[vagarach]

A DVI connection is a must, but you should be fine with NEC, Viewsonic, Dell (but not in your list), and Samsung. I must mention though that I have two samsungs at home, and they are so bright and sharp that my eyes hurt after a very short while. This also happens with the professional-grade 19" Samsung lcds that my university just recently bought.

I personally have (and regularly use) an lcd made by Sharp but it is VGA only, although it has none of the bluriness problems that some dual vga/dvi capable screens have.

Also, the main thing to remember in buying lcds is that the actual lcd panels themselves come from a small number of reputable manufacturers, regardless of any branding and such. You may have heard how many of the Apple Cinema displays use the same panel as Dell's widescreen lcds. At this stage in lcd technology development you should be pleased with *any* name-brand screen you buy at the shops.

Goodluck!

 

[JaGWiRE]

Quote:

Originally Posted by vagarach A DVI connection is a must, but you should be fine with NEC, Viewsonic, Dell (but not in your list), and Samsung. I must mention though that I have two samsungs at home, and they are so bright and sharp that my eyes hurt after a very short while. This also happens with the professional-grade 19" Samsung lcds that my university just recently bought. I personally have (and regularly use) an lcd made by Sharp but it is VGA only, although it has none of the bluriness problems that some dual vga/dvi capable screens have. Also, the main thing to remember in buying lcds is that the actual lcd panels themselves come from a small number of reputable manufacturers, regardless of any branding and such. You may have heard how many of the Apple Cinema displays use the same panel as Dell's widescreen lcds. At this stage in lcd technology development you should be pleased with *any* name-brand screen you buy at the shops. Goodluck!

I would recommend any company on that list except chimei as I've never see them before. I've seen just about every brand, and although I haven't done any comparisons, the Samsung's certainly are nice, Viewsonic makes very nice monitors, and the one 19" ACER 16:10 res monitor (I think it's the first one on the list) is very nice, my neighbor has one. You may also want to consider a Dell 2007FPW, they can be found on sale for rather nice prices, maybe $100 more then the Acer.

Remember, 17" and 19" do have similiar resolutions, in the case they are not widescreen. The 19" Acer widescreen is 1440x990 I believe.

 

[Daroid]

Chi Mei Optoelectronics is actually an EXTREMELY large manufacturer of LCDs, and you might as well fin their panels inside other monitors. Nothing wrong with their picture quality. Along with IBM i'd say they beat the crap out of what the other manufacturers produce when it comes to picture quality and panel density. I'm not sure what CMO can master on their own, afaik the design doesn't doesn't look too good at all.

But as pointed out, keep it safe, and go with what are best in reviews and the sort.

Surprisingly, Viewsonic does not manufacture panels.

 

[Iron_Dreamer]

I set someone up with the same 19" Viewsonic from that list a few months ago, and it's a pretty solid monitor, hardly amazing though. I've got no experience with the others on that list.

I've generally preferred Samsung LCD's over the years, and today was no exception. I went to look at some different screens that I was thinking about upgrading to. I was shocked to see how poor the highly heralded Viewsonic VX2025WM looked. I was further shocked to see that I found the Samsung 204B to look much better, despite being a TN screen. I ended up coming home with the Samsung 215TW I had been eyeing, since I found it at Costco, so I have no worries about return problems.

 

[ooheadsoo]

I don't trust any of the in store demos I've seen. Those lcds are very poorly maintained and set up, and they don't swap out faulty ones, even when it's obvious that the lcd has critically failed. Also, the brighter lcds will always get the most attention, but like vagarach mentioned offhand, they'll burn your eyes out on office applications after 20 or 30 minutes. Realistically, they need to be turned down to a useable level, and that's something you can't really judge well at a store. Take what you see at a store with a grain of salt. You also don't get to test games vs. videos at the store. Most likely you're looking at a fish screensaver or what not. Don't forget to check the lcd settings on each monitor when you see it at the store, as well, in case someone like me fiddled with it.

 

[skev13]

A safe purchase would be a Samsung.

