Planar PX2611W 26"

EW27 said:
Congratulations! I'm still waiting on mine...

Just out of curiosity, whats the manufacturing date and revision of the new one?
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ver 1.02mggko

I put the back panel on so I cant tell you the MFR date easily without moving everything around on my desk =[

Apparently its new stock, since CDW was out of stock then got more. I'm very happy with this lcd. Let me know when you get yours in what version it is and how you like it.

The only complaint I have about this screen, which is very minor, is the ~0.8cd/m2 black level of the H-IPS panel. Even the NEC LCD2690WUXI has the same black level so there's really no avoiding it unless you get a TN panel (ew) or a PVA panel (no thanks on the input lag and ghosting).

What also bothers me is the lack of a good TN panel. There are those iiyamas I think theyre called, but you cant find them in the US. They were the only ones tested without any input latency. I wanted to get some good panels for my girl but the current selection out there is pretty sad unless you pay a ton of money.
 
MentatYP said:
If you have this Planar 26", please help me out. Go to this website:
http://www.lagom.nl/lcd-test/

... and scroll down to the "Clock/phase calibration" pattern and view it at fullscreen (F11 on your browser). Do you see gray all across the screen or do you see various spots of color? I see a pink blob in the upper left corner, and a big green patch that takes up about a quarter of the screen in the lower left corner. The rest is mostly gray with some amount of tint here and there. When I put up a solid white test image on my screen I can't see these big discoloration areas. With solid gray I think I can see some discoloration but it's very faint. It's only with that test pattern that I see it very clearly.

To those who know what's causing this, please let me know. And is whatever causes this a typical problem for LCDs? It seems like my old 20" LCDs only had dark patches where the backlight was uneven, but not discoloration.
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I got the greenish patch in the lower left corner when I displayed that test image on my PX2611W. Reducing the sharpness to 30% made it mostly go away.
 
OK, its here. I've only had it for about 3 hours, but here's a quick comparison with the NEC 2470WNX:

1. The HardOCP forum pages and other test images make the color/contrast shift of the 2470 S-PVA painfully obvious. I really didn't think it was that bad, and it was only noticeable in certain situations; but if you wonder how much of a difference it makes, I can tell you now I'll probably never buy anything but IPS ever again.

2. The black levels on the 2470 PVA are much better. The Planar just can't do black like the NEC, but I think the IPS "white glow" is part of the reason. There's no color/contrast shift, but the white glow shift is noticeable. On all black screens, the NEC is just blacker and more uniform.

3. There are 3 stuck pixels on the Planar. They're very difficult to see (I have to get right up to the screen), and all but one (red) are not visible except on all black screens. I could definitely live with it (and I'm surprised to hear myself say that), but since I paid so much and got UPSed on the shipping, I'm going to RMA it. The NEC had zero dead/stuck pixels.

4. The combination of larger screen size and pixel pitch is exactly what I hoped it would be. Text was just as sharp on the NEC 24", but my old eyes were having a problem with it. I had to increase Windows DPI by 10% and set fonts to 10 point to comfortably use it. The Planar is perfect at Windows DPI and 9 point font defaults. I can see everything clearly, down to the details in Vista micro-icons. I can see the pixels on the Planar (higher pixel pitch), which I couldn't on the NEC, but if the "screen-door" bothers you, sitting farther from the screen fixes it (and also allows you to see all of the huge 26" screen). Bottom line: if you have any problems with 1920x1200 on a 24", this monitor is perfect for you.

Conclusion: the NEC seems to be better build quality/quality control (no dead/stuck pixels, no backlight bleeding, great manual, packaging, drivers and software), and has much better blacks. The Planar feels more like a plain "OEM" part (plain brown box and packing, puny manual, no drivers or software, 3 stuck pixels), and has noticeably worse blacks, but is superior in every other way simply because it is an IPS. Also, the bigger size and pitch make it a much better fit for me. Furthermore, the Planar warranty is better than NEC's, and as far as I can tell is the best in the business.

So for me, the Planar wins despite its faults. In the past 3 months, I've owned the best S-PVAs that ViewSonic and NEC make (VP2130b & 2470WNX). The 2470WNX was much better than the ViewSonic, but its still a PVA; and now that I've had a chance to compare, its clear that no amount of "high-quality NEC aura" can fix that. So my recommendation for anyone looking for a 24-27" monitor is: If you can swing the extra $100-200, don't even waste your time with a 24" and/or non-IPS; get the Planar. Period.
Now I need to go try some games and see if I can tell the difference in response time and input lag...
 
