Gateway FPD2485W - 24" HD LCD

pfunk said:
Why then, I wonder, am I trying to find a computer LCD that acts like a TV (as well as being a competent monitor), when what it seems I truly want (and I suspect at least half of the disillusioned buyers would agree) is a good LCD TV that can also be a competent monitor???
...
Maybe the truth is I just need to suck it up and fork over the extra dough to have a quality scaler built in (aka nice TV) and try to find one with a DVI input.

The problems are a couple things...

First, most (not all) LCD TVs don't have DVI ports, just VGA (some don't) and HDMI. While DVI and HDMI are both digital inputs, and you can get an adapter, the input is fed right into the video scalers. Basically, they assume you are hooking up a consumer device like an HD-DVD player, etc.

The problem with this is then they will suck as computer monitors. You could run VGA, but then you get analog rather than digital (though, they might still look OK this way). You can't run them over the HDMI at their native resolutions... which is where LCDs look their best.

Second, most of the lower priced LCD TVs are both bigger and less resolution than these 24" LCD monitors. That might sound nice... but bigger at lower rez isn't necessarily better depending on what you want to do. Also, remember that most LCD TVs anywhere near the prices of the 24" LCDs are only 1366x768... or roughly 720p.

So... if you are wanting to use it primarily as a living room TV, and want a bigger screen (and aren't going to hook it to your HTPC)... then the LCD TVs are great. There are also some models (some of the Westys I think) that do either have DVI, or at least advertise that you can directly drive them at their native rez over the digital inputs with a computer.
 
Does everyone get this crushed blacks?

Also does anyone know if Best Buy will price match Circuit City? Like I have one of those up to $150 Amex Best Buy Gift Card vouchers and basically I was thinking of going to Best Buy and saying I can get the Gateway at CC for $40 less using their $40 off $200 coupon to see if they'd match.
 
The Best Wishlist coupon doesn't apply to LCD Monitors. Unless you can convince the manager that you are using it for a TV its pretty much a bust.

Offer available with select categories including: TVs, Home Theater Systems, Speakers, Receivers, DVD players and recorders, Shelf systems, Movies, Major appliances, Small appliances, Vacuums, Microwaves, and Projectors

Offer excludes Bose®, KEF®, JBL and Shure audio products; DIRECTV service; Apple® products; Cinema Systems; Sony XBR®; and special order, clearance, demo and open-box items; Gift Cards; taxes; Magnolia Home Theater products: Bose®, and special order merchandise.
 
picollection said:
The Best Wishlist coupon doesn't apply to LCD Monitors. Unless you can convince the manager that you are using it for a TV its pretty much a bust.

Offer available with select categories including: TVs, Home Theater Systems, Speakers, Receivers, DVD players and recorders, Shelf systems, Movies, Major appliances, Small appliances, Vacuums, Microwaves, and Projectors

Offer excludes Bose®, KEF®, JBL and Shure audio products; DIRECTV service; Apple® products; Cinema Systems; Sony XBR®; and special order, clearance, demo and open-box items; Gift Cards; taxes; Magnolia Home Theater products: Bose®, and special order merchandise.

You have a higher change of convincing them to let you use the 10% coupon if you have one, but I definitely failed on the Amex card.
Bring both, so that the manager can feel like he's doing you a favour by taking the 10% over the Amex, haha.
That's what I did.

Finally have time to poke around with my monitor, so will be posting a followup.
 
I have both the Gateway and the Westy 37w3 in front of me right now... I got the Westy thinking it would be waaayyy superior from what I've been hearing on these forums, but as far as image quality goes, I cannot say that is true... at least no for the DVI inputs at 1080p. I haven't used the component yet. As far as banding, I see banding on both monitors. It's actually more noticeable on my westy. I have firmware 1.6 on the westy... maybe that's a problem, I don't know. I heard the latest is 1.0. I'll see if I can get that changed... If anyone has any tests they want me to try on both screens, let me know. I have to return one of them soon.
 
after almost two weeks of returning this monitor i'm starting to miss it. movies and games just look so much better on this monitor compared to my puny 17" monitor. :mad:
 
It's a good monitor... I'm comparing it (the actual video quality) with the "supreme" Westy 37w3, and I have to say, other than the bigger size and more inputs and blah blah blah, I'm liking the Gateway. I wish it had an HDMI input and more DVI inputs and better component too... but the DVI and VGA ports that are actually there work fine for me... no tearing or ghosting or streaking... some banding that ticked me off, but now that I see it, it's no worse than my Westy. I also have no heat problems... maybe they fixed it? I don't know, but I still like my fpd2485w...

