how can P650 be better in 2D graphics/reading/web uses than newer nvidia/ati??

[DualMonitors]

i just somehow cannot get myself to understand how the p650 cand be better in 2D graphics/reading/excel/websurfing than the much faster, much newer technology nvidia/ati cards? i'm strictly using 2 LCD's at different resolutions: 21.3" samsung 213T and 19" NEC 1920NX.

i understand that the nvidia/ati cards are aimed at the gaming market and that 2D may not use all the speed. but that speed can't hurt, can it? if it's that great for the tough, 3D things, how can it be bad for 2D graphics work, photoshop work, Excel spreadsheets, Word, websurfing?

i'm interested in the finest image quality for 2D uses: graphics work, photoshop work, Excel spreadsheets, Word, websurfing. again, the finest image quality is the goal. not the very last 1% of quality at the expense of something else, but very high quality.

i'm really confused at all this talk about how p650 can be better than all the newer nvidia/ati cards. i'd like to believe that it might be due to the P650 and Matrox being a specialty and they tweak and work strictly to achieve super clarity in excel/word/websurfing/Photoshop uses. is that the reason? is that possible? or is it true that matrox is a bit of a stodgy old company that's over the hill and only a few enthusiasts are really into using them?

i'm aiming to get the p650 in hopes that they have some tricks up their sleeves and produce fabulous image quality for my uses.

many thanks for your advice!

[Wombat]

2D engines and 3D engines are totally separate. One doesn't help the other.

If you're looking for the best image quality, you shouldn't be using LCDs. They don't have the color depth that CRTs do.

[DualMonitors]

Hello Wombat: colot depth is one parameter. there must be other parameters with regards to overall image quality...

[Wombat]

If you're doing Photoshop work, then color depth matters plenty. Also, CRTs are brighter, and run at multiple resolutions without problem.

[xortam]

Digital displays are capable of delivering pixel perfect resolution versus analog displays such as CRTs. Digital displays eliminate the D/A conversion artifacts.

[Dennis Gordon]

I used to agree that LCDs couldn't match CRTs for 2D color work, but my new UXGA HP 20" LCD + P650 is absolutely stunning. 1600x1200 makes a big difference IMO. None of the softness that's put me off of LCDs in the past. Using my 21" Intergraph CRT in the office feels like taking a step back now

[Wombat]

Good, but it still doesn't have the color depth.

[Belwarrior]

finally some LCDs with some colour depths appearing eg. Viewsonic VGseries... but i dont see them in larger panels enough to be really useful... here's to hoping though..

[Dennis Gordon]

If I was strictly a color photo retoucher, working on a high end CRT that has been calibrated, sitting in a dark room and requiring the absolute best quality, yes. But I work at a newspaper and the gamut of scans and retouching work runs from the dreadful to the sublime. My new LCD sparkles. It's sharper than my 21" CRT, which is a pretty good monitor, and the colors are richer. I suppose spec-wise the CRT is always gonna prevail, but my eyes tell me otherwise. In my case, the HP and P650 appear to be perfectly matched. The display far exceeds what I'd expected, having seen only our midrange 15" office Dells and the poorly set up store displays for comparison. Oh, and I was able to carry it home on the train. I could barely move my CRT across the hall...

[Wombat]

Originally posted by Belwarrior
finally some LCDs with some colour depths appearing eg. Viewsonic VGseries... but i dont see them in larger panels enough to be really useful... here's to hoping though..

Rylan cleared that up for us a bit. They're just using a LUT to cheat a bit.

[chaoliang]

I have P650 and Eizo CRT and I'm very satisfied with them. The images shown on this monitor are simply more natural and more brilliant than those I have seen in other places.
Images on LCDs may look sharper. But in my eyes the sharpness is rather unnatural. The colours look more "intensive", maybe, but unnatural, like being compressed. I miss the smooth transition of colours. I suppose this is also what Wombat meant with clour depth.
LCDs are also for me a bit too bright.

[Nicram]

& about difference in P650 vs. nvidia/ati... Only ma old G400 card don't display color black ;-) ... I mean, black elements on screen on nvidia/ati are always little bright (it's very funny hehe).

[Belwarrior]

Originally posted by Wombat
Rylan cleared that up for us a bit. They're just using a LUT to cheat a bit.

what's LUT? or can you post the link to Rylan's explanation?

thanks

[The PIT]

Real question is can our eyes really tell the differance???

[Wombat]

Originally posted by The PIT
Real question is can our eyes really tell the differance???

Yes they can. We talked about this a lot when Parhelia first came out, because of the 10 bits per channel.