Silencio said:
I got the greenish patch in the lower left corner when I displayed that test image on my PX2611W. Reducing the sharpness to 30% made it mostly go away.
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Wow, thanks so much for that info! I've been running 50% sharpness, so I tried turning down the sharpness on mine and the discoloration mostly went away at 30% just like yours. Good to know that it's not an actual weird color uniformity issue, but just something to do with their sharpening. The problem with sharpness at 30% is that text is blurry, but I'll just run it at 50% sharpness content in the knowledge that it's just one of those weird quirks that doesn't affect normal use. Thanks again!
 
sorry to hear about your dead pixels. Definitely RMA it. I thought I had some dead ones on mine but they were just debris on the screen. If you have a pixel that is staying lit up on a black screen you can run undeadpixel on it, since it is a stuck pixel, not a dead pixel.

if you have pixels that show up as a black dot on a solid blue, red, or green background, those pixels are dead for that color.

CDW rma was painless. I'm very happy with their service.


EW27 said:
OK, its here. I've only had it for about 3 hours, but here's a quick comparison with the NEC 2470WNX:

1. The HardOCP forum pages and other test images make the color/contrast shift of the 2470 S-PVA painfully obvious. I really didn't think it was that bad, and it was only noticeable in certain situations; but if you wonder how much of a difference it makes, I can tell you now I'll probably never buy anything but IPS ever again.

2. The black levels on the 2470 are much better. Again, its a striking difference, and the one area where the PVA is simply better. The Planar just can't do black like the NEC, but I think the IPS "white glow" is part of the reason. There's no color/contrast shift, but the white glow shift is noticeable. Up close, the bottom corners of the screen look like they have backlight bleeding, but when you change viewing angle, they turn black...so its definitely not bleed; its the glow. On all black screens, the NEC is just blacker and more uniform.

3. There are 3 dead or stuck pixels on the Planar. They're very difficult to see (I have to get right up to the screen), and all but one (red) are not visible except on all black screens. I could definitely live with it (and I'm surprised to hear myself say that), but since I paid so much and got UPSed on the shipping, I'm going to RMA it. The NEC had ZERO dead/stuck pixels.

4. The combination of larger screen size and pixel pitch is exactly what I hoped it would be. Text was just as sharp on the NEC 24", but my old eyes were having a problem with it. I had to increase Windows DPI by 10% and set fonts to 10 point to comfortably use it. The Planar is perfect at Windows DPI and 9 point font defaults. I can see everything clearly, down to the details in Vista micro-icons. I can see the pixels on the Planar (higher pixel pitch), which I couldn't on the NEC, but if the "screen-door" bothers you, sitting farther from the screen fixes it (and also allows you to see all of the huge 26" screen). Bottom line: if you have any problems with 1920x1200 on a 24", this monitor is perfect for you.

Conclusion: the NEC seems to be better build quality/quality control (no dead/stuck pixels, no backlight bleeding, great manual, packaging, drivers and software), has much better blacks, and seems as perfect and solid as a PVA could be. The Planar feels more like a plain, average "OEM" type part (plain brown box and packing, puny manual, no drivers or software, 3 stuck pixels), and has noticeably worse blacks, but is superior in every other way simply because it is an IPS. Also, the bigger size and pitch make it a much better fit for me. Furthermore, the Planar warranty is better than NEC's, and as far as I can tell is the best in the business.

So for me, the Planar wins despite its faults. I've owned 3 LCDS in the past 3 months, including the best S-PVAs that ViewSonic and NEC make (VP2130b & 2470WNX). The 2470WNX was much better than the ViewSonic, but its still a PVA; and now that I've had a chance to compare, its crystal clear that no amount of "high-quality NEC aura" can fix that. So my recommendation for anyone looking for a 24-27" monitor is: If you can swing the extra $100-200, don't even waste your time with a 24" and/or non-IPS; get the Planar. Period.

Now I need to go try some games and see if I can tell the difference in response time and input lag...
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notnyt said:
sorry to hear about your dead pixels. Definitely RMA it. I thought I had some dead ones on mine but they were just debris on the screen. If you have a pixel that is staying lit up on a black screen you can run undeadpixel on it, since it is a stuck pixel, not a dead pixel.

if you have pixels that show up as a black dot on a solid blue, red, or green background, those pixels are dead for that color.