Also... the Gateway does NOT have the handshake problem with the PS3 like the Westy does. The only thing it does is the scaling goes from 1:1 to full instead of the handshake.

If you're using it for multiple inputs, it's annoying because there's no remote... you have to actually go and hit the little blue sensors to change inputs.
 
unimatrixzer0 said:
^ What about these crushed blacks people are talking about?

I've had the Gateway 2485 for a few days now. I haven't noticed the crushed blacks, but I haven't tested for it either. At some point I will; I just haven't had time yet. Also, I need to find a monochrome color chart to use; I had one, but can't find it.

I'll post back here if/when I have anything to report. I'd appreciate hearing from others who test for it as well.

Loren
 
undefinedundefinedI just opened and assembled my new monitor...permission from hubby to unwrap early
:D

I am upgrading from a Viewsonic 19" VX 900. I am not a gamer so for those who are this "note" might not be useful. For the rest who have any interest here it goes.

1. The colors and clarity on the Gateway are Superb.
2. There are NO dead pixels.
3 .I was leary about hearing the dreaded "buzz." There is NONE. I have pressed hard to hear it for the past two hours but fortunately, this monitor is silent...as is my computer
4. Towards the top of the back of the monitor there is heat ... warmer than any of my other 3 LCD screens have ever been..1 Samsung...2 Viewsonic. It has been on for over two hours now and though it is warm at this point I do not have any concerns. It is not HOT but definately giving off heat.
5. The automatic shifting from Landscape mode to Portrait is a wonderful feature. I am truly amazed at the quality of the picture.
6. I have watched part of a downloaded internet movie ,tested a DVD as well as working on the internet during those two hours. There has been no flickering or trailing of any kind.
7. Great piece of real estate for picture editing. I do not sell my pictures but do use Photoshop quite often. I viewed , altered, and printed out an 8x10 print. I think the quality was as good as any photo processing company I've seen. So, unless you are a photographer using this monitor to earn cash I think you will be very happy with the colors you are able to see, use and work with. ( I did calibrate my monitor and printer)

The drawback that I am finding difficult is surfing on the internet with a high resolution . As you know, it shrinks the font. It is easy enough to fix when not online but I am not sure I will be happy with my online experience. I spend between two to five hours a day doing research and I am fearful my eyes will tire too easily. Of course getting a good pair of reading glasses will help somewhat!
I realize I can lower the resolution but then the font is not crisp. I guess that is the price one must pay for a large monitor.

I hope this helpful to those who are somewhat leary about making a purchase for this monitor. Any discomfort I am feeling does not stem from the quality of the monitor but the side effect its size causes.

I am open to suggestions. Maybe there is something I am not aware that I can do to help myself. Oh, I have already tried a magnifying program but was not happy with the result.

Final Word....Much more to try...HDTV capabilities etc..but so far so good!
 
00dwan said:
It's a good monitor... I'm comparing it (the actual video quality) with the "supreme" Westy 37w3, and I have to say, other than the bigger size and more inputs and blah blah blah, I'm liking the Gateway. I wish it had an HDMI input and more DVI inputs and better component too...

Well, I suppose if all things are equal.... 1920x1080 is always going to look better on a smaller screen than a bigger one. That is one issue getting into bigger and bigger displays... the pixel density gets less and less (unless you keep upping the rez, like the 30" computer LCDs).

I'm curious about the component issue you mentioned...? Is there some problem with the components? Or, do you think maybe the Westy just has better circuitry (de-interlacer, etc.) for the components?

I had an interesting experience with the Dell the other day... just wish I had more time to test. I got about 20 minutes on a Dell 2407, and plugged a PS2 into the components. I thought it didn't look that great (though realizing its SD rez) compared to what I remembered a 2405 looking. I then took my PS2 to a friends house the next day... and while not side-by-side comparison, the 2405 was easily superior. My only explanation is that they probably used different processing chips for the component, de-interlacing, and upscaling. Also, the 2407 had lots of goofy preset modes that I didn't have time to investigate if I could manually tweak and fix. I need more time on one.

unimatrixzer0 said:
^ What about these crushed blacks people are talking about?

