Dot Pitch for Monitors

[TheCommander]

I've been browsing CRT monitors and was wondering how important dot pitch is? Is the max res @ some type of frequency more important than dot pitch for quality?
For example, is a 0.24 mm dot pitch and a 2048 x 1536 @ 75Hz good for a 21 inch CRT?

Also, when looking at LCDs, what are the most important things to look for?

 

[DuyNgn]

EDIT: I was being completely dumb... He asked CRT.

I don't know much, but I can say that a .26 on a 17" viewsonic CRT running at 12800x#### was a bit blurry on the text...

As for major points in LCD buying, I'd have to say: Response time, Resolution vs size, luminosity, and if you can find a color chart.(at least those are the criterias I sought after while I was looking for an LCD) Also, smaller screen surface area + high resolution(pixel count) = crisp and fine image.

 

[squeezee]

A smaller dot pitch is usually always better, the finer the pitch the sharper the image and the better higher resolutions will appear. Depending on what type of monitor you're looking at, Shadow mask and Aperture Grille(Trinitron) displays have completely different sub-pixel arrangements and measurements aren't 100% comparable. (.24mm for an aperture grill monitor is good)

Either way using resolutions past 1600x1200 isn't really recommended for desktop use on any 20"+ CRT. At 2048x1536 everything will become very small and you start to hit or exceed the ability of the monitor to fully resolve each pixel.
You want to get as high a refresh rate at a given resolution as possible to avoid any flickering and get a more solid image.

For LCDs its hard to compare things completely on specs since nobody seems to measure the same things in the same way and rarely are they accurate.

 

[Snowdog]

Smaller is better. .24/.25 is about as small as it gets for Aperture grill/trinitron. Somewhat smaller in shadow mask, but they are different technologies. I prefer AG/Trinitron.

The higher resolution/refresh the monitor supports the better as it gives and indication of the electronics quality. But you don't necessarily want to use the highest available. Mine supports 2048x1536. In the end you you want the resolution in line with your pixel pitch.

For instance I have a 21" trinitron, which is is really 20" viewable. Has a 16" x 12" measurement. So with 16inch/.25mm = 1625, 12inch/.25mm = 1219.

So 1600x1200 is perfectly in line with the screen size and pixel pitch and that is what I run at, I also get 85Hz refresh which is just about perfect. If I run higher I get a worse refresh rate and I am actually trying to display pixels smaller than the actual pitch size of the screen, which will result in slightly blurred pixels.

A 21" 1600x1200 85Hz .24/.25pitch trinitron is just about as good as it gets IMO.