Least flawed screen for my needs?

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Pecka

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So I was hyped up to get a new laptop with a high quality screen (IPS). Now that new models have come out I decided against it. They are either ridiciously overpriced (HP/Dell) or quality wasn't as good as I hoped for (Lenovo).

I'm now considering a replacement for my old Samsung 960bf desktop screen. It's not exactly awful but is TN-panel, have no menu system at all, drivers and color software is outdated/inavailible and I want to go widescreen.

Monitor research have almost melted my brain.

First I was convinced S-PVA was the best compromise. Like a Eizo S2433W. But now I don't think I can stand PVA gamma shifting. Why buy a monitor that looks worse when one looks at it straight (I do that almost all the time)? :(

I rarely/never sit in a entirely dark room so I think IPS glow is a more acceptable flaw than color shifting. But many complain about IPS AG coating. Both my 960bf and Lenovo T410 screen have matte finish, is IPS AG coating more agressive? I read a lot of text so this is critical to me.

Dells IPS screens are good value of course but panel lottery is worrying me. I hate returning faulty stuff with no guarantee the next screen is better. So is a monitor like Eizo SX2462W a safer bet? Very expensive for a 24.1" screen, but it has 16:10 ratio that I prefer and you can buy a color calibrator with it.

I don't game by the way but want video to look good and colors to be accurate.

Any thoughts?
 
A high quality screen by NEC would be my recommendation outside of the EV2333W which I use for video. Regarding AG, I would not allow myself to be sensitised by the whiner threads. Having used 22 and 23" IPS monitors, but not the 24" models, I don't see a correlation between AG and eye strain. To me this is something of an invented link created on this forum.
On the topic of Eizo C-PVA as an interesting option, the EV2333W has up to this point a novel combination of very high contrast and good factory image characteristics. Coming from IPS, the image stability for video is a compromise, but I have found it to be acceptable when viewed at around a meter, which coincides nicely with the recommended FHD viewing distance for a 23" display.
 
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I have considered NEC screens too. The LCD2490WUXi2 for example. Seems to be a well liked screen here. But in Europe one have to buy the seriously expensive Spectraview screens to get access to NECs Spectraview software.

I believe the SpectraView® Reference 241 screen is the MultiSync PA241W model with color calibration and maybe a few tweaks for example.
 
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Pecka said:
First I was convinced S-PVA was the best compromise. Like a Eizo S2433W. But now I don't think I can stand PVA gamma shifting. Why buy a monitor that looks worse when one looks at it straight (I do that almost all the time)? :(
Click to expand...

I think you'd notice it a lot less than you think. It's a very subtle change - I never really notice it outside of when I am looking at test images that are designed to show black crush. Although, having said that, this forum's greys are pretty good at showing it, if you're actually looking for it.
 
I guess black crush is not necessarily the end of the world, I haven't seen a computer VA panel in real life. Maybe my Sammy TV have some kind of VA panel in it, and it looks okay. Still from pictures and clips on the net I think it looks pretty terrible. :confused:

How is the lag on VA by the way?

For IPS, the NEC PA241W and Eizo FlexScan SX2462WF + EasyPIX calibrator cost approximately the same in Sweden. You can also buy directly from Eizo here. Unless NEC have some real advantage, Eizo looks like a better deal?

Edit: PA241W is H-IPS but Eizo just says IPS with overdrive circuit.
 
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I have done further reading and learned a bit more about monitors and color management. Pretty mind boggling stuff but interesting.

The new Eizo SX2462WFS does not use "true" hardware calibration (in monitor LUT) and is comparable to NEC PA241w. No reviews is out for the Eizo yet and it is hard to find users opinions about it.

The PA241w european model could possibly be hardware calibrated (unless it is firmware crippled) with imported Spectraview II software from US.

The European NEC Spectraview models are competing with Eizos Coloredge series. These are able to be hardware calibrated (monitor LUT) with included software but none of them come with a colorimeter/spectrophotometer. Calibration software seems more advanced in these.

True hardware calibration looks convenient should be more precise than software calibration? But one have to pay a lot for it and I'm not a professional photographer so it's probably overkill? I also realized wide gamut monitors is not necessarily better for all-round use, and colors in non color managed software could look strange.

So, my dilemma is: should I buy the cheaper NEC or Eizo and software calibrate it as close as possible, buy a cheaper Dell/HP and do the same, or go full out for Spectraview/Coloredge? I probably want a good colorimeter sooner or later that adds expense. :confused:
 
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Hi Pecka,

One more thing to think about: the important items controlled by calibration are luminance, black level (which give you contrast when combined), white point, color gamut and gamma curve.

The NEC PA241W has built in luminance stabilization (meaning your brightness is managed automatically) and with the MultiProfiler tool, you have complete control over the color gamut, gamma, black level and target white point based on the individual factory calibration.

In addition, there is a function in the display to correct the white point based on hours of life.

While this may not be as accurate as a full calibration, it is an option to use this at first and add a calibration package later.

I hope that this helps.

-- Art
 
Hi ArtMarshall. Thanks for your input.

Luminance stabilization, is that Colorcomp? Eizo have a similar function called Digital Uniformity Equalizer. Don't know how good that is.

One thing in favor for Eizo is 5 years warranty. NEC have 6 month zero pixel guarantee on the Spectraview models. Couldn't find a similar offer from Eizo on Coloredge.
 
I now understand that these monitors are kind of a waste of money without a calibration solution. NEC or Eizo + a good puck are costly but still reasonable I think (for me). Still this is '"only" software calibration, as good as it looks from reviews.

I'm still debating with myself if buying a Sectraview or Coloredge would be a benefit in the long run or just idiotic. You get access to their monitor LUT with included software right out of the box. Monitor LUT calibration should be even more accurate and simpler to do. No button tweaking and no worrying about profiles getting overwritten. No puck is included in these packages, so this option is going to be $$$.

Any thoughts? :confused:
 
A little thread update:

I went the "insane" route and bought an Eizo Coloredge CG243W. :eek:

Have had it for a couple of days now and it's impressive. As of yet I have not found any pixel errors and back light uniformity is perfect as far as I can see. In this price range, one would of course not expect any less. Menu system is easy to understand. Have not dared to tweak it much except switching to stock sRGB mode. I have not bought a calibrator yet as I wanted to see how the screen performed in its original state. Suggestions for calibration would be much appreciated. :)

So far this is the best monitor I've had since my old Sony G420 Trinitron (that was retired 5 years ago).
 
wagoo said:
I think you'd notice it a lot less than you think. It's a very subtle change - I never really notice it outside of when I am looking at test images that are designed to show black crush. Although, having said that, this forum's greys are pretty good at showing it, if you're actually looking for it.
Click to expand...

PVA is the most satisfying for me (coming from a CRT) I need proper black levels and PVA is the only type that offers it. The gamma shift hasnt been a problem.
 
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Pecka said:
A little thread update:

I went the "insane" route and bought an Eizo Coloredge CG243W. :eek:

Have had it for a couple of days now and it's impressive. As of yet I have not found any pixel errors and back light uniformity is perfect as far as I can see. In this price range, one would of course not expect any less. Menu system is easy to understand. Have not dared to tweak it much except switching to stock sRGB mode. I have not bought a calibrator yet as I wanted to see how the screen performed in its original state. Suggestions for calibration would be much appreciated. :)

So far this is the best monitor I've had since my old Sony G420 Trinitron (that was retired 5 years ago).
Click to expand...

Suggest to use X-rite Colormunki & i1-pro spectrophotometer for your CG243W Calibration.
 
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