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Best 24" or 25" LCD Computer Monitor (sub-$400) - Page 3

post #31 of 39
9/25/09 at 11:54pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by SactoMan101 View Post
LG Electronics W2486L 24" LCD panel with LED backlighting
LED backlighting is nice but a TN is a TN.
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post #32 of 39
10/29/09 at 9:05pm
Thread Starter 
DELL U2410 24" Monitor
Well, I ended up with this one, and boy am I glad I did. It seems to be quite new and there is not yet a huge amount of info about it out there. Thank you again jenneth for suggesting this unit.

To put it bluntly, I'm pretty much gob-smacked by this monitor. It's not an apples to apples comparison with my previous 22" Samsung as this one has higher resolution of 1920x1200. The improved resolution makes things look less pixilated, and actually more "analog" and less "digital".

However improved resolution is not what makes it special. The thing it does mind-bogglingly well is reproduce colors with an accuracy I've never seen before. Digital photos looks so REAL, like you could reach into the screen and pull objects out. It's also about the wide range of colors it can reproduce; it seems to be able make microscopic distinctions between subtle shade variations that my last monitor was oblivious to.

You need to manually set the color to sRGB to get the best out of it. At first, in comparison to the other modes available, sRGB may look a little muted, but that's only because the others are so over-the-top and over-saturated to go "bling". As I understand it sRGB is some kind of pro mode, calibrated for maximum accuracy and it shows.

I have a few gripes, white levels are a bit agressive, I'm still working on the best settings to get less retina burn. Also, out of the box, my monotor has a slight blue twinge on the far left hand side, and a slight magenta/purple twinge on the far right, though this seems to dissipating as I use it. I've only had the monitor for about 5 hours, so we'll have to see how that resolves itself.

The worst aspect by far of this monitor is the ridiculous buttons it has on the right hand side that control picture settings. These buttons simply do not function correctly, and trying to use them to adjust the picture is an ergonomic nightmare. They do not always respond, and sometimes over-respond, skipping your selected function ahead many degrees instead of just one notch or step. Trying to move between menus is also a task that will have you cursing and complaining. I have no idea what Dell was thinking or on whom they tested the functionality of this unit on and still got approval, but it's a disaster from an operating/calibrating perspective.

In any case, highly recommended!
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post #33 of 39
10/30/09 at 12:29pm
The Dell uses the same LG panel as the Philips 240PW9EB and HP LP2475W, and your gripes are common to the panel. It's usually red/green color shift and not blue/purple though. Some have brown strips along the left edge, and some have uneven backlighting. You may want to put a white screen on just to check that the backlighting in your example is even.

I had a Philips with the same panel, and I didn't have the colour shift, but I had the dark brown strip on the left edge and the backlighting problem. When lighting was good in the centre, it was about 10% darker on the left and 10% brighter on the right. Gaming performance was not very good either. Lots of blurring during panning and tearing at other times. The colours were nice, but for the price there were too may quality issues for me in the end and I returned it.

NEC just released the 23" EA231WMi monitor which uses an IPS panel that apparently doesn't suffer from any of the quality control issues that are affecting the LG panels. It's a little smaller, but I think I'm going to give that one a try next.
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post #34 of 39
10/30/09 at 1:02pm
Firstly, congratulation on the LCD, I too have the same monitor. The U2410 is a good LCD if yours don't have the Green/Pink Tinting issue. Dell is apparently aware of this problem, and is collecting all the U2410s that have this issue. As a matter a fact, my first U2410 had a very severe tinting problem, called up my rep, and got my replacement the next day.

Quote:
NEC just released the 23" EA231WMi monitor which uses an IPS panel that apparently doesn't suffer from any of the quality control issues that are affecting the LG panels. It's a little smaller, but I think I'm going to give that one a try next.
Yes, the EA231WMi uses an e-IPS panel (as oppose to the H-IPS LM240WU4 panel that both the U2410 and LP2475W use). It seem like a nice panel, but I've read some negative reviews on it as well NEC 23" IPS EA231WMi. Also, I'm not a big fan of the 16:9 LCDs.

At any rate, I'm a lot more interested in the upcoming Dell U2711, rumor has it that it might have the same new IPS panel that's in the new 27" iMac.
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post #35 of 39
11/4/09 at 2:26pm
I got this Hannspree 28" LCD.

Hannspree HG-281DPB Widescreen LCD Monitor - HG-281DPB - Buy.com

My friends said it's a POS, but I decided to be the guinee pig. It did not seem to be much of a risk given the specs and price. Out of the box, it was horrible. White levels and color saturation were sky high. Once calibrated, it was amazing. Really nice and sharp without ghosting. 28" seems to be the upper limit for monitor size. I wouldn't want anything larger without jumping to a 40" plus LCD TV.
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post #36 of 39
1/13/10 at 3:43pm
That's a pretty good price for a 28'' monitor.
How did you calibrate it?
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post #37 of 39
1/14/10 at 1:19am
Is there any discernible difference in image 'smoothness' and general 'pleasingness' to the eye between IPS and TN? Or is it all in the electronics driving the screen, just with IPS having better colour reproduction, something very important to people dealing with colour, but not so important for surfing and gaming?

I know IPS panels have slower response time, but I used a 20ms Sharp panel for many years and never had issues gaming or watching movies.
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post #38 of 39
1/16/10 at 1:37am
Why are people still recommending screens lol. He has clearly stated he has already bought one.
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post #39 of 39
1/16/10 at 7:14am
i wish the u2410 was as cheap here, i want one :/
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