Re: LCD monitors

["J. R. Fox" jr_fox@xxxxxxxxxx]

Patricia M Godfrey wrote:

> My monitor has just died, and the price of LCDs has dropped so that I'm
> really thinking of getting one. Much easier on my astigmatic eyes, at least
> in Windows, and easier to move too (a 15-inch CRT is nearly 45 lb). But
> I've heard so many horror stories about XyWrite screen problems that I
> hesitate. There's also the fact that I'm still running 98SE, which mayn't
> be able to cope with newer monitors. Would anyone using an LCD with 98SE
> and having no problems with XyW in a window . . .

> be so good as to tell me what make and model?

I can't comment on the W98 part of this (which I know is important for you),
because I don't run it. Size & budget enter into this too, of course. About
a year ago, when my 21" CRT went kerflooey, I did an extensive survey of what
was available in LCDs, pretty much across the full price range spectrum. I
wound up being rather disappointed in the sharpness and characteristics of
Text, among other things, which very possibly made its way into a report
posted to this List which you could find with XySearch. In the end, I got a
19" Planar LCD, which I thought visually superior to most of the others I
researched. It became my regular monitor until the Iiyama CRT was repaired
(under warranty). Since then, it has been an emergency spare, and has seen
use in a few presentations.

irene silverman wrote:

> I run 98SE also and have been very happy with a Samsung SyncMaster 570 V
> flat LCD screen. It's an older model, now selling at about $450.

The Samsungs have been well regarded, in most reviews, and could have been a
2nd. or 3rd. place choice for me. Ditto for the Dell 2001FP series
(notwithstanding my earlier comments about Dell), as it is actually a
rebadged and slightly tweaked Samsung.

> I'm noticing that brightness specs seem to vary a lot on the models I've
been looking at: from 250 to 500 CD/m2. I assume > higher numbers are
better. I've looked through the archive and just checked my BIOS, which has
no expansion options.

Some of those specs are more emphasized for marketing than important. If you
go large, SXGA vs. UXGA can be important. For someone who runs games or
video, response time is important. It is a good idea -- for compatibility
and versatility -- to have both analog and digital connections. Some latter
day panels only have DVI, which can be a problem for older video cards.


Jordan