New Monitor! Stay loyal to NEC or switch to Eizo?

[YoungRetoucher]

Some of you may know that I have been experiencing issues with NEC Spectraview as of late. Since then there was an incident at home involving an angry animal who didn't appreciate spending the day alone... Anyway, I need to replace my P221w. I looked at offerings from NEC and realised that I could get the same from Eizo plus self adjustment for exactly the same price. Is it time to jump ship?

The Eizo CX240 has self correction, 16 bit LUTs, 97% aRGB coverage and is within my price range at the moment. Does it seem like a good product? I'm not familiar with Eizo and I have a few concerns, is it possible to hardware calibrate this monitor with an X-Rite non Eizo branded sensor? What's this ColorNavigator thing, is it the equivalent of Spectraview? Is it free or what? Is it better to connect to my Mac Pro using DVI or Display Port?

Or perhaps there is a new NEC out there with high aRGB coverage I am not aware of and I should just wait for a Spectraview update?

Thanks Gentlemen!

[YoungRetoucher]

Re: New Monitor! Stay loyal to NEC or switch to Ei

Actually, a friend just offered me an opportunity to buy his Eizo CG246... Is it worth it? I'd have to spend about 100 bucks more.

[Shoku]

Re: New Monitor! Stay loyal to NEC or switch to Ei

We tested Eizo a few years ago and settled for the SpectraView because the Eizo could not display the difference between rich black (four color black for CMYK printing) and flat black (one color black for greyscale printing). On the monitor they looked the same. Also the Eizo's overall contrast adjustment was not as robust as the SpectraView and the color temperature setting was questionable: we set the white point to 5800k and the display still appeared slightly blue, which should not have been the case.

We purchased two of the 27 inch NECs and they have been working great the last few years. Last year we upgrade another station to the SpecrtraView II model with no problems. We're running these on MAC 10.6.

[andrewrodney]

Re: New Monitor! Stay loyal to NEC or switch to Ei

ColorNavigator is the equivalent to SpectraView software and yes, you do want to use it. Or SpectraView on NEC (or you cripple the entire product).

SpectraView displays were just upgraded to the newer PA/W series (PA272W) which have LED backlight which is quite nice among other new functionality:

- approx. 1-2dE better uniformity than former PAxx1 series
- satin diffuser vs matte difuser in PAxx1 - the image is cleaner, with
less sparkling/clouding effect and more punch
- lower minimal luminance - PA241 goes down to ~90cd/m^2 while PA242
achieves ~40cd/m^2 natively
- slightly larger gamut than PAxx1
- lower power consumption
Improved long term stability.
Mini DisplayPort and HDMI inputs.
Ability to update factory calibration in SpectraView.
Stand-alone calibration using the NEC MDSVSENSOR3 (NEC custom i1d3) on
the PA302W (no software needed) LED backlight.
- The backlight sensor also monitors whitepoint in addition to luminance
- GB-R LED allows more precise control of whitepoint (vs. CCFL)
- LED backlight and luminance sensor = almost instant on & stable

[YoungRetoucher]

Re: New Monitor! Stay loyal to NEC or switch to Ei

So, I take it the general concensus would be for me to stay with NEC? My friend's CG246 comes with hood, ColorNavigator and integrated self calibration sensor which sounds nice if it actually works well and isn't a marketing gimmick. Can anyone second whether Eizos still have problems with blacks? Was yours a mid tier or high end monitor?

[YoungRetoucher]

Re: New Monitor! Stay loyal to NEC or switch to Ei

PS: I was told display port is better than DVI to get the most out of hardware calibration. Is that true? My Mac Pro has both DVI ports and a regular (not mini) Display Port.

[Shoku]

Re: New Monitor! Stay loyal to NEC or switch to Ei

Was yours a mid tier or high end monitor?

The Eizo we tested was high end. I do not remember the model.

[klev]

Re: New Monitor! Stay loyal to NEC or switch to Ei

The Eizo we tested was high end. I do not remember the model.

Probably a CG211 or 243w depending on how long ago. Those have been the most common.

PS: I was told display port is better than DVI to get the most out of hardware calibration. Is that true? My Mac Pro has both DVI ports and a regular (not mini) Display Port.

That DVI port is there for legacy reasons. You should completely ignore DVI if displayport is an option. Do not debate it further. It's there for backward compatibility in both cases and serves no other purpose.

[YoungRetoucher]

Re: New Monitor! Stay loyal to NEC or switch to Ei

Okay, so LUT access and hardware calibration works via display port then, right?

[andrewrodney]

Re: New Monitor! Stay loyal to NEC or switch to Ei

You can use either but you should use display port on a modern Mac if available.

[YoungRetoucher]

Re: New Monitor! Stay loyal to NEC or switch to Ei

I found it hard to find information, I googled the subject extensively but could not find any clear information. If I use display port (not mini) on my Mac Pro 2009 that was recently upgraded with a 2012 Mac Edition GTX 680 to connect to my monitor will I get 10 bits with Mavericks? If not is it still recommended to use display port to get the most accuracy?

I think I will be getting the Eizo CG246, but I'm wondering; can the integrated self calibration device stand on its own with Color Navigator? I would rather avoid having to buy yet another calibration device. According to my friend there is no need to use an external calibration sensor with this model as the integrated one is top notch but I'd love to hear what some of the very knowledgeable members here such as Mr Rodney think.

[andrewrodney]

Re: New Monitor! Stay loyal to NEC or switch to Ei

Unless something has changed with 10.9, there is no full 10-bit path on OS X. The panel IS high bit. But the entire path isn't.

[YoungRetoucher]

Re: New Monitor! Stay loyal to NEC or switch to Ei

In that case why prefer Display Port? What do I gain over using DVI? I'm confused!

Even if the OS can not use the 10 bit color, is there any advantage in it being available even though it can't be used by the OS?

PS: Odd, I seem to find two contradictory reports, one stating my graphics card supports 10 bit color and one saying it does not. I guess the question in the end would be this; with a monitor that supports 10 bits, does it really matter if my mac does not? Will I somehow be crippled by using a 10 bit monitor on an 8 bit system compared to using an 8 bit monitor with said 8 bit system? Would I be better off not buying my friend's 10 bit monitor? The price is the same as buying a NEC new and he barely ever used it.

[andrewrodney]

Re: New Monitor! Stay loyal to NEC or switch to Ei

On my MBP, direct connect of display port cable, no adaptor needed which would be the case for DVI.

A full high bit path requires OS, application, card and panel. If one's not providing full high bit path, there's upsampling. OS X isn't high bit.

[YoungRetoucher]

Re: New Monitor! Stay loyal to NEC or switch to Ei

I have a non-mini Display Port and a DVI port, I don't need an adapter, I have the choice it would seem as I'm using a Desktop Mac Pro, not the Mac Book Pro, sorry about the confusion. Would Display Port be better?

Am I loosing a percentage of the spec listed aRGB coveragefor my monitor by using a 10 bit monitor on an 8 bit system with an 8 bit card?


Soooo confused right now!