CDW rma was painless. I'm very happy with their service.
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Even if I had to keep this one with stuck pixels, the Planar is much better than the NEC. Its now clear to me that anything but IPS is a waste of time and money, and the Planar's fast response and low lag combined with the screen size and pixel pitch makes this the perfect monitor for me, and probably the best bang for the buck on the market (cheaper, faster, and less lag than the 2690). The PVA weaknesses (contrast shift, blacks losing detail when viewed staright-on, etc.) are just painfully obvious now; I could never go back.

This is the monitor I've been looking for since October when my 21" Trinitron finally starting dying. I'm finally happy with an LCD.
 
I was looking at 2690 at first, but once I saw people talking about the Planar which has the same IPS panel as NEC and cheaper, I ordered it right away without a second thought. RIght now I am very happy with it and thinking to get a second one for dual screens.
 
EW27 said:
Even if I had to keep this one with stuck pixels, the Planar is much better than the NEC. Its now clear to me that anything but IPS is a waste of time and money, and the Planar's fast response and low lag combined with the screen size and pixel pitch makes this the perfect monitor for me, and probably the best bang for the buck on the market (cheaper, faster, and less lag than the 2690). The PVA weaknesses (contrast shift, blacks losing detail when viewed staright-on, etc.) are just painfully obvious now; I could never go back.

This is the monitor I've been looking for since October when my 21" Trinitron finally starting dying. I'm finally happy with an LCD.
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if you want to see how bad the lag on the 2470 is, hook them up on dualview mode and drag a window up and down while it spans both screens.

If you don't notice it in a game, you'll definitely notice it there. My gateway fpd2485w feels a bit slower than the planar with that test. And when I had the NEC next to the Gateway, the NEC felt a lot slower than the gateway. I never got to do this test with the Planar and the NEC, but I imagine it would be pretty obvious. The lag on the planar is nonexistant, playing FPS games is like playing on a CRT except with a slight bit of blur (from persistance of vision since LCD's are constantly lit while CRT's are only lit around 10-20% of the time. Until they find a way to do black frame insertion without the flicker and have pixel response times down to 1-2ms that will be the only drawback of an LCD IMO.
 
Oh, if you want me to upload an icc for the planar for any specific white point / brightness, let me know. I'll run it on my monitor which obviously wont match yours exactly, but it should bring it closer. I'm running the replacement one at 6500 since the colors look right there unlike the old one I RMAd. Its nice having the colors match the gateway next to it which is a completely different screen type.

Hardware calibration is great.
 
notnyt said:
What also bothers me is the lack of a good TN panel. There are those iiyamas I think theyre called, but you cant find them in the US. They were the only ones tested without any input latency. I wanted to get some good panels for my girl but the current selection out there is pretty sad unless you pay a ton of money.
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There is the BenQ G2400 TN, pretty much ties the Iiyama 24" in low lag <3ms latency:
http://www.digitalversus.com/duels.php?ty=6&ma1=48&mo1=304&p1=2943&ma2=50&mo2=310&p2=2972&ph=12
Under $400 as well...Not that I'm a TN fan, just thought you'd like to know.
 
OK, Toasty was right about the side bar colors. You can set it to 0, 0, 0, but for some reason that doesn't equal black. It seems like a simple thing to make the side bars black like the vast majority of people would want them, especially when you can set the colors manually. Just stupid.

However, except for such little quirks, this display rules. I still can't believe how much better it is than the 2470WNX, which I loved.

Turns out all the "IPS rules, PVA sucks" snobs on here were exactly right. :)
 
I've been considering this Planar and the 275T (the 275T Plus should be available in the U.S. soon). I use my computer mostly for programming so I'm looking for something that would be good at displaying text of different colors on typically a white background. Other uses include playing games (not usually FPS games, so input lag doesn't matter to me much), surfing the internet and possibly watching movies.

My question is, what lcd would be best if input lag and extremely accurate color display aren't the most important criteria?

The 275T would cost about $100 more, but its .303 pixel size would be better for my less than perfect vision.

I haven't had a chance to compare any lcd monitors outside of TN panels, so all I have to go on is what I've read here and in reviews. Any opinions to help me decide would be appreciated.
 
Devo said:
I've been considering this Planar and the 275T (the 275T Plus should be available in the U.S. soon). I use my computer mostly for programming so I'm looking for something that would be good at displaying text of different colors on typically a white background. Other uses include playing games (not usually FPS games, so input lag doesn't matter to me much), surfing the internet and possibly watching movies.

