What panel features are best for reading text?

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mtbvfr

Weaksauce
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Dec 19, 2010
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Hi Everyone,

My main uses are for programming, web browsing and watching movies occaisonally. I would prefer 24" and 1920 x 1200 if possible.

IPS or *VA?

Higher or Lower Pixel Pitch?

What effect does resolution have?

Type of Backlighting?

Static Contrast Ratio?

Glossy or Matte (I am leaning towards Glossy or Semi-Glossy as I think that the Screen Door effect is part of the cause of my eye-strain)?

What can you say about the following monitors regarding readability?

EIZO FS2331

BENQ EW2420 (which will hopefully be an indication for the EW2430)

Any other recommendations?

Thanks,
 
Eizo EV2333 Review

C-PVA+light AG coating (which Eizo/Samsung use) will be preferable for reading.

Higher Pixel pitch (more the merrier unless it means sacrificing image quality to score the extra 120 pixels)

CCFL backlighting is preferable as Edge Lit LED models tend to have poor screen uniformity and blacks that tinge blue.

Higher the contrast ratio the better. You get a minimum of 3x the contrast ratio with the C-PVA panels over IPS, and no glow or tinting issues.

The Eizo/Samsung models use extremely light AG coating (lighter than a typical TN), I have both the Samsung F2380MX (same panel has the EV233 but no over drive) and a Glossy TN, the AG coating is very hard to spot except on pure whites. This is the best coating for movies as you won't see any reflections, unlike glossy and semi glossy (BenQ).

Glossy is preferable for reading/gaming IMO, but only Apple Displays and a select few TN panels are Glossy. Matte is better for most movies.

The Foris 2331 is meant for gaming, the EV2333 uses the same panel but offers slightly better PQ.

The BenQ EW2420 has horrible quality control (look at the unit in my review+tons of users have posted pictures of even worse screen uniformity), unless you don't mind spending the time/effort to exchange your display a few times I wouldn't recommend getting one. TFT central got a perfect unit for their review.

You can get Samsungs newest C-PVA LCD the 2333T for 180$ online (USA), but it has limited ergonomic opitions and I don't know if it has good color presets. At this price you could pic up a colorimeter and 2x2333T's for less than the Eizo and get just as good color accuracy at the price of color streaking during motion. This would be the most economic and "productive," option, as you could watch a movie and program at the same time. 2 displays>1.

If you really think having the extra inch+120pixels is super imporatnt the HP ZR24W is the best choice. Contrast ratio is medicore at 700:1 vs 3,000:1 (C-PVA), the AG coating will be noticeably harsher and you get IPS glow as well. Unfortunately this is the only good option as the U2410 is even worse in terms of contrast, costs more and also suffers from tinting.
 
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avoid LG IPS panels (think dell and HP) they have a nasty nasty AG...

You're on the right track with a pva from samsung or eizo....also if you can control the light in the room then a 27" apple cinema display would be a pleasure to read on.
 
NCX said:
You get a minimum of 3x the contrast ratio with the C-PVA panels over IPS, and no glow or tinting issues.
Click to expand...
Apparently the 2333T has some kind of red/green hue shift along with the usual VA gamma shift described my some as just as bad or worse than a tint plagued IPS panel so it's not all that simple unfortunetaly.

As for what affects text readability, things that come to mind are the pixel structure, pixel pitch and panel coating. In theory the smaller the pixels the better but due to OS scaling problems it's not always the case. It would help if the OP would mention what monitor is he using and what kind of problems with text and eye strain is he having with it.
 
Walker said:
Apparently the 2333T has some kind of red/green hue shift along with the usual VA gamma shift described my some as just as bad or worse than a tint plagued IPS panel so it's not all that simple unfortunetaly.

As for what affects text readability, things that come to mind are the pixel structure, pixel pitch and panel coating. In theory the smaller the pixels the better but due to OS scaling problems it's not always the case. It would help if the OP would mention what monitor is he using and what kind of problems with text and eye strain is he having with it.
Click to expand...

