LaCie photon19vision (Prad.de User)

    LACIE PHOTON19VISION REVIEW


    Here it is as promised. I will do this in sections so you may choose to read only what interests you. Please remember all I tell is from my point of view, highly subjective. Even the "test" (see near end) is subjective, because the program needs a person to interpret what he sees and so come the results.


    SCREEN SPECS
    Here's a link to LaCie's page (english) for this monitor. Please check that for screen specs. I find it more productive if I tell you my impressions and not repeat info you can get elsewhere.


    MY THREAD IN ADVISORY SECTION
    And a link to the thread on these forums that got me here. I found my monitor by the help of the pros here.. and I am thankful.
    Choosing the right S-IPS (or possibly PVA)



    BACKGROUND
    I'm what you could call a demanding multi-user. My work and hobbies circle aroung graphics so I need a screen for that. Also I want some speed so movies look lovely and occasional games look alright. And I need some viewing angles too. This is my first LCD - I have used only CRTs before and am used to good quality. My main reason for a move to LCD was what CRT did to my eyes. After long days CRT hurts my eyes and messes my vision.



    BUILD / ERGONOMICS
    + rather sturdy build, clear quite sharp lines, sort-of industrial look. Metal inside the stand bottom gives stability
    +/- edges are 1,6cm wide and somebody might want them narrower. I don't mind. Also the panel is not as thin as somebody might want. I don't care.
    +/- color is dark blue-grey. Blue only really shows in daylight or under a camera flash. I quite like it, some might not as it takes away the TCO2003 merit, hence the TCO1999.
    + tilts, swivels and rotates all I could need, also has height adjustment
    + includes a software for screen rotation, can be used with mouse or keyboard shortcut (nice)
    - swiveling is stiff enough the stand turns too when swiveling. So I hold the stand by hand when swiveling. It could also be that my desk (wood) is too slippery.
    + buttons are good size, sturdy and easy to read



    FEATURES
    + on screen menu (OSD) is logical and easy to use
    + there is 6 presets to choose from +one setting for user to make - I use presets
    - doesn't have 5900K color temperature preset.. some might like to have it
    - does not have any drivers, runs as plug'n play-monitor. This means that all adjustements are done with OSD.
    - my LaCie is of old production series and has a problem with auto-setting button: in short it doesn't work. I don't mind though, I've got more than enough choises for settings.
    - does not have a "hard power switch". This means that there is always some current inside unless you disconnect from the wall socket. Is in no way a problem but some might like to have this switch.
    + has inputs for D-SUB and DVI-D and a button for swithcing between them on the fly. I found this very handy when for a while I had two computers, old and new. At the same time as I was setting the system up for the new computer, I was watching tv and browsing the net on the other.
    + has USB (one coming in from computer and two out)



    PANEL: PICTURE QUALITY, BRIGHTNESS...
    +/- On this these forums I have been told that it has the same panel as Nec1960NXi and Iiyama E481
    + On these forums there has been talk about "twinkling effect" that is a problem for some with S-IPS panels (such as LaCie). I have not seen this effect, I have no idea what the talk is about :)
    + colors in my opinion are natural and beautiful. For this reason I think this screen is, as marketed, a good panel for photo editing. I like it for graphics work. I think here LaCie beats my previous CRT (Samsung 959NF).
    + brightness and contrast are great and here it is the same as with colors compared to CRT. I really like the image my LaCie puts out.
    - yet I would like to have a bit more brightness available just so I could run the screen at less brightness. I guess it would last longer that way. Now all presets labeled "day" I use set it at 100%.
    - no true black colors.. a black screen shows this, it is sort of very dark grey. However I do not consider this a problem since usually you have other colors than black visible. Why would you want to watch pure black screen anyway? With other colors the contrast makes the black look black enough. This is why I believe "not true black" is not a problem.
    - backlight bleeding is there and can be seen on black screen but not otherwise. I do not consider this a problem as it only shows on black screen. And I have seen far worse bleeding (in reviews on the net).
    + not a single dead pixel to be found, maybe one color shifting sub pixel, but can't confirm that - nothing that I would notice
    + viewing angles are wide - only VA (PVA, MVA) can beat this
    + interpolation is in my opinion very good (see tv and games)
    + despite rated 25ms this screen is fast. I see no ghosting unless I go look for it. See more details below (movies&tv, games, test). Ghosting can be seen when scrolling a internet-page up or down very fast.



