I'm looking at getting an LCD flatscreen at the moment, something like this (http://www.mitsubishi-electric.com.au/PRODUCTS/COMPP/tft/dv152.htm).

Does anyone here use one, and what do you think of it? Anything to look out for when buying?

I'm looking at them because of size, making them easier to move around without going all the way to a laptop. I also prefer flat screens, but cathode ray flat screens are very bulky. Main concerns are the blurry trails you get with motion. But are the trails as bad on these as they are on laptops? Are they easy on the eyes, and is picture quality good?

I've been looking at them around computer fairs, but it's hard to have a decent look at them there. Any help is appreciated!

Blurry trails? When was the last time you used a laptop? Slow fade used to be a problem with old displays, but I've never heard anyone complain about it with TFT displays.

I haven't used a laptop for quite some time, at least not a recent model, which is partly the reason I'm asking. I realise TFT improved things a lot, but from what I've seen they still have slow fades compared to a CRT. But you reckon there's no slow fade problem anymore? If so, that's exactly what I want to hear!

Well, it might be worse than high-end CRTs... but if it is, my eyesight isn't good enough to tell the difference.

my ibm's tft kicks. ok when i put it next to a crt showing the same image the colours dont match but thats prolly down to other things. the tft is great for surfing and im's cos it dont hurt your eyes so much.the best advice i can give is to go to a pc superstore and look at the screens and see which ones you like. which one suits you etc. then walk out and buy online and save the money :) best of both worlds and what i always do if i can.

I've got a Gateway 17" TFT and I love it, I am thinking of getting another one for my other computer.

They are expensive, but with the desk space saving, I think they are worth it.

And they are very good for gaming :)

Toms Hardware Guide recently did a breakdown of flatpanel displays.. You might want to check there.


http://www4.tomshardware.com/display/02q1/020114/index.html

One thing to watch out for when buying these is dead pixels. From what I understand they are very common in LCD's.. very common as in you're almost guarunteed 2 dead pixels. newegg.com, my favorite hardware vendor, wont let you return LCD's unless there is more then 8 dead pixels! I don't know about you but that would annoy the heck out of me! That said, if I could afford one, I would buy one in a heartbeat, they're so darn cool :D.

Thanks for all the help, that Tom's Hardware link is excellent if anyone else is looking at them too, thanks redjack.

It's looking as though it's best to spend a little more to get a mid-high level model rather than a base model. Sounds as though most of the base models leave something to be desired, whereas the higher ones are getting close to a CRT in terms of picture quality.

Color is never quite the same between cathode and LCD - I always tend to have a CRT hooked up to my laptop when it's not going anywhere so I can still work with color. If that's not a major issue then it's a moot point

The trailing is pretty well a thing of the past now. Even my Sony Cybershot's LCD doesn't show trailing or blurring when using the viewfinder - it also does video so I'd know it if I saw it. :)

Greg Moore

Originally posted by akashik
Color is never quite the same between cathode and LCD - I always tend to have a CRT hooked up to my laptop when it's not going anywhere so I can still work with color. If that's not a major issue then it's a moot point


I suppose that begs the question about what it's like for graphics work. No good or good enough?

I can't speak for modern screens too much but I would assume the theory would hold...

Color on an LCD tends to be just that. The color is there due to the cyrstals being turned on to make it so. A cathode tube gives color a deeper resonance (for the lack of a better word). The gun fires from the back onto the screen giving color a warmer glow in my opinion.

Colors like blue are naturally 'cooler' colors so this doesn't show so much, but 'warmer' colors like orange, yellow, and even green to an extent tend to look flatter and less vivid.

When making a site with an LCD I've noticed it's a lot easier to under estimate the strength of those warmer colors and the results can be a little disturbing. One xample I remember of using orange through an LCD looked nice until I saw it on a CRT - the result there looked like a 10 car pileup.

Having said that, an active matrix LCD may address the issue better.. Err, did that make any sense?

Greg Moore

I'm not a real fan of LCD screens.

If I were you i'd go out and buy a Sony Trinitron. Excellent monitor there, i've been told by a 3d modling friend of mine that it's far better than his other LCD screen. Though, it could just be a crappy screen.

Trinitron screens look really really sharp, excellent dot pitch and other nifty features. Pretty expensive, but really impressive :D

I'm hoping to get a 19" or 21" one of 'em soon.
I got a crappy ADI 17" :(

Originally posted by NetXL
buy a Sony Trinitron.

I have a house full of stuff from Playstations, to video camera, digital still camera, mobile phone etc etc.. all made by Sony. Never had a cause to complain about any of them... they just make good things. :)

Greg Moore

From what I know, they still have those colour problems. Not as pronounced as before, because the technology is constantly improving of course. Apparently they used to have problems with getting a pure black, but have since rectified that. Now it seems most of them have problems at the extremes (R, G and B below about 5 or above about 255), and some have slight colour balance problems (as Greg said, the red is a little weak, although I think the weak/strong colours vary between monitors, not always red).

I'll have a look at that Sony Trinitron too, thanks for the tip.