Buying a New Monitor. Plasma?

wxwax · January 19, 2004

My four year old Micron-badged Trinitron monitor is showing tearing along the top edge of the screen. So I figure it's time to buy a new monitor.:deal

I like a large screen. This one's a 19" CRT. I lust after a 22" CRT. But I might settle for a 19" plasma.

I'll be using the monitor for a lot of photography work. What say you about the state of a flat screen for my new purchase? :ear

Mike Werner · January 19, 2004

Make sure that you specify to the salesrep that it's predominatly for photo work. Flat monitors vary with regards to type of usage, ie video games, text, photo and TV.

patch29 · January 19, 2004

What are you looking to spend? Only the most expensive LCD's are ok to color correct on. You do not want a plasma if you are looking at one, I hear they have a screen burn in issue, they are a newer technology, CRTs are tried and true. If your priority is color go CRT, for space savings go LCD. Apple's cinema displays are some of the best LCD's, check to see you can use it on a PC first.

If I was not paying and wanted a new monitor, this is what I would do. I work on a dual monitor set up now. I would continue that with 21" Sony Artisan and a 23" Apple cinema display, both together will run about $3700.00. I think that is what you want, may as well toss in a new G5 mac to work on you photos too.

Now if I am spending my money. I would add a 22" Lacie electronblue to the stable, about $700.00 and once you have it properly calibrated, most users will probably not tell a difference between it and the more expensive Sony. It is a great monitor.

wxwax · January 19, 2004

Great feedback, thanks Patrick. I'll investigate the Lacie, 'cause I'm spending my own money. Artists at work have the Apples, they look great. I suspect they don't run on PCs but I'll check anyway. I don't see the need for dual displays. Our nonlinear editors have them, but they need them (track on one side, sources on the other.) Not sure it makes sense for my usage.

wxwax · January 19, 2004

Mike Werner wrote:

Make sure that you specify to the salesrep that it's predominatly for photo work. Flat monitors vary with regards to type of usage, ie video games, text, photo and TV.

Didn't know that, Mike. I realised some weren't so hot with text.

wxwax · January 19, 2004

Sure is hard to find any reviews of the LaCie 22". Read one positive review by a magazine (Mac.) And one very negative review by an owner.

Strengths:
Great dot pitch and sharpness. Incredible resolution. Unbeatable price... However...
Weaknesses:
Pathetic color control for a "reference" monitor. Even with the LaCie blue eye calibrator shows obvious color impurities across screen face.
Summary:
If you just want a monitor that's big and has fantastic resolution, this is pretty much awesome. However, if you plan to use this for color accurate work... think again. This is the FOURTH LaCie monitor I"ve bought, and now the last. Each monitor has experienced a color shift over time. The first one took a year or two before it got so fuzzy it was unusable for anything. Warranty replaced it. Then the next one I bought began to show a STRONG color shift: heavy on the blue/green on one side and heavy on the magenta on the other. Manual controls couldn't fix it. Blue Eye controls don't fix it (this reads ony the center of the monitor). Nothing fixed. it. Other friends have had similar problems too. Seems to be a chronic problem with these monitors. And no, it's not environmental interference. Finally, I bought a 22blue IV thinking it was just time for a new monitor. Wrong. This started showing its "true colors" within a week. Same color shift across the screen. Same attempts to fix it: same NO LUCK. I returned it yesterday and despite taking a hit on shipping to/from vendor, it just wasn't worth having. Just not acceptable for someone needing and expecting precise colors.

I also talked to a guy who recommends Apple monitors. He's not sure if they suffer when hooked up to a PC. He says you need an ADC (Apple Digital Connector) to DVI (Digital Video Interface) connector. And a video card that supports DVI. Then there's the separate issue of calibrating the monitor. At this point, I'm hopelessly out of my depth. Glug, glug, glug...

:hang

patch29 · January 19, 2004

wxwax wrote:

I also talked to a guy who recommends Apple monitors. He's not sure if they suffer when hooked up to a PC. He says you need an ADC (Apple Digital Connector) to DVI (Digital Video Interface) connector. And a video card that supports DVI. Then there's the separate issue of calibrating the monitor. At this point, I'm hopelessly out of my depth. Glug, glug, glug...

:hang

I saw that too, so it will work, just wondering how well. On a mac the canned profile tends to be pretty close.

patch29 · January 19, 2004

wxwax wrote:

Sure is hard to find any reviews of the LaCie 22".And one very negative review by an owner.

I am surprised, by the bad review. Given that we know nothing of him, how he used it, if he profiled it, what computer/video card it was hooked up to and if he found a monitor he liked I do not know if I would banish it over one review. He could work for Sony?

I do not have experience with the 22" only a dream. A friend of mine has 3 19" lacie monitors and they have been great. I enjoy working on them. Maybe he hit a bad batch? I rate them second to the Sony Artisan. Mitusbishi is supposed to have a very good monitor, I think they use the same tubes as Lacie, it is called a Diamatron(?).

I work on a 19" Sony Trinitron and it has worked well for over two years. I will replace it when I have the money for a larger monitor, but the colors are fine for what I do.

fish · January 19, 2004

Waxy, you can get a 21" Sony trinitron CRT for less than $600. If space is not an issue, then I'd recommend it. CRTs are much more flexible in resolution settings than flat panels.

But what do I know? I'm a monitor luddite and don't even have a digital video card yet.

Buying a New Monitor. Plasma?

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