Wanted: 22" Monitor Recommendations

You might have a problem finding a 22" in 1080p as they seem to all run at 1680 x 1050 native resolution.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010190020%201309822582&page=1&bop=And&ActiveSearchResult=True

Once you go up to 24" the standards seem to be 1080p and 1920 x 1200.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010190020%201309821328&name=24%22

I've had a pair of the LG monitors for a year now and they work fine and look great, both for under $700.

I have dual-24" Dell monitors here at work, and I love them. These are Dell Ultra-Sharp 2407WFPb. If you look at Dell, be sure you check out the Ultra-Sharp lineup (if they are still calling it that). This is their "high-end" lineup, using better LCD panels.

If you trying for the best possible picture, DO NOT use the analog VGA input on the monitors! Use the DVI/HDMI/DisplayPort inputs. If you don't have DVI output on your computer, it's time to upgrade your video card to one that supports two DVI/HDMI/DisplayPort outputs. Using the analog inputs on an LCD monitor is like watching a video on TV using the modulated output from a VCR, vs using the composite video output. You are dealing with two additional conversions of the signal when using the analog inputs, the video card must convert the digital display signal to analog VGA, then the monitor must convert that signal back to digital. Todays monitors are better at this than in the past, but there is still something lost in translation, so to speak . My $.02 worth

Tom

Hi bdhubbard,

I bought 2 Hanspree 23" LCD monitors at Best Buy about a month ago - a little over $200 each. They will get the resolution you need. They have very good color and sharpness and get a decent "black". I am quite pleased with them.

Mike

I'm open to any recommendation, but would like to try and stay under $1000 each.

That won't be a problem as there are plenty of quality monitors under $1000. Best place to start is to look at the comparison reviews on the internet to see what the experts who test them say.

http://www.anandtech.com/showdoc.aspx?i=3480&p=4

http://www.anandtech.com/displays/

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/s/review/monitor/

etc.

I would advise seriously looking at larger (or even smaller) monitors as the visual display quality varies, especially with a budget of up to $1000 each. If in doubt you may even be able to look at a working monitor you like before you buy (hence saving more disappointment).

Exactly what are you using the monitor for (i.e., what are you trying to display)?

these are monitor manufacturers.

Philips Samsung Planar Synaps

Hi bdhubbard,

What is seen on a Monitor is a very subjective thing.

There seems to be several hundred monitors and or TV's. But there is only a few screen makers. Go figure?

I feel it is necessary for you to lose some shoe leather in your search for what you are looking for. As you can have 10 screens all made by the same factory and with the same 'physical' specs. But you could have ten different software setups on these which will give a completely different 'apparent' picture.

I would go through some specs that fit your needs and pocket, then go to a shop that has all or most of what you want on show. Ask for demo's and listen closely to what the salesman is saying. From my experience ANY sales person can sell sugar, wire, beds, tables and electronics. In other words just because they are in the Monitor or TV section does not mean they 'understand' what they are saying. Oh, they can 'spiel' details like the colour of the cabinet and size and height, which you can see anyway, but ask what a 'PLL' (Phase Locked Loop) is and I doubt you would get a reply, other than a "oh, just one second I can ask about that"!

As an example, a long time ago I wanted and found three different makes of TV which had either 500 or 1000 text pages save-able. But I went to 12 stores and non knew anything about the ability of these TV's I mentioned which could save text pages. Obviously this was before computers came out, about 15 years ago?

After the complete let down and outright lies told by each of the salesman I saw, I went on my own choices and then went to the shop and viewed what I wanted, including putting a clip-board or similar to shade the TV, as often the lighting in these shops makes something look wonderful, but is the relative gloom, and possibly watching it in the dark, gives a completely different picture quality.

As you may have gathered I have >>> ZERO <<< respect for any salesmen. They are there to sell.............. and make money, end of story.

No one should take any word from a salesman as truth!!!!!!!!

Think about it,................ I am studying the controls, picture, sockets I/O and electronics where ever it is possible and coming up with a conclusion about each set I studied. These people in electronic Dept's, have been there from about two years to ten and have learned nothing about the products they sell or about any up and coming new stuff. They are totally useless. Give them a broom and they may make some impression by keeping the shop clean.

Take care and good luck with your searches. BTW. I have found the best way to get something is to find what you want in a shop and then buy it for half the price on-line! And, you get no BS from the sales people.

Are you in photo or graphic industry? Do you need to color match the screen to print? Or you just want a darker "black" for your movies?

Your monitor already has pretty high contrast ratio. You might need to do some adjustment and calibrate the screen. Try turn down the brightness.

