17"/19" all-rounder, specific limitations

    Hello all,


    I'm looking for a good all-round 17" or 19" lcd monitor to use primarily for text and video (no gaming).


    The monitor is for a computer with onboard graphics and no DVI output (upgrading is unfortunately not an option as the system is a SFF with no PCI expansion slot).


    Also, my computer is silent and I work in a very quiet room, so any monitor emitting a buzz or whine would be an annoyance.


    So, to sum up, my priorities are:
    -- Sharp text on VGA
    -- Silent
    -- Good dvd playback for movies
    -- Good ergonomics.


    I've been looking for monitors with S-IPS and VA panels, but unfortunately availability in the UK seems to be extremely limited. Unless I've overlooked something, the only 17" and 19" monitors with non-TN panels that are widely available from online stores here are the Samsung 970p and 770p. The latter is available for £222 (320 euros) shipped, and would seem a good option were it not for the lack of OSD buttons and the atrocious software. (Edit: the VP930 is also widely available, but unfortunately, from what I've read, text lacks sharpness on VGA on this one).


    If it weren't for the limitations of my onboard graphics (I have VIA UniChrome Pro IGP), I might delve deep into my pockets and go for a more expensive model, such as the Fujitsu-Siemens P19-2, assuming that I could find this in the UK. As things stand, however, there seems little point in spending extra for something I won't even be able to take advantage of.


    I'd be very grateful for any advice.

    Einmal editiert, zuletzt von Klockwise ()

    Hello Klockwise, I don't really understand your last sentences concerning limitation if taking FSC P19-2. Both 19 inch and 17 inch TFTs use the same resolution of 1280x1024, so for your onboard graphics it doesn't mind.


    I think FSC P19-2 will be a good choice; anyway I'd recommend a 19 inch display for office use because of the bigger pixel size, which faciliates working with text.

    _.+*" Mind Expanding Species "*+._.+*" Estar De Viaje "*+._


    "Begegnungen, die die Seele berühren, hinterlassen Spuren, die nie ganz verwehen."

    rinaldo, thanks for your reply. Sorry if I wasn't clear. What I meant was that some monitors perform significantly better on DVI, and also that for some of them a good graphics card is required to take full advantage of what they offer.


    I don't know how the FSC P19-2 would fare in this regard, but unfortunately it doesn't seem to be available in the UK.

    The quality on VGA depends on the signal quality of your graphic-card. If the signal quality is not that good, it won't mind which TFT you will opt for.


    An alternative to P19-2 is Belinea 101920. Best choice would be Eizo S1910, of course, but I assume that this one is beyond your budget. Both Belinea and Eizo have a good, stable VGA image quality implied a good signal quality.

    _.+*" Mind Expanding Species "*+._.+*" Estar De Viaje "*+._


    "Begegnungen, die die Seele berühren, hinterlassen Spuren, die nie ganz verwehen."

    The Eizo S1910 is selling for the equivalent of 600 euros in the UK, which is indeed beyond my budget.


    I cannot find the Belinea from a reputable retailer, but there's a Sony SDM-S95AB available for £169.18 (244 euros). It appears to have an MVA panel, but I haven't been able to find any reviews of it. What do you think?

    Einmal editiert, zuletzt von Klockwise ()

    Here is a Belinea with Premium MVA-Panel.


    Refering to our Database the Sony S95AB has in fact an MVA Panel. I suppose that it doesn't have overdrive and it hasn't got a DVI-Port, but if response time doesn't matter and according to the very cheap price I'll try it out.


    I own a Sony, too, and can't complain about quality. But german-support is a real bummer... pray that your display never malfunctions :D

    _.+*" Mind Expanding Species "*+._.+*" Estar De Viaje "*+._


    "Begegnungen, die die Seele berühren, hinterlassen Spuren, die nie ganz verwehen."

    Zitat

    Originally posted by rinaldo
    Here is a Belinea with Premium MVA-Panel.


    I'm not sure popcorn-uk are trading anymore. The link from Amazon appears to be broken.


    Zitat

    Refering to our Database the Sony S95AB has in fact an MVA Panel. I suppose that it doesn't have overdrive and it hasn't got a DVI-Port, but if response time doesn't matter and according to the very cheap price I'll try it out.


    Hmm, it sounds like it could be unsuitable even for internet browsing. I just read a user comment to the effect that there was noticeably slow refresh when scrolling. :(

    Since you said that it will be used for video a lot, you might also want to look into widescreen models, because recently even 20 inch widescreen monitors have come down to price regions close to those of 19 inch monitors.