He has already made the same thread a few weeks ago, including his questionable sig.
 
Yeah; plus this is highly subjective, because everyone's vision and working environment is different.

OP, you really have to see a display to know.

Dave
 
Walker said:
Apparently the 2333T has some kind of red/green hue shift along with the usual VA gamma shift described my some as just as bad or worse than a tint plagued IPS panel so it's not all that simple unfortunetaly.

As for what affects text readability, things that come to mind are the pixel structure, pixel pitch and panel coating. In theory the smaller the pixels the better but due to OS scaling problems it's not always the case. It would help if the OP would mention what monitor is he using and what kind of problems with text and eye strain is he having with it.
Click to expand...

Hi Walker,

Thanks for your input!

I am currently using a Mitsubishi DiamondDigital DV175 with a VGA connection which I bought in late 2004. I should have a new Graphics Card and Monitor cable arriving in a couple of weeks that will allow me to use the DVI socket.

Yesterday, I was able to use the monitor of my accountant, which is also has a TN Panel and uses a VGA socket and cable, for an hour and my right eye was not aching afterwards like it is already now after less than an hour with my monitor. She also has a tinted plastic sheet over the monitor which gives it a glossy effect. This sheet came with the monitor which is a Viewsonic 17" Widescreen model that was bought in 2007.

On my monitor I can see the "graininess" of the AR coating, or is it the gap between the pixels, and one of my ideas is that this could be causing confusion for my eye as my eye is trying to view the images it is seeing but the AR coating is in front of the images whether the images be photos or text so to speak.

I was born with a lazy left eye which also has an astigmatism. Hence my right eye has been dominant and does most of the work.

Thanks,
 
daveswantek said:
Yeah; plus this is highly subjective, because everyone's vision and working environment is different.

OP, you really have to see a display to know.

Dave
Click to expand...

Hi Dave,

The trouble, here in Cusco, is that everything in the shops is TN. Travelling to Lima, if they did have good monitors to look at, is very inconvenient and expensive for me. So, I am trying to anlayse people's input on forums like this one and the reviews on such sites as TFT Central and FlatPanelsHD etc. before I put my hard-earned money down on a monitor.

Thanks,
 
I wouldn't worry about it too much, text is one of the easier things to do for a monitor. Even cheap TN panels tend to look fine for text. I'm not saying don't get an IPS or PVA panel, just that it isn't as necessary as for other applications. Don't get me wrong, I love my IPS panel and I wouldn't want a TN, but I am ok with the TN I have at work.

As others mentioned, a higher pixel pitch can be nice because it makes the text smoother. However the downside is you have to turn up the size in Windows. For programs that know how to deal with this, like IE, Office, etc it works flawlessly and things just look smooth. However for programs that don't, well things can break. Just be aware of the potential problems.

Only thing I'd really avoid is a full on glossy panel. The reason is that they have bad reflection problems. So if you are in a dark room watching a movie or something they are nice, but if you are in a bright room looking at text while you do work it gets annoying. I have an iMac I'm working on at work and while the quality of the panel is nice, the reflections off the glossy screen are distracting.

Personally, if it was my money, or perhaps more accurately when it WAS my money, I'd get a nice IPS panel. They are what I look the look of the best. The NEC 2690WUXi was my choice.
 
In my efforts to improve things with my monitor I ran through the tests at lagom.nl. I could not get the Phase to be rock solid on my monitor. The phase on the monitor of my accountant is rock solid. No adjustment was required. Could this be a factor in my eye-strain.

Thanks,
 
mtbvfr said:
Hi Dave,

The trouble, here in Cusco, is that everything in the shops is TN. Travelling to Lima, if they did have good monitors to look at, is very inconvenient and expensive for me. So, I am trying to anlayse people's input on forums like this one and the reviews on such sites as TFT Central and FlatPanelsHD etc. before I put my hard-earned money down on a monitor.

Thanks,
Click to expand...

