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PC Monitor advice please

 
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cath1
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PostPosted: Wed Nov 03, 2010 4:43 pm    Post subject: PC Monitor advice please Reply with quote

Hi

I'm considering buying a wider screen monitor for my desktop...around 26/27 inch.

Can anyone recommend a make/model please?....one which is clear and sharp enough for hours of Cubase use?

The highest price of the lower/domestic end of the market seems to be in the region of £200-300.
After that, there's a huge leap upto £800-900 for the more professional models.

Thank you for any offers of help Smile
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polyal
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PostPosted: Wed Nov 03, 2010 6:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

any branded monitor should be ok...but make sure your pc graphics resolution
will support your chosen monitors' resolution...i have a slight mismatch with mine
and circles are slightly oval.....its still a great setup though...bigger the better eh!
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cath1
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PostPosted: Wed Nov 03, 2010 7:35 pm    Post subject: PC Monitor advice please Reply with quote

Hi Polyal

Good to hear from you Smile ...thanks for replying
and for the point about the graphics resolution - I'll check that

I'm glad you've got a good setup that you're pleased with...which monitor have you got?

...I suppose I could also do with hearing from other users who've maybe had some problems with monitors and can tell me which to avoid etc

...and also...is it worth spending £800/£900 on a monitor?...is it so much better than one costing £300/400? - and in what ways?

I'm trying to get as much advice as possible as there doesn't seem to be a mid-range price for 26/27" monitors - and it's too costly a mistake to make if I get it wrong!

Thanks for any help offered Smile
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polyal
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PostPosted: Wed Nov 03, 2010 7:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

hi cath...i have a lg 21" ...not as big as you're going for...but ive had this for a couple of years and never
had the urge to go any bigger...a lot of people use dual screens Think...lets us know how you get on..it would be nice
also to see what other people are using...watching this space Whistle
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TheHobbit
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PostPosted: Wed Nov 03, 2010 9:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Samsung 22'' screens work great. I believe, if you're on PC, that anything over 24'' a 500mb+ graphics card is beneficial...I may be wrong but 750mb - 1gb would be beneficial/
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cath1
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PostPosted: Wed Nov 03, 2010 9:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Oh right, thanks polyal.

Yeh, I am considering the dual screen idea anyway - by using my present monitor as the second one, but still feel that I need a larger main screen.

(I tend to do most of my editing on the score page and with concentrating on such fine detail I frequently end up cross-eyed! lol...so hopefully a bigger screen will help.)

Yeh, I'll let you know how I get on Smile
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Darwin Darker
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PostPosted: Thu Nov 04, 2010 3:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

cath1 wrote:
Oh right, thanks polyal.

Yeh, I am considering the dual screen idea anyway - by using my present monitor as the second one, but still feel that I need a larger main screen.

(I tend to do most of my editing on the score page and with concentrating on such fine detail I frequently end up cross-eyed! lol...so hopefully a bigger screen will help.)

Yeh, I'll let you know how I get on Smile



A bigger screen can actually make the situation worse.

I upgraded from a 19" LG with 1440 x 900 native resolution to a 21.5" LG with 1920 x 1080 native res.

While it was an increase the number of pixels by over 30%, the viewable screen area itself is only about 12% larger.

Which means the individual pixels are much smaller than my previous monitor, and hence everything on screen has actually reduced considerably in size.

At first this was a completely intolerable obstacle. It was only through lengthy customizing of the themes in XP and W7 that I was able to use this monitor. (Using the monitor at anything other than native resolution made the situation exponentially worse, with either hxw distortions or eye ruining blurriness)

If you get a larger monitor, do the math on the models you're considering beforehand to make sure the pixel pitch is the same or greater than your current monitor.

Also, most people find 24" is as large as they can easily work with. Larger than that, and on screen elements of Windows and application UI's simply become too small and difficult to use.
A much better option (than a single 24" or 27") is 2 x 22" monitors. Things are easier to view, and you can dedicate monitors to tasks like the mixer and the arrange page.

As far as brands go, I use LG's - currently and LG E2240T LED backlit LCD).
Bright, instant on, and great color and blackpoint for image editing or video watching.

DD.
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cath1
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 05, 2010 11:13 pm    Post subject: PC Monitor advice please Reply with quote

Hi DD
Thank you for a beautifully detailed reply - it's really good advice and I know I'll find it very useful Smile

I’m glad you eventually got your setup working ok – it sounds like you had some tricky things to sort out and it’s nice that you’re able to pass on your experience.

I hadn't realised that buying a monitor could be quite so complicated and to be honest, I don't understand some of the technicalities you mention, so I'll have to look up some of the terms to get a better understanding.

Would you mind if I get back to you if I need a bit more help?

Cath 
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Darwin Darker
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 06, 2010 10:56 am    Post subject: Re: PC Monitor advice please Reply with quote

cath1 wrote:
Hi DD

Would you mind if I get back to you if I need a bit more help?

Cath



Sure, that's fine.

Best thing to tell what size you'd be comfortable with is to view them in the store.

Cool
DD.
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cath1
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 06, 2010 9:59 pm    Post subject: PC Monitor advice please Reply with quote

Thanks Smile
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karltl
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 09, 2010 9:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I've got two of these...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824254043

They work great, Good color/brightness/resolution. I run them on them low cost fanless video cards.