    I dont know if this shop (oyyy.co.uk) is any good. But for example, the Viewsonic VX2025wm, one of the models we reviewed not too long ago (overall rating "very good") retails for 250 pounds there (at this time out of stock though).

    Hi tetsuo, I'm afraid that the maximum resolution supported by my onboard graphics is 1280x1024, so I'm guessing that it's safer to stay with a standard 17" or 19" lcd.

    Update:
    I'm so disappointed! I ordered a Sony SDM-S95DB from dabs.com but received a S95DRB instead. Despite superficial similarites, the two monitors couldn't be more different. The S95DRB has a TN panel with a contrast ratio of 550:1, whereas the S95DB has a MVA panel with a contrast ratio of 1000:1. Shame on Sony for selling such different monitors under such similar names; the potential for abuse is enormous and indeed it seems that a number of online retailers here in the UK are taking advantage of the confusion.

    bummer
    maybe you can exchange it for the right model.
    Did you order the right model name and the shop confused the models?

    I did order the right model but the shop shipped the wrong one. I RMA'd it, but when I asked whether I could re-order they said they'd check with their warehouse and let me know if they have the SDM-S95DB (as opposed to the SDM-S95DRB). About half an hour later the item status changed to 'none in stock'...


    An internet search shows that other online retailers are doing just the same. Ebuyer, for example, has the SDMS95AB for sale for £170.37 but when you look at the specifications and customer comments you realise that it's not the S95AB (MVA panel) they're selling but probably the S95ARB (TN panel). 'Analogue and DVI interface so future proof too', enthuses one happy customer! Really, how so? The SDM-S95AB only has analogue input according to the Sony website.

    Einmal editiert, zuletzt von Klockwise ()

    IMO this borders on fraud. If they are unable to provide the right model (which they promised to in the contract of sale), the general rule of conduct is to first inform and ask the customer if sending a different model would be acceptable.
    If I were you, I would try to get monetary compensation for the inconveniences and loss of time that this blatant attempt to deceive gullible customers may have caused you.

    tetsuo, you're right of course, but here in the UK companies rarely provide the service you'd expect. :( Dabs have refunded the cost of the monitor but not the carriage cost, so now I'll have to write to them again and ask for my money back.


    Meanwhile, I bought a Samsung SM770p which has been very disappointing in terms of how it handles text. Text is shimmering, and there is a white shadow around each character when black text is displayed on a grey background.


    I tried hooking up the monitor to a different computer and also swapping the DVI-to-VGA cable but it made no difference. Then I visited a local computer store which had another Samsung monitor on display, the SM713BM, and was surprised to see that it had exactly the same problem.


    Samsung have told me that the monitor is faulty and have advised me to return it to the retailer for a refund. However, a Google search shows that a number of models from various manufacturers are affected by this issue, though no one seems to know exactly what is causing the problem. In a few isolated instances the problem persisted even after changing to a different graphics card or using the dvi connection. So now I'm wary of buying another lcd monitor for fearing of having to go through a third return!


    Have you encountered any mention of this problem in the German section of this forum? And if so, what have people had to say about it?

    2 Mal editiert, zuletzt von Klockwise ()

    What you are describing sounds like this sort of "transparent shadow" effect of edges that I seem to keep getting whenever I have to use D-Sub VGA connection instead of DVI.
    I assume you have already tried "Auto-Adjust", by which this can be usually fixed to some degree(?).
    A quick board search revealed that nobody in the german board section reported any issues similar to yours.

    Zitat

    Originally posted by tetsuo
    What you are describing sounds like this sort of "transparent shadow" effect of edges that I seem to keep getting whenever I have to use D-Sub VGA connection instead of DVI.


    Out of interest, which monitor do you have?

    Zitat

    I assume you have already tried "Auto-Adjust", by which this can be usually fixed to some degree(?).


    Yes, I have done but it didn't fix the problem. I can reduce some of the white shadow effect by messing with the Fine/Coarse adjustments, but this results in even more blurring overall.

    Zitat

    A quick board search revealed that nobody in the german board section reported any issues similar to yours.


    OK, thanks, I guess I'll just have to persevere until I find a monitor that isn't affected by this issue. I've seen several Dells, a Xerox, and a Sony that were able to display text flawlessly and with no shadows (even when connected via VGA to a computer with onboard graphics), but they were all TN panels, and I was hoping to get something a bit better.

    Einmal editiert, zuletzt von Klockwise ()