What does Dell 2707WFP have going for itself, compared to Westinghouse 37"?

[lopri]

I am trying to select a monitor/TV for someone else. These two seem to be quite adequate for him (30" is an out of the question for various reasons), and it seems like that the Westinghouse 37" has everything that the Dell 2707 has, and them some. I'd like to make sure that I am understanding everything correctly.

Thanks in advance for your input.

 

[Matt2]

Higher resolution and lower pixel pitch.

 

[Capitalizt]

yep its all about resolution...I have a beautiful 30 inch TV for a monitor, but my max rez for games is 1280x768. This is fine for me, but if you want ultra detail in future games, you'll want 1080P

 

[lopri]

Well, the thing is that this person is an older gentleman, and his vision doesn't appreciate typical PC monitor sizes/resolutions (such as 1920x1200/24", 2560x1600/30"). So I need something bigger than 24" at resolution 1920x1200 or 1920x1080, and the aforementioned two seem to suit his needs. I'm thinking the the Dell 27" is somewhat overpriced and want to make sure that I'm not missing anything. As far as I know both the Dell and Westinghouse support HDCP, correct?

 

[ArchAngel777]

Originally posted by: Capitalizt
yep its all about resolution...I have a beautiful 30 inch TV for a monitor, but my max rez for games is 1280x768. This is fine for me, but if you want ultra detail in future games, you'll want 1080P

Do you have the Dell W3000? That is what I am using...

Anyway, it works great for me as well... I was torn between getting a higher end 1080p system, the Dell 3007 30" or even a 24" incher... But, after looking into it, I am pretty gosh darn happy with my current LCD-TV. I opted to pretty much stick with it for then next year, at least until the LED backlit Monitors come out - at a reasonable price.

The windows desktop could look better, but when I load up a game, everything looks awesome as is. I put all doubts to rest last night when I cleaned my display, loaded up FEAR, HL2 and BIOSHOCK... Yep, all look stellar IMO. Remember, Color is just as important, if not more, than higher resolution.

 

[ArchAngel777]

Originally posted by: lopri
Well, the thing is that this person is an older gentleman, and his vision doesn't appreciate typical PC monitor sizes/resolutions (such as 1920x1200/24", 2560x1600/30"). So I need something bigger than 24" at resolution 1920x1200 or 1920x1080, and the aforementioned two seem to suit his needs. I'm thinking the the Dell 27" is somewhat overpriced and want to make sure that I'm not missing anything. As far as I know both the Dell and Westinghouse support HDCP, correct?

I believe the westinghouse does support HDCP, the W3 varient, at least. 37" is very big for a monitor... Make sure his desk can support it and have room to move it back if it is too large for him. Everyone has their preference for distance, so he might be fine with 3', but he might prefer 5'... You never know.

The nice thing about the 27" is that you can simply move it forward if you want it to take more of your field of vision (though that is true for any monitor). Too close? Move it backward... The desk wouldn't need to be huge to accomodate the 27", at least not to the extent that the 37" would require.

 

[lopri]

Thanks for your input, ArchAngel777. The distance between the monitor and his chair is definitely something that I will have to keep in mind. I noticed that you had an 30" LCD-TV from Dell? What is the resolution on that screen? Is it HDCP-ready? I didn't think about LCD-TV offerings from Dell. (thought they withdrew from the TV market?)

I believe he has enough space for a big screen and if not there is always a wall-mounting bracket. Then while searching last night I found out that 37" models from Westinghouse are discontinued and they're moving to 42". This made me a little uncomfortable on purchasing a 37" one that are left in the market. So the current questions are:

1. What exactly does Dell 2707WFP have going for it? I mean, it's slightly bigger than 2407 but the price is closer to 3007.
2. 42" sounds way too big for a PC monitor to me. Does anyone have used such a big screen as a monitor? (If so, does it bother your neck? How long a distance would need for a comfortable viewing?)
3. How does text look on the 42"/1920x1080? Are they clear enough? Being able to see huge pixelated letters would probably annoying, I think?

 

[jim1976]

Originally posted by: lopri
Well, the thing is that this person is an older gentleman, and his vision doesn't appreciate typical PC monitor sizes/resolutions (such as 1920x1200/24", 2560x1600/30"). So I need something bigger than 24" at resolution 1920x1200 or 1920x1080, and the aforementioned two seem to suit his needs. I'm thinking the the Dell 27" is somewhat overpriced and want to make sure that I'm not missing anything. As far as I know both the Dell and Westinghouse support HDCP, correct?

So dpi is a problem for him? Then he should go with a 37'' incher, but as many ppl mentioned he should take into consideration the viewing distance.
I wouldn't even consider a 37 inch TV for my PC, for my reasons. Dpi is really important for me.. 27'' seems a bit overpriced but it actually isn't imo.. A S-PVA 1920x1200 panel with many inputs and good characteristics isn't that expensive if you ask me..
And I'd instantly change to a 30 inch 2560x1600 PC monitor when these monitors can provide me with 1080p signals for my consoles..

Regarding your questions..

