[Mitesh]

Ok I have been researching for days now and there is a lack of straight forward information on this. I

[Advertisements]

Depends on the monitor. Set your budget and list specific monitors you are considering and maybe we can help.

Edited by Digerati, 16 August 2010 - 12:39 PM.

[Digerati]

Depends on the monitor. Set your budget and list specific monitors you are considering and maybe we can help.

Edited by Digerati, 16 August 2010 - 12:39 PM.

[Mitesh]

Apologies this is not the correct one I dont know what happened but this is the original post:

Ok I have been researching for days now and there is a lack of straight forward information on this. I am looking tobuy a new screen - uses are gaming (primary) movies (secondary) and word (as the third main use). My first two are the most important. With regards to text I can always zoom in if I have a problem with that.Please note I will be sitting roughly 75cm's from the screen. It must be matte not glossy (the actual panel rather then the frame/bezel). Now:

1) 22inch @ 1920 x 1080 or 1680 x 1050 (which there seems to be a severe lack of on sites such as ebuyer and OCUK)or 24inch @ 1920 x 1080 . I have kind of answered this question myself - as I will be wanting to watch HD movies I want 1920 x 1080 (which I believe has a aspect ratio of 16:9 which is THE aspect ratio for HD - can someone please confirm this?). My main question is - will a 22inch @ HD res be too heavy on the eyes in terms of text size etc. And would this not cause AA issues? As in more jaggys?

2) Is 24 inch @ 1920 x 1080 the perfect match for HD? Would it look better on a 22inch?

3) I am finding it very difficult to identify screens as glossy or matte. Any ideas on how to do this?

4) Given the distance I will be sitting from the screen (and when watching movies I could be sitting further back about 1 - 1.6m away (only if I have company)is 24inches too big or too small?

5) The viewing angles must be good (not based on the numbers as stated by manufacturers as they are rarely reality) as I regularly have someone sitting next to me watching me play - as such they should have the same view that I have. This is not my primary concern however for example I have been looking at this screen: http://www.overclock...tid=510&subcat= - however it has been said in a review that the screen deteriorates after about 30 degrees; which is awful.

6)LED or not? Im not too fussed about this however I do not know if and how or at all if LED backlighting affects the screen in anyway. Searching online yields too much info. Will a LED screen be better or worse for a gaming/movie scenario? - Edit: It seems LED has a large advantage in terms of displaying the correct colours. While traditional LCD's require time for the tube to heat up (upto 1 hour - usually 30mins) LED displays are ready and display the correct colours as soon as its tuned on. And there is of course the much lower power consumption.

7) It must be fully HDCP compliant and full HD support for 1080p and 1080i is a must.

8) Will going from my current 17inch 4:3 E435S to a widescreen 16:9 @ 1920 x 1080 affect the shapes of things in games. I mean to say will people and objcts appear thinner or fatter - I do not want any stretching etc.

9) Zero Dead Pixel policy would be ideal.

Price wise anything under £230.

After my research I have come to the conclusion that a 24inch is ideal - however I would like other peoples opinion on this particulary if it is based on experience.

My GPU is a EVGA 8800 GTS 640MB ACS3 KO Edition which I know is old however I do not plan on palying the latest games with this card. The newset game I plan to play on it is Tomb Raider Anniversary and GRAW 2. I know that it cannot handle anyhting after its manufaturing year well add about 2 months onto that date.

I looked at this: http://www.overclock...tid=510&subcat= however I do not really like the styling I much prefer an entirely matte finish - screen and bezel. However if this is not possible it wouldnt be the end of the world if I have to get a screen with a glossy effect bezel (but not the screen!!). Now I also looked at that other 24 inch by Iiyama I pointed out earlier, funny thing is on ebuyer people rate that one highly: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/161554 - wonder if it is ok or not?

Why is that samsung monitor said to not have capabilities of displaying 1080p? : http://www.digitalve...57_7269_36.html
Many Thanks

Just found what seems like the perect screen: http://www.digitalve...57_6954_36.html

What are your opinions? Its PVA panel so hope this is ok for gaming..

Edited by Mitesh, 17 August 2010 - 07:37 PM.

[Mitesh]

Hello anyone? Help would be much appreciated. Thanks

[Digerati]

I suggest you find specific models you are interested in and plug that model number and the word review into your favorite search engine and read what is said about it. Look for professional reviews and do not pay much attention user reviews unless all the users are complaining about the same thing. Example Samsung F2380 review.

Note there are inexpensive entry level monitors and expensive high end monitor in all sizes so saying this size is better than that size would not be valid. You won't get stretching as long as the movie is widescreen, you use a widescreen resolution on a widescreen display.

As far as watching movies, I have two Samsung 22" monitors on my computer, but if I want to watch a movie, I'm heading out to the bigscreen in the living room. Bigger is better when it comes to movies, IMO - at least up to a point. Larger than 52" in my viewing room is too big. If more than just you will be watching movies, I think 22 is too small if watching the special effects is important. If following the plot and storyline is the primary focus, hey, a 10" screen will work for that, and still entertain you.