Hi everyone,

Thank you for your informative comments. I'm not set on 22" or 1080p; just something bigger than the old 19-20" size range. The aspect ratio of 1080p monitors actually is not optimal, as they are long and narrow and the menu bars at the top of the screen eat into one's displayable work space. The FX 1700 display card has digital outputs, which I am using and resolution has not been an issue; the monitor's dynamic display range is the primary problem.

I'm using the monitor primarily for CAD and secondarily for photo editing. (I have a large collection of 4x5 B/W negatives which need to be scanned and corrected.) In a two monitor setup, I could use different equipment optimized for each application.

I don't need exact color matches; just reasonable accuracy. More of a problem is illustrated by displaying a 256 step gray scale: no matter how I adjust gamma, brightness, and contrast, half of the ramp has indistinguishable steps. If I can separate the light steps; the blacks all merge and vice versa. The Dell ultrasharp monitor was an interesting suggestion

As a specific example in the case of ProEngineer, weak and non-reference dimensions are displayed in a dim color which does not stand out from the black background. Adjusting the monitor so that these become visible causes all of the brighter features to merge together. In the case of watching the occasional movie, night scenes turn totally black. Fixing this requires turning the brightness up so high that it is uncomfortable to sit close to the monitor for normal usage.

Finally, yes, I'm trying to save some shoe leather, but I am partially disabled and if I can minimize traipsing through dealers with my laptop, it is better for me. I'm trying to take advantage of what others have personally learned, as I have found that manufacturers' ADs are typically unrealistic, even those which claim to provide color calibration. My current Viewsonic VX2260wm came well recommended and still has dynamic range problems.

- Bruce

B&H Photo comes highly recomended, make contact via web chat or phone; they are knowledgeable folks and their reputation stands on it.

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Hello bdhubbard,

I was wondering when you mentioned the 22" size if it had to fit into a cabinet or on a shelf?

My advice is to join the on-line version of "Which" http://www.which.co.uk/

I do not know if this is applicable to the 'States'. What Country do you live in? Search for 'Which' in your Country. You can join on a 'per-month' Membership, and you may even get your first searches free, I cannot recall now. They have details and tests which are completely independent from any Retailer or Manufacturer.

With respect to the Aspect Ratio you may struggle to find one of the old type 'square' sizes, but that depends entirely on the Model and make and price you go for. I know you say you do not want a 'Landscape' or wide-screen but, your problem with room for the Menu Bar can be solved by moving it to the left or right side of the screen. End of problem.

If you go for 'known good makes or Monitors', choose your preference on-line, then, find a local store which has that Model and view it. If it is not all that the 'blurb' says you have lost a few dollars in cab fair, as apposed to several hundred on a Monitor you do not like. Plus the agro' of changing it for another.

I know you asked this request in a kind way and we are trying to answer in the same way, but as I have said, ten people will choose ten different Monitors, and it really is a subjective test you have to carry out to find what you want. The only way I know of doing that is actually seeing a set in from of you and playing with the controls.

If cost is a factor, and it usually is in some way, join the Which site for a month only and you will be given a whole lot of choice ways to search. Choose by cost, surround colour, type, make, size, or any other way available. You have to bear in mind the 'connections' available on even the most expensive sets may not be what you need or want, though, in general the more you pay the more you are likely to find a set with just about every connection possible!

What you can do is check out the Which site, then, if you live in a Country where Which does not operate, choose a set you like on the Which site then write to them and ask what the equivalent Monitor is in your particular area?

There is several other criteria you need to have in your mind wherever you make a choice........

1) Will you be using it in a room with friends around you.

2) Will you be next to the set or viewing from some distance.

3) Where is the lighting in your room and can you redirect it if it washes the screen out.

4) Does the sun shine on where you want the Monitor to be?.

5) Does your choice of Monitor have a good enough sound range, particularly will it be loud enough.

6) Do you want an Anti-Reflective screen or screen cover.

7) Do you want just plain glass.

8) What colour surround do you want on the Monitor.

9) Does it have to match your decor or computer?

10) How much is your budget.

11) Does it need to have Wi-Fi or other wireless, blue-tooth etc, use.

12) It is your ONLY connection to the computer and, so to your enjoyment of whatever the computer is used for.

13) A decent computer is just a few hundred dollars, but you may need to pay double this for a suitable Monitor. I am not saying you will, but you may need to pay more for the Monitor than the computer.

I wish you luck but, you have to realise a friend or someone on this site cannot choose the Monitor for you. To be blunt it is your home, your money, and you are the only one it needs to be 'suitable' for!

Take care.

It is the graphics card which has primary control of the gray scale on the monitor.

What card are you using?

Try BARCO Metheus medical displays and display adapters with the capabilities you require for example.

Dell Deal: Today only 15-Oct-09

http://www1.ca.dell.com/content/topics/segtopic.aspx/days_of_deals?c=ca&cs=cadhs1&l=en&s=dhs

80000:1 contrast ratio.