If you read back (maybe almost 10 pages by now?), someone tried to post an example of what crushed blacks would be like. It is basically when dark areas of a scene just kind of blend together because there is not enough contrast between say 90% gray and black to see the shades in-between.

The solution is often to raise the brightness... but then you can wash out your colors, as well as cause the opposite problem towards the whites.

The problem... which one poster was trying to point out, is that they though when this monitor was calibrated as best it could be, that there was no way to avoid the problem on the black end of the scale.

That said... I think most of these screens are going to have some kind of issue like this. I thought I could see the problem in my friends Dell 2405 the other day... but he certainly didn't calibrate it... so it might be fixable.

Puterplay said:
3 .I was leary about hearing the dreaded "buzz." There is NONE. I have pressed hard to hear it for the past two hours but fortunately, this monitor is silent...as is my computer
4. Towards the top of the back of the monitor there is heat ... warmer than any of my other 3 LCD screens have ever been..1 Samsung...2 Viewsonic. It has been on for over two hours now and though it is warm at this point I do not have any concerns. It is not HOT but definately giving off heat.

I'm guessing... just from reading posts... that this is a QC issue. Some people don't seem to have any problems, others do. So, sounds like you got a good one! yay

Also, yes, these LCDs do put out some heat.... but they shouldn't get really hot, as a few people described. Sounds like you're OK there too.

Puterplay said:
The drawback that I am finding difficult is surfing on the internet with a high resolution . As you know, it shrinks the font. It is easy enough to fix when not online but I am not sure I will be happy with my online experience.

Yes, this seems to be a general problem as pixel densities increase (well, and a lot of sites really are pretty darn small fonts I've noticed). The solution is an OS that is resolution independent. I just saw a patent from Apple on some aspect of this the other day... so I'm not sure it will be in the next OSX 10.5 or not... but might be coming some day. I think M$ has also been working on some aspects of this. The days of 72dpi on screen are pretty much history I guess.
 
Puterplay said:
undefinedundefinedI just opened and assembled my new monitor...permission from hubby to unwrap early
:D


The drawback that I am finding difficult is surfing on the internet with a high resolution . As you know, it shrinks the font. It is easy enough to fix when not online but I am not sure I will be happy with my online experience. I spend between two to five hours a day doing research and I am fearful my eyes will tire too easily. Of course getting a good pair of reading glasses will help somewhat!
I realize I can lower the resolution but then the font is not crisp. I guess that is the price one must pay for a large monitor.

I hope this helpful to those who are somewhat leary about making a purchase for this monitor. Any discomfort I am feeling does not stem from the quality of the monitor but the side effect its size causes.

I am open to suggestions. Maybe there is something I am not aware that I can do to help myself. Oh, I have already tried a magnifying program but was not happy with the result.

I agree with your assessment of this monitor; I am VERY pleased with it.

I had a bit of an issue with the tiny icon and font size at 1920x1200; I got around it by increasing the DPI setting to Large (Display Properties>>Settings>>Advanced). If that's not enough, you could also increase the font size to Large in Display Properties>>Appearance.

Finally, these don't seem to impact font size in the browser, but you can change your browser settings to use a larger font, or, with the browser open, just hit Ctrl and +, although this will only control the page you are looking at.

Hope this helps :)

Loren
 
So I got this monitor and it's amazing. No problems as far as I can tell, but I've got a question: What are my options for getting sound with my xbox360? I'm using the component cables, I don't have the monitor's sound bar, I've got Logitech z640 5.1 speakers, and a pair of Sennheisers. Would buying the VGA cables make the sound work? But then how would I plug in my computer? Is there any way to use what I have right now to get sound? Please help a newbie out.
 
I REALLY want to keep this monitor so I have been searching for the best solution to rectifying reading small font on the internet for hours. Though, having to change the settings when I am online is an inconvenience, it is a small one. I seem to have found a fairly comfortable way to continue to do hours of research . Perhaps this might work for others as well. I do not deny it is a trade off, but a small one. I open the browser and set the page 15.25" x 12" approximately 19.25" on the diagonal. I then go into property, settings and set it to 1280 x 800. Once the page is set to that size all future pages in IE will open up in that size.
It gives thus far, the most comfortable readable font. I will continue to search for the optimal setting. If interested, keep informed for a later update. I know I can't be the only one who finds this to be a problem .
 
