..:: Free Radical ::..
Forerunner
Mid-range LCDs demystified
Introduction
There is a mind boggling variety of LCD monitors in the mid-range, (for the purpose of the article, considered Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 20,000). Since this is where the money lies for the manufacturers and the most margins that they make, it is also the most rife with marketing propaganda.
This is something to help you read between the lines and help you make a decision about your purchase.
Since I am not an expert and there are many variables which affect the quality of an LCD , not all of which can be quantified, I will merely point out facts, some of which obvious and some not so obvious.
[BREAK= LCD specifications and why you should care]
LCD specifications and why you should care
For the purpose of the thread, I would take a look at the Dell LCDs. Dell is a popular brand, mostly known for their value for money LCDs, and by far the most trusted choice amongst buyers.
I am a bit prejudiced towards Dell as I am planning to purchase a monitor from them. But should you trust Dell? The answer my friend is blowin’ in the wind (or rather in the specs).
The following are the monitors which are currently available:
(Specs are directly taken from Dell's website)
|||||
E2209W|16:10|1680|1050|20.13" (511.20 mm)|16.01 inches (406.7 mm)
S2209W|16:9|1920|1080|20.6"|15.0"
S2309W|16:9|1920|1080|21.83"|15.8"
S2409W|16:9|1920|1080|22.72" (576.96 mm)|16.39" (416.9 mm)
E248WFP|16:10|1920|1200|22.04" (559.7 mm)|17.17" (436.3 mm)
From here I mean:
Dell E2209W Widescreen Flat Panel Monitor Details
Dell S2209W Flat Panel Monitor
http://accessories.dell.com/sna/products/Displays/productdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=corp&sku=320-7339
Dell S2409W 24-inch Widescreen Flat Panel Monitor
Dell : Dell E248WFP 24-inch Widescreen Black Flat Panel LCD Monitor : Monitors :
And here’s where you are wrong. Look below and compare.
||||||||||
2209WA|22|16:10|1680|1050|0.282|90|47.4|29.6|18.7|11.7
E2209W|22|16:10|1680|1050|0.282|90|47.4|29.6|18.7|11.7
S2209W|21.5|16:9|1920|1080|0.248|102.46|47.6|26.8|18.8|10.6
S2309W|23|16:9|1920|1080|0.265|96|50.8|28.6|20|11.25
S2409W|24|16:9|1920|1080|0.276|91.78|53.1|29.9|20.9|11.76
E248WFP|24|16:10|1920|1200|0.270|94|51.8|32.4|20.4|12.8
Most manufacturers mention the monitor dimensions including the bezel and the unwary buyer is lured by the figures into buying something he/she may not appreciate in the long term.
Look at how different the actual screen dimensions are from the figures mentioned in the Tech specs.
Well you ain't seen nothin' yet!
[BREAK=LCD Sizes: Facts]
LCD Sizes: Facts
From the last table, it is clear that you should not blindly rely on specs available on the manufacturers website. It is always best to look at a monitor in person. Since that may not be always possible, there is a way to ascertain the actual viewable screen size of a monitor.
Two parameters rather,
Pixel density(PPI) and Dot Pitch
You can calculate this yourself using
1. Calculate diagonal resolution in pixels using Pythagora's Theorem
2. Calculate PPI:
where
- dp is diagonal resolution in pixels,
- wp is width resolution in pixels,
- hp is height resolution in pixels and
- di is diagonal size in inches. (This is the number advertised as the size of the display.)
Or the easy way using Display Dimensions Calculator
Conversely if the Dot Pitch, PPI, typical resolution is known, you can calculate the actual screen size. So Dot Pitch and Pixel Density are the only two specs you should really care about.
Still confused with all those numbers? I get it. Proceed to the next page. It will put an end to your misery.
[BREAK=LCD sizes: Explained]
LCD sizes: Explained
A 15†4:3 old school CRT is 12†wide and 9†high. But we are discussing LCDs aren’t we.
From the table where I have listed the actual viewable LCD sizes, it is apparent that:
- The 21.5†16:9 Dell S2209W (or the BenQ E2200HD which has the same panel) is only 1½ “ taller than a 15†CRT !!! (though it is about 7 inch wider.
- The 22†16:10 Dell 2209WA and E2209WFP is about 1.1†(about 3 cm) taller than the 16:9 counterpart S2209W (E2200HD) and 7 cm taller and 17 cm wider than the old school 15 incher. That by most perspectives is quite a good height to view at a comfortable and ergonomic distance of 3 feet / arms length.
- The 22†16:10 Dell 2209WA and E2209WFP is approximately the same width as the counterpart S2209W (E2200HD). That means you are sacrificing height for NO increase in width. This makes the S2209W (E2200HD) a very bad excuse of a monitor. The loss in height is disproportionate making it very unreasonable to use for anything other than 16:9 movie viewing. And in even that, the video size in both 22†16:10 and 21.5 “ 16:9 is the same. The latter is essentially a 22†16:10 with the height chopped off so you don’t see black bars in videos (and toolbars in explorer).
- Even the 23†16:9 is 1 cm shorter in height than a 22†16:10, though about 1.3†or almost 6cm wider. An interesting proportion, what’s more interesting is the 96 PPI, a pixel perfect proportion for graphic designers who use the standard 96 dpi in their graphics. That’s all great but where are all the monitors? Last I heard there are very few monitors in this bracket like the S2309W, which by default is not good enough for graphic designing, but hey, this is an interesting segment. And its 16:9 for your HD videos.
