Suggestions for a Monitor

The number of dead pixels on my monitor screen has finally got the better of me, so it is time to get a new monitor, and this time I think I'll go large.

So, which is the best monitor technology right now?

What connectors MUST I have?

Should I get a 40 inch TV/Monitor, and hang it on the wall opposite my desk, so I can watch TV or play Second Life, or should I not mix a monitor with a TV screen, and go for a desk monitor instead with a smaller screen size?

All recommendations/suggestions welcomed.

Rock

Although I'm starting to see this trend with computer monitors (those advertised as true 16:9 as opposed to the 16:10 most widescreen monitors are), television-used-as-monitor is not always an ideal situation. Here's why: With computer monitors, larger size often also translates to higher resolutions. Not so with televisions, as their resolutions are fixed regardless of size. It is for this reason one can get a sharper picture on a smaller TV screen. Modern 16:9 televisions are resolution-fixed to either 1280x720 (720p) or 1920x1080(1080p). While the latter certainly has a high enough resolution to render a reasonably-sharp image on a screen 20-40 inches in size, you will find yourself having to sit farther away from the screen the larger you go or else the image will appear grainy. Most mid-sized computer monitors are capable of exceeding HDTV resolutions and are much more suited for computer use, where you might need to sit closer than across the living room from your computer.

On the other hand, if your budget is tight and you need to replace your TV anyway, then going the HDTV route probably isn't such a bad idea.

I wonder if this would work in SL. I've seen the WOW demo, and it is amazing.

http://www.nvidia.com/object/product_GeForce_3D_VisionBundle_us.html

Get the largest resolution on the biggest screen with the highest refresh rate your budget will allow.
I use a cheap usb DigitalTV unit. (ThumbDrive sized) Simple to use with Linux, no setup needed just plug it in.
This way, you can watch TV in a resizable screen in a corner. Or, use the old monitor to the side.
Im in AU so can't comment on brands or prices.

I'm partial to the ViewSonic VX monitors (VX is the pro series). I hear the MAC monitors are very good also.

Rock, don't get the large TV that can work with your computer.. the number of pixels is almost the same as an old 17" CRT monitor (1024, 1080, not much difference). The most pixels per square inch will always give the best picture, unless it's paired with other cheap components.

I'll recommend the top-end models from Samsung, LG, Dell, and Sharp.. in that order.
Of all the companies that sell LCD monitors and TV's, the only ones that actually *make* their own lcd panels and sell them under their own name are Samsung, LG, and Sharp. Dell comes highly recommended and I suspect they only buy the best panels to put in their top monitors. Samsung and LG are arguably the leaders in the field.

Dead pixels suck

Reguardless of what size monitor you'd like to have, only buy what your video card can support (at full native resolution). In SL, a 24" monitor at it's native resolution will tend to really stress all but the top end video cards pretty good. That's not a great thing if you plan on keeping that card for a while. A 22", 20", or 19", or one of the widescreen variants is a lot more feasible unless you have the uber computer.

When choosing connector options, only prioritize the ones you can actually use. HDMI is good but only if your video card has that option. Using the monitors HDMI port with other HDMI devices like DVD player will look like shit. The monitor will most likely be at least twice the native resolution of a 1080p signal and have to down-convert, resulting in a nasty grainy picture. DVI-D is a good all-around option as most video cards nowdays have a DVI port. The old analog VGA D-plug is out of date, but *can* infact be handy to have if you have a backup video card that supports it.

Best monitor technology hasn't made it to PC monitors yet, I don't think.. That would be the new LED(OLED) displays. Look around, I may be wrong on that, but right now they are the king of flat panel TV's. Next best thing I would think is the LCDs with the 240Hz refresh rate. Samsung was the first, tho I'm sure there are others making them by now.

Don't be fooled by marketing ploys like "dynamic" contrast ratio. One that lists a dynamic contrast of 10000:1 or 15000:1 is NOT better than one that lists a true ratio of 1500:1 or higher. They deliberately blur all that so the chances of someone buying it thinking they're getting something better are higher. Comparison shopping is the key.

Yes, I'm done

Many thanks Dana, excellent advice, and thanks to the others who replied too.

I am thinking of buying this new one from LG, unless anyone has a better suggestion:

http://www.lge.com/products/model/detail/w2363v.jhtml

Rock

Nice monitor!

Do you live in Japan? I don't see where it is listed as available anywhere else.

Nice choice It's pretty much the same as my 22" LG, though it has a 16:9 aspect ratio, a higher native resolution, and a few more internal features. Oh mine doesn't have speakers either lol.

Only thing I'll say up front about it, other than I'm sure you're going to freakin' love that monitor , is be aware that you'll probably run into a *noticable* aspect ratio change just like I did when I got mine.

Here's a cool graphic to help visualize what the aspect change might be like...



You can find the amount of stretching/squishing that will happen between any two resolutions/aspect ratios by following the aspect ratio line until it crosses one of the edge lines for a different one. The difference is how much your current picture will stretch or be compressed on the new monitor.
I was bored so I drew up an example of how much a screen would stretch if going from 1680x1050 (16:10) to 1920x1080 (16:9)...


16:9 is real wide.. people are going to look overweight probably.

It is available on the Amazon uk site, with a 2-4 week quoted delivery period, and at an incredible £179.44 !!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/LG-W2363V-inch-LCD-Monitor/dp/B002OB5JAO/ref=pd_rhf_p_t_1

Rock

Sweet! If that thing ever finds its way onto US shores, I'm going to have to snap one up!

I have a "VideoBox" Computer with a 1.5TB of storage connected to my 56" HDTV and we leave the resolution at 1024x768 because its so hard to see at higher resolutions. Even at 1024x768 we have to turn on larger text just to be able to read the movie files from the couch.

I don't think a T.V. is the way to go for a computer screen. Much too hard to read.

I just bought the smaller version(without PIP) of that 2 weeks ago: W2061TQ.

Unbelievable monitor and extremely fast with the 2ms response time. It works fantastic even with my older Nvidia 8800GT card and I am very pleased.