[Mitesh]

I suggest you find specific models you are interested in and plug that model number and the word review into your favorite search engine and read what is said about it. Look for professional reviews and do not pay much attention user reviews unless all the users are complaining about the same thing. Example Samsung F2380 review.

I have been doing this for some time now. As can be seen above I have been doing my research thouroughly. Digital versus goes into alot of depth with monitor resting techincally I mean. Above are specific models.

Note there are inexpensive entry level monitors and expensive high end monitor in all sizes so saying this size is better than that size would not be valid.

Of course this is true for everything. Usually high end monitors cost more and are much better; I simply asked which size is better for my needs and according to my seating distance. This is not to do with the quality of the screen. For example lets say we pick the BEST 24 inch and 22 inch screens. They are the best from their size range. As such the comparsion is fair. I just need to know which size is best and why.I have been thinking that the 24 inch screen may be too big in terms of distance when gaming. And at that res alot of games such as Tomb Raider Legend will struggle. (Although TRL is known for low frame rates with AA turned on)

This just about sums it up: 'At increasingly higher resolutions, as more pixels are used, that sample comes closer to the original source and hence the image is clearer and displays less aliasing. However aside from the fact that higher resolutions can degrade performance, many monitors simply cannot display the very high resolutions needed to effectively remove the problem.'

I realise I said I wont be playing the latest games but as stated the 2 tomb raider games I have will struggle I think. Although I would like to play the latest games however this is not poss due to my GPU. Upgrading is out of the question as the motherboard would restrict performance; and perhaps some of the other components.

You won't get stretching as long as the movie is widescreen, you use a widescreen resolution on a widescreen display.

So 16:9 (which is what I believe 1920 x 1080 is) is what is used in all movies?

As far as watching movies, I have two Samsung 22" monitors on my computer, but if I want to watch a movie, I'm heading out to the bigscreen in the living room.

This is exactly my problem I live with family so the TV is in constant use. Hence why I want my PC to be my 'TV' (well not aerial TV but you know DVD's and BluRays) and gaming rig all in one.

Bigger is better when it comes to movies, IMO - at least up to a point. Larger than 52" in my viewing room is too big. If more than just you will be watching movies, I think 22 is too small if watching the special effects is important. If following the plot and storyline is the primary focus, hey, a 10" screen will work for that, and still entertain you.

Well I would prefer the larger screen however as stated above im confused as to what to get which is why I need peoples opinions. This is why I made this post and numbered the questions to get specific answers point by point. I appreciate your reply and it has been of use to me. However I would really appreciate it if someone/some people could answer my questions and give their opinions. I feel alot of the questions I asked are exactly the questions most people never get answers for when purchasing a monitor. As such I feel this thread would be of use to everyone.

Edit - It seems to me that 1680 res is being phased out as such. Most screens being sold on sites such as OCUK are 1920 res. This is a massive prob for gamers. I may be wrong please let me know if this is true or not.

Edited by Mitesh, 21 August 2010 - 03:59 PM.

[Digerati]

16:9 is the ratio that most movies are recorded in. Many monitors, however, are 16:10. But the when playing a DVD, you will get black bands on the sides and tops, just as would with a regular TV.

And note I said 16:9 is a ratio, not resolution. So 16:9 can be viewed in many resolutions such as,

1600x900
1920x1080
1280×720
2048×1152
856×480
1024x576
1366×768

[Mitesh]

16:9 is the ratio that most movies are recorded in. Many monitors, however, are 16:10. But the when playing a DVD, you will get black bands on the sides and tops, just as would with a regular TV.

And note I said 16:9 is a ratio, not resolution. So 16:9 can be viewed in many resolutions such as,

1600x900
1920x1080
1280×720
2048×1152
856×480
1024x576
1366×768

Thank you for your input I know that 16:9 is aspect ratio - I thought almost everyone knows that :S. I was referring to 19250 x 1080 as having 16:9 because diff res's have diff aspect ratios..

Hoping more people join in on this discussion for more info.

[Mitesh]

I have chosen the Samsung P2450H 24. It looks sexy and has good reviews not to mention it comes with a DV-D cable and has HDMI input for just £190! Ok of course those reasons are not the reasons why I have chosen this monitor. After reading many reviews I have found that this screen is excellent. My only concern is that some people mention a green tinge. However we shall wait and see. Black levels are very good apparently. I was going to buy the PX2370 which is 1 inch smaller and costs £100 more however I have decided that that would be a waste of money although I would get a near perfect screen its just not worth the money. Instead that £100 willl go into a 1TB HDD and a BluRay optical drive (Samsung SH-B083L/RSBP 8x BluRay ROM / 16x DVD±RW Drive - Black (Retail)). This makes in my opinion more sense than purchasing that £280 - £290 screen. Although digital versus says it cannot display 1080p I think it means via HDMI only from a BluRay player. Not sure so confirming by emailing the company. Opinions on this decision and screen would be much appreciated .