New monitor

[Pabl0z]

So.. My 8 or so years old 17" CRT display is finally calling it quits I guess..
The picture keeps changing size every once in a while (not by much), but I have a friend whose monitor broke down the same way recently, so I know the problem is just gonna get worse .

So, I was planning on buying a new monitor in maybe 6 months anyway and I was going to get one as big as possible (within reasonable price) which I could also use as a tv.
But atm I don't have money for a really big one (I'm talking 24"+) so I would probably have to do with a 22".
But I do have another option. I could get an old monitor, probably even smaller than my current one, for free, and use that until I have the money for a big big monitor.

I looked through some prices and found that ASUS VW222U monitor is the cheapest one with DVI input.
Other specs:
Contrast Ratio (Max.)1(ASCR)
Viewing Angle (CR≧10):170°(H)/160°(V)
Display Colors:16.7M
Response Time:2ms(Gray to Gray)

Sounds ok, right? I mean the cheapest 22" monitor would only be about 40€ cheaper and it has a lot worse specs on paper.
Plus I found a few reviews on the monitor and they were all very positive.
Also other manufacturers' monitors with similar specs are at least 40-50€ more expensive.

But then there is the issue of the TN panel..
I don't have much knowledge on LCD monitors, because I've never had one, but I heard that TN panels are crap when I mentioned this monitor on an IRC-channel.
Is it really worth spending a lot more money on getting a monitor with a different kind of panel ?
Or are those other panels just for people who use the monitors professionally for picture/video editing and that sort of stuff?

Should I get the ASUS monitor now or try and manage with a 15"~ CRT for 6+ months and then get something even bigger?
Or get some other monitor (SUGGESTIONS!) ?
I mean 22" is ok size for a tv, but it's kinda small if you have your friends over to watch it too .

[BrontoX]

Well if you want to use it as TV you need 24-30inch screen but they cost a fortune. I suggest you buy a 22inch, and that ASUS is very good on paper. There is also Samsung that you should consider.

[Bojan]

One thing you should be particullary careful of is input lag. Since you're playing FPS games, you might get noticeably worse as some LCD monitors have up to 30ms of input lag (time it takes for the monitor to render the image). Best to check some reviews for that. Better save a bit longer and buy a good monitor.

[Jmac-]

The downsides to TN panels are mostly related to viewing angles and image quality. For gaming, it's generally not a huge issue and certainly cuts costs significantly (20" VA panels start at $400 CAD whereas 20" TN panels start at $200 CAD). Budget allowing, I would still advise a VA panel as you'd be happier in the long-run, IMO.

[Pabl0z]

Thanks for the replies.
The ASUS monitor is looking even better when looking for more reviews online.
There aren't many professional reviews but all the customer reviews have been nothing but praising.

"The only issue I have with it is horizontal and vertical white light bleeding from the edges which is noticeable on a completely black screen, or for example black bars top and bottom."

"I can't say I notice any bleeding whatsoever during normal use. It is only visible before the operating system boots."

That is the only issue that has come up but there were at least twice as many people saying that they haven't noticed any "bleeding".
And could somebody explain this bleeding thing to me?

[Skyline_man]

I am getting a new monitor too, and i already ordered the Samsung Syncmaster 226BW, yeah its a TN panel, but loads of good reviews online.

Another detailed review, here.

The bleeding problem is the lack of black color that is mostly noticeable when the screen is fully black, its usually noticeable from the edges of the screen, but as said, its only an issue when viewing a fully black screen.

Example..

[Pabl0z]

Yeah Bojan already suggested that Samsung monitor for me but from what I've read, ASUS is pretty much as good as that one. And there's a 90€ difference in price.
For that Samsung's price I could get some cheap 24".
Apparently both the Samsung and ASUS have the same panels.

http://compreviews.about.com/od/monitor ... nchLCD.htm

[Skyline_man]

Well, it your choice after all, but for me, with 4x customer choice award, i couldnt resist the Samsung.

[Stereo]

I looked at the ASUS 22" in a store and I must say I was impressed. I didn't see the Samsung there, though. But I used to have a 17" TFT Samsung monitor a LONG time ago, and it still works beautifully at my grandfather's house. Go for the Samsung.

BTW does DELL suck at making monitors? I have a 19" ultrasharp and I don't think it's too great... Its blurred in certain areas and the colors aren't what I'd expect from a good monitor.

[Carcrazy]

I know this is gonna sound weird, but Dell has had some decent monitors, but seeing as it's Dell, it's probably overpriced.

[Jmac-]

I would avoid Dell's E-series like the plague, but most of Dell's Ultrasharp monitors are very good (i.e. 2407WFP), although there are certainly a few bad ones (i.e. 2407WFP-HC).

The Asus uses a TN panel from Chi Mei Optoelectronics in China.

The Samsung uses one of 3 panels (designated by A, C, or S in the "panel lottery"):
A = AU Optronics in Taiwan ... Considered the mid-grade panel.
C = Chi Mei Optoelectronics in China ... Considered the low-grade panel.
S = Samsung in Korea ... Considered the high-grade panel.

