wants to congratulate him on a good review? Kudos to you, schnieds.
*edit* just kidding, not many though.

 

[RossMAN]

Bump for an awesome review.

 

[Schnieds]

Glad you guys liked the review... and thanks for the encouragement.

 

[yfli]

Some comparisons between PL191M and Dell 1800FP:

Compared 1800FP with a Planar 19 inch PL191M side by side. The PL191M does show more shadow details because of the higher contrast radio for pictures, also DVD. However, the 1800FP has noticeable faster response time, even though the specs suggest otherwise (1800FP: 30ms, PL191M: 25ms). You can see the differences by fast scrolling the text.

Regarding VGA/DIV inputs, I didn't notice much difference for the 1800FP between VGA/DVI inputs. However, there is a big difference for the PL191M (the text looks much better when using DVI). This may suggest the quality of the A/D converter of the VGA input on the PL191M is not good. Also if the video card has a high quality low noise D/A on the VGA output, DVI may not be absolutely necessary for 1800FP.

Also as others have suggested, cleartype looks not very good on the 1800FP, but much better on PL191M. In generally, text looks better on PL191M when using DVI.

 

[Hubris]

Up for a good review. This is the review that initially made me buy the Planar LCD.

But RossMAN recommended the Dell, and I finally got around to trying it. Got it today in face, and it's a lot cleaner than the Planar, as far as the picture goes. I haven't really tried any games yet, but I like it a lot better than the Planar it replaced.

 

[RossMAN]

Originally posted by: Hubris

I haven't really tried any games yet, but I like it a lot better than the Planar it replaced.

Please keep us informed of your findings