I was just curious what monitor technology people are using. here's an explanation of the types if you haven't heard of them:
Shadow Mask basically a metal sheet with tiny holes that the image passes through. generally more crisp and precise picture quality, but no flat screens with this technology. It's getting hard to find Shadow mask monitors anymore since it's being replaced by Aperture grille. (I'm using a 19" shadow mask monitor)
Aperture Grille uses vertical lines instead of the round holes to display. its held together by two thin wires ("Damper wires") that show up on the screen (espescially white) as thin greyish lines. Chances are, if your monitor is flat screen, its aperture grille (Sony's Trinitron is the same thing as aperture grille) Does anybody using an aperture grille monitor find this annoying when working on photo / design etc. projects? so far I've only really used shadow mask monitors.
LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) all Flat panel montiors and notebook screens are LCD. basically it's two glass plates with liquid crystal material in between. electronic signals turn on individual pixels. I haven't used LCD screens much, but I've heard that the pixels are quite big, and color and quality don't compare very well to shadow mask and aperture grille, so LCD isn't great for image editing.

If you don't know what kind your monitor is look in your manual or try he following test: Open Wordpad or something else with a white background and look closely at your screen. if you see two thin horizontal gray lines on your screen, then its aperture grille.

Thats about as much as I really know about monitor technology and if anything is wrong please correct me.
I'm using a 19" Samsung 950P Shadow mask monitor.

- David :)

Hey David!

Good description. The only thing I would add is that LCD is getting better and better each year. Some of the newer LCD are almost as sharp as the best CRTs. (especially some of the Apple displays I have seen). I think the future is with LCD, although they are still a few years away and still a bit too expensive.

There is a hybrid type of CRT called a slot mask. It's sort of a combination of shadow mask and Aperture grill, but I'm not sure it ever caught on.

I used a shadow mask CRT (Viewsonic 17ps) up until the middle of last year. That’s when I upgraded my system and decided to splurge on a 19" Trinitron. In my opinion, if you want crisp, bright, and glare free images, Aperture Grill is the way to go! The damper lines were a bit distracting at first, but the benefits far out way the two faint little lines. I hardly notice them now, and when I do, I just say to myself, "you are the nice little wires that help make my screen so nice!".... Ok, I don't really say that! :D

Hi Greg,

thats quite interesting about the LCDs. I have't really looked at them much, and from what I've seen I wasn't too impressed, so I'm glad to hear that they're getting better. If the flat panel monitors get equal to shadow mask/ aperture grille for quality I'd definitely be interested in them. my current monitor takes up almost my whole desk and its so heavy its starting to bend my table in at the middle:D

- David

I know what you mean about the bending table! I thought my desk was going to crack in two. So far it has warped a bit but I think it's stable. (I hope!) If I get around to it I'll post a pic in the "work space" thread.

Look at the bright side (bad monitor pun), for my first computer, a Commodore 64, I had to use a 13" color TV!

Like Greg, I'm using an aperture grill, and at the beginning, it was noticeable. When I first used the monitor, quite often I mistakingly thought the lines were part of the image, but after using it for a short time it became non-problematic. Don't even notice them any more. I'm happy with mine.

Ed

I'm also using a Trinitron (aperture grill) monitor. I don't even notice the lines any more - I have to really look to find them. Very rarely I'll think they're part of a photo I'm working on, but that doesn't last for more than a couple seconds before I just move the photo to reposition the part that I'm working on away from the line. -Jeanie

Same here, I use a Mitsubishi 19" and the lines are virtually invisible. Probably get an LCD eventually but space is not at a premium here the desk comprising mahogany planks rescued from a ruined house.

Well, I don't see any lines and from what you all say, they are pretty noticeable so I went with the shadow mask. I have a 21 inch View Sonic that is a few years old so I figure it must be the shadow mask, although that's the first I ever heard of that.
Not so sure I like the thought of lines running through my screen no matter how crisp things are. Think I'll wait til they figure out how to eliminate them. :D
DJ

wow, a 21 inch monitor!! that must be reeally nice for photo editing, it's big enough that you could have the original and the one you're working on side by side. I'm with DJ on waiting til they get rid of the lines. I've heard that they can be really annoying for anybody using CAD programs, since the lines can get confused with lines in the CAD designs.

- David

Yeah, I'm spoiled after using it, I can't get used to the smaller monitors now. I love being able to have several windows open with room to spare. And no scrolling!!!! :D
DJ

I do all my work on a laptop. This way I’m not cooped up in a back room in my apartment and my wife and I do not get in each other’s way.

Is there anything that I should be aware of relative to using a standard monitor? The images appear very sharp and clear, but should I expect any changes when i print?

Alan

Chalk up another trinitron/shadow mask monitor... 21" Sony. Like other folks, took a little while to get used to the two faint gray lines (keep trying to "clone" them away, and they wouldn't :) ) ...

...but haven't noticed them in many months.

