[Jaekus]

I'm looking to buy a new monitor, and within my budget I can afford either an LED monitor, or one with HDMI.

I have one friend who's an IT professional who says I should go HDMI.
I have another friend, also an IT professional, who says I should go with the LED monitor.

Both have their valid points, but I'm unsure and I thought I'd ask people on here to read their opnions.

I recently upgraded my computer for gaming, but would also like to watch movies on my new monitor.

Here's a couple products I'm interested it:

http://umart.com.au/...p...2&sid=55220
http://umart.com.au/...p...2&sid=55176

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HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) is a type of connector, similar to DVI (Digital Visual Interface) and a VGA (Video Graphics Array) connector.



Wikipedia: HDMI
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hdmi

Wikipedia: LED display
http://en.wikipedia....iki/LED_display

[SpywareDr]

HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) is a type of connector, similar to DVI (Digital Visual Interface) and a VGA (Video Graphics Array) connector.



Wikipedia: HDMI
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hdmi

Wikipedia: LED display
http://en.wikipedia....iki/LED_display

[Digerati]

There is no comparison between HDMI and LED. That is like comparing apples to a dog. HDMI is a connector. LED is a light emitting diode. HDMI does not emit light, and LEDs do not connect. LCD (liquid crystal display) is a type of monitor, typically compared to CRT monitors (the old type with a picture "tube").

Since HDMI is the connector of the future, I recommend you get a LCD (not LED) monitor that supports HDMI connectors - but only if your graphics card supports HDMI.

[Jaekus]

Thanks for the replies.

My mate who recommends HDMI said it was good to keep up with the latest technology.
My mate who recommends LED said it has noticeably better picture quality.

The monitor with HDMI has a 2ms response time.
The LED one has a 5ms response time.

From what I've been reading the native contrast ratio is the one to look for, both have 1000:1
The Acer (which has HDMI) also has an ACM contrast ratio of 80,000:1
The BenQ LED monitor has a dynamic contrast ratio of 5,000,000:1

All this is pretty confusing to someone who doesn't know much about this.

[Digerati]

My mate who recommends HDMI said it was good to keep up with the latest technology.

And he's right. If you have to upgrade, get the latest. But again, HDMI is simply a digital interconnection technology (cable and plug), and has NOTHING to do a monitor using LEDs or not. HDMI was created to simplify connecting DVD players, cable boxes, AND 5.1 surround sound in one cable to the home theater audio receiver or big screen TV (LED, traditional LCD, projector or plasma - it does not matter). HDMI has recently migrated to the computer world as more and more people started using computers in home theater environments, connecting big screens to the graphics card - and using PCs as DVRs. Also it is important to remember that the digital video signal is exactly the same in DVI and HDMI. So the picture quality will be exactly the same regardless if using DVI or HDMI. DVI is video only, doesn't carry audio.

My mate who recommends LED said it has noticeably better picture quality.

That's where the confusion comes in. Better quality than what? LEDs have nothing to do with being better or worse than anything else. I suspect he means LED backlit monitors have a better picture than traditional LCD monitors, which use florescent lights for backlighting. Both types are technically LCDs, BTW, they just use different backlighting.

So just to be clear, you can't compare LED to HDMI, they don't do the same thing. One's a light bulb, the other is a plug for digital signals. Therefore your response time specs mean nothing.

See LED TV vs. LCD TV. This is about TVs but the same applies to monitors. Note where it says,

Displaying fast moving video is a function of the response time and refresh rate in LCD and LED televisions. The type of backlighting in the TV has no effect on the reproduction of fast moving video. You will want to compare response times and refresh rates when making a purchase decision.

ADVANTAGE: Even

Bottom line, decide if you want a monitor that uses LED or traditional tube backlighting. Then make sure it supports some sort of digital input (DVI or HDMI). Note that many entry-level LCD monitors only support analog and only have a VGA or D-Sub connector, like CRT monitors. And of course, your graphics card MUST support digital using DVI or HDMI too if you want to take advantage of digital quality graphics.

[Jaekus]

Thanks, it's a lot clearer to me now. I guess the decision I have to make is if I want something that I can plug other devices into in the future (HDMI), or if I want to get an LED backlit monitor for better image quality than the standard fluorescent backlit monitor. I don't watch tv and any movies I do watch I go to the cinema or on my computer.

So LED might be the way for me, although the only other consideration is it has a 5ms response time, compared to the Acer monitor's 2ms, and the Acer monitor is a little bigger.

In the article it makes mention of this:

COLOR ACCURACY
With white LED backlights the difference between the two technologies isn't very significant, but with RGB colored lights or a color wheel to affect the backlight color the LED TVs have an advantage in displaying realistic color.

ADVANTAGE: Without colored LEDs or another way to affect the backlight color these two technologies are nearly equal. With colored backlighting LED takes the advantage.

