DVD playback on a hd LCD: takes a good DVD decoder (e.g. the Purvideo decoder) + a recent vintage DXVA vid card (with PureVideo or AVIVO features) + a DVI connection to get suitable deinterlacing, upscaling and filtering; anything less, and you get shit for DVD playback no matter which LCD monitor you are using.
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LG L204WT: 5ms and 2000:1 contrast
- Thread starter dclam
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XLeezardx
[H]ardChef
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kick said:
EVGA Nvidia 7900GT KO 512MB on DVI
whoa, even tho that picture is a tad small to really see dot pitch that screenshot u took looks like crap (dunno, could be the camera though). Hmm, now that i mentioned it, what is the dot pitch of the L204? I've seen 2 places list 2 different specs, .264 and .294.
.264 seems ok for a screen that size. .294 on the other hand would be totally unacceptable if you like picture quality.
.264 seems ok for a screen that size. .294 on the other hand would be totally unacceptable if you like picture quality.
XLeezardx
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Guys, im sure this is a great monitor, but i think mine is just fucked up.
XLeezardx said:
ya i'd return mine if it looked like that. Geez, if mine was like that out of the box it would be returned that same day. Must have been dropped, or the firmware curropted.
i'd try an exchange first. see if thats better, before givein up on it.
CDRacingZX6R
n00b
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- Jan 7, 2005
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I picked up this monitor from CC down in SO cal. Its my first wide screen LCD, and the specs were something I couldn't pass up. I think it looks very good.
Heres my problem? I just bought (also today, before I saw this monitor online) a Westing House LCM-20v5 Details here To be honest, I think the screen is better on the westing house. At least it seems a little more vivid and sharp. Is it just that maybe Im not used to using widescreen?
I mean the LG has no dead pixels, looks great, and all. But when I think of how much higher the contrast is, I really expected a lot more bam compared to the westinghouse that was 120 cheaper out the door.
The main reason I was concerned with the westinghouse is its refresh is locked at 60, but when I run this monitor at max it looks to me that it's also locked at 60? Is that right? I always thought 75 was the min for gaming, but that might have only mattered on CRTs?
Games like HL2, etc look a lot better to me on the westinghouse. Mainy because the westing house in a 4:3 standard makes the images seem bigger and more detailed. Again is this just something that maybe I'm need to get used to before making a decision
It's a tough decision. I could really stand to save a little money. But I dont want to return the wrong monitor but both seem about the same to me, except I think the color/detail is slightly better on the Westinghouse. The refresh rates are the same when running max resolutions right? So that shouldn't matter.. I dont know anything about pixel pitch and which one is better.
Am I just nuts, or do I need to get used to a widescreen setup first?
Heres my problem? I just bought (also today, before I saw this monitor online) a Westing House LCM-20v5 Details here To be honest, I think the screen is better on the westing house. At least it seems a little more vivid and sharp. Is it just that maybe Im not used to using widescreen?
I mean the LG has no dead pixels, looks great, and all. But when I think of how much higher the contrast is, I really expected a lot more bam compared to the westinghouse that was 120 cheaper out the door.
The main reason I was concerned with the westinghouse is its refresh is locked at 60, but when I run this monitor at max it looks to me that it's also locked at 60? Is that right? I always thought 75 was the min for gaming, but that might have only mattered on CRTs?
Games like HL2, etc look a lot better to me on the westinghouse. Mainy because the westing house in a 4:3 standard makes the images seem bigger and more detailed. Again is this just something that maybe I'm need to get used to before making a decision
It's a tough decision. I could really stand to save a little money. But I dont want to return the wrong monitor but both seem about the same to me, except I think the color/detail is slightly better on the Westinghouse. The refresh rates are the same when running max resolutions right? So that shouldn't matter.. I dont know anything about pixel pitch and which one is better.
Am I just nuts, or do I need to get used to a widescreen setup first?
For the life of me I can't seem to get used to reading text on this thing, my eyes seem to be able to pick out the pixels that each letter is made up of and I've actaully gotten quite frustrated with it. Widescreen gaming is spectacular and all but I spend almost as much time gaming as I do surfing, and that means a lot of forums, and text file type faqs over at gamefaqs.
I would say this monitor is definitely a gaming monitor, colors, pictures, anything without text seems great, but I'm definitely beginning to question if it's really the monitor for me, I think I need something that's VERY easy on the eyes for text based on my past experience.
I would say this monitor is definitely a gaming monitor, colors, pictures, anything without text seems great, but I'm definitely beginning to question if it's really the monitor for me, I think I need something that's VERY easy on the eyes for text based on my past experience.
