Flat Screen Monitor

icarusi

Loobeylou wrote:

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

I got an 19" Acer AL1913s from my local Staples today for £200. They didn't have many in though, so I bought on the '14 day no quibble money back' as they couldn't plug it in to let me view it. The AL1912s is generally cheaper than the AL1913s elsewhere, with faster response time but worse brightness, contrast ratio and viewing angle. 3 year guarantee included.

Quonous

Right: Crash course in TFTs coming up:

There are three types of panel:

TN+Film - Low response time (less than 20MS), cheap, relatively poor colours, good for games and multimedia.

SIPS - Low Response Time (20 - 25 MS), Good colour, Expensive (Apple use these for their gorgeous displays), good all rounders.

MVA - Great Colour, Poor response times, expensive, really only good for high end design work due to colour accuracy.

Most of the monitors in this thread are TN+Film. Unless you are doing lots of work with colour such as photo manipulation or design to any level above amateur then this is probably your best bet. I'd recommend monitors from LG (great value) or Samsung, the leader in the field. They have had a zero tolerance policy on lit and unlit pixels since January, and are very strict on lazy pixels too. Both companies offer a 3 year warranty.

As your computer is old, it probably won't have a DVI port on it, but I'd recommend buying a monitor with DVI so you'll get the best possible quality when you upgrade your computer.

I'd go with the LG L1740P at the upper end of your budget, or the L1715S if you want to save some money. I own the latter monitor and it's great, no ghosting (smearing of the image with fast movement) or faulty pixels. It lacks DVI but the image is nice and sharp, the untrained eye won't notice the difference. The colour is a little cold out the box but that's easily correctable. It's probably the best value monitor out there right now.

As for prices: If you're going to buy soon, buy NOW. Due to a manufacturing slump caused by surplus stock pre Christmas, the prices are currently artificially low and will be rising shortly due to demand outpacing supply. It'll take a few months to stabilise so my recommendation would be to take the plunge ASAP. Also, avoid integrated speakers. Nasty, Nasty things that inflate the price far above their worth. If you desire some new ones spend the money you save on a nice set of Logitech X230s or something.

Loobeylou

After the great recommendations previously given, I am leaning towards the LG L1740P over the LG L1715S, purely because when I update my system it has the DVI, plus it does not appear to have the integrated speakers. I admit the Sharp has good reviews, but that does seem to have the integrated speakers.

However, I am having difficulty finding any reviews on the LG L1740P to get varied input - can anyone lead me in the right direction please?

T4i

You can always trust a review from TrustedReviews....

http://www.trustedreviews.com/article.aspx?art=1086

bridiej

I got mine from ebay last year, was just over £100.