[Skyline_man]

The Samsung uses one of 3 panels (designated by A, C, or S in the "panel lottery"):
A = AU Optronics in Taiwan ... Considered the mid-grade panel.
C = Chi Mei Optoelectronics in China ... Considered the low-grade panel.
S = Samsung in Korea ... Considered the high-grade panel.

The 3 panels look almost the same after calibration.

and since i saw that review which had the "C" panel, i have no worries.

[Pabl0z]

Ok, apparently the Samsung is on sale now and it's only 35€~ more expensive than the ASUS.
But it's very likely that I'll be getting come crappy CRT from my mom's work.
Think I'll stick with that if I get it.
But if I don't get it, I'll probably go with the Samsung now that it's cheaper.

[snoopdogg879]

go for a Samsung SyncMaster 906BW 2ms 2000:1 Dynamic Contrast, Widescreen 19" monitor, I have one and I love it, It's awesome

Skyline_man that's the 22" version of my 19" monitor and I have to say that it is a really great monitor for the price and I think that the 19" is big enough

[Pabl0z]

Nope, not buying a 19".

Ok I've been getting a lot of recommendations for Viewsonic monitors on another forum.
And I know that Viewsonic monitors are usually known for very good colours.

http://www.viewsoniceurope.com/UK/Produ ... A2226w.htm

That would cost pretty much exactly as much as the Samsung monitor.
But I guess it doesn't really matter because I'm pretty sure I'll just stick with some CRT for now..
But believe it or not, my mom is insisting on buying me a monitor as a birthday present ..
Knowing my mom she might just go out and buy me one so I couldn't say no.

[Jmac-]

The Samsung uses one of 3 panels (designated by A, C, or S in the "panel lottery"):
A = AU Optronics in Taiwan ... Considered the mid-grade panel.
C = Chi Mei Optoelectronics in China ... Considered the low-grade panel.
S = Samsung in Korea ... Considered the high-grade panel.

The 3 panels look almost the same after calibration.

and since i saw that review which had the "C" panel, i have no worries.

Do most people have access to professional calibration tools ? Also, pretty much ANY monitor will have at least good colour accuracy and image quality when professionally calibrated, although lesser panels generally won't be able to reproduce as many colours (not that this matters for 99% of users).

The fact of the matter is the S panel has the best calibration and image quality out of the box and Samsung has better quality control and better manufacturing processes at their facilities than Chi Mei does. The whole reason why the panel lottery comes up is because Samsung originally shipped out the S panels so they would get good reviews then pulled the bait and switch by swapping in cheaper, more profitable panels from 3rd parties.

As for Viewsonic, I would take the Samsung over the Viewsonic, even if you get an A or C panel. I see far more Viewsonic monitors come back under warranty than Samsung.

[Pabl0z]

Ok I bought the Samsung 226BW.
Could somebody PLEASE tell me how to calibrate this damn thing.
Samsung's own Magictune program won't work for some reason.
So do I have to adjust the colours and stuff manually or is there some easy program for it?
Oh and how can I find the hidden menu where I can see which panel this is?

[snoopdogg879]

do you have the ATi control center or any other control center simaller to the ATi one but of a different brand?

because you can calibrate it from there
they should have a color menu in the menu thing
I think you have to calibrate it manually

oh and you can choose different resolutions and panels and graphics cards from it

[setsunakute]

You can have my CRT for free if you pay to ship a 40kg package.

[Skyline_man]

Ok I bought the Samsung 226BW.
Could somebody PLEASE tell me how to calibrate this damn thing.
Samsung's own Magictune program won't work for some reason.
So do I have to adjust the colours and stuff manually or is there some easy program for it?
Oh and how can I find the hidden menu where I can see which panel this is?

Congrats.

This review has some calibrating instructions i guess, if not, check this link.

for the hidden menu, set your brightness & contrast to 0, press the menu button, then press the source button for 5 seconds, it should appear.

Report back the panel info.

[snoopdogg879]

this is what the menu for calibrating the color looks like if you have an ATi graphics card:


sorry that its blurry and it got cut off but I'm not sure how to get the little picture that you can click on

[Pabl0z]

I got this info from the hidden menu:

Version: M-ME22H0CDB-1001
Checksum: 7A37

Guessing from the backlight being kinda crappy and the colours being a bit f'ed up this can only be an A-panel at best.

[Skyline_man]

I got this info from the hidden menu:

Version: M-ME22H0CDB-1001
Checksum: 7A37

Guessing from the backlight being kinda crappy and the colours being a bit f'ed up this can only be an A-panel at best.

Check that page, scroll down, and try to figure out which one is it.

[Pabl0z]

Already found another page..

Here are other letters and the relevant manufacturers.

* X-xxxxxxxAx-xxxx: Samsung panel.
* X-xxxxxxxLx-xxxx: AU Optronics panel.
* X-xxxxxxxDx-xxxx: CMO panel.
* X-xxxxxxxIx-xxxx: CPT panel.

Guess I have the C-panel.
Not really a surprise.
Having a hard time getting the brightness/contrast and colours correct.

[Skyline_man]

Have you tried setting the colour profile from the link i provided you above ?