Loren suggested to hit ctrl and the + key to enlarge my font. It did not work and that was why I went through the trouble of sizing a new web page and lowering the resolution. After doing further research I found out that the suggested method is used with a Mozilla Firefox browser. So of course I downloaded it. It works great! Another alternative that can be used! I also found out there is a Microsoft Power Toy that clears up browser font . I am not sure however, if it will enlarge it.I This monitor is now a definate KEEPER!!! Yippee!
 
Puterplay said:
Loren suggested to hit ctrl and the + key to enlarge my font. It did not work and that was why I went through the trouble of sizing a new web page and lowering the resolution. After doing further research I found out that the suggested method is used with a Mozilla Firefox browser. So of course I downloaded it. It works great! Another alternative that can be used! I also found out there is a Microsoft Power Toy that clears up browser font . I am not sure however, if it will enlarge it.I This monitor is now a definate KEEPER!!! Yippee!

For all those having issue with the font being too small ... you can also use IE 7.0's scaling function as well. If you look in the lower right hand corner of the page, you will see a magnfiying glass with 100% ... click the arrow next to it and you can adjust the font size. In addition, all graphical elements on the page will be scaled as well to match. Another short cut way of doing this is to hold down the CTRL key and use the mouse wheel ... wheel up to increase font size, wheel down to decrease font size.
 
Does anyone know how to turn off the melodic tune at the startup of this monitor? It does not have a speaker bar and the sound is not coming from my computer speakers. I have written five times to Gateway support and have not received a knowledgeable reply yet. Is it possible to turn it off? If so, how? Thank you ahead of time for your help.
 
there is an option to turn off that annoying sound. just look for it in the menu.
 
I was thinking of buying the Samsung 244t, but after reading through this thread it seems like this would be the better choice for me. Circuit City has a pretty good price for it at the moment ($624.99 before tax, free shipping), so I might order this in the next couple of days.

In the mean time, can anyone post some pics of this monitor showing gameplay from FEAR, Doom 3, Quake 4, or any other dark/high contrast games or movies? The pics elsewhere in the thread were definitely nice, but most of the game shots I saw were bright scenes, like the Battlefield 2 exteriors. I'm picky about contrast and black levels, so seeing how dark games look on this monitor would definitely make me feel better about ordering it. It would also be cool to see any shots of a PS2 connected via s-video and/or component inputs.

Thanks for all the info and feedback. Very informative thread. :)
 
Nice to see people in this thread recognizing all of the good qualities of this monitor. For a while you would have thought it was a lemon with all the bashing going on.

By the way, some people have been complaining about motion blurring. I barely noticed it on component. However, I managed to completely eliminate what little blurring there was by turning of "noise reduction" and "auto video enhance."

For those of you with blurring problems, please give that a try.
 
Puterplay said:
Does anyone know how to turn off the melodic tune at the startup of this monitor? It does not have a speaker bar and the sound is not coming from my computer speakers. I have written five times to Gateway support and have not received a knowledgeable reply yet. Is it possible to turn it off? If so, how? Thank you ahead of time for your help.

Go to Main Menu > Advanced > Audio Feedback to turn audio on and off
 
Impulse2k said:
So I got this monitor and it's amazing. No problems as far as I can tell, but I've got a question: What are my options for getting sound with my xbox360? I'm using the component cables, I don't have the monitor's sound bar, I've got Logitech z640 5.1 speakers, and a pair of Sennheisers. Would buying the VGA cables make the sound work? But then how would I plug in my computer? Is there any way to use what I have right now to get sound? Please help a newbie out.

I'm not familiar with xbox component cables... but most component cables have video R, G, and B... and then also L and R audio RCA plugs. You would run the L and R to your stereo, amp, etc.... or buy the speaker bar and hook them to that. I'm guessing your Logitechs plug into your 'line out' on your computer? You could get an adapter link the L and R RCAs of the component cable to a 1/8" socket for the Logitechs, I'd guess. Since the component cable is 'line level' output... you'd have to get the signal amplified to properly drive the headphones.