I've got a two year old 17" SyncMaster 710N. Been great beside for a few dead pixels (my mom always thought she can poke the screen with her pencil until I gave her a lecture one day)

 

[dj_mocok]

I just had a look at from a few shops, so far, the ones that I liked were all widescreen ones. One Viewsonic 20" widescreen (can't remember model), and the one Irondreamer got. Samsung 215TW, the picture quality is excellent, and it impressed me in terms of vertical viewing angle. All other monitors at the shop suffered a lot from vertical angle, but that Samsung stayed true to its contrast and colour.

Too bad it's out of budget.
I had a look at Samsung 19" 940N, not in the same league as 215, I think I have to keep looking some more.

Nobody bought my A900 yet, so can't stretch budget.

 

[dj_mocok]

Now I highly considered the ViewSonic VA1912wb. Checked reviews, mostly good, and it's cheap.

 

[darkninja67]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dj_mocok The problem with Viewsonic ones, their viewing angle is inferior compared to other brands...

Point?? Every set up I have seen has the monitor directly in front or slightly to the side of the user. (Even in dual monitor set ups). Look more at response time (if gaming) and contrast ratios.

 

[dj_mocok]

Well, maybe viewing angle is not really a major concern (as long as it's perfect if I am in front of computer). It's just that sometimes I watch DVD on the bed (my PC is just in front of my bed), so angle will be compromised.

This is one of the review of the said Viewsonic, and almost everyone associate the monitor with good contrast and colour, so I think I don't have to worry about that.

But if you look at the website, it says the viewing angle is: 130° Horizontal, 150° Vertical. I don't know whether they are very conservative in measuring it, but as far as I know even the cheapy ones, they have around 150-160 degree both hz and ver.

Maybe I should go to the shop and see by myself.

 

[darkninja67]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dj_mocok Well, maybe viewing angle is not really a major concern (as long as it's perfect if I am in front of computer). It's just that sometimes I watch DVD on the bed (my PC is just in front of my bed), so angle will be compromised. This is one of the review of the said Viewsonic, and almost everyone associate the monitor with good contrast and colour, so I think I don't have to worry about that. But if you look at the website, it says the viewing angle is: 130° Horizontal, 150° Vertical. I don't know whether they are very conservative in measuring it, but as far as I know even the cheapy ones, they have around 150-160 degree both hz and ver. Maybe I should go to the shop and see by myself.

I just noticed you are in Australia. I was going to send you a link for a 20.1" widescreen Viewsonic for $329 US. Go to a shop and check them out. Good advice was given in this thread.

 

[dj_mocok]

Quote:

Originally Posted by darkninja67 I just noticed you are in Australia. I was going to send you a link for a 20.1" widescreen Viewsonic for $329 US. Go to a shop and check them out. Good advice was given in this thread.

Ah, that 20" Viewsonic is probably the one that I really wanted, but I think it's not a good idea to spend that much money on a display now considering I need some cash later this year.

I had a look at that 20" Viewsonic today at the shop, and yeah, the picture was excellent. I was so impressed. But I think this is the little brother of that version.

In Australia, I think the 20" one is around AUS$550, whereas 19" one is around AUS$340. It's almost double the price, so maybe I'll just get the 19" one at the moment - which anyway will kick my current faulty CRT's butt all over the place anyway.

 

[darkninja67]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dj_mocok Ah, that 20" Viewsonic is probably the one that I really wanted, but I think it's not a good idea to spend that much money on a display now considering I need some cash later this year. I had a look at that 20" Viewsonic today at the shop, and yeah, the picture was excellent. I was so impressed. But I think this is the little brother of that version. In Australia, I think the 20" one is around AUS$550, whereas 19" one is around AUS$340. It's almost double the price, so maybe I'll just get the 19" one at the moment - which anyway will kick my current faulty CRT's butt all over the place anyway.

You see any 17" Viewsonics? The resolution is the same as the 19" models (usually) but if you need a larger area then go for the 19".

 

[dj_mocok]

There are plenty of 17-ers here, but since I watch DVD quite often (and sometime from distance), so I think 19" suits me better.

 

[darkninja67]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dj_mocok There are plenty of 17-ers here, but since I watch DVD quite often (and sometime from distance), so I think 19" suits me better.

Go for the 19" then. I would not buya Viewsonic LCD tv but their monitors are top rate. I own a 4 year old VP171b.