Monitors What to look for in an LCD Monitor

S

Scramjet

Disciple
What should I look for when buying an LCD monitor? If I were buying a CRT monitor I'd look for the screen size,
max. resolution, and the colour depth and refresh rate possible at that resolution.
But it seems to be different for LCD monitor. here's an example :-

LG L1515S Specs -

Brightness-250Cd/m2
Colors-16.2M
Contrast Ratio-400:1
Pixel Pitch(mm)-0.297(H)x0.297(V)
Resolution-1024x768
Response time-25ms
Viewing angle-160/140(H/V)
Mechanical
EMC-FCC-B, CE, VCCI-2
Ergonomics-TCO-99,ISO9241-3,7,8
Sync & Video
H-Scanning Freq-31-63 KHz
Sync Compatibility-Separate
V-Scanning Freq-56-75KHz
Video Input-RGB Analog

What does it all mean? Which all parameters should I consider while buying? Which of these values correspond to
Refresh Rate, Bit-Depth. etc?
Right now I don't do any gaming, but I might in the future.
 
1. 16.2 m colors means its a 6 bit panel...which means not gud colour reproduction (16.7 m panels are much better imo)

2. Contrast ratio, is a ratio representation of the difference between the darkest black & bright(est) white a lcd panel can display afaik. (the more the better)

3. PixelPitch is the actual size of each visible pixel on the panel. (the less the better imo)

4. Response time is the time it takes a pixel to turn from black to white. (the less the better)

5. Viewing angles are the angles at which the picture on the lcd remain visible. (the more the better)

I may be wrong about some of these though...
 
Add to what joess posted...

Thumb rule while buying LCD's...

Whats the brightness levels... higher the better...

Whats the response time... lower the better...

Advantages/Disadvantages of wide screens...

DVI is better as against Analog input...

These are the very basic things you should look forward before buying a LCD
 
joess said:
5. Viewing angles are the angles at which the picture on the lcd remain visible. (the more the better)

I may be wrong about some of these though...
Click to expand...

Unless like some of us you watch p0rn in which case the less the viewing angle the better :) You dont want people walking into the room to be able to see you watching this !!
 
^^lol...true....but I've placed my computer table in such a way that one would have to enter my room & turn all the way around to see wats on the screen & by the time they do that, I can switch watever's on the screen to the background.:D
 
joess said:
^^lol...true....but I've placed my computer table in such a way that one would have to enter my room & turn all the way around to see wats on the screen & by the time they do that, I can switch watever's on the screen to the background.:D
Click to expand...

exactly same here.
 
Thanks for all the replies.
What kind of a response time would be the equivalent of 75-85Hz?
Or is it a combination of Response time, Vertical and Horizontal scanning frequency?
Similarly what would be the equivalent of 24 or 32-Bit Colour depth - 16.7M Colours?
What would you consider an acceptable Brightness level?
 
^^I dont think you can compare Response Times in LCDs with refresh rates in CRTs, if thats what you're tryin' to do. Again I may be wrong here. But, even if that was possible, It would not be helpful because of the way response times are advertised.

24-bit image format contains 16.8M = 2^24 aka High colors

32-bit image format aka True colors contains a 24-bit image (i.e. 16.8M colors) and an 8-bit image called the alpha channel.
 
If you just want to learn the technical aspects of LCD tech, I don't think this is the right place. On the other hand, if you're just looking for what your subject reads, go with what the others said; higher brightness, contrast and lower response time.In my case, I look at the response time as the deciding factor. A higher response time will lead to ghosting which can really kill the fun in DVDs and gaming. Brightness/ contrast doesn't matter much to me as my room is not brightly lit. As for the viewing angle, if I wanted to watch my movies in a group, I'd do it on my TV.Just my 2 bits...
 
Naga - I am looking for what the subject reads. I understand that I have to go for lower response times, but to what extent, is the question. I guess you would answer that it would vary from person to person. In case of CRT monitors you can have Refresh Rates of 60-85Hz. In that case too, to each his own. But would you seriously recommend that someone buy a monitor that can do only 60Hz at 1024x768 res? I guess what I'm asking for is the threshold for a decent gaming experience.

As for the whole issue of 6-Bit, 8-bit panel; 16.2,16.8M colours, what would be the options available in the 'Display Properties' after you've installed the monitor drivers? For a CRT, you'd have the option of changing the Bit-Depth, Resolution and Refresh rate. Likewise what are the options available if an LCD is installed? Maybe that will help ease the confusion a bit.
 
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