If your component cable doesn't have and kind of audio.... then you'll need to see what other audio out options exist on the xbox. There has to be some way to get audio out, and coupled to your stereo or speakers. You might also be able to run the audio out, to the audio in of the computer, and use it to output to the Logitechs... and then not have to unplug things to use one or the other.
 
Following up on my initial impressions.


1. I started to hear the high pitched hum. Very noticeable when I'm about 6 inches away from the monitor. Not sure what is causing it.

2. Crushed blacks.
Maybe I'm not sensitive enough to notice it or I just haven't found a good scene that shows it, but I don't feel the blacks are bad.
Anyone have a film to suggest?
I used the demo loop from the DVE disc (it's an audio/video calibration disc)

I've included links to three pics of both a westinghouse 42" and the gateway.
I tried to grab scenes as close to the same time point as possible (I was just filming it on my casio camera, so not sure how good this can be taken for).
From what I can see, they both look similar (I think the reddish tinge on the westinghouse is due to the lighting in the room coming from a single corner.
Scene 1
westinghouse
gateway

Scene 2
westinghouse
gateway

Scene 3
westinghouse
gateway


3. More Xbox 360 goodness
When using the component cable and setting it to standard TV mode, I encountered a problem where the Gateway actually locked up.
After connection at 480p, I switched the display to 1080i. This would cause the Gateway to flicker as the xbox switched mode. Then, when I accepted the change with the Xbox, the monitor would flicker and then hang. No more image and the Menu button wouldn't work. I had to hit the Power button. Afterwards, I noticed the XBox switched back to 480p.
Setting the cable to HDTV mode, there are no problems.
(For a lark, I tried 1080p and got a screen with a green cast to everything).

4. I may have found a video scaler anomaly.
Basically, when watching a DVD or setting the XBox to a resolution lower than 1080, the image displayed a distorted line approx 2mm in width on the right hand side.
It looked like the right edge was banding for some reason.
I first noticed it when watching a DVD.

Here are some pictures as I tried to capture it.

screen 1
In this scene, notice how the curve that borders the edge (middle of rigth edge) is slightly distorted at the bottome of the curve, where it is supposed to meet the edge.

screen 1
A screen shot of the bottom right corner of Billiards on the XBox 360.
If you look closely enough, you'll see a slight distortion in the pattern.
More noticeable at the bottom corner and not so much going up the edge.

screen 1
No distortion present, but I believe it's due mostly to the uniform shade (or my bad picture taking... probably both).

It happens on component (1 or 2) and composite inputs.
I had the Video Scaling set to 1:1.
If I set it to any other mode, it is not there, but I don't like placing 4:3 content in widescreen mode.
It seems more noticeable when the screen is moving.
This happened for both DVD's and when playing a game with the XBox 360 set to lower than 1080.

nVidia's drivers are fubared right now, so it's always scaling my display, otherwise, I could try to check DVI right now.

I'll check VGA sometime later this week, but I'm hoping someone can take a look see on their monitor.
This issue doesn't occur when using the DVI connector.

I tried to see if the same thing occured on the Westinghouse, but if it did, it's not as noticeable.

Overall, I still like the monitor since I use it primarily with my PC, but this has put a damper on using it with my DVD player.
Probably won't be able to take any input lag tests, since I don't have enough room to put the CRT beside it (plus, I don't feel like lugging it upstairs).

Please... someone with this monitor report on the video anomaly I found.
just hook up a standard DVD player and let me know what you see.
 
;) Thank you for a simple solution to an annoying problem. The more I use this monitor the more I love it.

You might already be aware, I was not, Gateway's problem solving skills are quite primitive. I corresponded with them FIVE times regarding the "melodic" tune issue. I explained it to them just as I did here, if not better. I must share their last reply with you.

"From the description you have provided, what
I can recommend is to contact the retail store where you purchased the
monitor and verify them the specific issue and if necessary have a
monitor replacement."


I couldn't believe it!
Anyway, thank you all for a great forum. I read the initial reviews here, you were the first, and you continue to be of assistance. All of you deserve a "Job well done!"
 
Well I pulled the trigger & Im hoping I can pick this up today at the Best Buy I specified for an in store pickup. It's step one for my entirly new system build =). I do own an Xbox 360, but this monitor will strictly be for PC Use. I think its the best bang for the buck if you only plan to use it for PC usuage & not looking for much more out of it. Hopfully mines is solid & have no problems.
 
