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I need a new gaming monitor.

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    LaCabraLaCabra MelbourneRegistered User regular
    edited May 2008
    So what resolution does a monitor have to support to be able to bust out the 1080p on a 360? Like if a monitor's native res is 1920 x 1200 will it work? I'm still coming to terms with this 1080whatever shenanigan.

    LaCabra on
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    corcorigancorcorigan Registered User regular
    edited May 2008
    LaCabra wrote: »
    So what resolution does a monitor have to support to be able to bust out the 1080p on a 360? Like if a monitor's native res is 1920 x 1200 will it work? I'm still coming to terms with this 1080whatever shenanigan.

    Yeah that's good. 1080 is 1920x1080 I think.

    corcorigan on
    Ad Astra Per Aspera
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    SporkAndrewSporkAndrew Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited May 2008
    LaCabra wrote: »
    So what resolution does a monitor have to support to be able to bust out the 1080p on a 360? Like if a monitor's native res is 1920 x 1200 will it work? I'm still coming to terms with this 1080whatever shenanigan.

    1080p just means 1080 vertical pixels. My 1920x1200 monitor (Dell 2407) with the 360 plugged in via VGA stretches the screen to fit the available space. This means I get tearing in some cutscenes and some random lines appearing, but I can't for the life of me think why I don't have it plugged in via component and then use the option for 1:1 pixel mapping in the menu.

    Gah.

    SporkAndrew on
    The one about the fucking space hairdresser and the cowboy. He's got a tinfoil pal and a pedal bin
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    IceyIcey Registered User regular
    edited May 2008
    I just picked up the Gateway FHD2400 from Best Buy this week. I use it for my PC and xbox 360 and they both look fantastic. I have an older Xbox so I don't have HDMI, so I connect the xbox using the VGA cable. It looks great, and does 1:1 aspect scaling perfectly. Anandtech discusses the monitor here along with several other monitors. The first one I picked up had a fair amount of backlight bleed, so I exchanged it and the new one works perfectly. It's native resolution is 1920 x1200 so its a good choice for the 360.

    Icey on
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    victor_c26victor_c26 Chicago, ILRegistered User regular
    edited May 2008
    LaCabra wrote: »
    So what resolution does a monitor have to support to be able to bust out the 1080p on a 360? Like if a monitor's native res is 1920 x 1200 will it work? I'm still coming to terms with this 1080whatever shenanigan.

    1080p just means 1080 vertical pixels. My 1920x1200 monitor (Dell 2407) with the 360 plugged in via VGA stretches the screen to fit the available space. This means I get tearing in some cutscenes and some random lines appearing, but I can't for the life of me think why I don't have it plugged in via component and then use the option for 1:1 pixel mapping in the menu.

    Gah.

    Apparently the 24" Dell monitors had a scaling problem.

    Some people found a solution/fix, and it actually worked for me. You're going to have to cycle through resolutions on the monitor (Switch to 640*480, then jump to 1024*768, then 1280*960, then 1680*1050, and then 1920*1080).

    Just use a game to do this so you won't mess up your icon arrangement (I used Day of Defeat: Source). And bam, Suddenly 1920*1080 displays at 1:1.

    victor_c26 on
    It's been so long since I've posted here, I've removed my signature since most of what I had here were broken links. Shows over, you can carry on to the next post.
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    TM2 RampageTM2 Rampage Registered User regular
    edited May 2008
    So how do I avoid monitors with input lag?

    TM2 Rampage on
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    TM2 RampageTM2 Rampage Registered User regular
    edited May 2008
    Also, are there any LCD monitors where the picture looks the same everywhere on the screen? For example, if you were to fill up the screen with one flat blue color, would it look like the same color everywhere? Or would it look like a darker/lighter shade in different places?

    TM2 Rampage on
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    DeusfauxDeusfaux Registered User regular
    edited May 2008
    usually there isn't perfect color uniformity, often backlight bleeding is a reason why. light creeping around the edges and corners of the panel and making those places brighter.

    Deusfaux on
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    DratatooDratatoo Registered User regular
    edited May 2008
    GrimReaper wrote: »
    Torso Boy wrote: »
    It can, although I'm sticking to 720p because it lambastes me about 1080p not being "optimal."

    Ditto, got a Samsung 2232BW here and so help it if it sees you're trying to use 1080p. It once threatened me with a knife.

    So, I run my PS3 at 720p.

    Not that it matters that much, some time this year (maybe next) i'll be getting a 1080p hdtv anyway.

    Also, I was going to mention about how the op should make sure the monitor should have HDCP but he's bought one already. So I guess it doesn't matter now.
    It can't. 22inch monitors output a max rez of 1680 x 1050 and 1080p is 1920×1080. The monitor should accept a 1080p signal, but it will downscale it too 720p.

    No it won't, 720p is 1280x720. The monitor is 1680x1050, it will downscale it. But not to 720p.. it downscales it to some bastard half-way point between 720p and 1080p.. in otherwords it will downscale 1920x1080 to 1680x1050 and maybe crop if it isn't the exact correct aspect ratio which I can't be bothered figuring out.

    Samsung screens just have horrible internal scaler, period. I use 245B and the screen can't display the 1080p resolution correctly at all (at least not for the XBox360). If I use HDMi-DVI converter the screen shows the picture but with horrible lines and artifacts in the lower 1/3 of the display area - and of course it is stretched to 16:10, yay. The Dashboard tells me that the monitor isn't 50Hz compatible ;/

    If I use VGA and 1080p the display area extents 1/4 to the left and right "beyond the screen". Its like the monitor tries to display a 4:3 signal zooms into the picture and forgets about the rest.

