[DM-MUG] displays

[Matt Stanton]

  I've been really impressed with Samsung's LCD offerings.  There are 
only like two companies who actually produce LCD screens, one of them is 
Samsung, and I think LG is the other (This has probably changed since I 
heard there were only two, which was about 2 or 3 years ago...It may 
also have just applied to HDTV LCD screens).  In any case, Samsung makes 
a lot of these LCDs for other companies, while the other companies focus 
on improving the electronics that control the screen.  Samsung has cheap 
models, and professional models...  I have a cheap 23" Syncmaster 2333 
that I love, and we have a 23" Syncmaster from the Touch of Color series 
at work that is also nice.  Apple displays generally have better 
resolution and view angles (you can see the proper colors on the screen 
from a wider viewing angle), but the Samsungs ToC starts changing color 
very quickly as your viewpoint shifts from centered (oddly, the cheaper 
Syncmaster 2333 has a higher resolution and a much wider viewing angle 
than the more expensive ToC model).

As for using an HDTV for your display, you would want to use something 
that is capable of 1080p at a refresh rate of 60Hz or higher.  720p TVs 
just don't have the resolution you want in a computer monitor, and if 
you pick up a 1080p at 24/30Hz monitor, then images will not be as crisp 
during movement.  I use a Panasonic Viera 42" Plasma TV as my primary 
display, and you really have to put your face close to the screen to 
notice pixellation, even with thin fonts and rounded edges.

My rundown on using a TV as your monitor is:
1080p, or don't bother;
60Hz or better;
Plasma is good for fast action and high contrast (plasma TVs generally 
have higher refresh rates, and the pixel response is usually faster than 
LCD)
Plasma is bad for image retention and glare (remember the original CRT 
monitors that you could permanently burn an image into?  Plasma has the 
same effect, but it is not 'permanent'... It fades back to baseline, but 
this takes a while[several minutes].  Also plasma displays are glass, so 
if you have a lightsource in the right spot, you will get glare... A lot 
of TV companies produced plasmas with an anti-glare coating, though);
LCD is good for power usage and anti-glare (LCDs don't use near as much 
power to run, and a lot of them now use LED backlights to be more 
efficient);

My recommendation would be to browse monitors at your shop of choice, 
then go have a look at LCD monitors at a Best Buy or other electronics 
dept, and if you want to consider using a TV as a monitor, check those 
out for picture quality, too.  See if you can get the salesperson to 
play back video on the screens you are looking at to see what pixel 
response times are like... the slower the response time, the fuzzier 
edges look when in motion.  Make sure to check for view angle issues... 
If you are going to need to let people look over your shoulder or you 
plan on using it for movies/TV, then you need to ask youself what the 
maximum viewing angles will be and if the colors look the same as they 
do head-on.

On 8/10/2010 10:47 PM, James Wu wrote:
> I hope this doesn't come off as condescending but, as with most things, you get what you pay for.
>
> If you want the same or better quality as you had with your iMac G5 (or with Apple's Cinema Displays), you'll need to pay more than $150 for your display/monitor.
>
> Obviously, getting an Apple Cinema Displays is the optimal option since 1) you know it will work right with your Mac mini and 2) it will work with a minimum of fuss.
>
> But if you are looking for other options, you should keep these names in mind:
>
> Eizo (http://www.eizo.com/na/index.html):
> They make professional grade monitors that can be used for jobs where color matching is critical. They will also be the most expensive. It's possible they may cost more than Apple's Cinema Displays.
>
> NEC (http://www.necdisplay.com/):
> NEC has always made high quality monitors for consumer, prosumer and professional use.  I've always sworn by NEC monitors and still do.
>
>   Dell. Yes, Dell. (http://www.dell.com/monitors):
> Their UltraSharp line has always rated well.
>
> There may be others, but those are the only ones that come to mind offhand.
>
> You may also want to check out the reviews of displays/monitors at Macworld.com.
>
> Hope this helps.
>
> James
>
>
> On Aug 10, 2010, at 10:15 PM, John Kisner wrote:
>
>> But main question is this: is a $150 monitor going to have essentially
>> the exact same picture as a $750 Apple display, or are there certain
>> things and certain brands to look out for?
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