Big Monitor Purchace??? Any Suggestions?

[Goon]

http://www.apple.com/displays/specs.html

Get the 30" screen (you'll need dual dvi outputs on your card tho :P)

[ThePrintMaster]

definitely get it..

i get a chubby every time i think about it



oh god...not again :cry:

[shehbahn]

CRT > LCD : cheaper, better colors & contrast.

[imashination]

CRT > LCD : cheaper, better colors & contrast.

LCD > CRT : Crisper, real diagonal size, flatter screen, thinner, cheaper to run, no refresh rate problems, less radiation.

Apple and NEC are always a good choice for LCDs

[stephen2002]

LCD > CRT : Crisper, real diagonal size, flatter screen, thinner, cheaper to run, no refresh rate problems, less radiation.
I'll second that. I personally prefer to work with a slower laptop than a quicker desktop that is running on CRT. Not everybody thinks that way, but once you get used to a nice LCD (so crisp and no flickering) it is hard to go back!

[ambient-whisper]

crisper? im sitting infront of an apple 23" at the moment. um. its not any more crisp than the crt i have at home.

if you get a GOOD crt then its all the same really.


but anyway. i recommend the 23" apple. its a very nice monior.
the 30 requires dual dvi, and costs more than 3000.

[shehbahn]

LCD > CRT :

- crisper : assuming you are referring to reading text : that's because LCDs have usually a much thicker dot-pitch and pixels that don't blur. in practice, for an equivalent price, a CRT will be able to perform at much higher resolutions, thus giving a much "crisper" image.
- real diagonal size : another one of those critical features...
- flatter screen : does the 0.3' curvature of a decent CRT really pose a problem to anyone ?
- thinner : yeah ok. just clean some of those pizza boxes once in a while...
- cheaper to run : as in less W ? anyone cares ?
- no refresh rate problems : flicker hasn't been a problem on halfway decent hardware for a decade ?
- less radiation : well yeah, that's the problem -> insufficient contrast

now let's see what else :
- resolution : very few LCDs go above 1200x1024, the few that do will run you $1k at least
- colors : very very few LCDs have an accurate colorimetry, ruling them out for professional work
- viewing angle : LCDs have limited viewing angles until the colors / brightness become unreliable (even more of a problem on a large desktop display)
- dead pixels : 5 dead pixels before you can claim a warranty replacement. that's the best you can hope for.
- latency : even active matrices have somewhat of a latency, which is a problem with FPS games.
- price : 2x to 4x more expensive on a per pixel basis

conclusion : until the price of LCDs drops substantially, CRTs will remain the display of choice for CG work.

[kinich]

shehbahn - prepare to be falmed! hehehe

not by me though.. i think that if he has the money, he should go for those 23 inch apple displays.. (i think he has the money for 2.. dunno)

if not... you can get 2 very good CRTs for the price of one of thos apple displays... its up to you though

[Matt]

Hmmm.

If you're rich, then buy whatever you want.

If you want a good product, then buy a quality CRT screen right now, and wait 3 years for OLED displays to hit the market.

OLED displays are thinner than LCD screens, 7000x faster than CRT screens, brighter, sharper, and more color accurate than both, don't suffer pixel death like LCD screens do, and use less power than both.

They're also going to be CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP.

EDIT: Addressing the poster above who said LCDs have no refresh rate problems...

They don't even use a refresh rate. This is an extreme problem for display speed. LCDs draw the entire screen at once. You are limited to the response time the LCD has... Any response time above 10ms looks horrible in motion.

Motion graphics, videos, games, anything in 3D will look horrible on LCDs, it's a simple fact. The no 'refresh rate problems' translates to 'horrible response time problems'. The bigger LCD screens are, the longer the response time. The average response time is still 25ms. This produces a wavy effect when anything is moving in high speed, which is disorienting, and reflects badly upon the technology. CRT all the way, until OLED comes out.

[blacknoise]

23" cinema display here - using it with pc

no broken pixels, perfect image (ive seen only 1 broken pixel in the apple displays... in the first 15" models)

go for it. just the apple displays. simply the best u can find.

23" costs 2000 $.

bn

[Atwooki]

blacknoise:
23" cinema display here - using it with pc
I'll second that; no problems so far, with FX1000 card

Atwooki

[shehbahn]

i don't mind flames, so long as they supported by valid arguments. if you are doing serious color sensitive work, LCDs are still to much of a liability at the moment. when the prices come down, when we get a better contrast, more reliable matrices, larger viewing angles, no polarisation and lower latency, then i will consider using them. those are "show stopping problems". diagonals, flat screen, electricity consumption and device volume are all secondary considerations : nice to have, not really detrimental to the final delivery. don't give in the hype..

PS : there a couple of other very high end LCDs that are on par with Apple's. and yes the Cinema line is actually good enough to qualify as a professional display, but who would buy a $2000 product, when you can get one for $600 that's more reliable and has a higher resolution ?

[thedaemon]

I'm actually looking into the 23" Apple monitor. Might pick it up this weekend! Going to use it on pc though, any special things I need to do?

[Atwooki]

Yes; get an 'ADC' adapter (this splits the power and USB channels) at the same time, and make sure your graphics card is up to the task :)

Atwooki

[thedaemon]

"This DVI connection (http://www.apple.com/displays/digital.html) also removes all barriers to using an Apple display with a PC."

Quote apple.com.
Seems the new version of their monitor's don't need adc adapter! :twisted:

I have geforce 4ti 4200. It has a dvi adapter, I assume it will work for now until I upgrade.

[surlymonkey]

I am about to purchase a new monitor quite soon. I am thinking 23+ inches flat panel. Price range is around $3,000, What do you suggest? :shrug:
If your going to do any professional work you should look into the Sony 24" FW900. It did win a "best of" in MacWorld 2001!

c

[BillSpradlin]

The simple fact that you can't adjust your color/contrast/brightness when using ANY of the Apple displays on a PC, rules them out for me. If you want something that looks good when doing some Microsoft Word work or while browsing the web, then by all means throw down $3,000 on a top end LCD. If you expect to do any profesional 3D work, then pick up a nice 23" CRT and save a couple of grand and get a monitor that you can actually use.

[status quo]

LCDs are a novelty.

Apple LCD are awful. over priced and that ADC thing? certainly doesn't save on cable clutter.

LCDs are good for 2 things.

novelty of having a flat screen
size - slim bezel, light weight etc


other than that they are terrible. most of them give me sore eyes.

don't buy one.

plus for all the diddys that are buying one:

there dropping by 20% this xmas. all are expected to be around the $250 price mark. hahaha.

[nrgy]

For me personaly you cant beat a Sony-GDMFW900. I just came from 2 19" NEC's and absolutly love this thing. You can find them on ebay all the time for under $1000.00 U.S.

http://home.comcast.net/~thenrgy/monitor3small.jpg

Just look at this beast, how can you not like it :D

[liquidik]

Agree. I have a FW900 too, and it's marvellous...great colors, great cripsness, some geometry problems like all CRT but, great control (you can correct almost everything).

[ristopuukko]

I'm with a Sony too (except I have a flat one) and going to
buy another one in the future. I've used GretaMacbeth´s color
calibrator and it shows me the truth, the whole truth and nothing
but the truth.

Color grading and correction (Photoshop & Combustion) is so enjoyable
when you have a quality monitor.

my two cents

/risto

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