Digital BW, The Print

I'm putting together a digital imaging system, and have pretty much 
decided on a Gateway 700XL running WinXP.  The only question left is 
which monitor: Gateway offers a 20" 1600x1200 flat panel for roughly 
$1k.  Anyone using this?

I've read good things about NEC and Apple LCD displays.  Would I be 
able to use an Apple monitor on my Gateway PC (it comes with a 128MB 
ATI Radeon 9700G Pro AGP video card with DVI).

I know CRTs are a better choice for calibration, but I simply don't 
have room for one in my workspace.  

Thanks for any advice you can offer.  I'm able to spend up to $2k for 
the monitor.

Dan

Dan:  I would stay away from trying to make an Apple display work on 
a PC. Too much signal degrading through the adapter IMHO.

In your price range, you have some potent choices.

Here are what I believe to be the factors:

Contrast.  You want 500:1 or better
Luminance.  You want 250 or better
Dot Pitch.  You want as low as possible.  LCD's are still catching up 
to glass.  The LCD threshold has been around .29, and in your price 
range you'll be able to do better.

A few to check out:
CTX H2300.  Their top model.  $2100 on Tiger Direct
http://www.ctxintl.com/products/lcd_H2300.htm

Samsung SyncMaster 241MP/211MP 
http://www.samsungelectronics.com/monitor/mfm/241mp_overview.html
I've seen it for around $2400 for the 21" model

NEC Multisync 2110
http://www.necmitsubishi.com/products/home/nec_index.cfm
Note that this is an analog-only monitor

I would go to www.dealtime.com or another comparison-shopping service 
and put in your search parameters under Monitors and see what comes 
up.  You can then do your basic research from there and then see if 
you can find reviews on your favorites.

The really big, top of the line models are well over $2k.  For under 
$2k, you can do very well with the slightly smaller 19"-20" models 
and I think this is where the great values are today, as prices are 
plummeting over where they were a year ago.

I just replaced my CRT with a Viewsonic VX900 19" digital display and 
upgraded my video card to a 64 meg Radeon 9000 board.  The monitor 
runs native at 1280x1024 @ 70hz.  Refresh is not the same problem on 
LCDs as it is on CRTs, so you needn't insist on 85hz and above. 

JT 



--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "Dan Honemann 
<dan_honemann@y...>" <dan_honemann@y...> wrote:
> I'm putting together a digital imaging system, and have pretty much 
> decided on a Gateway 700XL running WinXP.  The only question left 
is 
> which monitor: Gateway offers a 20" 1600x1200 flat panel for 
roughly 
> $1k.  Anyone using this?
> 
> I've read good things about NEC and Apple LCD displays.  Would I be 
> able to use an Apple monitor on my Gateway PC (it comes with a 
128MB 
> ATI Radeon 9700G Pro AGP video card with DVI).
> 
> I know CRTs are a better choice for calibration, but I simply don't 
> have room for one in my workspace.  
> 
> Thanks for any advice you can offer.  I'm able to spend up to $2k 
for 

> the monitor.
> 
> Dan

John,

Thanks for your information on LCD panels.

Along with the fine brands you mention, I've also heard good things 
about the Sharp monitors.  Jonathan Sacks uses a Sharp LT--T1820 and 
swears by it.  Two nice features of the Sharp monitors: 10 bit gamma 
correction, and independent, 6 color adjustments.

On the other hand, the Formac 2010 is very tough to beat at its 
current price ($1400).  600:1 contrast ratio, .26 dot pitch (oddly, 
they don't list this spec on their website: I had to hunt for it and 
found it on Cnet), and fast response (10-25 ms).  Not too shabby for 
a 20" LCD.

The problem point with Formac is their disreputable customer 
service.  You can read some horror stories here:

http://hwreviews.netscape.com/hardware/0-2295747-418-20749942.html?
tag=subnav

... including one user who discovered a bug with the monitor using 
the video card I'll have (the ATI Radeon 9700): if you shut down, you 
have to unplug the Formac to get it to display on power-up.

When I called Formac's sales department, I was put on hold.  After 15 
minutes, I hung up.  I phoned a few hours later and was again put on 
hold, this time for 10 minutes.  I asked what the shipping charges 
would be to my address, and was put on hold again--this time for 20 
minutes!  When the salesman finally returned, he had forgotten what 
I'd asked.

If this is what their _sales_ deparment is like, I shudder to think 
of their customer support!

Dan

One last word to those interested in the subject: having researched 
the 20.1" LCD monitors for the past couple of days, I've grown 
convinced that several brands use a common panel: the Fujitsu 
FLC51UXC8V.  This includes the Formac 2010, Viewsonic VX2000, and 
even the 20" LG Electronics panel that comes bundled (as an option) 
with the Gateway 700XL.  The Hitachi CML200B and Planar PL201M look 
like they are also using the same technology (if not the very same 
screen).

Check out the stats: they're identical for all of these monitors.  
The only variable is the shell they're housed in and possibly the 
control features.

Given that, and the fact that the local Gateway store says I can swap 
the monitor if I'm not 100% satisfied with it, my inclination is to 
go with their bundled 20" LCD for $500 less that the Formac and 
Viewsonic versions (which both sell for $1400) and see if that will 
work for me.

Dan