My question is, what lcd would be best if input lag and extremely accurate color display aren't the most important criteria?

The 275T would cost about $100 more, but its .303 pixel size would be better for my less than perfect vision.

I haven't had a chance to compare any lcd monitors outside of TN panels, so all I have to go on is what I've read here and in reviews. Any opinions to help me decide would be appreciated.
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I'd get the Planar just because its an IPS and the Samsung is a PVA, and now that I've seen the difference in person PVA just can't compare. Although thats without having read a review of the Plus; apparently the colors on the original 275T were amazing, and PVA's only strength over IPS is black levels, so if thats more important to you than speed and low lag, try the Samsung.

The pixel pitch of the 26" is much easier to read than a 24", but you can see the pixels more...so I can't imagine going even higher (.303mm). That's looser than even a 19" @1280x1024, and would almost have to have a bit of "screen door" effect.
 
I just noticed something wierd...the only backlight bleed I saw on the Planar when I first turned it on yesterday (top left) is gone. I don't know if it was the temperature (cold UPS truck to warm house) or pressure or something else, but I can't see it anymore even on all-black screens.

Now if only the 3 stuck pixels would disappear... :p
 
EW27 said:
I just noticed something wierd...the only backlight bleed I saw on the Planar when I first turned it on yesterday (top left) is gone. I don't know if it was the temperature (cold UPS truck to warm house) or pressure or something else, but I can't see it anymore even on all-black screens.

Now if only the 3 stuck pixels would disappear... :p
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Good to hear that the backlight bleeding issue is gone. Have you tried to massage those stuck pixels or use pixel removal programs? I'd done both and no luck, therefore I did RMA.
 
OK Notnyt, you were right about CDW.

I called today and the guy didn't even let me finish my sentence about why I wanted a replacement. He just cut me off and said, "No problem. The new one will ship out today, and when you get it, attach the pre-paid shipping label to the old one and send it back." It was the easiest exchange I've ever done. :)

Now the problem is, the backlight bleeding is COMPLETELY gone on the first one and its perfect except for the 3 stuck pixels, which makes me reluctant to return it. Maybe I'll try one of those pixel fixer apps...
 
notnyt said:
Oh, if you want me to upload an icc for the planar for any specific white point / brightness, let me know. I'll run it on my monitor which obviously wont match yours exactly, but it should bring it closer. I'm running the replacement one at 6500 since the colors look right there unlike the old one I RMAd. Its nice having the colors match the gateway next to it which is a completely different screen type.

Hardware calibration is great.
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Howbout just a vanilla 6500K, 120 cd/m2, 2.2? Or even a default, pre-calibrated profile for the Planar would give me something to play with until I get a hardware calibrator...

Whats the best generic profile to use in Vista (sRGB, aRGB, wide gamut, etc.)? I've never even had to look at them before because every monitor I've ever owned except the Planar came with a profile...
 
EW27 said:
Howbout just a vanilla 6500K, 120 cd/m2, 2.2? Or even a default, pre-calibrated profile for the Planar would give me something to play with until I get a hardware calibrator...

Whats the best generic profile to use in Vista (sRGB, aRGB, wide gamut, etc.)? I've never even had to look at them before because every monitor I've ever owned except the Planar came with a profile...
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I don't touch the vista profiling stuff, left it at the default sRGB.

I had to send my blue eye back as it started calibrating things... very red. The 6800k profile i posted is probably closer to 6500k. I'll post some new profiles as soon as I get my hardware back from LaCie.


Another nuisance in vista is everytime it suspends it loses your color settings...

i downloaded xcalib and made a little batch script and put it on my quick launch bar:
d:\Users\r>type c:\windows\cal.bat
xcalib -s 0 -c
xcalib -s 1 -c
xcalib -s 1 c:\windows\system32\spool\drivers\color\fpd2485w-2008021823-6500k-22-350cd.icc
xcalib -s 0 c:\windows\system32\spool\drivers\color\px2611w-2008021800-6800k-22-400cd.icc

d:\Users\r>
 
notnyt,
can you upload or give a link for the standard, and 6500K (sRGB) - or your best generic icc profile.
I've found some profiles in .pdf on this forum but I do not have the heart to enter data manually.
Thank you,
Michael
 
I cleared out my profiles and only have a 6800k one available (which doesn't even look like 6800) until I get my colorimeter back from LaCie.

