If you could have any monitor what would it be and why? Doug’s new purchase has given me the shopping bug…that and my monitor has been getting darker. Currently I have a Hitachi SuperScan Elite 751 and I have enjoyed it, but it is getting close to time to invest in a new one. I’ve heard for color management CRTs are still the way to go. Also one web article I read today talked about LaCie monitors which are suppose to be great for being true to color.

Ideas, thoughts, pros, cons, sites to look at, any information would be appreciated!


THANKS,

~T

My dream monitor used to be the Mitsubishi 2040. Then they discontinued it and I wanted the 2060. Then they discontinuted it and I finally got the 2070. I could only afford it because I saved $300 by getting a refurb. The only regret is that I couldn't also get the hardware calibration option (another $600).

Originally posted by Doug Nelson
The only regret is that I couldn't also get the hardware calibration option (another $600).

Ouch! That's a hefty option price.

PM,

The Samsung sounds like a pretty good model. I will add it to my review list along with Doug's Mitsubishi. Thanks for the info guys!.

~T

A friend recently bought one of the big Syncmasters, and is very happy with it. It had the smallest pixel pitch (.20 or .21, I forget which) of any of the big-screen CRTs he compared.

I'll go with Mitsubishi monitors presently using a 19" Diamond Plus which is about 2 years old but Dougs comments on his new aquisition has wetted my appetite. I recently bought an Hitachi CML175SXWB(TFT) for WP, its excellent for office work but still well out of the running for Photoshop work.

Did you new monitor come with a crane to lift it onto the desk Doug?

Chris: No crane, but the UPS driver had to help me into my house with the shipping box. Lifting it out and putting it on my desk wasn't that difficult (I'm a macho guy, 75lbs don't bother me :) ) but fine-tuning the placement on the desktop has proven to be just about impossible. It won't scoot at all, and has to be actually lifted to move it even 1/2".

One thing I didn't take into consideration was the depth of the unit. It's less an inch away from my back wall and is still at least 6" closer to my face. I still haven't decided if this is a bad thing (it's kind of fun to have almost edge-to-edge visual field coverage, but it can't be good for me).

Aside from the brightness (the "SB" in the name stands for "Super Bright", and I discovered a button on the front panel that can shift it into two even brighter modes) and the sheer size of things, the biggest adjustment for me is getting used to the flatness. I didn't even take that into consideration when comparing monitors, but it's making a huge difference for me in viewing (that would be a good difference).

One drawback to having this big of a screen is little flaws are visible. It's impossible to have perfect RGB alignment throughout the screen (even though there are a staggering amount of settings and controls for this, one even compensates for the Earth's magnetic field) and I've found tiny red and green outlines on the edges of some high-contrast content. They'd be invisible on a smaller monitor or if I used a higher resolution.

21"? ....You guys think too small! :D My dream monitor.... (http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/eCS/Store/en/-/USD/SY_DisplayProductInformation-Start;sid=lLYntUEjj-AntX4KPuEtvg4vs7xtgVhrkVc=?CatalogCategoryID=p_EKC0%2eN4ZcAAAD2BrUtWLe1&ProductID=y6gKC0%2eNeWsAAAD2dzctWLe6&Dept=cpu)


Now if only I had $2000....

I thought I'd seen that Sony somewhere before!

Now that's a monitor... :lol:

I forgot to ask Doug what does the Mitsubishi cost in the US?

It's about $700, but I bought a refurb for $490. Shipping was another $50.

Goes for about £560 here which is roughly the same, rarely see refurb stock here.

Thanks for all the information. I have narrowed it down between the Mitsubishi 2070 and the LaCie ElectronBlue IV.

Has anyone heard about the LaCie monitors? Pros/Cons? And the big question, is the color management option worth the investment (both monitors offer it)?

~T

I thought the LaCie were simply re-branded Mitsubishis.

As for the calibration unit, I asked Mitsubishi and they told me it could be added anytime later.

What about a Sony?