Unexpected result: My cat REALLY likes to snooze on top of the monitor while I'm working. I frequently have to move her (overhanging) head or paws in order to point to PS's menus. One more reason to learn more keyboard shortcuts, I guess!

LOL it's funny how cats seem to love monitors. I don't have any pets but when I've been at friend's houses their cats always seem to be hanging around (or on top of the monitors. maybe its the heat the monitor gives off?? it sure can get annoying when you're trying to wokr and you have a big fluffy cat in front of your face trying to rub against the monitor:D

- David

Can't find anything in my book of words about what's inside the tube, but it's a 17" LG Flatron. Great thing about a flat screen is that you can't get reflections back to your eye.

Can't see Dave's grey stripes either :confused:

About kitties: could cause your monitor to overheat if they sleep on top of it. Be wary in summer. One of mine is worse: she loves using my printer as a rubbing post. Cat hairs are really bad for Epsons :sad:

My cats never sleep on my monitor -- it's less than an inch deep.

LCD, of course. To my less than expert eyes, the image quality is as good as my previous CRT monitors, except perhaps for my 1986 Sony Trinitron.

Found this on the Web about the LG Flatron: The 795FT is the only monitor here to use a Flat Tension Mask tube - LG's own Flatron. Essentially, it's a combination of aperture-grille and shadow-mask technology, which produces a completely flat, bright screen, but without the damping wires associated with aperture-grille CRTs.
so maybe I don't have such a bad monitor :cool:

Ahh! Big Al has the rare hybrid. Slot mask!

Hey Greg, tell us more about slot mask technology :square:

I was interested in this too so I did a search on google for it.
from the LG site:

Slot Mask
Also called aperture grille. Serves the same function as the shadow mask except that the slot
mask is made up of vertical wires stretched behind the screen. This mask technology
enables more light to filter through the mask, therefore giving the screen a brighter image.

here's a link to a section on LG's site on Flatron technology:
http://www.lge.com/c_product/pc/monitor/flatron/tech/main.shtml

- David :)

Well I'm using an HP 21" trinitron.

Like everyone else, I don't even notice the lines...and you do really have to look to find them.

I love the big monitor...much easier on the aging eyes.

I've used Aperture Grille monitors since the beginning & I've never been bothered by the lines. Until recently I was working with 2 21" CRT's, the older one's now been replaced with a 19" LCD. Brighter & sharper than anything I've had before & no flicker, so it's much kinder on the eyes.

I'm beginning to wish my main CRT was older, as I'd love to be able to justify the expense of a large LCD: High end LCD's are now capable of displaying the entire gamut of AdobeRGB, something few CRTs have achived. Trouble is they're SO expensive...

not even sure what type mine is. i've had it so long the manual is long gone. i was using this thing back when win98 was still new. it's an NEC multisync 75 and has a great picture....whatever it is.

Craig

I have been coming in and out of this thread many times as I wasn't sure what to check in the poll heading.
I checked shadow mask, as I could not see any grey lines as described in your post David. Mine is a Philips 105S CRT ( yes 15" :blush: :( ) but I am browsing eagerly and longinly to prices for 17" monitors :dizzy: (have to be realistic, can't afford a 19 and least of all a 21 !)

Regards - Martha :wavey:

When I upgraded my hardware I last year I got a LCD monitor (NEC Multi-sync 1760V). I hadn't really got started on photo editing then, but when I did, I started reading that the knowledgeable favor CRT monitors, and that LCD monitors are difficult to calibrate. I haven't made any serious effort to do so, as the controls on the NEC are anything but intuitive, and the prints don't seem too far off, to my inexperienced eye. Would anyone care to comment?

Im using a NEC MultisyncXV17 on the PC - a secondhand piece I bought back when 17inch second hand monitors were more expensive than 21inch new are today............... :oldman:

On the Mac I have a Belina 17inch.

I was contemplating some flat screens because with a second printer added and the worlds largest collection of USB hubs/card readers/zip drives/external hard drives things are getting crowded. Im still not convinced about them - I have never seen a TFT or an LCD that could do yellow convincingly. Is anyone here using them for graphic stuff?

Interested in it two, especially because I'm going to boy a new monitor in the next weeks and definitely favor an LCD for the lower radiation and the flicker of course :)

in general which current model of LCD Displays
would you recommend?


talking about price ranges i heard that these models
are favoured by studios or professional retouchers:

higher range:

- Quato Intelli Color 213 (about 1600,- EUR) > new & award-winning 2006

medium range:

- Eizo s1910 (500,- EUR) > didnt hear any bad things about it.

lower range: dont know, any recommends?

advantage of these 2 models is the ability to display the full Adobe-RGB Colorspace. thats the good thing about some of the LCD-Displays.

currently using an Apple Cinema Display 20" which is fantastic but wouldnt say its 100% colorproof. its ok for the price (740,- EUR) and the colors match at 90% mostly (calibrated). its about 10% to "warm" and shows slightly too much red.