Monitor Recommendations

boliston

I have got an old sony vaio laptop (fs-215z) and although I like it a lot, it is a bit slow for things like BBC iplayer HD.

As I have only ever used my laptop at home I'm thinking of going for a "deskcube" type system (eg https://secure.dnuk.com/systems/configure/d500.php ) with separate monitor, but there seems such a vast selection of monitors to choose from!

I was originally thinking of replacing it with a newer laptop, but so many laptops seem let down by poor quality screens! The thing that really bugs me with many laptop screens is that blacks just don't seem black, especially at the bottom of the screen as if the back-lighting is not totally even. Separate monitors don't seem quite so bad in this respect but it's just that there's so many!

My main requirements is that it has 1920x1080 or 1920x1200 and is no bigger than 22" due to lack of space. It must have good colours for photo editing and black areas must be true black, not muddy grey!

turbobob

As colour accuracy is important to you it might be worth looking at the more expensive PVA or IPS panels. A description of the different panel types and their advantages and disadvantages is here. You might also want to try the TFT selector on the same site to see what recommendations it comes up with.

The vast majority of low cost monitors are of the TN film variety, which are (IMO) absolutely fine for most. They are very fast, so do not suffer from lag much, but have a narrow viewing angle and less colour accuracy than the more expensive types.

boliston

Thanks turbobob - I guess you are talking about high end kit like http://www.eizo.co.uk/ then

Someone mentioned in a review that these are very good on photos but not so good for clear text reproduction. I think the only answer is to actually look at a monitor in a store. I have noticed that the imac 21.5" has a very good picture for both photo and text, but it's an "all in one" design so less flexible than separate monitor & base unit.

turbobob

Maybe not quite so expensive. Something like the Dell Ultrasharp 2209WA maybe but that's 1680 x 1050 resolution.

It seems to be a difficult combination of features to get exactly. Theres plenty of 22" TN panels that have 1920 x 1080. There are quite a few IPS or PVA panels in 20" or 21" but with a lower resolution. Yes it would probably be worthwhile having a look at a few in real life before deciding

jbreckmckye

Might I suggest using CRTs if colour and contrast are your priority? They may be heavy and consume a (little) more power, but they are cheaper and offer a better refresh rate, which improves the clarity of video and removes ghosting / trails - although LCDs are getting better all the time.

Do keep the possibility of a CRT in mind, though.

As CRTs fall by the wayside, new models are getting more expensive, but there are some excellent second-hand monitors available.

GetRealBabe

turbobob wrote: »

Maybe not quite so expensive. Something like the Dell Ultrasharp 2209WA maybe but that's 1680 x 1050 resolution.

That monitor looks stunning. I've got a Samsung at the mo but the Dell. Wow!! Might buy one.

boliston

I used to own the "Mitsubishi Diamond Pro 900u 19" Diamondtron Natural Flat Monitor" and I really liked it but it was one HEAVY beast!

When I got my first LCD I hated it at first as it just did not seem "right" but I guess I have just got used to LCD now, but I expect you would need to spend a lot on an LCD to get CRT-like quality.

boliston

Interestingly the tftcentral site shows that apple displays are "IPS" panels which must account for the better colours and blacker blacks that the panels seem to show:

http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/search.php?query=apple&select=model

boliston

turbobob wrote: »

Maybe not quite so expensive. Something like the Dell Ultrasharp 2209WA maybe but that's 1680 x 1050 resolution.

It seems to be a difficult combination of features to get exactly. Theres plenty of 22" TN panels that have 1920 x 1080. There are quite a few IPS or PVA panels in 20" or 21" but with a lower resolution. Yes it would probably be worthwhile having a look at a few in real life before deciding

That Dell 2209WA certainly sounds impressive! I could probably happily sacrifice some resolution for the extra picture quality that this screen is reported to offer compared with budget "full HD" monitors based on TN panel technolgy.

turbobob

Yes the Dell looks a good bet. Its one that gets a lot of good reviews and comments. It is apparently based on an LG panel which you might have seen Apple use in some of theirs. I've never used 1920 x 1080 on a 22" monitor, but 1680 x 1050 is fine. This post I saw here gives some alternatives (IPS panels) that do have the higher res, but looks like it would have to be a 23" monitor.