Real-world dream monitor? I'd say Sony's Artisan. Built-in and very well integrated color calibration, with extremely good linearity and tone. Not cheap at $1600 for a 21" set, but a lot cheaper than the nearest competition (Barco, at $3K+).

NEC's DiamondPro would be my next choice.

Okay Sony has been added to the list. I will do some research on it. Thanks for the replies. :)


~T

The research is half the fun! :D

Yes Greg I agree that the research is half the fun...the hard part is choosing!

;)

Okay after much research I finally went with the SONY GDM-C520 with Artisan Color Reference System ($$$ OUCH). Actually I got a respectable deal on it and so far so good. I did a lot of comparison shopping and found the best deal I could.

Start with a Monitor
The heart of the Artisan system is the Sony GDM-C520K monitor, a state-of-the-art 21-inch flat-screen Trinitron with a low, 0.24mm aperture-grille pitch that supports horizontal scan frequencies from 30kHz to 130kHz and vertical refresh rates from 48Hz to 170Hz -- all of which adds up to sharp, flicker-free performance even at high resolutions. It has all the advanced controls you'd expect from a high-end monitor, including individual red, green, and blue gain and bias controls, and separate convergence controls for top, center, and bottom, conveniently accessible through a joysticklike control on the front bezel. But what makes the Artisan system much more than just another monitor is the Artisan sensor and calibration software.


I've got to let it warm up for an hour before I can calibrate it for the first time. I am eager to see how the printing results turn out, as in the past I had to print a couple of copies and tweak a few times before I got the prints to match the screen. I am hoping this investment will produce more accurate prints.


If you are interested in it, there's a good review on it at Macworld (http://www.macworld.com/2003/01/reviews/sonyartisan/)


Yea a new toy!!!!! :tongue:


Of course I am going to have to eventually upgrade my poor little Pentium II computer as it is quite over tasked but still a trooper!

Wow....I think that costs more than my first car did! :D Have fun with the new toy...I think I speak for many people here when I say....I'm jealous!!

Well I should only be on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for a couple of months ;), but hopefully the print results will all make it all worth while.

Hey T!

Sounds like you've got a great new toy.. but I can't be too jealous, I already bought my share of new stuff this summer (rebuilt computer system, digital camera and printer!)
anyways, enjoy your new monitor, it sounds like a beauty!!

- David :)

Thanks all! Too late to play with it today, so I hope to put it through the paces tomorrow.

Okay, I lied...couldn't wait till tomorrow to try one print. I ran the calibration and it was extremely easy to do and fast ( as well as cool to watch). Then I went to an image I had recently done...boy did it change colors! No wonder it takes a lot of tweaking to get my prints right. Well I readjusted the colors and ran a test print and I am happy to say that the colors printed true to how I saw them on the screen. YES!


Bad thing is that I have two grey horizontal lines running across the screen that are really bothering me. One 2" from the top and the other 2 1/2" from the bottom. :depressed

T - the gray lines are part of the "design" of aperture grill monitors (of which the Trinitron is one). All of my monitors have had them and I don't even notice them any more - unless I'm working on a close-up of a very light portion of an image. Your eyes should get used to them.

That said, I did have one monitor that seemed to have much more prominent lines than any other I'd worked on. I exchanged that monitor!

For more info, click here (http://www.pcguide.com/ref/crt/crtMask-c.html).

Jeanie

P.S. Congrats on the new toy! WOW!! :)

Thanks Jeaniesa And PM,

Well it's my first monitor with lines, but if they are suppose to be there I know I can get use to them. Just wanted to make sure it wasn't a defect.

I am very impressed with the color management capabilities and as Jeaniesa pointed out I am sure in time I won't even notice them. Just an adjustment factor for me.

This baby does weigh a ton though...whopping 78 pounds. I have a tiered desk so it was quite the struggle for me to place it on the top. I had asked my husband for help, but after waiting for an hour and two requests I gave up and struggled with it myself. Hey it's a new toy, how long did he think I could just stare at the box ;)

~T