    MOVIES / TV
    + just great picture and no ghosting - makes me want to watch all my movies again just for the experience. I have gone through quite a few now.
    + I believe my TV-program runs at 800x600 when fullscreen. That means it is heavily interpolated but I noticed no problems.



    GAMES
    I'm not very big into gaming and not into first person shooters, but have now tried two giants of this genre: Doom 3 and Half-Life 2. Doom was tested on older computer (AMD 2100+, 1G RAM, GF4400TI) which run it at 640x480. Then later I tested it on the new comp at 1024x768. Half-life I have played only on my new fast computer at 1024x768 and 1280x960.
    + LaCie is fast enough for games. Ghosting can be found if really looked for but in my opinion is no issue. I just don't see it. Of course you can't beat a TN panel here, but I'm happy.
    +/- You might think not having so true blacks and backlight bleeding would be a problem in a dark ambience game like Doom3. Well, backlight bleeding is there but noticable only when looked for. Black is not true black.. but in my opinion close enoguh.
    + interpolation is good down least down 800x600. 640x480 looks a bit blocky but that could just be the low resolution.



    GRAPHICS & PHOTO-EDITING
    + great, covered under "PANEL"-title



    TEST: PANEL SPEED TEST with PIX PER AN
    These specs may help some to decide and compare, for me they don't mean much. Test was done with a free program provided by Prad.de. You may ignore "streaky graphic" results. I didn't know what I was doing and couldn't quite get it right.


    Graphics mode: 1280x1024 @ 32 bpp
    Frame rate: 60.0 Hz
    Gamma factor: 1.5812


    Flag test: b->w: 73.0%, w->b: 73.2%, b->g: 84.3%, w->g: 80.8%
    Chase test: 13(21.7ms), 13(21.7ms), 13(21.7ms)
    Readability: Tempo 8
    streaky graphic: Graphic no. 3, Tempo 16, Gamma 1.00, r.exp 1.00, r.time 4.5, r.delay 1.0, f.exp 1.00, f.time 4.5, f.delay 1.0, s.tempo 16



    MY IMPRESSIONS
    It must be very clear to you by now. I truly like this monitor, adore it even. And so I find it hard to see any downsides, but I tried to include as many as possible. I have been using this monitor for a month now. Verdict: highly recommended for user with similar needs - good for many things. Also my eyes thank for this decision :D :] 8)



    COMPUTER SPECS
    AMD 64 3200+ Winchester @ 2380Mhz
    DFI Lanparty NF4 Ulta-D
    1Gb Kingston CL3 value ram
    Asus GF 6600GT



    PICS
    Pictures will follow..
    I must mention that the digicam loses some details in every picture, bright colors sort-of "burn out". So blame the camera (not my own) and me using it (not a pro), not the monitor.


    Also even if you can't read German check out another review on these forums. LkOpD has a long thread on LaCie with more pictures then you will see here.
    Lacie 19photon vision (Prad.de User)

    Sorry, I couldn't get any images to show here. Please click on the direct links to images. All pics are large in size.. so if you have a slow connection, prepare for a wait.


    EL NATUREL
    I tried to take most photos in daylight and without a flash.. so you can see the monitors real color. No color correction in these images either. This one shows LaCie in its natural habitat ;)



    BACKSIDE
    On the behind of my Lacie you see two cables (power and DVI-D) curving into the stand. I left some extra lenght there so it doesn't stop screen from rotating.



    ERGONOMICS, potrait view
    Here's a shameless self-advertisement ;) My fictional A3-size poster is set to fit the display. Here as well as in web browsing, reading documents and so on this rotation ability is useful. Can view things in potrait-form.

    All pics are large in size.. so if you have a slow connection, prepare for a wait.


    VIEWING ANGLES
    A freeze frame from Lord of The Rings - Return of the king (extended edition of course). Here you can see it from a wide and then very very wide angle.


    Notice how the blocks above and below the picture are tinted blueish. You see this when viewing black color from wide angles: it gets a blueish or violet hue. Also notice how the actual picture (the movie) loses some contrast at extreme angles but otherwise stays pretty as a.. heh.. picture ;)






    BLACKS and BACKLIGHT BLEEDING
    A pic taken in a dark room. No color correction whatsoever. You can see that black is not true black and that backlight does bleed.. from the top and some from bottom edges.

    All pics are large in size.. so if you have a slow connection, prepare for a wait.