I assure you that as soon as I get it back I will post a ton of profiles
 
No rush...I used QuickGamma and QuickMonitor Profiler (6500, 2.2, contrast=50, brightness=25). Its obviously not as good as a calibrator, but it turns out that the Planar was surprisingly accurate out of the box.

Its still too damn bright, but I just played a little Rome Total War and am happier than ever with this display! I thought Rome looked good on the NEC, but its simply stunning on the Planar. Looking at the trees, grass, water, and mountains on the 3D strategy map makes it clear that I was getting some PVA shift on the NEC (trees and other darker/saturated environmental elements were noticeably lighter on the sides of the screen than in the center). Just scrolling around the 3D strategy map is awesome; I see colors I've never seen in this game before. And of course its fantastic to be able to play in ultra-sharp 1920x1200 high resolution, yet still have large buttons, text, icons, etc.

Except for the weak blacks (please tell me calibration fixes that), this thing is even better than my 21" Trinitron CRT, let alone every other LCD I've ever seen.
 
weak blacks? I didn't notice, I was able to see every black square on lagom lcd test.

I will try to get a profile for you with the brightness low to help with that =]

only bad thing about the h-ips panel that I've found is the "bright" black point
 
I can see all of the steps in the lagom scale, but the blackest blacks aren't exactly "black" as on the NEC or a CRT. I'm just nitpicking. Its much less of a sacrifice than the ones you have to make with the NEC or other VA. ;)
 
EW27 said:
No rush...I used QuickGamma and QuickMonitor Profiler (6500, 2.2, contrast=50, brightness=25). Its obviously not as good as a calibrator, but it turns out that the Planar was surprisingly accurate out of the box.
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I set the brightness to zero and the contrast to 40. It may help.
 
I have been mulling over which LCD to buy for months, and it seemed like nothing could satisfy me. I am currently using a 3 year old VA-type Viewsonic 19inch 191b LCD monitor. My needs are hard to satisfy:

1. low to non-existent input lag for FPS's. Buying a 21 inch samsung a while back showed
be how sensitive I am to it.

2. Low ghosting, like input lag I need it to be low to minimal. I play games like instagib UT, or at least I did until UT3 sucked harder than a Dyson. I can deal with as much as the 191b has which is a 8ms panel w/the very first version of overdrive.

3. Good color, I own a DSLR and edit Photo's in Photoshop on a color-profiled monitor in the Adobe RGB color space. Color is important to me. I also do a bit of video editing and website design.

4. Viewing angles, for the same reason as above.

So after overlooking this enormous thread time and again, I think I have found my monitor!
My company gets a discount from CDW and I live and work 10 minutes away from it so that makes this easier.

notnyt, you're posts were really helpful, so thanks for posting them. From your posts, it looks like monitor looks like it exceeds the SRGB color space by quite a bit. Are these wide-gamut (92%+) monitors? How far away are they from Adobe RGB? Have you ever used an app named ColorThink from Chromix? What is your overall opinion of color reproduction on this monitor?

So guys, have I found what I'm looking for? A good gaming monitor and good for photo/video editing? I've been looking for so long that I lost hope. I would love some reassurance before I buy this seemingly awesome monitor. This has been on the market for a while, so if there's something that it going to replace it soon, I can wait. I can deal with minor flaws like the light black level that was mentioned.
 
Wolfmyst said:
I have been mulling over which LCD to buy for months, and it seemed like nothing could satisfy me. I am currently using a 3 year old VA-type Viewsonic 19inch 191b LCD monitor. My needs are hard to satisfy:

1. low to non-existent input lag for FPS's. Buying a 21 inch samsung a while back showed
be how sensitive I am to it.

2. Low ghosting, like input lag I need it to be low to minimal. I play games like instagib UT, or at least I did until UT3 sucked harder than a Dyson. I can deal with as much as the 191b has which is a 8ms panel w/the very first version of overdrive.

3. Good color, I own a DSLR and edit Photo's in Photoshop on a color-profiled monitor in the Adobe RGB color space. Color is important to me. I also do a bit of video editing and website design.

4. Viewing angles, for the same reason as above.

So after overlooking this enormous thread time and again, I think I have found my monitor!
My company gets a discount from CDW and I live and work 10 minutes away from it so that makes this easier.

notnyt, you're posts were really helpful, so thanks for posting them. From your posts, it looks like monitor looks like it exceeds the SRGB color space by quite a bit. Are these wide-gamut (92%+) monitors? How far away are they from Adobe RGB? Have you ever used an app named ColorThink from Chromix? What is your overall opinion of color reproduction on this monitor?