Bought this monitor from BB to use with my PS3, XBOX 360 and PC (replacing Viewsonic N2750W) display set to 1:1 and gama 10

XBOX 360 - connected with VGA cable. Looks great and did not notice and tearing or crushed blacks in any games.

PC - 1920 x 1200, tested playing BF2142 and it looks fantastic. (I had alot of colored ghotsing and motion blur on the N2750W with PC games)

PS3 - Connected with HDMI - DVI cable, 1080P games (GT HD and RR7) look fantastic at 1080P.

My only issue is with the PS3: When I play any 720P games - the system/monitor stays in 720P mode for any of the 1080P games.

I found a way to work around this problem by going into settings / Display / HDMI / Custom and then selecting 1080i and test monitor, then 1080P and test monitor will switch it back to 1080P mode correctly (until I play another 720P game) or pressing power for 5 seconds from cold boot and re-configuring the HDMI mode.

Not sure if this is an issue with the monitor or PS3?
 
Hey everyone. I would just like to say that I obtained this monitor yesterday and love it. It is much better than the 22 in widescreen gateway that I took back for this one. The 22 inch had light bleeding on top and bottom centers that really annoyed me. It also had 1 dead pixel.

The new 24 inch has absolutely no light bleeding, well at least none that stands out enough for me to care about. Also there are no dead pixels which I am totally stoked about. I have been playing Counter Strike nonstop on it and it is performing excellent. What a beautiful monitor. I love the fact that you can turn it sideways and rotate the screen to vertical. My only grip with that is that the monitor is so big that when you turn it vertical you have to look straight upward to read anything. But hey that is what having a big monitor is all about. There is no noticible buzzing which is also good. Heat seemed normal. The stand that it comes with is excellent with height adjustment, rotating adjustment, and tilt adjustments. It was super easy to set up also. And the buttons that appear out of no where on the side of the frame is an excellent classy touch. All in all I am very happy with my purchase and even though it is a bit expensive it is definitly worth it since I stare at my computer for hours on end every day. O man are the colors bright! Just wanted to give some good feedback!
 
This thing was quite heavy to lug from the Best Buy on 86th Street back to the bronx :). It was well worth it however cus the monitor is absolutly flawless. Of course, now Imma have to drop down the rest of my money on my new Curo 2 Duo build cus this poor skt 754 rig is crying to its res in the games I play =P. This was definitly one of my better purchases in a long while.
 
I just picked this monitor up, and it is indeed beautiful. however, I am staring at 3 dead pixels.....How many normally warrants a return? I'm not sure whether I can live with them or not, so I wanted to see what my options might be. (got it at the local BB.)
 
jflail2 said:
I just picked this monitor up, and it is indeed beautiful. however, I am staring at 3 dead pixels.....How many normally warrants a return? I'm not sure whether I can live with them or not, so I wanted to see what my options might be. (got it at the local BB.)

just take it back to best buy within 14 days of purchase. they'll give you a full refund or exchange for any reason. when i returned my first monitor, the lady asked why am i returning it, was something wrong or i just wanted to return it. i just said i wanted to return it, gave her the receipt and that was it.
 
Ok, I finally decided to give my input about two LCD monitors I have. I am not a fan-boy of any brand nor am I supporting either side. I will share my experiences and give you an honest critique/review about both monitors. Although I've been trough hell (like many), buying and returning monitors like crazy. And in the end, I realized it's not worth pulling all your hairs out, and spending all your money. But now I am stuck with two monitors wich many claim to be reasonably or exceptionaly good.

So yesterday I finally received my Dell 2407FPW (A03) which is sitting next to my Gateway FPD2485W (Mfg. Date: Nov. 2006). I had my Gateway for over a week now, however.

For those who are really concerned and critical about monitors (like me :rolleyes: ). I will post a review about both monitors after I perform all of my tests and investigate any solitions and workarounds for each one of them.