    GAMES
    For the other Half-life 2 screen the game was paused - hence the"paused" window. 2 screens from Half-life, one from doom.






    MOVIES & VIDEO
    Rear Window (great old film, a bit grainy picture because old film)


    Lord of The Rings - Return of the King


    ..and two screens from Manic Street Preachers - The Greatest Hits (music videos)

    Really nice review, just the kind we need. From the experience with the panel (E481S) this review is very accurate. The pros and cons that you mentioned are really the most charasteristic points of this panel.


    The review gives plenty of information for someone searching a monitor. It's just a question of prioritizing different qualities. Maybe the biggest issue in my opinion is that dark black, especially in movies.


    PS. That backlight leaking that you mentioned is really nonexistent in your panel. I wouldn't worry about that (wich you don't, it seems).

    Nice, nice, nice :) So, You are another happy LCD owner :D
    Well... I want to ask You for somethink - You have got interesting gamma set. (mine is 2.5 with brightness at 50 % and contrast 50 % - native colour) Did You try diffrent colour temp ? like 6500 ? did You try play games like America's Army ? did Yuo notice any problems and if ? - did You up refresh rate to 75 Hz and it help ? (make game more smooth). This 25 ms is preety good on S-IPS/IPS panel isn't it ?
    Congratulations for Your BestBuy.


    greetings,


    Peacemaker.

    RE-TEST:
    Gamma factor: 1.4125


    Flag test: b->w: 93.2%, w->b: 89.0%, b->g: 74.3%, w->g: 74.0%
    Chase test: 14(23.3ms), 14(23.3ms), 14(23.3ms)


    What Peacemaker said about the gamme got me thinking. So I did PixPerAn again and noticed I had previously set my contrast insanely high. I read the directions wrong :rolleyes:
    So following directions and doing it right I now get slightly worse results in "Chase test" as I can't see as clearly (less contrast). Also I get a lower gamma factor. Don't know if that's good or bad - probably neither.


    -------------------



    SNAQUES
    Thanks man, I'm glad you like the review and feel I got it right :)
    I messed a bit with PixPerAn (above text) but for the most part it is okay.



    PEACEMAKER
    Cheers :)


    I have tried a different color set, 6500k, and found it a bit too warm.. or so it seems to me. I haven't really played much with the settings. I suppose I could get more out of this screen if I went adjust-cracy, but I'm quite happy with the presets.


    Settings I use the most are:


    Day Text
    brightness 100%
    contrast 70%
    gamma +10%


    Day Movie
    brightness 100%
    contrast 65%
    gamma +30%


    Day Photo
    brightness 100%
    contrast 60%
    gamma +20%


    All seem to have the same color temp, R/G/B are all at 50. Color profile looks like 9300K.


    This screen doesn't have brightness like your Nec, so it often runs at 100%. I mentioned about the brightness in my review.


    I haven't tried America's Army but it is a tactical first person shooter, right? I have tested Doom 3 demo and just recently completed Half-life 2. I had no problems whatsoever. Draw your own conclusions. I don't care about the FPS in general, so I won't be playing more of these. Those two just had to be seen and HL2 I actually like.


    I use DVI-D connection and there refresh rate is fixed at 60Hz. I understand analog connection allows setting of 75Hz, but I see no reason to go there.


    25ms seems like S-IPS standard and looks way better than it sounds (when compared to figures of TN-panels). It is just a number, I wouldn't put much meaning to it.

    3 Mal editiert, zuletzt von Sleepy ()

    Zitat

    [i]
    PixPerAn
    -------------------
    I use DVI-D connection and there refresh rate is fixed at 60Hz. I understand analog connection allows setting of 75Hz, but I see no reason to go there.


    Hi :)


    I spoy it first time... hmmm... how to used it properly ? (i got about 450 fps loos)


    Well... mine monitor can handle 75 Hz on DVI-D. But maybe there is somethings wrong with it ?


    And, i still have hookups of the screen. Its much smoother on 75 Hz, but i'm wonder why i got hookups ? (in 3d games)


    greetings,


    Peacemaker.


    edit :


    on 75 Hz i got only fps loos : 2 - 15
    what's going on ?

    Einmal editiert, zuletzt von Peacemaker ()

    Hi Peace


    Sorry man, I was slow to reply. I replied you but on your review thread. This wasn't really about the Lacie anymore, so..