So guys, have I found what I'm looking for? A good gaming monitor and good for photo/video editing? I've been looking for so long that I lost hope. I would love some reassurance before I buy this seemingly awesome monitor. This has been on the market for a while, so if there's something that it going to replace it soon, I can wait. I can deal with minor flaws like the light black level that was mentioned.
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1. The Planar has the lowest lag of any 24"+ LCD that I know of: less than a frame of lag, vs. 2 frames or more on every 24"+ non-TN, including the NEC 2490 and 2690.

2. The Planar also has the fastest response time of any 24"+ LCD: 5ms gray-to-gray, 12ms on-off. The fastest 24" VAs are 6ms/16ms, and the 2490 and 2690 are 8ms/16ms. Therefore, it potentially has the least ghosting available in a 24"+ LCD.

3. The Planar is definitely wide gamut (92%).

4. The Planar, as an H-IPS, has the best viewing angles of any 24"+ LCD except the 2490 and 2690, which have better viewing angles thanks to NECs A-TW polarizer.

I was in your exact position; since my 21" Trinitron CRT started dying in October, I've gone through 3 displays looking for an LCD I could live with: ViewSonic VP2130b (ViewSonic's best S-PVA), NEC 2470WNX (NEC's best S-PVA), and now the Planar. The Planar is easily better than the other two in every possible way except for the black levels and ergonomics (it doesn't pivot and you can't raise it very high). In fact, the only 2 displays that are "better" than the Planar IMO (2490 and 2690) are more expensive, slower, and have over twice the lag, which means they just aren't made for gaming. Therefore, the Planar is the best all-around compromise for everything from image editing to gaming, especially when you consider the price and the amazing warranty (3 years w/2-day advanced replacement, meaning you get the new one before you have to return the old one).

So yes, you have found what you've been looking for: a 26" wide-gamut IPS with the fastest response time, lowest lag, and best warranty in its class, for less than $1000.
 
Thanks for the reply EW27. I think I am over the edge on pulling the trigger. I have been reading back into this thread and also saw that one website review. Everything points to buy.

Pluses:

+ low input lag
+ minimal ghosting
+ wide gamut
+ H-IPS (No TN or VA crap)
+ Easy to read pixel density
+ Good bang for the buck
+ Good warranty and support from Planar
+ I can pick up the monitor from CDW in person

The negatives that I can see are:

Banding and dead pixels seem common, though buying through CDW and Planars warranty make this just an annoyance. And really most LCDs have these problems so not a big issue.

The panel's wide gamut properties can be a negative for non-color aware applications. Double-edged sword really since you also get more saturated colors.

Issues with using 1080p sources and banding. I'm not sure how true this is.

That's all I remember seeing. The price seems fair considering all of the features. These seem like minor issues that are overpowered by all of the positive things that the monitor brings.
 
this is an excellent monitor but VERY risky to buy. if you have 3 dead or stuck pixels they WILL not replace it for another one. this is crap service. people buy an expensive monitor to have a perfect image. but if you get 3 or less stuck or dead pixels your STUCK with this monitor they will NOT replace it with another one that doesnt have any dead or stuck pixels. great monitor but VERY VERY RISKY to buy because of this.

i was gonna buy this monitor but now that i heard about this 3 pixel policy i will PASS. its not worth it to pay $1000 for a HUGE RISK for a bad picture.
 
Also, I've been looking for a LCD monitor that can just display natural colors for over a year. I started when HDCP was the newly announced standard to have - with a fierce debate over HDCP standards, implementability, usefulness, MS, Holliwood, hackers, graphics cards, DX10 etc. Best monitors at the time were the old ones: Sony 23" S_IPS, and the very favorably reviewd DELL 2405 (S-IPS) and Samsung 244T (P-MVA) - all discontinued and missing in most retailers inventories at that time - none was HDCP compliant.

Dell2407 (Rev. A0 and A1) were just available but had horrible reviews and plenty RMAs due to ghosting and banding - on Dell forums. It was also unclear what panel type they have - IPS vs VA lottery. Most anyone was hoping next revisions will solve the issues.

Then Samsung announced the 245T and 275T coming on the market in March 2007; these were supposed to be the best consumer monitors ever - great improvements in VA that make IPS obsolite (black levels), HDMI, component inputs and what not. I thought I'll wait for the 245T... it came out about 7 months later than predicted and got average reviews - mainly due to audible noise in the electronics.

