Widescreen Gaming Forum

Hi all,

until recently I have only been concerned with and used non-widescreen CRT monitors but I have got a hold of myself a Samsung 226BW Syncmaster, in other words a 22" widescreen running at 1680x1060 res.

it's not a bad screen but I have a few issues with it and I think I will buy a new monitor.

Firstly I'm connecting a PS3 up to it, so it has to be 1080p, and secondly Dynamic Contrast. I HATE it. I think it's an absolute nightmare while playing games and I can't even stand it whilst surfing the web.

I realise that I will not get the same image quality through a flatscreen as I will a CRT, but is there something I can do? Which monitors would you guys recommend, I've heard something about TN-Film monitors being inferior to S-PVA equivalents, is this true, and i so maybe I'd get a better picture with one of those.

Many Thanks,

Sean

Actually, you certainly can have CRT quality through an LCD, and better. But with a TN panel, it's unlikely. If you tell us your budget, we might be more capable of recommending an appropriate VA or IPS panel.

:-) that's certainly unexpected news.

I'm looking around the £300 mark, I'd like to know how much they cost really? That and where I could buy them from?

Well, I wouldn't know for sure what's available on the UK market for that money. But for $400 you could get a refurbished Dell 2407WFP. Decent 20" monitors new for that price might include Dell 2007WFP, Acer AL2032W, and Asus PW201.

Also, some guidelines on sniffing out TN's. If the monitor has a response time of 2ms, it's a TN. If the vertical viewing angle is less than 170 degrees, it's a TN. If the vertical viewing angle is 176 degrees or more, it's probably not a TN.

right, Okay. I don't actually care about the size so long as its between 20"-24" but it HAS to be 1080p do you know of anything? Regardless of price?

Then it's going to need to be 24". Smaller panels only go up to 1680x1050.

Dell 2407WFP would be my default "get this 24" monitor" 24" monitor.

Sweet, soon as the paycheck comes through, that thing is gonna be bought, hopefully it will be a lot better than what I have at the moment, do you think I will get a comparable performance to a CRT with it?

Better performance than most CRTs.

Better performance than most CRTs.

Completely depends on the context of performance.

Image quality, whether text 'stays in focus', how black the blacks are, etcetera

Pure image quality is superior IMO, basically digital vs analog.

Blacks arn't all that great but they are not that bad either.

The only real negative to an LCD in my opinion is ghosting.

Maybe I just have fond memories of a CRT then? The space saving element is certainly appreciated mind.
I'll be honest though, the thing that really bugs me is this dynamic contrast, I just can't get over it to be honest,
Perhaps you could define ghosting for me? I'm a bit of a noob. :-)

Smaller panels only go up to 1680x1050.

Not true, some 22" are 1920x1080.

I'll be honest though, the thing that really bugs me is this dynamic contrast, I just can't get over it to be honest,
Perhaps you could define ghosting for me?

Dynamic contrast is a marketing buzzword. It means "we would like you to believe that this monitor has better image quality than a monitor that does not claim dynamic contrast." Pragmatically, it means nothing at all.
Ghosting is basically unwanted motion blur that occurs from the monitor not being able to update the screen fast enough to keep up with the frame rate. It was a problem with older LCDs that had slower response times, like 40ms and 60ms, but nowadays you'd be hard pressed to find a monitor with a greater response time than 16ms. 16ms is all you need to keep up with a frame rate of 60FPS, so ghosting isn't really an issue any more.

Ok, maybe it would be better for me if I explained my qualms in non technical jargon then :-)

By Dynamic Contrast (which is probably something completely different) I mean how the monitor clearly and visibly 'fades' when darker colours are on screen and brightens up when ligher colours are on screen. I find this a bit of a nightmare when playing games and viewing things when they are on screen and a mixture of both light and dark colours.

from what i interpret as 'ghosting' it is the blur that you get when reading text, as it sometimes, in certain parts of the monitor appears 'fuzzy'

Would a different type of monitor (PVA) or that dell on in the posts above fix these issues.

It's quite strange. I never seem to have a problem with them on Laptops :S

I mean how the monitor clearly and visibly 'fades' when darker colours are on screen and brightens up when ligher colours are on screen. I find this a bit of a nightmare when playing games and viewing things when they are on screen and a mixture of both light and dark colours.

A good monitor will never do this. Even bad ones that do usually have an option to turn it off.

from what i interpret as 'ghosting' it is the blur that you get when reading text, as it sometimes, in certain parts of the monitor appears 'fuzzy'

That's not ghosting. Are you using a VGA cable by any chance? If so, you should be using a DVI cable. Some LCD monitors get fuzzy when using VGA, and text quality suffers the worst.

Thats what ghosting looks like

Aha! It must be the VGA input, you see I am using my DVI for my PS3 as this monitor doesnt have HDMI. :( does that dell one have 2 digital inputs or an HDMI one, as I'm gonna need it.

It does not have HDMI. I suggest you buy an HDMI switch - there's no quality lost by introducing a switch. Just make sure it claims HDMI 1.3 compatibility, and make sure it has good reviews (a bad one can introduce input lag).

good stuff, any particular recommendations?