- The 24†16:9 S2409W is about half an inch wider and a whole inch shorter than its aging sibling, the 24†16:10 E248WFP. And just in case you are wondering, the S2409W is half an inch taller and a whole inch wider than the S2309W. But something to note here, both the S2209W and S2309W, and even the E248WFP lack an HDMI port whereas big bro S2409W has it. This makes S2409W perfect for 1080p videos and for console gaming on HDMI! Something which tilts the balance entirely in favour of the S2409W.
- The 24†16:10 E248WFP is quite old and may be available for a bargain now. With its high resolution, you can watch 1080p videos with black bars and 1:1 pixel mapping and also increase office productivity since you can view two pages of a document tiled side by side, without having to squint or using a magnifying glass.
- The Dot-Pitch may well be considered as an index of value for money, if you are only considering screen sizes as the index. Notice that bigger size screens have a larger dot pitch meaning there is more distance between the pixels (i.e. low pixel density). Though after a certain limit this big dot pitch becomes annoying as in the case of the large screen LCD TVs, a dot pitch of 0.82 is very acceptable and pleasing to the eye. Those with good eyesight prefer having a smaller dot pitch however a dot pitch of 0.248 is too small to be perceived by the average human eye, so it won’t make a difference if you are watching a 1080p or a 720p on a 21.5†16:9., though text may appear more sharper due to the resolution.
Here’s a pic of the default Vista Aurora wallpaper if the above facts are too difficult to grasp.
It is to scale. Click on the image to see the actual dimensions accurate to 1 decimal place!
Now you see the big picture eh?
[BREAK=Technical Jargon]
Technical Jargon
Considering that most of the monitors in the mid range are dominated by TN panels notorious for their bad viewing angles, it is advisable to buy a monitor with the most adjustable stand so that you can adjust the view according to your needs. But since a good stand also comes at a premium, it makes the whole debacle pointless.
What’s a TN panel btw. Now I have already put quite an effort explaining monitor sizes, I hope you can put some effort reading this elsewhere.
To make a long story short, just look at this tableHere’s a bunch of great sites explaining the technical lingo about panel types.Wanna know what panel a particular monitor has? Search the database here:
Monitor Panel Search Database
www.flatpanelshd.com - Your guide to flat panel monitors and TVs - Panel Search
If you want to compare video sizes, check this out :If you wanna compare viewing angles, go here:Here’s another LCD module database:If you want to compare different LCD specs, here’s another linkIf you really wanna know how good (or bad) your LCD is, see it for yourself:I'll try to put an end to your misery in the next page www.flatpanelshd.com - Your guide to flat panel monitors and TVs - Panel Search
[BREAK=Recommendations and Thoughts]
Recommendations and Thoughts
Ok. This was supposed to be a brief shootout of Mid-Range / VFM / Bang for the buck LCDs and not a tour-de-force in LCD Theory. So we are back to square one. What to buy?
I won’t recommend the S2209W or the E2200HD due to the reasons cited. Those on a tight budget still may wanna check it out. However, know this, the higher the resolution of the monitor, the more the graphic card power you’ll need to play games on it and since the dot pitch is so small, it would not even be worth the extra horse power you’ll need. In other words a lose-lose situation
You may well get a 16:10 22 incher for that price.
Particularly because the 1680x1050 resolution would not tax your GPU that much and your current graphic card, if good enough for current PC games, may still be able to run newer PC games reasonably.
The 23†16:9 segment is interesting as said before. If you watch a lot of HD videos, it may be a good buy. But for a few bucks more you can get a S2409W.
The S2409W is currently the best in it class. It does 1080p without compromising on screen space and the HDMI means that it rocks for consoles while looking pretty, and no issues of audio routing. It has been reviewed by our very own Cyn1c. So if you are waiting for a multimedia monitor, look no further.
The Mid-Range (Rs.10,000-Rs.20,000) has not seen a premium panel EVER! Until recently it was dominated by TN panels which though cheap to produce have poor contrast, poor color reproduction, color-shifts, worst viewing angles, rather worst in almost everything except the price range, response time and input lag among lcds. But then, you only get what you pay for. This is about to change with the launch of Dell’s Ultrasharp 2209WA. Its a 16:10 22 incher with one difference. Its an IPS panel or as Dell calls it “e-IPSâ€, which translated means that it brings with it accurate color reproduction, no color shifts and great viewing angles. Since its a new generation IPS, it comes with the hope of no ghosting or noticeable input lag. It also has a great stand which is the icing on the cake, providing tilt (forward-backward), pivot (horizontal-vertical), swivel (left-right) and height adjustment, a must have productivity enhancement for everyone who read a lot on the monitor.
So how do you feel now? Less miserable or more miserable? Whatever it is, it ain't my fault. God knows, I have suffered enough. I only wanted to share the fruit of my suffering. Proceed to the conclusion (if you haven't already!!)
[BREAK=Prices and Conclusion]
Prices and Conclusion
Here are the quotes I got from a Dell rep with no mention of taxes and shipping.
Dell rep said:
Our very own Rockfella is offering them for much cheaper with price inclusive of shipping and taxes. Infact, I couldn’t manage to get better quotes after months of negotiations, small talk and smart talk on the phone.
Rockfella said:
Lets hope that the Dell guys are reasonable with the pricing of the 2209WA, and they will have a sure winner.
If so, I’ll be absolutely, certainly, surely going for the Ultrasharp 2209WA.
Had the 2209WA not entered the fray, I would have got the S2409W.
I am running an IC for the 2209WA here.
http://www.techenclave.com/hot-deals-and-discussions/ic-dell-ultrasharp-2209wa-22-inch-127120.html
Join in. Even if you want some other Dell monitor, we can still club orders!
With multiple orders, I am positive we’ll get a better deal.
Hope you enjoyed the ride.
FR.
Thanks a lot for that. Will surely help a lot of people in deciding the correct monitor. Repped 
!!