Meanwhile, whatever 24" made it on the market - mostly TN and VA - did not offer anything of note: Samsung BW, LG, Gateway, HP, Westinghouse and some 'weird' names; each and every one had some issue either w/ colors, lag, banding, noise, quality and so on.

At the same time, some proposed using the 1080p HDTVs instead: plenty of inputs, no panel (blacks, ghosting, banding, lag...) issues, variety of sizes and so on. Since I was still waiting for the 245T I bought a 46" 1080p JVC; that took care of the movies, games (kid plays Wii), inputs and so forth problems. Works nice as a PC monitor too... but it's kinda too big!

By then, my criteria were clear: IPS, no more than .285 pixel, 1900x1200, DVI (all are anyways). At last, 26" H-IPS came out ( been waiting for an IPS since Soany 23"!) and a series of debates followed: pixel size, LUT and so on. Being kind of bored with all the waiting and picking (24" vs 26", NEC vs Planar), I just ordered the PX2611W and I am pretty pleased with it. It doesn't have a lot of professional features but fits my needs - regular computer usage.
 
Draziom said:
this is an excellent monitor but VERY risky to buy. if you have 3 dead or stuck pixels they WILL not replace it for another one. this is crap service. people buy an expensive monitor to have a perfect image. but if you get 3 or less stuck or dead pixels your STUCK with this monitor they will NOT replace it with another one that doesnt have any dead or stuck pixels. great monitor but VERY VERY RISKY to buy because of this.

i was gonna buy this monitor but now that i heard about this 3 pixel policy i will PASS. its not worth it to pay $1000 for a HUGE RISK for a bad picture.
Click to expand...

hey guy, did you read this threaD?

thats why you buy from CDW. I had one dead pixel and they replaced my screen.
 
Draziom said:
this is an excellent monitor but VERY risky to buy. if you have 3 dead or stuck pixels they WILL not replace it for another one. this is crap service. people buy an expensive monitor to have a perfect image. but if you get 3 or less stuck or dead pixels your STUCK with this monitor they will NOT replace it with another one that doesnt have any dead or stuck pixels. great monitor but VERY VERY RISKY to buy because of this.

i was gonna buy this monitor but now that i heard about this 3 pixel policy i will PASS. its not worth it to pay $1000 for a HUGE RISK for a bad picture.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure if you've read this thread at all Draziom, but it almost seems like you work for a competitor. Most LCD companies have poor dead pixel return policies, and most online stores have bad policies as well. This is why I bought this monitor today from CDW and not newegg where I get most of my stuff. If there is a problem with it they will take it back no questions (I've actually done this with another monitor a few years back). And from the multiple posts regarding returns with Planar here on this thread, the 3 pixel rule is not set in stone. This means that you have a chance to get a replacement if you find 1 or 2 dead pixels. They seem to have good customer service from what I've read here. This seems like NOT A HUGE RISK to me. Quite the opposite actually.
 
notnyt said:
hey guy, did you read this threaD?

thats why you buy from CDW. I had one dead pixel and they replaced my screen.
Click to expand...

i'm in Canada i doubt CDW even ships to Canada. whats the website to this place so i can call em up?
 
px2611wm said:
Also, I've been looking for a LCD monitor that can just display natural colors for over a year. I started when HDCP was the newly announced standard to have - with a fierce debate over HDCP standards, implementability, usefulness, MS, Holliwood, hackers, graphics cards, DX10 etc. Best monitors at the time were the old ones: Sony 23" S_IPS, and the very favorably reviewd DELL 2405 (S-IPS) and Samsung 244T (P-MVA) - all discontinued and missing in most retailers inventories at that time - none was HDCP compliant.

Dell2407 (Rev. A0 and A1) were just available but had horrible reviews and plenty RMAs due to ghosting and banding - on Dell forums. It was also unclear what panel type they have - IPS vs VA lottery. Most anyone was hoping next revisions will solve the issues.

Then Samsung announced the 245T and 275T coming on the market in March 2007; these were supposed to be the best consumer monitors ever - great improvements in VA that make IPS obsolite (black levels), HDMI, component inputs and what not. I thought I'll wait for the 245T... it came out about 7 months later than predicted and got average reviews - mainly due to audible noise in the electronics.