XLeezardx
[H]ardChef
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Shit, I have confirmed that this monitor that "I" have has banding issues! I mean i dont know if its just my LG204, but I looked at gradient images and movies clips. I had 4 freinds come over last night and they all looked at my monitor to confirm this. I swear none of you guys will believe me unless i point it out to you in person. I have tons of super high quality pictures I took from a car show, nearly all of them had grainy looking paint. Black and sliver was the most noticable. The only thing that looks good is my Desktop, which is clolorful and bright.
I just picked up this monitor at Circuit City. (Unfortunately, I was too late for the $339.99 price, but still got $40 off.) This picture is nice and sharp. There's very minimal backlight bleeding and very little to no ghosting in games.
My concern, though, is the color. A lot of people here are saying that they're pretty happy with the color of the L204WT... but the colors on the one I have, at least, seem a little dull / washed out, and I can't seem to change that no matter how much I play with the settings. I'm also not experiencing any sort of eye strain with the brightness maxed. I'm wondering if I got a defective one, but hesitant to just exchange it because it also has no dead pixels.
My concern, though, is the color. A lot of people here are saying that they're pretty happy with the color of the L204WT... but the colors on the one I have, at least, seem a little dull / washed out, and I can't seem to change that no matter how much I play with the settings. I'm also not experiencing any sort of eye strain with the brightness maxed. I'm wondering if I got a defective one, but hesitant to just exchange it because it also has no dead pixels.
Ill pick up a L204WT tomorrow or day after and see for myself how it is. Getting tired of ppl saying either this is really awesome or this suck monkey dick.
I can compare it with a Viewsonic VX2025 sometime since my college roomate recently bought one.
I can compare it with a Viewsonic VX2025 sometime since my college roomate recently bought one.
LOL to some of the recent posts re: DVD quality. 
Anyway, i've got a problem. I picked up the Samsung 205BW this weekend and ran it with the LG L204WT side-by-side. I'm torn. I don't have any photos yet (tomorrow), but here are my first impressions...
First, let me say that it's not like it's a night-and-day difference between these two displays in terms of image quality, but there are differences. First, I paid $30 more for the Samsung but, unlike the LG, it came with a DVI cable. So, that pretty much accounts for the difference as far as the consumer is concerned. I already have two DVI cables tho, so no difference to me in the end. I suppose it's a gamble either way for the manufacturer, tho I doubt it costs them much to throw a DVI cable in the box... so they should all do it IMO.
The Samsung is noticably heavier at 6.8kg (15lbs) compared to the LG at 4.9kg (11lbs), so I suppose the Samsung is more stable. Unlike the LG, the Samsung is height adjustable and at it's maximum height the bottom of the panel (not the bezel) is almost a full 2" higher then the LG, which reduces the need for an arm, riser or stack of phone books. This is a plus as it keeps the desk even less cluttered.
Being that both displays are LCD's there is some pixelation, sort of a cross-hatch pattern, usually visible in gradients (ie: black fading to white). I don't find it offensive on either display, but the pattern is tighter on the LG, making it more noticable. The Samsung's pattern is spread out a bit more so it's not as noticable, giving it a smoother image. It can be improved on the LG by reducing the sharpness, but that impacted the quality/clarity of text. Text does appear to have a little more defination on the LG though, which is a plus for surfing and working with documents. The Samsung does appear to have more accurate/vibrant colours, tho the LG can come reasonably close with a bit of tweaking...
DVD playback is about the same on both displays. Will play with this tomorrow once I install PowerDVD.
No apparent ghosting in games with either display.
Both displays are capable of burning out my eyes... why are these things so damn bright! Seriously, anyone who needs to operate past 80% must have some significant ocular deficiencies.
From the above, there are some differences in image quality and colours, but no immediate show stoppers - just user preferences. Here's where i'm torn. The LG seems to have more even backlighting with less bleeding. It's not to say the Samsung falls on it's face in this regard, but it is more noticable on the Samsung with all-black backgrounds. The Samsung still produces decent blacks tho, thank goodness.
So, decisions, decisions. In the end, there can be only one. What to do? I'm going to keep both displays for a few more days and put them through the paces. At the moment, i'm leaning towards the Samsung, only because I work with digital images on a somewhat frequent basis and can appreciate having a more accurate representation and smoother image.
I'm aiming to have some photos up tomorrow...
Anyway, i've got a problem. I picked up the Samsung 205BW this weekend and ran it with the LG L204WT side-by-side. I'm torn. I don't have any photos yet (tomorrow), but here are my first impressions...
