Flat Screen Monitor

Loobeylou · 14 April 2005 at 9:11AM

I am after a flat screen monitor for my rather old (purchased around 1998) computer setup.

Ideally I would like a 17" flat screen to work with Windows ME. I do not require it to receive TV, but I am torn between whether to get one with speakers or not. I presently have four small speakers, although I do not use them a great deal, and I guess that having integrated speakers would neaten things up somewhat in my little office.

I am after good quality, good picture, good response time, at a maximum price of £250. Anything less would be a bonus.

To be honest, I am not sure what I should be looking for and find it all a bit daunting knowing what to get for the best.

If anyone of you very nice people out there could throw some light on the matter and give some advice, I would be grateful.

Joe_Bloggs · 14 April 2005 at 9:22AM

You could get by if you spent half the amount on the screen. Try https://www.aria.co.uk they have screens on offer. The rest of the budget should be put towards the future costs of a new PC. The speakers on a flat screen are often rubbish so don't expect too much.
J_B.

wolfman · 14 April 2005 at 10:06AM

Check reviews on the Sharp LL172GB. I bought it a month ago. Brilliant monitor, I haven't seen anything better for £250. Check out

http://www.pcpro.co.uk/labs/126/17in-tft-monitors/products.html

Watford Electronics (they're ok if nothing goes wrong) have it for £243 which is one of the cheapest. http://www.savastore.com/productinfo/product.aspx?catalog_name=Savastore&product_id=10279013&pid=206&rstrat=3236

It has a DVI connector too (for digital connection) but your machine probably won't be able to take advantage of that. I'd imagine you have the standard analog d-Sub connection. DVI is a lot more future proof and offers a better picture. If you don't feel you need that then TFT's without that connector are a bit cheaper. In that case the NEC looks very good.

http://www.pcpro.co.uk/buyer-labs/168/17in-flatpanels/products.html

Loobeylou · 14 April 2005 at 10:10AM

Anyone tell me what dead pixels are? I take it I should be avoiding these.

What kind of resolution should I be looking for (minimum) on a good quality flat screen?

Also, what kind of (minimum) response time should I be looking for?

Many thanks for the responses so far - I have taken a look at the links but I keep hearing/reading that speakers are not particularly good when part of the screen, so I think I may just try to get a flat screen with no speakers - unless anyone knows better ..... ?

wolfman · 14 April 2005 at 10:45AM

Dead pixels are as the name describes, pixels on the screen that are dead. They don't respond and usually appear as a green (or black) dot on the screen. They're only really noticeable on a white background and you'd get used to it. They're not that common with newer LCD's anyway. Most online stores check the screen before shipping it. If you read the terms they'll usually allow for no more than 4 dead pixels on the screen. The best thing you can do is buy a decent quality monitor, instore, so that you can see it working before purchasing it. I bought my Sharp LL172GB online and it doesn't have any dead pixels.

Resolutions are different with LCD's compared with CRT's (standard tube monitors) as the output picture has to be scaled. Because of this each size of LCD will have a "native" resolution, which is the ideal, or best resolution to run it in.

For example 17" LCD's have a native resolution of 1280x1024. If you run it in 800x600 you'll find the picture blurs because a 1280x1024 image is being mapped to an 800x600 image and this is not a 1:1 mapping. Same applies with higher resolutions.

Native resolutions:
15" - 1024x768
17" - 1280x1024
19" - 1280x1024
21" - 1600x1200

With regards to response times, for around £250 you should be looking at under 20ms. I think my Sharp is around 16ms, which is taken as an average. Watch out for manufacturers quoting the fastest rate, rather than the average as it will vary during use.

londonman81 · 14 April 2005 at 3:03PM

Loobeylou wrote:

I am after a flat screen monitor for my rather old (purchased around 1998) computer setup.

Ideally I would like a 17" flat screen to work with Windows ME. I do not require it to receive TV, but I am torn between whether to get one with speakers or not. I presently have four small speakers, although I do not use them a great deal, and I guess that having integrated speakers would neaten things up somewhat in my little office.