Meanwhile, whatever 24" made it on the market - mostly TN and VA - did not offer anything of note: Samsung BW, LG, Gateway, HP, Westinghouse and some 'weird' names; each and every one had some issue either w/ colors, lag, banding, noise, quality and so on.

At the same time, some proposed using the 1080p HDTVs instead: plenty of inputs, no panel (blacks, ghosting, banding, lag...) issues, variety of sizes and so on. Since I was still waiting for the 245T I bought a 46" 1080p JVC; that took care of the movies, games (kid plays Wii), inputs and so forth problems. Works nice as a PC monitor too... but it's kinda too big!

By then, my criteria were clear: IPS, no more than .285 pixel, 1900x1200, DVI (all are anyways). At last, 26" H-IPS came out ( been waiting for an IPS since Soany 23"!) and a series of debates followed: pixel size, LUT and so on. Being kind of bored with all the waiting and picking (24" vs 26", NEC vs Planar), I just ordered the PX2611W and I am pretty pleased with it. It doesn't have a lot of professional features but fits my needs - regular computer usage.
Click to expand...

You're regular computer usage must be a bit more demanding than the average user then. For office, web, and basic photo stuff, my 22 inch TN BenQ does fine. But it is awful for anything more than that. Shadows are the worst offender.

But it's always good to see that people who research a monitor so extensively come to the same conclusion, which is this monitor. How it taunts me siting in my office at work here, begging me to open it...
 
Wolfmyst said:
I'm not sure if you've read this thread at all Draziom, but it almost seems like you work for a competitor. Most LCD companies have poor dead pixel return policies, and most online stores have bad policies as well. This is why I bought this monitor today from CDW and not newegg where I get most of my stuff. If there is a problem with it they will take it back no questions (I've actually done this with another monitor a few years back). And from the multiple posts regarding returns with Planar here on this thread, the 3 pixel rule is not set in stone. This means that you have a chance to get a replacement if you find 1 or 2 dead pixels. They seem to have good customer service from what I've read here. This seems like NOT A HUGE RISK to me. Quite the opposite actually.
Click to expand...

i dont work for a competitor i really like this monitor and i wanna buy it, but i phoned Planar and they told me the 3 dead or stuck pixel policy. 4+ stuck or dead pixels they will replace it 1-3 stuck or dead pixels Planar said they will NOT replace it. i phoned 3 canadian resellers and they told me the same thing with the 3 pixel policy. this is a huge risk and def not worth it from here in Canada. in the United States things might be diffrent, but here in canada there is alot of government beurocracy.
 
i just called CDW Canada and they will replace the monitor with bad pixels. awesome.
those other companies i called were corrupt frauds. thanks guys for the link to CDW Canada. i'm gonna buy it and i hope all goes well and i dont get a bad pixel monitor.
 
Draziom said:
i just called CDW Canada and they will replace the monitor with bad pixels. awesome.
those other companies i called were corrupt frauds. thanks guys for the link to CDW Canada. i'm gonna buy it and i hope all goes well and i dont get a bad pixel monitor.
Click to expand...

It's pretty standard for retailers and manufacturers not to allow returns of monitors with a certain number of stuck / dead pixels. The policies are usually based on the number of stuck / dead pixels and where they are in relation to each other. I wouldn't call the other guys corrupt frauds, just call CDW a great company for having a super return policy :)

The same goes for laptops. You pay a lot, and want a perfect screen, but the ability to produce perfect screens when they involve millions of transistors is difficult. If you do end up with dead pixels it's not a huge deal. I've got 3 on my laptop, you don't notice them if you are not looking for them.
 
Draziom said:
this is an excellent monitor but VERY risky to buy. if you have 3 dead or stuck pixels they WILL not replace it for another one. this is crap service. people buy an expensive monitor to have a perfect image. but if you get 3 or less stuck or dead pixels your STUCK with this monitor they will NOT replace it with another one that doesnt have any dead or stuck pixels. great monitor but VERY VERY RISKY to buy because of this.

i was gonna buy this monitor but now that i heard about this 3 pixel policy i will PASS. its not worth it to pay $1000 for a HUGE RISK for a bad picture.
Click to expand...

Name one other manufacturer that replaces for 3 pixels or less...?

While I would love it if everyone would replace for just 1 dead pixel, Planar's warranty is better than the competition, so its not a HUGE risk or VERY VERY RISKY as you put it. They pay shipping both ways and guarantee your replacement within 48 hours. Name one other company that offers that.

Obviously you haven't researched this very well...
 
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