If you keep an eye out, both newegg and tiger direct put these on sale every so often and you can get them for $250. Great price for a 28" monitor.
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cath1
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PostPosted: Thu Nov 11, 2010 8:35 pm    Post subject: PC Monitor advice please Reply with quote

Hi karltl

Thanks for your response and the link Smile

I'll look into this

(nice that you've got something that works so well for you)
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cath1
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PostPosted: Thu Nov 11, 2010 8:57 pm    Post subject: PC Monitor advice please Reply with quote

Hi The Hobbit

Apologies for only just replying.

Thank you for the information, it's much appreciated Smile
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cath1
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PostPosted: Mon Nov 15, 2010 10:54 pm    Post subject: PC Monitor advice please Reply with quote

Hi DD

I've just got a couple of questions, if you can spare the time?...I won't be offended if not Smile

Quote:
While it was an increase the number of pixels by over 30%, the viewable screen area itself is only about 12% larger.

Am I right in thinking that the pixel pitch of your new monitor was smaller than your previous 19"?...and it was that which caused the problems...not the resolution?

Therefore, is the pixel pitch the most important thing to get right when choosing a monitor?

...or have I totally misunderstood everything? Embarassed

Thank you for any help Smile
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Darwin Darker
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 16, 2010 11:32 pm    Post subject: Re: PC Monitor advice please Reply with quote

cath1 wrote:
Hi DD
I've just got a couple of questions, if you can spare the time?...I won't be offended if not Smile
Quote:
While it was an increase the number of pixels by over 30%, the viewable screen area itself is only about 12% larger.

Am I right in thinking that the pixel pitch of your new monitor was smaller than your previous 19"?...and it was that which caused the problems...not the resolution?



Yep, that was the issue.

The pixels are smaller on my new monitor - it has 102 per inch instead of 89.

Which makes everything on screen about 15% smaller.

I've become accustomed to it, and customizing the Windows theme with larger fonts throughout has more or less solved the issue.



Quote:

Therefore, is the pixel pitch the most important thing to get right when choosing a monitor?
...or have I totally misunderstood everything? Embarassed
Thank you for any help Smile



Pixel pitch is one of the important things.

If you're satisfied with the size of things on your current monitor screen, getting a new one in the same pixel pitch/dot pitch range will save you having to tweak a new Windows theme to compensate.

Here's a reference for screen resolutions and pixel pitch:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dot_pitch

For my brother, I recently got him a 23" LG W2343T-PF.
http://www.lg.com/in/computer-products/lcd-monitor/LG-W2343T.jsp

I checked it out here before I delivered it to him and it looked real good - it had a slightly smaller pixel pitch than my old monitor, but it wasn't enough for me to even notice.
He's right chuffed with it.
And, it was only $169.00 CAD!! (My first teensy little NEC 15" 1024x768 LCD was over $400.00!) Shocked


As someone mentioned, for Cubase and general use, it's hard to go wrong with most monitors these days.

It comes down to a few technical options and personal preferences.

Cool
DD.


PS.
If you're going to use it on your HP Pavilion S3435, you'll need to make sure the monitor you get has VGA input.
(According to HP, your comp only has VGA and no DVI output.)
(The LG W2343T-PF has both VGA/DVI ports.)
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cath1
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 20, 2010 12:11 am    Post subject: PC Monitor advice please Reply with quote

Hi DD

Thanks for a (again!) very informative reply Smile

Glad you managed to get a good deal on your brother's monitor - it's a nice feeling when it all works out!
...having said which...I think I'm almost at the point of deciding on a Samsung BX2331 23" - it has the same (more or less) pixel pitch so, as you say, it should be straightforward.

Thank you for mentioning my HP outputs in your last post - it was a vital piece of information to be armed with when I was looking at monitors in PC World.

Thanks for all your help DD...and for the helpful links - it is much appreciated Smile
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Darwin Darker
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PostPosted: Sun Nov 21, 2010 9:22 am    Post subject: Re: PC Monitor advice please Reply with quote

cath1 wrote:
Hi DD

Thanks for a (again!) very informative reply Smile

Glad you managed to get a good deal on your brother's monitor - it's a nice feeling when it all works out!
...having said which...I think I'm almost at the point of deciding on a Samsung BX2331 23" - it has the same (more or less) pixel pitch so, as you say, it should be straightforward.

Thank you for mentioning my HP outputs in your last post - it was a vital piece of information to be armed with when I was looking at monitors in PC World.

Thanks for all your help DD...and for the helpful links - it is much appreciated Smile



That Samsung seems a good one. And futureproof for your next PC with DVI and HDMI for HD video watching or gaming.
Samsung is a good brand - it's one of the 4 manufacturers of the LCD panels that go into LCD monitors.

Since that model doesn't seem to have adjustable height, you might want do what I did and build a little stand to raise it to eye level.
I find this LED LCD looks best when the horizontal middle is raised to eye level.
I could have used a box or phone book, but I cut out a plywood oval and screwed on four dowel feet so that my mouse, keyboard and USB cables could route straight underneath it. Less cable mess on my desk.

Post when you've got your new widescreen beastie in studio. Wink

DD.
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cath1
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PostPosted: Wed Nov 24, 2010 6:37 pm    Post subject: PC Monitor advice please Reply with quote

Hi DD

Thanks for your post and sorry for my delayed response.

Yes, the Samsung monitor seems like a nice one...and thanks for the tips on building a stand - good idea Smile

Yes, I'll post when I've got the monitor sorted - it may not be soon as I've a few other studio-based things to sort out first.

Thanks again for your help Smile
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