Sorry, I did not know your local. I am currently using a Dell 2709W which is as easy to read as they come. Unfortunately they have been out of production for a while now. I worked with another guy on here that was nearsighted like me. He tried a 2709W and it did not work for him at all. Hence my comment about everyones vision being different. I will say that lower dot pitch helps, and stay away from TN panels due to gamma shift and low contrast on most of them.

If you have not tried bias lighting, you should, because it reduces eyestrain. Also do not look at the screen for prolonged periods of time. I am thinking you knew that allready.

Best of luck with it.

Dave
 
mtbvfr said:
In my efforts to improve things with my monitor I ran through the tests at lagom.nl. I could not get the Phase to be rock solid on my monitor. The phase on the monitor of my accountant is rock solid. No adjustment was required. Could this be a factor in my eye-strain.

Thanks,
Click to expand...

From my experience, it could be a contributing factor, but not the primary cause. For me contrast ratio and text size as well as room lighting are the biggest factors. Room light should be indirect.

The problem is that it may be totally different for you.

Try increasing your dpi or font size if you haven't already. Try lowering the brightness as well.

Dave
 
Honestly, I own a BenQ EW2420 which I bought about a month ago and I find it to be working very well. Perhaps they had some problems with the first batch out to the market, but I have read many users who were pleased with their units as well. Color uniformity on mine hasn't failed since day one either. The 3000:1 contrast ratio is a boost to the colors and depth. I can imagine users using it for photo editing as well, but I believe IPS would be more fit for the job. The main pro of these VA monitors is that they're a great value because they display better picture quality, wide viewing angles, LED back lighting, and this model has wide range of ports as well: 2x hdmi, dvi, d-sub. I love it, especially when watching movies on it
 
I'd say wait until you get DVI before deciding to do anything. Reason is it may fix your problems. Now there's no guarantee. I've seen cases where monitors looked just as good over VGA as DVI, but I've seen other cases where DVI gave a very noticeable quality improvement. Maybe there's a lot of EMI/RFI where your computer is, maybe the VGA cable is damaged and has a leaky shield, maybe the DACs on your video card are crap. Whatever the case, it is possible to have a situation where VGA causes a poor quality of signal. Not a problem with DVI, being digital it more or less either works perfectly or doesn't work at all.

So try that first, since it sounds like you are planning on it, then if you still don't like the picture look at getting a new monitor.
 
daveswantek said:
From my experience, it could be a contributing factor, but not the primary cause. For me contrast ratio and text size as well as room lighting are the biggest factors. Room light should be indirect.

The problem is that it may be totally different for you.

Try increasing your dpi or font size if you haven't already. Try lowering the brightness as well.

Dave
Click to expand...

Hi Dave,

Regarding Bias Lighting, I have a small opaque 25W incandescent globe behind my monitor which I am using even during the day. It appears to help with the contrast as the blacks appear blacker.

I have 2 lamps, one each at the sides of the table pointing up, forwards and away from the table.

Both you and Walker have mentioned that smaller pixels or a lower dot pitch helps but elsewhere I have read the opposite. So, I am curious to know why some people recommend larger and some recommend smaller. The Dot Pitch of my current monitor is 0.264mm.

I have the Font Size, in Windows, set to 135% (130dpi). In Mozilla Firefox and SeaMonkey, I have the Minimum Font Size set to 20.

Brightness is set to 0.

My monitor has 4 Colour Temperature settings which are 6500, 7500, 9300 and User. 7500 & 9300 look "bleh". Currently, I am using User with the RGB set as follows: R-45, G-45, B-37. I have no idea what Colour Temperature that relates to but during my investigations I have noticed some monitors allow a setting of 5000K which I would like to be able to try to see what difference that makes.

Thanks,
 
joeshmoe said:
Honestly, I own a BenQ EW2420 which I bought about a month ago and I find it to be working very well. Perhaps they had some problems with the first batch out to the market, but I have read many users who were pleased with their units as well. Color uniformity on mine hasn't failed since day one either. The 3000:1 contrast ratio is a boost to the colors and depth. I can imagine users using it for photo editing as well, but I believe IPS would be more fit for the job. The main pro of these VA monitors is that they're a great value because they display better picture quality, wide viewing angles, LED back lighting, and this model has wide range of ports as well: 2x hdmi, dvi, d-sub. I love it, especially when watching movies on it
Click to expand...

