[ilikepooters]

Quote:

i think my next monitar will be a TV, how come you cant get 40+ inch monitors.  yes i know they would just be 1080 tvs without tuners and crap but thats what i want.  if i buy a tv i thnik i may have to buy a tv licence.
 
 
grrr

They only know you're watching a TV without a licence if you're actually using it as a TV and receiving a signal, use it as a computer and they can't do anything.

 

[Blisse]

As a person who went from using a 19" monitor, to using a 19" and 17" together, to 21.6" and 19" together, I can't possibly imagine how amazing it would be to have a 24" monitor, let alone a 27" monitor or a 30" TV. As I'm moving to university in a couple of weeks, I feel like getting a 24" to pair with my 19" since my sister will take the 21.6" that I stole back. I just don't feel like I'm going to have the space with all the headphones and speakers and dual monitors, and I don't think I can live with a 19" single screen monitor. Only using a single 5850 so I hope it doesn't die if I upgrade to 24" and 19". 
 
And what, you have to buy tv licenses?

 

[DougofTheAbaci]

27" monitor takes away a lot of the need for having a second display. I can easily fit two documents on a page (like right now where half my screen is Espresso and the other half is Safari and I'm coding a website). The part where I'd like a second monitor comes in where I'd love to be watching Dr. Who as well. But, well... That wouldn't make me more productive.
 
Don't worry, I have an AMD 5750 and it can handily run two 24" screens.
 
If you can, get a pair of Dell UltraSharp 24" displays. They aren't cheap but they are some of the best screens you can buy in the price bracket.

 

[Blisse]

The main reason I have a second display is for multitasking. I can fit two documents on one screen with my 19", but having them on completely separate screens is feels better since you have one screen just for typing, and the other for the research. Then there's also having games on one display and foobar on another, or several Internet and documents in one, and Word in the other. It's really useful and even though I know 27" is more space than 19" + 17" combined, I can't imagine living without dual monitors. There was a study or something saying that an extra monitor increases productivity, but I wouldn't know where to find it again.
 
I mainly want a larger monitor so I can watch 1080p videos properly, but let's pretend I didn't mention that.
 
I also can't justify buying that expensive of a display, since I'm just moving into university and all. I'm considering one of those cheaper IPS ones, but I want to save as much money as possible. I have to buy an amplifier, a 14" laptop, school stuff, and now a monitor, so that's pushing my budget slightly. 

 

[DougofTheAbaci]

I've heard that one, too. I don't get the concept of gaming and listening to music. Then, I play mostly first-person shooters and not being able to clearly hear your surroundings is a great way to get killed.
 
Oh, I love when people cite that study. The reason being they usually get it wrong. The study is often cited as claiming more monitors increase productivity when what the study actually says is more screen space. When asked to clarify later the guy who did the study said, "No, more monitors don't make you more efficient. In fact, after a certain point it has a drastically detrimental effect. The ideal amount of space for the majority of people is 2560x1440 on a 27" to 30" screen."
 
Of course, it all depends on usage cases and individual tastes. If you're a video editor, for example, it's very difficult to get buy with just one screen and most tend to have at least one screen for their work and another just for viewing the output.
 
The cheaper Dell IPS screens run around $300 or so last I saw. They're not quite as good as their more expensive brethren but any IPS screen is going to be better than your typical non-IPS. They are faster, use less energy and have brighter, more accurate color representation. If you ever want to know the difference between a non-IPS screen and an IPS screen, look at the iPhone 4. They use IPS screens and are regarded as the best you can find on a phone. (Of course, no IPS display you're going to buy is going to have anywhere near the pixel density of an iPhone 4.)

 

[Blisse]

Good to know about that study, I kind of guessed that was the case, but those were basically the words that were highlighted in the page I was on. 
 
I play more RTS, racing, and other sports. Not much anymore, but I liked listening to music while warming up in CS, but I played more casually than professionally. 
 
I see that other manufacturers are getting in IPS displays and while they're not the same as Dell's quality, they should be better than the other displays still. This looks promising. The stand and bezel is horrendous, but I've seen worse. I'm Canadian so my options are limited. I like this more though it's a different version. Not sure I would notice the different in upgrading to a lower quality IPS though. Also found another one here. This one from NEC seems to be amazing apparently.
 
Headphones are a pain, but monitors are worse. At least headphone model numbers aren't crazy and impossible to decipher...

 

[DougofTheAbaci]

And those are exactly the kinds of games where I'd want to listen to music, too. I mean, it's not like an FPS where you'll hear the crunch of a guy's boots as he's sneaking around behind you.
 
Ugh, I'd never buy an LG display. I've heard far, far too many bad things about them and you can get a lower-end Dell IPS for around $300 off Newegg. For that price I'd go with the Dell. NEC does make a good display so they are worth checking out as well.
 
Oh, you don't know the best bit. At least the stats on headphones tell you something. Granted, not a lot, but if they say 20 Hz to 20 kHz then you know at least it will do that. Aside from native resolution no stat on a monitor is trustable since they all are measured in different ways by different people. It's all lies.

 

[nikp]

LG displays used to be terrible in the past but they surely have improved it. 

 

[mark2410]

Quote:

 
 
And what, you have to buy tv licenses?

yes.  its how the BBC is paid for.

 

[DougofTheAbaci]

 
Quote:

yes.  its how the BBC is paid for.

Well, one of the ways.
 
Technically, if you use iPlayer you should have a TV license. I have a friend who works at the BBC and he said that while I was living there and downloading shows I really should have been paying for a TV license. Was never going to happen.

 

[mark2410]

Quote:

 


Well, one of the ways.
 
Technically, if you use iPlayer you should have a TV license. I have a friend who works at the BBC and he said that while I was living there and downloading shows I really should have been paying for a TV license. Was never going to happen.

 
actually you only require a tv licence if you use iplayer for live transmissions, i dont use it anyway so its not really an issue for me.
 
 

 

[DougofTheAbaci]

 
Quote:

actually you only require a tv licence if you use iplayer for live transmissions, i dont use it anyway so its not really an issue for me.

Neither did I. Then, I use Netflix in the US now. Which, oddly, is how I'm watching Dr.Who.

 

[pigmode]

Recommendations?
 
- Looking for a ~21.5" monitor for external connection to a MBP
- equal quality to iMac and 27" Apple monitors
- moderate to high-moderate price

 

[DougofTheAbaci]

Dell Ultrasharp series. Basically, you want any good IPS screen but the Dell Ultrasharps are the ones to look at.
 
You can't buy the 21" online but you can get the 24" for around $479:
http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?c=us&cs=19&l=en&sku=320-8277

 

[pigmode]

Thanks for the rec on the Ultrasharp, as they seem to be well reviewed.