What type of monitor do you use?

hobbywhelmed · Post by **hobbywhelmed** » Thu Sep 07, 2006 1:24 pm

My big ol' 20" CRT keeps going fuzzy on me after a 5 - 10 minutes. Yup, monitor's to fault, not the video card - I attached it to the 2nd output on my laptop and had the same problem.

But attaching it to the laptop, I saw how the colors I had on the laptop LCD screen were actually kinda soft and pale compared to the view on the CRT. Or was it that the nice colors on my laptop were darkish and brassy on the CRT --

Now, since the local computer store gave me this 3-minute spiel about it not being worth it to repair CRT monitors and that I should just go LCD, I started wondering about some of you are using while scanning and cleaning up your cels/sketches for gallery inclusion.

I've always avoided using the laptop for any kind of picture processing because of the lightness/low-contrst problem. How do stand-alone LCD flatscreens compare these days to CRTs?

As much as I hate dragging this beast out for servicing (and the store guy was also going on about how it could cost as much to fix as for a new one and the LCD was more cost effective - although he's not the cheapest game in town - ) but this is a Dell with a perfectly flat screen and really nice rendition usually. And I hate that "chuck it to the curb" mentality anyway. But that's another tale of agitation -

Krafty · Post by **Krafty** » Thu Sep 07, 2006 1:52 pm

I've always used a CRT monitor for my own work [where possible] and although I'd love a flatscreen to save on desk space, the picture quality is appauling.

My parents bought a new, 'good quality' LCD monitor but I can't stand to use it because of the 'pale' appearance as if a milky film is over the screen. Whenever I've used laptops and other types of monitor too, the quality doesn't stand up to a CRT.
Thought I'd mention that in case you think I've not had experience with other monitors.

If you're optomizing images for a flatscreen LCD display, bear in mind that they will probably have heavy contrast on a CRT.
I think a CRT shows a truer representation.

Cost wise, I think CRTs and LCDs are quite similar. When I bought my 19" CRT it was GBP 100, approx US$185, but I dont have experience with US hardware prices so I don't know if that's good or bad where you live.

I'd advise buying a new monitor if your old one has packed up. Fixing it isn't worthwhile it as the actual tube costs almost as much as the whole unit from new.

monkeyboy · Post by **monkeyboy** » Thu Sep 07, 2006 5:01 pm

Moved to the Anything topic.

Sorry to hear about your monitor! I hope things work out hobbywhelmed.

Elendil · Post by **Elendil** » Thu Sep 07, 2006 5:08 pm

Here is the monitor that I have: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6824163130

A 19" widescreen LCD. The manufacturor is kind of a no name, but its one of the cheapest 19" monitors out there, and I really love it. I previously had a 15" CRT which was not only too small, but also very heavy and took up a ton of space on my desk. I love the fact that its a widescreen because I can multitask and have a lot of different applications open at the same time (that, and everything is going widescreen these days...eventually it will be the norm for monitors too). The main reason I bought it, wasn't because it was cheap, but because it was the ONLY monitor I could find that didn't have a single review saying the customer got it with dead pixels. Having dead pixels would have been my #1 complaint, and would have driven me crazy to even have one, since these days you cannot return them to most stores unless you have 8 or more dead pixels. But, I love it alot, and even my mom bought one after she saw how mine looked.

Baakay · Post by **Baakay** » Thu Sep 07, 2006 6:02 pm

According to the stuff on the screen in front of me... I have a Gateway FPD2185W TFT LCD Monitor. It's HUGE. As in 1680 X 1050 resolution. You can flip it so that it's Uende-print size and orientation

which is excellent for doing artwork. Flat screen. Nice, nice, nice.

Um. For a second there it was a Minotaur. Good thing I looked up

hobbywhelmed · Post by **hobbywhelmed** » Thu Sep 07, 2006 7:05 pm

Widescreen - I've seen too many TV stores where they have all the TVs playing the same movie, which ISN'T letterbox format, and I've noticed the widescreen ones stretch out the image to fill all the available width. Do the widescreen LCDs do that with websites, too, if they're using a fixed HTML setup and are at a lower configuration size?

What about programs, too - does it stretch them out as well?

Or can you set these things for lower resolutions? I heard somewhere that they don't being set at resolutions other than the factory-set ones.

My beast right now is a 20" CRT - that's 20" on the diagonal, actually 16" wide by 12" high. One of the reviews at Newegg said the LCD 19" monitor was 16" x 10". Given the toolbar clutter at the top and bottom of each page when using IE, how much actually is your viewing space, top to bottom? (When tweaking my scans, I've got a 9-1/4" H space to work in. Not a biggie, I suppose for the Gateway that rotates, I suppose.

This is getting to be a stew of considerations! I guess it's a good thing it got moved to Anything! Probably should have moved it to Everything!

kittens · Post by **kittens** » Thu Sep 07, 2006 7:11 pm

At my office I have UltraSharp 1907FPV 19-inch Digital Flat Panel Display (http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/prod ... ku=1907V3Y)

But at home I have old compaq (17 inch one) laptop and 12 inchi thinkpad. So both of them are flat screen.....

(I have another computer at my office but I am not sure what it has

)

Joost · Post by **Joost** » Fri Sep 08, 2006 2:54 am

My laptop screen 15.4 inch
at work an Acer LCD 15 inch

I just got a free screen its a Pro 22" crt (forgot brand), the person wanted an other screen because the colors where off when running 100hz or 120hz.. lol like I need that

hehe at 80hz it runs fine

Not Sir Phobos · Post by **Not Sir Phobos** » Fri Sep 08, 2006 7:56 am

I has a viewsonic 21 inch big mammajamma LCD.