Hi Joe,

It's good to know that you haven't had any problems with your EW2420 as the newer EW2430V is of interest to me and these monitors use true 8-bit panels and have more powerful speakers than the EIZOs.

Other monitors that interest me are the ASUS PA246Q, the Samsung 24" 1920 x 1200 PLS if they don't have aggressive AG coatings and the "Glossy" version, of the Mitsubishi Diamondcrysta WIDE RDT232WX, which is the RDT232WX-S.

Is it possible to get a Desk Mount (VESA) for these particular BENQ monitors that would allow the bottom of the monitor to rest on the table?

Where did you buy your EW2420 and what was the price?

Thanks,
 
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mtbvfr said:
Hi Dave,

Regarding Bias Lighting, I have a small opaque 25W incandescent globe behind my monitor which I am using even during the day. It appears to help with the contrast as the blacks appear blacker.

I have 2 lamps, one each at the sides of the table pointing up, forwards and away from the table.

Both you and Walker have mentioned that smaller pixels or a lower dot pitch helps but elsewhere I have read the opposite. So, I am curious to know why some people recommend larger and some recommend smaller. The Dot Pitch of my current monitor is 0.264mm.

I have the Font Size, in Windows, set to 135% (130dpi). In Mozilla Firefox and SeaMonkey, I have the Minimum Font Size set to 20.

Brightness is set to 0.

My monitor has 4 Colour Temperature settings which are 6500, 7500, 9300 and User. 7500 & 9300 look "bleh". Currently, I am using User with the RGB set as follows: R-45, G-45, B-37. I have no idea what Colour Temperature that relates to but during my investigations I have noticed some monitors allow a setting of 5000K which I would like to be able to try to see what difference that makes.

Thanks,
Click to expand...

OK, it sounds like you are already doing a lot of the right things. Your lamp setup is perfect.

The difference in pixel size can be looked at two ways. With lower dot pitch you get bigger pixels and therefore bigger bolder text, but that text is a little bit blocky. With a higher dot pitch the pixels are usually much smaller, so fonts can be rendered with more pixels making them smoother depending on font size. This all goes back to the unfortunate fact that the windows GUI uses fixed font sizes. In other words, it is not fully scalable.

Another thing you can try is using a lower than native resolution and leave the dpi alone. Doing this makes everything bigger without messing up the relitive size of other things on the screen. The trick to this approach is to have an LCD with a good scaler in it. I have had several Dell displays and they have all don this very well. I find that VGA scales better than DVI. Don't get me wrong though, I agree with others here that the cleanest text is delivered by DVI at native res.

You are doing the right thing. Get all of the input you can, so you can make an informed decision. Do like you did already; look at other people's displays and see how they work for you.

Regards

Dave
 
PCM2 said:
One thing that might be advantageous to you would be to shortlist a few models (as you are no doubt doing) and see if you can try them out. You've already mentioned that the shops around you only stock TN panels which is not much good to you - but does the USA or your state not have some kind of legislation similar to DSR (Distance Selling Regulations) over here in the UK? This gives you a grace period of 7 days with which to use a product ordered online and test it out - as long as you notify the retailer within this period that you are not satisfied with the product and keep it in good condition they are required by law to give a refund. You may be asked to cover return postage costs but that's all.
Click to expand...

I have been taking note of your comments over on overclockers.co.uk.

I am in Cusco, Peru. I tried using the Where To Buy link on the BENQ site for Latin America but it produces an error and their Contact page is useless as it only has phone and fax numbers for Taiwan. Can you, or is anyone else able to, ascertain these contact details for me?

Similarly, but even worse, the Samsung site causes my PC to crash. I would also like to know the contact details of the distributor or dealers for Lima, Peru.

Thanks,
 
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