Need displays with high refresh rates

[Fat Tone]

Hi

I need to assemble a range of displays (CRT, TFT, plasma, anything else you can suggest) that provide a range of refresh rates.

Any suggestions please? I'm particularly looking for a 17"/19" CRT that'll do >>100Hz @1024*768 or 800*600 if needs be, a plasma screen with PC input and calibration equipment so they can all be matched for brighness and chromaticity.

TIA

T.

[az]

Why do you need high refresh rates?

AZ

[Fat Tone]

Az
Its for a project assessing how the 'interrupted' nature of a CRT affects learning. There is some evidence that flicker (percieved or otherwise) has an impact. We will be testing a variety of displays in a variety of paradigms. We need to be able to find and go above the 'extintion' frequency of this effect, which is thought to be in the range 100-200 Hz.

T.

[The PIT]

Well 75hz or less would do me in. 85hz over a day gives me a headache or makes me feel tired. Very glad when I got an LCD display at work made one hell of a differance.

[az]

FT, bear in mind that with almost all displays, sharpness suffers (a little) as refresh rates go up... ah well, you're the one who does the studies, not me, sorry

The Iiyama HM903DT/Vision Master Pro 454 (19" CRT) does 800x600 up tp 200 Hz, 1024x768@162 Hz (it is capped at 200 Hz).

I think Plasmas are all set to 50-60 Hz, which doesn't matter anyway as the Plasma is ignited very very very often, because the phosphor doesn't have a long afterglow (opposed to CRTs, for example). With LCD it's kind of the same (only LCDs don't flicker at all - if they are driven digitally or the phase is aligned correctly. On some units the backlight flickers.). The electronics of both LCDs and plasmas are designed to work at 60 Hz, normally, many have a range around that (like 30-85 Hz, which would be a WIDE range for an LCD), but these really only affect how often the content is updated, not how often the display flickers.

How about a study of the benefits and/or downfalls of sub-pixel antialiasing (ClearType) and how this compares to increasing "real" pixel depth?

AZ

[GNEP]

Might be worth trying this guy:

http://www.mcgillonline.co.uk/

He has a load of refurbed/ex-demo/clearance monitors at good prices - chances are he'll have something up your street. I bought a couple of refurbed Dell 17"s that do 120Hz @ 1024x768 for 70 quid a piece a couple of years ago

[Fat Tone]

Thanks Guys.

@Az - I think that Iiyama will do the trick nicely. I had considered it, but their web site doesn't list rates below 1024*768.
Yes, we will need to minimize any image quality effects across refresh rates. The paradigms will not only be reading rates etc, but will also include presentations of larger stimuli, where small focussing problems will not matter at all. In most paradigms I've programmed in the past, text stimuli are ~ 3/4" high, and images are much bigger.

I'm very intrigued by what you say about the way plasma displays work - do you have a good reference? Ta.

@GNEP - Cheers. I'll bear them in mind when looking for my own monitor - I've been promising myself a flat 19" screen for a few months now. I already have one, but the 17" sat next to it is getting darker and darker all the time.

T.

[TnT]

Any way we can get results of this study? I work at a University computer lab and this could be an excuse for me to suggest buying really nice monitors!

[Fat Tone]

Sure...all research gets published if good enough. Your Uni probably has subscriptions to the relevant journals. At the moment this is a grant application...if we win the grant, we buy the kit then do lots of lovely stuff with it...and we get to keep the toys afterwards

[spadnos]

... we buy the kit then do lots of lovely stuff with it...and we get to keep the toys afterwards

Where do I sign?

- Steve

[Mikko]

I think my Samsung SyncMaster 959NF is pretty good 19" CRT monitor. It does 1920x1440@73Hz, 1600x1200@87Hz and 1280x1024@101Hz and these values are from the specifications. I have not tried the real limits, though.

[dZeus]

yeah don't waste your money on the Iiyama HM903DT P.O.S. like I did. Get a real monitor instead. Like Samsung NF series or Mitsubishi/Nec 930SB

[Belwarrior]

The viewsonic professional series do high frequencies as well.. eg P75f+ does 1792x1344 @ 69Hz, 1600x1200 @ 77Hz, 1280x1024 @ 89Hz, 1024x768 @ 118Hz

cant remember but my old PS775 could do 800x600 around 120Hz and 640x480 around 140 Hz

[az]

Tony, I found differing information on how plasma displays work. Most sites wouldn't even talk about how different colour shades (light intensities) are achieved. I seem to recall this being done by very fast pulsating, and varying the pulse length/frequency.

Sorry.

LCDs don't flicker at all, of course (unless they're badly set up, or the backlight flickers).

AZ