1. Regarding specs almost nothing.. Slightly better contrast, same color gamut with the 2407 HC model (92%), same response time etc.. 2407 has better dpi, while 2707 has better built quality.
2. If 37 inches is out of the question for me, you can imagine what 42 is..
3. That's the problem m8. TVs are not made for PC use.. That is if you don't use your pc only for media server purposes.. At least for me that is, obviously many ppl have different opinions..

You have to decide what's important for your friend and what are his true needs. Dpi or size? You can't have both..

 

[ArchAngel777]

Originally posted by: lopri
Thanks for your input, ArchAngel777. The distance between the monitor and his chair is definitely something that I will have to keep in mind. I noticed that you had an 30" LCD-TV from Dell? What is the resolution on that screen? Is it HDCP-ready? I didn't think about LCD-TV offerings from Dell. (thought they withdrew from the TV market?)

I believe he has enough space for a big screen and if not there is always a wall-mounting bracket. Then while searching last night I found out that 37" models from Westinghouse are discontinued and they're moving to 42". This made me a little uncomfortable on purchasing a 37" one that are left in the market. So the current questions are:

1. What exactly does Dell 2707WFP have going for it? I mean, it's slightly bigger than 2407 but the price is closer to 3007.
2. 42" sounds way too big for a PC monitor to me. Does anyone have used such a big screen as a monitor? (If so, does it bother your neck? How long a distance would need for a comfortable viewing?)
3. How does text look on the 42"/1920x1080? Are they clear enough? Being able to see huge pixelated letters would probably annoying, I think?

My LCD-TV is an older model from Dell (2004, I believe) and is 1280 X 768 for resolution. It certainly isn't as sharp as a 1080p box, but is pretty clean from 3' away (the distance I sit). At about 2.5 feet I can start seeing the individual pixels, but at 3' I do not see them. The display looks great, I play games, surf the web and use it as my main monitor. It is NOT HDCP-Ready :-(

Dell did not withdraw from the LCD-TV market, as you can purchase their newer models on their website (32"/37" IIRC).

If you were to buy the Westinghouse 37", you will have to purchase a refurb, they come with a 90 day warranty... This sometimes causes people to rethink it, just like you did. The 42" is big, very big...

1) The Dell 27" has a great color gamut
2) 42" is large, but relative to view distance. My dad uses a 42"
3) Depends in view distance... The farther you sit away, the les pixelated things look. This is true for all monitors and resolutions.

I think this link will help you greatly in your search...

TV CALCULATOR

The pixel density of MY display is Pixel Density: 2558 pixels / sq. in... A lot of people would consider that very low, but it looks great from 3' away, where the monitor takes up most of my field if vision.

Again, I cannot emphasize enough that a lot of this is personal preference. The more picky people tend to have to spend the most money, because of their standards. Where pepole like me who is less picky and happy with less (in this case, resolution), spend less, which makes us even more happy! But don't get me wrong - everyone who has seen my setup absolutely loves it... Even my computer buddies... No one has ever said "Oh ewww! this is crappy cuz it is only 1280 X 768) so it can't be THAT bad... Just food for thought. Everyone is different.

 

[lopri]

Thanks ArchAngel and Jim. Information/opinion you provided here is fantastic. I appreciate it greatly. The TV Calculator is also very interesting. Never seen it before and I spent some time messing around.

It looks like Dell 27" is a more sensible choice for a PC monitor (mainly - the screen will also be used for multimedia playback, including 1080P). I guess I should keep an eye on a deal.

BTW, is there any 30"~32" LCD TV with 1080P in the market?

 

[ArchAngel777]

Originally posted by: lopri
Thanks ArchAngel and Jim. Information/opinion you provided here is fantastic. I appreciate it greatly. The TV Calculator is also very interesting. Never seen it before and I spent some time messing around.

It looks like Dell 27" is a more sensible choice for a PC monitor (mainly - the screen will also be used for multimedia playback, including 1080P). I guess I should keep an eye on a deal.

BTW, is there any 30"~32" LCD TV with 1080P in the market?

The only 32" LCD-TV that supports is 1080P is made by sharp. There is a 32D62U and a 32GPU1. The latter is a gamers edition with DVI port. The former works fine with DVI -> HDMI converter.

Sharp, so far, is the only company to offer a 1080P at the 32" range... It has been that way for almost a year now, so not many signs that will change in the future.

I almost bought the Sharp 32", but there is a dynamic contrast that cannot be disabled from the set. So, when viewing, the display will brighten or darken the backlight as if it were going into the options and adjusting the brightness. This bothers some people, but others are totally fine with it and don't even notice it until it is pointed out. One of those things, though...

I would say that the 27" would be a good choice, but only if you can get it on sale. I would not pay retail for that display... I think a fair price would be in the $700 range, but right now it is like $1,000 or something without any deals.

 

[Arkaign]

Have you considered a 1080p DLP in the 40"-50" range? You could sit it 4+ feet away and it would be crystal clear. Just make sure that either it has a proper DVI input, or your video card is ready for HDMI/HDCP.