You may need to go to a store to see if they can load the test pattern. I'm guessing it may be difficult to get what you want.

Test your monitor: http://www.lagom.nl/lcd-test/

Thank you all for your recommendations. The 24" Dell Ultra Sharp looks most promising at the moment, although the 2408WFP seems to have replaced the earlier 2407WFPb model and does not have a lot of relevant reviews yet. (What did the "b" signify?) Lower end LaCie models (324) also seem to get good reviews, although anandtech liked the Dell 2407 better. (There is Apple too.) No walk-in store that I can get to has floor models to look at for comparison shopping, which is true of most industrial purposed monitors.

On the home video thing, I'm afraid that you are making this way more complicated than it needs to be. I am sitting alone in front of a CAD machine, 24" from the monitor (so I have to limit the brightness). There is no company, no movies, no sound, no extraneous lighting, no sofas, and no decor (except basic black). If I could, I'd buy another color corrected CRT, but they are too hard/expensive to get these days. So I'm looking at LCDs, and unfortunately, most of the discount store models seem to perform poorly at precision work.

Best

Bruce

Hi bdhubbard,

This site lists the details of the Dell 2407WFP. From what I can see the Flash memory card reader supports windows 2000 and XP only. Whether it can get an update that allows it to read Vista or any subsequent OS I do not know. But it does seem to be a pretty good Monitor. It can be used in Portrait or Landscape.

The details below are meant to help not as advice on what to buy.

I realise you now mention the

^{Dell UltraSharp U2410 so, the info below may not be relevant}

Although this is a good model, and Dell says it replaces the 2405FWP (note the '5') it is still several years older than you may want, and any newer model, perhaps from a different maker may have a slightly more up to date screen and or screen software? This is just a suggestion.

I have no idea what you want this for other than for CAD perhaps. All the points I listed in a previous post can be chosen and or not, as part of your decision on buying a Monitor. Even though you say that "is way to complicated" or similar, these are the 'automatic' decisions we make when buying a TV or Monitor.

Card Reader Specifications

Overview

• The Flash Memory Card Reader is a USB storage device that allows users to read and write information from and into the memory card.
• The Flash Memory Card Reader is automatically recognized by Windows® 2000 and XP.
• Once installed and recognized, each separate memory card (slot) appears as a separate drive/drive letter.
• All standard file operations (copy, delete, drag-and-drop, etc.) can be performed with this drive.

Features

The Flash Memory Card Reader has the following features:

• Supports Windows 2000 and XP operating systems <<<
• No Windows 9X support from Dell
• Mass Storage Class device (No drivers are required under Windows 2000 and XP)
• USB-IF certification
• Supports various memory card media

>>> This is the download link to further explain details of connections.

Please note the highlighted portion and click on the links if you want to find more details of the "Firmware" It may be the Firmware update is the difference between the 2405 WFP and the 'newer' 2407WFP?..............

bit-tech concludes that "providing you get a 2407WFP with the updated firmware and panel, it is a great monitor at a competitive price, and is certainly one that you should be considering it you're looking to get drawn into the marvels of widescreen gaming. This monitor was fantastic for gaming – widescreen gaming is the way forwards and monitors like the 2407WFP make widescreen gaming a reality. However, if you're wanting to play games at its native resolution, you're going to need a fast video card to hook up to it. The only qualms that we have are with banding in synthetic tests and some slight colour compression when looking at high-resolution photographs. We had to say that, given that this price is almost the same as the Samsung 244T, you'd possibly want to consider the Samsung, which has absolutely spot-on colour reproduction – although it only has two side-mounted USB 2.0 ports and no card reader. Also, we'd argue that it doesn't look quite as nice as the 2407WFP on your desk."

Please note:

Dell 2407WFP is a 24″ UltraSharp wide screen flat panel LCD monitor that replacing the Dell UltraSharp 2405FPW. Dell 2407WFP with 24-inch diagonal size features wide aspect ratio Active Matrix TFT LCD flat planet display which supports High Definition (HD) 16.7 million colors at WUXGA resolution (1920×1200).

I have tried to find what the 'b' means without success, sorry.

I have 'spell checked' my words only, not anything I have pasted, OK?

Take care.

I called Dell and they recommended the Ultra Sharp U2410 & said that it was a newer model (and presumably better) than the 2408.

- Bruce

Hi bdhubbard,

You say you have been advised by Dell to get a certain Monitor?

So, forgive me saying so but, any advice I have given with regard to another person advising you on what Monitor to get, was a waste of time then?

Why not just order the Monitor you want from Dell............. AKA Microsoft, as it is owned by Microsoft now?

Take care and no insult intended.

LCD is the best but beware of stuck pixels! Very easy on the eyes.