Here are some of the tests I will perform. Should any of you have any other ideas or suggestions, please let me know, so that I can attempt to test your ideas as well.
• Check monitor's perfromance on aplications (eg. Photoshop, IE, Firefox, Maya... ect.)
• Check monitor's performance on PC games (eg. HL2, COD2, Unreal2004... ect.)
• Check moniror's performance on Xbox 360 via VGA and Componenent. As well with a VGA to DVI adapter. And other stupid cable combiantions just to make it work!
• Check monitor's perfromance with movie/DVD playback
• Check for color calibrations, bandings, ghostings, tearing, flickering, buzzing, 1:1/aspect ratio mapping, backlight bleeding, color uniformity, all input sources and its performaces... that is all I can think of now.
• As well the hardware itslef... like its stand and, ease of use, OSD navigations and limitations.


And before anyone asks, I will take pictures ;) .

Well that is all folks, again, if anyone comes up with any ideas or suggestions about testing, please let me know ASAP... I will only performe them for one day.

BTW... if anyone can tell me how to upload pictures here on this forum, so that I don't have to figure that out later. I will apreciate you help. Thanks!

Pardon any typos I may have made (if anyone cares). I wrote this post late and I was frustrated because I bought a worng VGA to DVI adapter for freaking $50 and I had to travel 25 miles just to grab the worng thing! S$&^!
 
Zbuffer,

I'd like to see a banding test as well as an input lag test. Can't wait!
 
Heat output?
Gateway does seem hot to me after a while of usage.

Another thing that I like to check is PIP functionality.
Manuals could be wrong and I'd like a first hand account of how it actually functions/looks.

I've encountered early monitors where PIP only worked if the main was DVI/VGA.
 
Zbuffer said:
Well that is all folks, again, if anyone comes up with any ideas or suggestions about testing, please let me know ASAP... I will only performe them for one day.

Awesome! If only there was a way to get you a BenQ too... LOL.

I have a couple tests I'd love to see... if you have access to lower rez game consoles, like a PS2 over component.

I recently tried the 2407 (at work for about 20 min), and one of my tests was to plug in a PS2. I was fairly disappointed in the results (I tried a 2405 a couple days later and from memory was much better). I think they put a poor deinterlacer or something in the 2407 is my guess. However, I didn't have time to play with all the various modes (or to see if they could be eliminated) to help. I doubt this would be a huge problem from, say a VCR or standard DVD player... but the PS2 looked bad IMO.

Also, if you have access to any type of HDCP devices (HD-DVD or PS3, etc.)... how they work with them. I've read that the Dell has some issues with this stuff (it is actually capable... but has problems handshaking with various devices).
 
aeon said:
just take it back to best buy within 14 days of purchase. they'll give you a full refund or exchange for any reason. when i returned my first monitor, the lady asked why am i returning it, was something wrong or i just wanted to return it. i just said i wanted to return it, gave her the receipt and that was it.


Done, thx aeon. I was worried I'd have to jump through 100 flaming hoops of death or some sh!t.....

After having everything squared away, this thing is BEAUTIFUL. Now I just need a bigger desk....
 
for those of you w/ hd dvd or blu ray...this thing is amazing!

I <3 it..but I have to exchange it...as it is plagued w/ the buzzing noise...

I'm using the xbox360 hd dvd add-on and movies on it look so crisp...

I'll post pictures later....can't take SS, b/c there are no known softwares out there that will allow me do this on a hd dvd player =(
 
Thanks for the suggestions guys. I will check for banding and input lags. I will also hook up my PS2, VCR, and DVD players to the monitor via Composite, S-Video, and Component cables.

I don't own any high end hardware/devices so I won't be able to check for HDCP compatibility. But I will at least try. I will also check the compatibility and quality of an HDCP video source. Sorry SteveW928, I wish I had a BenQ on me as well... perhaps after the test I will atempt to test the new BenQ WZ version :)

I have already proceeded with some minor tests, but I will post a full report soon, so please bare with me for a bit. I have lots of other things/problems to take care of too. In addition to that, I think I will perform my test over a few days several times, just to verify what really works and what doesn't.

Please realize that there is no perfect LCD monitor that will meet all your needs. Some of them have features others don't and vice versa. The reason being is to keep a balance in marketing... All makers have connections and agreements with one another, so never expect a monitor to have a feature the other has (I hope this makes sense :confused: ). If all monitors were the same then we would not have this discussion.

Well, thanks again for your suggestions, I will do my best and write up a full report soon as well as keeping you posted on a daily basis. Keep in touch!
 


Nice, looking forward to the test results.

just got my monitor in about 10 minutes ago.
 
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