First, let me say that it's not like it's a night-and-day difference between these two displays in terms of image quality, but there are differences. First, I paid $30 more for the Samsung but, unlike the LG, it came with a DVI cable. So, that pretty much accounts for the difference as far as the consumer is concerned. I already have two DVI cables tho, so no difference to me in the end. I suppose it's a gamble either way for the manufacturer, tho I doubt it costs them much to throw a DVI cable in the box... so they should all do it IMO.
The Samsung is noticably heavier at 6.8kg (15lbs) compared to the LG at 4.9kg (11lbs), so I suppose the Samsung is more stable. Unlike the LG, the Samsung is height adjustable and at it's maximum height the bottom of the panel (not the bezel) is almost a full 2" higher then the LG, which reduces the need for an arm, riser or stack of phone books. This is a plus as it keeps the desk even less cluttered.
Being that both displays are LCD's there is some pixelation, sort of a cross-hatch pattern, usually visible in gradients (ie: black fading to white). I don't find it offensive on either display, but the pattern is tighter on the LG, making it more noticable. The Samsung's pattern is spread out a bit more so it's not as noticable, giving it a smoother image. It can be improved on the LG by reducing the sharpness, but that impacted the quality/clarity of text. Text does appear to have a little more defination on the LG though, which is a plus for surfing and working with documents. The Samsung does appear to have more accurate/vibrant colours, tho the LG can come reasonably close with a bit of tweaking...
DVD playback is about the same on both displays. Will play with this tomorrow once I install PowerDVD.
No apparent ghosting in games with either display.
Both displays are capable of burning out my eyes... why are these things so damn bright! Seriously, anyone who needs to operate past 80% must have some significant ocular deficiencies.
From the above, there are some differences in image quality and colours, but no immediate show stoppers - just user preferences. Here's where i'm torn. The LG seems to have more even backlighting with less bleeding. It's not to say the Samsung falls on it's face in this regard, but it is more noticable on the Samsung with all-black backgrounds. The Samsung still produces decent blacks tho, thank goodness.
So, decisions, decisions. In the end, there can be only one. What to do? I'm going to keep both displays for a few more days and put them through the paces. At the moment, i'm leaning towards the Samsung, only because I work with digital images on a somewhat frequent basis and can appreciate having a more accurate representation and smoother image.
I'm aiming to have some photos up tomorrow...
I got a viewsonic VX2025 and LG 204 and ran both in dual view, I have to say the LG is not very good monitor at all, the LG suffers from massive colour uniformity issues and black light bleeding compared to the viewsonic. I decided to return the LG and get 2 viewsonics instead. The TN panel is really not suitable for widescreen as the viewing angle really is not that good at all compared to the MVA in the viewsonic, if you are looking at the LG dead on, you can still see that the colours are fading on the sides. Overall I would not recommend this monitor unless it is for gaming.
I'm also about to buy this TFT. But I have also looked at the LG L203WT because I think it looks better. Specs of these two monitors are quite similar so why I shouldn't buy L203WT? Is there any good reason? In my local stores L203WT is a bit more expensive than L204WT although it is older.
I had been considering picking up a 20.1" LCD for a while. I saw that Circuit City had it on sale this week so I went ahead an bit. So far I am very please. No dead pixles and the colors look good (at least to my eyes). I'll post a longer review after I have used it for a few days, but so far...me like.
CC is the only local vendor I know of charging restocking fee (15%) for non-defective computer monitors.
So, unless either you are keeping the monitor you buy from CC or willing to pay 15% restocking fee, you buy from CC.
It doesn't matter if the monitor is defective or not. If you want to get another brand and model, there will always be 15% restocking fee. Once you buy a monitor from CC, you are stuck with it.
So, unless either you are keeping the monitor you buy from CC or willing to pay 15% restocking fee, you buy from CC.
It doesn't matter if the monitor is defective or not. If you want to get another brand and model, there will always be 15% restocking fee. Once you buy a monitor from CC, you are stuck with it.
This is a good point. When I went to pick up mine I feared a bad pixel. I asked them if I could bring it back for exchange without a restocking fee. They actually told me yes. Came from a manager. I felt either they didn't know their policy or were just telling me that to get me to buy it. But since I got them to confess it and had witnesses I figured I could use it against them if needed (probably futily, but at least winning an argument would make me feel good). Fortunately, I had dead pixels so no trouble there.Link said:
Naaaaak said:
I also confirmed with the salesperson (actually, two of them) that I could exchange the monitor if there were any dead pixels. Luckily, I had none.
I paid the higher price for my monitor, though. I need to go back to CC and see if they'll give me a refund for the price difference under the terms of their price guarantee.