I am after good quality, good picture, good response time, at a maximum price of £250. Anything less would be a bonus.

To be honest, I am not sure what I should be looking for and find it all a bit daunting knowing what to get for the best.

If anyone of you very nice people out there could throw some light on the matter and give some advice, I would be grateful.

Just a minor point, and I don't mean to be anal - you just need to be slightly careful about using the term 'Flat Screen Monitor' as what I think you are referring to specifically is TFT.

Big fat CRT's can also be 'Flat Screen', whereas I'm assuming you meant TFT (Thin Film Technology) which are the thin space saving ones that everyone is after nowadays.

Having a Flat Screen means just that - Flat 'Screen' - and nothing more. I.e nothing to do with how fat the rest of the monitor is.

As for a recommendation - watch out on this forum as I am doing a bit research on something that might prove very popular - I hope to post something tmrw.

Thanks

L

T4i · 14 April 2005 at 3:11PM

Is 20ms ok for gaming? Any ghosting? DVD's?

Aria have this :- 17" Arianet FastXS TFT Silv - 12ms

£139.95 exc, £164.44 inc

Nearly twice as fast as the £250 20ms Sharp

wolfman · 14 April 2005 at 3:50PM

I'd stay away from such offers if I were you, unless you've really looked into it.

With cheaper brands you're more likely to get dead pixels, or there may be no guarantee against them. Also like I mentioned before, 12ms may not be a true representation. Manufacturers sometimes put the minimum response time the monitor is capable of instead of the average to make it look better. Plus is the picture quality, colour accuracy, sharpness etc... going to be as good?

The Sharp is proven in reviews, has DVI output as well as d-Sub, a decent response time 16ms (average), a solid build, plus 3 years warranty. Alternatively if you don't want to spend £250, then use the link I posted above to a review of an NEC LCD. It doesn't have DVI though, nor such an ajustable stand but costs £190. If you still can't afford that then I'd recommended sticking with a CRT for now, or looking at a 15" LCD.

With regards to ghosting I wouldn't worry about it too much. Even on a 25ms monitor I barely noticed anything unless I looked very closely. With my Sharp I've yet to notice any ghosting.

Remember, monitors are effectively one of the most important parts of the computer, especially if you use it a lot. If I were you I'd spend a little more and get a better quality one.

T4i · 14 April 2005 at 4:21PM

wolfman wrote:

Remember, monitors are effectively one of the most important parts of the computer, especially if you use it a lot. If I were you I'd spend a little more and get a better quality one.

Gotta agree, whats the point in spending £300 for the latest ATi GPU when its only going to be running a rubbish 19' CRT @ 75Hz. It makes me laugh but so many people do it!

I still love my 17' Sony Trinitron flatty, it keeps me warm on a night and its very pleasing on the eyes running at 1024x768 @ 100Hz.

TFT's have a long way to go until im convinced........buying anything that has the word 'dead' to me is not good.

Loobeylou · 14 April 2005 at 6:38PM

Yes, what I am after is a TFT 17" screen - my eyesight is not my greatest asset (no questioning on that please!) and I do not want to buy anything which may be rubbish - a quality product with a nice crisp picture is what I am after.

BUT .... gosh, this is getting rather confusing with all this terminology - I'm afraid I am going to need a great deal of gentle handling, and explainations that a nerd could understand!

When I first started looking at these TFT's about three years ago the prices were so much more, but I have noticed the prices generally lowering since then.

So, is it worth waiting and perhaps purchasing a flat screen with a new set-up (which I really did not want to go to the expense of doing) or does anyone think it is worth considering a purchase of a TFT for my old set-up?

furiousfoggy · 14 April 2005 at 7:00PM

Sure it's worth it, when you do come to upgrade you just take you're monitor with you. Most computers come with optional monitors anyway. I'd go for a decent monitor that'll last you for a good few years.

Flat Screen Monitor

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