    Have you noticed the so called "crystal effect"? I have never seen it in person nor do I know what it looks like but some people say it looks pretty bad. I'm trying to decide between PVA and IPS panel and the only thing that holds me from getting the IPS is that crystal effect.

    Hiya Rista


    Nope, I do not see the "crystal effect". I said so in my review.. there it was "twinkling effect". I really don't know thow to describe it because I don't see it. Maybe I just can't see it (ooh lucky) or my Lacie doesn't have it. Either way I'm happy :)


    I have read somewhere that "crystal effect" shows easier when the panel is really close. So I went and stuck my nose very close to it. Still can't see the effect but looking at the panel is harder for my eyes.


    Just read through your thread. I do understand your frustration, have been there myself. If you have the option, go see some IPS and PVA panels side by side in a shop. That should decide it. Other than that, well, it is a tough call. As for me, this S-IPS does the job.


    Good luck!

    Thanks!


    The thing is, there is no store here that has IPS panels so I can't check them out before buying. I went to the store that had PVA panels and now I have a good idea what their viewing angles look like and how fast they are. To be honest, I was disappointed with the color shift and the ghosting was better than what most people say (the 193P is often described as having "extreme" or "severe" ghosting). Like I said in the other thread, I could live with the ghosting OR the color shift but for that much money I don't want to have both if IPS panels are better at that and cost alot less.


    Now, the price of the LG has dropped even more and it makes everything even worse. I can't justify spending more than 100 euros more on the 193P which is slower and has more color shift but I also don't know what to expect from the crystal effect. If there was no that damn effect I would buy the LG without hesitation. If I knew what it looked like, I could make up my mind and decide what bothers me the least.


    It's certainly a good thing that you don't notice it as it probably isn't that bad then if some people don't see it. I don't know, I'll probably either take a gamble and order the LG or just keep this ugly and bulky CRT. Although it's one of the best 19" CRTs out there, the text looked blurry and the geomerty seemed really bad when compared to my friend's LCD side by side. I just love the crispness and perfect geometry of LCD screens but I hate that every type of panel seems to have at least one horrible flaw :(

    You're welcome.. not that I could help you much.


    You know I was seriously considering S-IPS by LG too. Actually I was just about to buy it but then found these forums. And, as you can find in my thread on the "advisory" side, I got recommendations not to buy LG. It seems you got the same thing. I think trusting the pros advices is recommendable. And considering what they say about LG..
    If by any change you can get something else with similar panel, say a Iiyama, Nec or Lacie, and if not for much bigger price then LG, I'd say go for those. Should be a safer bet than LG.


    But in the end I am just repeating what I've read. And I think you have done more research about LG than I did. Good luck with whatever road you take. I for one wouldn't go back to CRT..

    To my understanding, all those screens use the exact same panel as the L1930B which means they all will have the same problems I'm concerned about (crystal effect etc.). I'm thinking about the LG for a couple of reasons. First, the other brands who make 19" LCDs that use the IPS panel are almost impossible to find here. For that reason, the LG is a bit cheaper. Also, it's the best of them all as far as aesthetics go and that's kind of important to me too.


    I was advised not to get the LG indeed, but the reasons why Iiyama's. NEC's or Lacie's version of the monitor is better don't concern me that much. People are mostly questioning LG's build quality or are mad at LG because they used to change panels in some models without notifying or putting a MVA panel in their monitor and saying it's IPS.


    I've done some research and it seems LG have stopped doing that and that all L1930B's have the same IPS panel. Had the L1930B have considerably lower image quality than say the Iiyama, then yeah, I would pay more and get the Iiyama although I hate it's looks. Seeing as how they use the same panel there can't be that much of a difference in image quality between them and there's still the same pitfalls of IPS technology.


    Anyway, if I do get the LG I'll post some impressions or a review. I'll just have to hope the crystal effect is not that big of a deal :)

    Hello folks!


    It has been a long time since I last visited.. or posted.


    The pictures I have in this review (behind links) are going off-line 30.6.2005. I'm moving in my country and also changing to other web connection provider.. hence I will lose the current webspace. Pictures will be gone.


    (I do have other webspace, more official one, but will not use it for stuff like this. Gotta keep 'em separeted)


    So if anyone wants to put my Lacie pictures anywhere else, please do so. Just download them and put them into your webspace.. and show them. 30.6 is the last day they are available. If you need them after that contact me via my profile or my website, and I can send the pics to you.


    Thanks.


    - Sleepy