I picked one up yesterday and with the sale at Circuit City plus the tax-free weekend here in MA, it was $319.99 out the door. Took it home and found no dead pixels, backlight bleed, or color aberrations (makes my aged NEC 1760V look pretty weak in comparison). It was very bright out of the box (turned it down from 100 to about 25). I was a bit bummed that there was no DVI cable in the box, but I still think it was a steal. I've got it running in TwinView 2960x1050(1024) with my 17" under XGL/Compiz and I have to say, it's a beautiful thing. I would recommend it.
Third time's a charm? Not really. I made my 3rd exchange Saturday. The only had one in stock, so I didn't bother dragging my notebook in to test it, since I dropped the one I was returning in the parking lot. I don't know if it damaged the display or not, but it scratched up the base of the stand (still can't get those things off). Luckily they didn't notice, so I took the new one and got out of there.
I got it home, looked closely for dead pixels, thought I saw one, but it turned out to be a spec of dust on the screen. It looked like I finally got a good one. Then last night while watching a movie, I saw a blue pixel staring at me in the bottom right edge of the screen. It was not there the day before (it's very noticable). I ran the dead pixel buddy program, and it's the strangest thing, it only shows up when it's supposed to be black. It still displays other colors except black. I mashed the area, it's kind of hard since it's right on the edge, and it went away, only to return a few minutes later.
I'm really getting tired of returning these things. It's a 100 mile round trip every time, so I've driven 300 miles already just to get this one. If I take this one back, I'm probably not getting another one, but I will need to get something since I already got rid of my 19" CRT.
I made my 3rd exchange Saturday. The only had one in stock, so I didn't bother dragging my notebook in to test it, since I dropped the one I was returning in the parking lot. I don't know if it damaged the display or not, but it scratched up the base of the stand (still can't get those things off). Luckily they didn't notice, so I took the new one and got out of there.I got it home, looked closely for dead pixels, thought I saw one, but it turned out to be a spec of dust on the screen. It looked like I finally got a good one. Then last night while watching a movie, I saw a blue pixel staring at me in the bottom right edge of the screen. It was not there the day before (it's very noticable). I ran the dead pixel buddy program, and it's the strangest thing, it only shows up when it's supposed to be black. It still displays other colors except black. I mashed the area, it's kind of hard since it's right on the edge, and it went away, only to return a few minutes later.
I'm really getting tired of returning these things. It's a 100 mile round trip every time, so I've driven 300 miles already just to get this one. If I take this one back, I'm probably not getting another one, but I will need to get something since I already got rid of my 19" CRT.
Well mine lasted longer than some other lcds I've attempted to like, but it's number was up after I went to bed with a headache for the 3rd day in a row. These things are a complete drag to return as well since as already mentioned by some people, it's completely impossible to get the stand off so all you can do is stuff it in the box and carry it back open.. great way to make an entrance at the returns counter.
In the end I'll say I loved this monitor whenever I was running games with it but found it highly frustrating in windows when browing/reading anything... even with cleartype. I might be wiser to forget about widescreen and just run my desktop at a lower resolution then bump it up in games...
In the end I'll say I loved this monitor whenever I was running games with it but found it highly frustrating in windows when browing/reading anything... even with cleartype. I might be wiser to forget about widescreen and just run my desktop at a lower resolution then bump it up in games...
My colors seem to be very off even after attempting calibration for a couple hours. Out of the box, light blues look a little too purple. I compensate for that and orange looks brown. I compensate for that and white gets a red tinge. I've tried a few calibrations but they don't seem to improve anything.
What are some good settings for color? I tried a few settings some people listed but the color still did not look right. List brightness, contrast, and gamma in addition to whatever specific color settings you have.
I checked out the service menu (hold menu for a few seconds when you turn it on). Here are the default settings just in case anyone wants to experiment:
service menu:
L204W v.1.11
GM 5726 by MSHAN
2006.05.31 0
clear eti: no
auto-color: no
aging: off
panel: cpt20.wide
nvram init: no
9300:
R 208
G 209
B 255
6500:
R 247
G 255
B 255
Offs:
R 64
G 58
B 68
Gain:
R 433
G 408
B 405
Out of curiosity what do Offs and Gain change?
What are some good settings for color? I tried a few settings some people listed but the color still did not look right. List brightness, contrast, and gamma in addition to whatever specific color settings you have.
I checked out the service menu (hold menu for a few seconds when you turn it on). Here are the default settings just in case anyone wants to experiment:
service menu:
L204W v.1.11
GM 5726 by MSHAN
2006.05.31 0
clear eti: no
auto-color: no
aging: off
panel: cpt20.wide
nvram init: no
9300:
R 208
G 209
B 255
6500:
R 247
G 255
B 255
Offs:
R 64
G 58
B 68
Gain:
R 433
G 408
B 405
Out of curiosity what do Offs and Gain change?