Flat screens

[TransformX]

I'm certain it has been asked before but things have changed so much lately so here I go:

What's the difference between LCD, TFT and LCD Hybrid ?
Are there any other buzzwords we should or shouldn't know about ?
What are the most important parameters - brightness, contrast ratio, vertical refresh, response time (most don't tell this one) ?

What name brands are considered better (IBM, Philips, LG, Mag, Nec, Samsung etc.) ?

How would you rate this screen for example (since it's one of the only few that gave full specs): http://www.cmv.com.tw/en/product.asp?pid={10DEACB6-880D-4780-9A80-7C6AAC549C59}

[Gurm]

Well, brightness and contrast ratio are certainly important, but response time moreso. And yes, it's the one spec they don't tell you - for precisely the reason that it's the most important, and all but a handful have a VERY HIGH response time.

You're looking for a 16ms monitor, but if that fails a 20ms will do. Anything higher than that will ghost out in games and fast scrolling text.

And...

A TFT is a type of LCD.

- Gurm

[Kooldino]

I never heard of an "LCD Hybrid", but Gurm is right about the rest.

Keep in mind when he says "VERY HIGH RESPONSE TIME", that's a bad thing, because it takes a long period of time to respond, ie, it's slow.

Contrast ratio is important, the higher the better. Don't even look at anything that's not 400:1 or higher.

I THINK Samsungs are considered the best.

[az]

Yes, TFT (Thin Film Transistor) is a type of LCD (liquid Crystal Display), but they can usually be interchanged for one another if you're talking about computer flat screens.

"Hybrid" means that a display has both digital and analogue inputs (usually DVI-I, which is a combination of DVI-D, the digital visual interface, and DVI-A, which sends analogue signals over DVI plugs - the signalling is the same as on BNC/D-Sub, so you only need a cheap adaptor). Digital input is of course better, since there is no unnecessary D/A and A/D conversion (CRTs need analogue signals, so graphics cards convert their digital image into analogue signals, but Flat Panels need digital signals, so they convert the analogue signal back to digital.. this D/A/A/D conversion is of course lossy, so a digital input is usually better.) Most cheaper LCDs only support analogue in, which doesn't have a technical reason - actually, having digital in only would be cheaper, since you could just leave out the A/D converters. This is purely a business reason: Digital in gives better quality, so the higher models get it. Of course, you can only use Digital In if your graphics card has a digital out (DVI).

One of the best brands in terms of performance and price/performance is IMHO NEC-Mitsubishi. Sharp is top-notch, but expensive. Apples are also excellent, but you need an ADC/DVI adaptor box.

AZ

[Gurm]

NEC took a while to catch up but now their flat panels are the best. They just didn't at first realise that people would want consumer-level displays with DVI-D and quick response times.

- Gurm

[rylan]

Well you have to be careful of more than just response time. Its quite common to see TN type glass in some lcd displays, because of the faster switching time and good brightness. However, its got a nasty viewing angle and color inversion when viewed at off-angle. Its quite prevalent in 15" displays due to the low cost. IPS and 'fast response' are an oxymoron, but IPS provides good contrast and viewing angle, however generally lower brightness due to the smaller aperature ration (and hence lower transmissivity). Best stuff out there currently is PVA/MVA glass, which basically has the best of both worlds.. fast response time and excellant brightness/contrast/viewing angle. However it is more expensive to manufacturer and hard to find until you hit 19"

As far as actual glass is concerned, I've been impressed with Samsung and LGE, plus sharp makes a couple very nice glass modules in the 20-21" range.
Whatever you do, make sure its got a digital (DVI) port, cuz analog lcd sucks.

[Wulfman]

I've read of some issues with samsungs monitors. maybe thop knows more, iirc he visits the prad.de forum sometimes.

mfg
wulfman

[Kurt]

@ rylan: 20/21" isn't exactly mass-market. Manufacturers can use better parts in making them thanks to higher margins and richer target market.

I'd say Acer is doing a fair job at selling decent mid-range and even low-end screens. Nec has nice models and Sony seems to be catching up (or trying to at least). Samsung has left me with mixed feelings. They have some good screens, expensive, and some less-good ones. LGE/Philips have very nice picture but the design was sorely lacking (not that their actual, thinner design is my favorite).

Right now I'm using two Acer AL922 on my P750. I just got my third Sony SDM-S73B (B for black) and I'm planning to hook them up very soon. I also got a couple of Sony SDM-S93B 19" but I'm starting to run out of deskspace...maybe later I'll see how they compare to the Acers... (now that I think of it, I also have a couple of Acer AL707 17" -the sub 300€ one, I could try a little comparison too...)

[CHHAS]

I'm still very very happy with my Acer AL732, in fact I'm considering getting another since it dropped a bit in price

[Kurt]

yes, I had one as well. good quality, good price, excellent features...

[Chrono_Wanderer]

I recently found out a brand on google called... princeton... lol... never heard of it.

Apparently they sell 15" - 21" LCDs for a good price... and specs are very impressive. (ok specs)
1) 1600x1200 analog (even on 15" model!)
2) DVI-d (1024x768 -> 15" ; 1280x1024 -> 17"; 1600x1200 --> 20")
3) 25ms response (i guess its not THAT bad)

[KvHagedorn]

Princeton is a manufacturer of high-end TVs.. that's about all I know about them.. that they are good TVs. But what is good for a TV and what is good for a computer monitor is not always the same thing. Mitsubishi makes a damn good 22" and 30" LCD TV, but they aren't that hot as computer monitors, though they were intended to be used for both purposes. They are a bit pricy too.

[az]

Originally posted by Chrono_Wanderer

1) 1600x1200 analog (even on 15" model!)
2) DVI-d (1024x768 -> 15")

So the 1600x1200 gets interpolated down to 1024x768, which will make it very blurry, small, and nearly unreadable.

AZ

[DentyCracker]

Princeton have been making computer monitors for years, they used to be considered high end in the early 90s, then they sort of became almost invisible. Haven't seen a Princeton monitor for many many years so can't comment on the sort of quality they produce nowadays

[GT98]

I've been pretty happy with my Dell 2000FP

http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/ProductDetail.aspx?category_id=5194&keyword=&mnf=&prst=&prEnd=&sku=320-4105&mnfsku=&SearchType=&Page=productlisting.aspx&spagenum=1&Pageb4Search=&InStock=&items_per_page=25&orderby=&mnfname=&brand=&SubmitSearch=&image_flag=True&refurbished=&c=us&l=en&cs=19&iCompatid=