I've looked on the manufacturer's website but I can't seem to find whether the LEDs are white or not. Maybe someone could take a quick look?
http://www.benq.com....=specifications

Thanks again

[Digerati]

I think you should go down to your electronics store and pick one out that looks good to you. Take a hi-rez digital photo of your dog and have the sales person plug it in. Play with menus. Then do some Googling and read some text for 10 minutes or longer if possible and see if you still like it. And realize there are some exceptional traditional LCDs,

I would never buy something that I physically interface with without first playing touchy feel with it. That includes a keyboard and mouse too, but especially something dealing with my eyes. If you are going to be staring into something 2 feet away from your nose, you need to let your eyes decide for you, not just the specs. Look at how you use your computer now. If there is regularly a lot of white, do you want a super white and bright light glaring at you for hours on end? I personally don't think LED backlighting is a good fit for computer monitors for all users. I think they are still a better fit as a TV or home theater monitor where you are sitting several feet away and watching the whole screen, rather than the narrow focus at arm's reach. But that's my opinion as one who sits in front of monitors much of the day.

[Ferrari]

I would never buy something that I physically interface with without first playing touchy feel with it.

I think you should go down to your electronics store and pick one out that looks good to you

You hit the nail on the head right there. When it comes to monitors, go down to your favorite electronics store or a few of them even, and just compare all of them.

I don't know if I could ever buy a monitor without having looked at it on display first. Definitely good advice there.

[Jaekus]

Thanks, that's very good advice re: checking out the monitor in person.
The place I buy my gear from has the best price and service, but you can't check anything out. But I can go to another store or two and have a proper look.

Thanks guys

[Jaekus]

Hi again.

I've done a lot of reading and considering my options.

I'm still a bit confused as to what I should get for a med-long term monitor.

From what I understand to this point, HDMI is fast becoming the standard.
Not all HDMI monitors support HDCP, do they?
Also, LED backlights are meant to give richer colours, deeper blacks etc. A friend recommends them highly.
The difference between 2ms and 5ms in negligible as the eye can't perceive changes as fast as 3ms.

My main issue is the doesn't appear to be a way to check out a monitor before buying one, as the retailers don't stock the same monitors as the place I'm looking to purcahse from, or if they stock one I'm remotely interested in getting the price is a lot higher and it feels to be a waste of time to check out something I'm not very sure of over other specs of monitors I can't check out it person.

So... what should I do? Should I wait a couple months till there are more monitors that have both LED and HDMI, should I just buy one that supports HDMI and HDCP, is LED really that much more impressive, and are there brands that I should steer clear of (someone told me not to buy Asus, because brands like Samsung and LG are a lot better).

Thanks in advance


EDIT:

I should probably add these are the monitors I'm looking at as seriously potential purchases, the top 3 especially so.

Asus MS238H
Asus LS221H
BenQ G2222HDL
Acer X243HBMID
BenQ G2420HD
Samsung 2494HS

Edited by Jaekus, 18 April 2010 - 05:39 AM.

[Digerati]

Buy now or wait? I can't answer that but can tell you that since the beginning of consumer electronics waiting will ALWAYS expose you to newer technologies. But that's an endless circle because buy now or wait, as soon as you buy, the next latest and greatest technology will be released, and your brand new hardware is now obsolete.

If you need now, buy now.

Not all HDMI monitors support HDCP, do they?

No. HDMI is just a connector for digital signals.

[Jaekus]

Ok, thanks.

Apparently the BenQ G2222HDL supports HDCP, but hasn't got DVI. I don't plan to hook up anything other than my computer in the foreseeable future and would like to try LED, so this could be a good way to get in on the newish technology for a cheap price. From a few reviews they say similar things: features are spartan but performance is excellent. That ticks most boxes for me.

Thanks for the advice guys, really appreciate it

[Digerati]

Apparently the BenQ G2222HDL supports HDCP, but hasn't got DVI.

Oh? Not according to their specs sheet - http://benq.co.uk/pr...ns/product/1156

[Jaekus]

Whoops, I meant to say doesn't have HDMI. Of course it has DVI lol
On the Australian site it says HDCP optional - http://www.benq.com....=specifications
I've called their general production information centre, the rep said they do have HDCP but they've put one of their tech staff on the case to find out why it says optional, and will call me back with an answer.

*EDIT*

They called back and said it doesn't support HDCP, however they have a model called the V2210 which has the same specs as the G2222HDL, but also has HDMI 1.3 and HDCP. Looking to see how much my local store can get it in for...

Edited by Jaekus, 18 April 2010 - 08:26 PM.

[Digerati]

Okay - but for the record, DVI to HDMI, or HDMI to DVI adapters are cheap (because there's no audio with DVI and also because the digital video signal is the same) so don't let the lack of HDMI dissuade you.

And back to my first post - don't forget your graphics card must support HDMI (or DVI) too.

http://www.monoprice...amp;cp_id=10419