    Conclusion, you most likely get the advanced scaling features only in displays which are in a higher price range - and then it is not 100% guaranteed it works with everything you are connecting it to. It almost remembers me at the beautiful CRT times "My game tries to run at 100Hz @ 1280x1024 but my screen doesn't support this mode".

    The artificial aliasing created by the internal scaler is annoying, I will purchase one of the BenQ screens soon, which were recommended in this thread. I have my eye on: BenQ FP241VW

    Dratatoo on
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    TM2 RampageTM2 Rampage Registered User regular
    edited May 2008
    Drez wrote: »
    Well...

    I got the monitor. March 2007. No Overscan option in the menu.

    Sigh.
    What exactly do you mean by this?

    TM2 Rampage on
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    LaCabraLaCabra MelbourneRegistered User regular
    edited May 2008
    So I'm probably getting one of these:
    http://www.techbuy.com.au/p/78064/MONITORS_24_LCD/BenQ/G2400w.asp
    BenQ G2400w.

    Although for a better price than that, $480AUD.

    Stop me if it's a terrible choice for some reason.

    LaCabra on
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    devoirdevoir Registered User regular
    edited May 2008
    There don't seem to be many places around that you can get it for cheaper than $480AUD, at least online.

    devoir on
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    LaCabraLaCabra MelbourneRegistered User regular
    edited May 2008
    They have a store near me, maybe if I went over there I could haggle 'em down.


    Probably not.

    LaCabra on
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    DeusfauxDeusfaux Registered User regular
    edited May 2008
    It's TN. but you already knew that and if you're okay with that, then whatever

    Deusfaux on
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    LaCabraLaCabra MelbourneRegistered User regular
    edited May 2008
    okay so what the hell does that mean

    all the reviews just say "excellent for everything" basically

    LaCabra on
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    DrezDrez Registered User regular
    edited May 2008
    Drez wrote: »
    Well...

    I got the monitor. March 2007. No Overscan option in the menu.

    Sigh.
    What exactly do you mean by this?

    The March 2007 FP241W's do not have the ability to turn off overscan. HDMI has overscan issues.

    Drez on
    Switch: SW-7690-2320-9238Steam/PSN/Xbox: Drezdar
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    victor_c26victor_c26 Chicago, ILRegistered User regular
    edited May 2008
    LaCabra wrote: »
    okay so what the hell does that mean

    all the reviews just say "excellent for everything" basically

    TN panels in reality don't produce 16.7 million colors in one frame. They have to dither the image through different frames, per frame.

    Since they they use 6-bits per primary color.

    Apple actually got sued because of this by someone that didn't know TN panels existed/had this limitation. Their Macbook and Macbook Pro lines use TN panels, and since the person that sued was a professional photographer, yeah, you get the gist of it.

    Some TN panels implement dithering better than others. On some it's seemless, on others it's horrid. I've seen one of the worst, and it's not pretty (Incredibly dull, washed out colors). You'll just have to look at the image yourself first hand before taking the plunge.

    victor_c26 on
    It's been so long since I've posted here, I've removed my signature since most of what I had here were broken links. Shows over, you can carry on to the next post.
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    LaCabraLaCabra MelbourneRegistered User regular
    edited May 2008
    It's not impossible for a TN monitor to be pretty sweet though, right? I've been looking here
    http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies-archive.cfm/843339.html
    and here
    http://www.drainweb.com/?p=95#more-95

    LaCabra on
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    DeusfauxDeusfaux Registered User regular
    edited May 2008
    some people would say the best TN could never be as good as a PVA or IPS

    Deusfaux on
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    AngrySpoonAngrySpoon Registered User regular
    edited May 2008
    Deusfaux wrote:
    some people would say the best TN could never be as good as a PVA or IPS
    On the flip side it could also be said that PVA and IPS panels will never be as good as TNs for gaming, thanks to both technologies having inherently higher input lag than TNs.
    edit: and lacabra, the G2400W seems to be regarded universally as the best TN 24" right now.

    AngrySpoon on
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    DeusfauxDeusfaux Registered User regular
    edited May 2008
    prove it.

    Anandtech's best input lag results came from a 30" SIPS

    Deusfaux on
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    LaCabraLaCabra MelbourneRegistered User regular
    edited May 2008
    Deusfaux wrote: »
    some people would say the best TN could never be as good as a PVA or IPS

    what I want to know is whether or not those people are right

    LaCabra on
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    Triple BTriple B Bastard of the North MARegistered User regular
    edited May 2008
    I've finally made my way to this thread after nubbing it up in G&T and H/A for a bit.

    So I'm looking for a monitor primarily to be used with my Xbox 360. I'm thinking 24", LCD of course. I need either built in speakers, or a headphone jack. Reliability is important, I don't want to have to return the thing because of dead pixels or anything like that. Other than that, whatever you dudes think would be most beneficial for a monitor whose sole purpose is to vividly display the video output from an Xbox 360.

    Also, I absolutely will not spend a dime over $500.

    Triple B on
    Steam/XBL/PSN: FiveAgainst1
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    Monkey Ball WarriorMonkey Ball Warrior A collection of mediocre hats Seattle, WARegistered User regular
    edited May 2008
    Finally got my new monitor in!
    newmonitorpicresized.jpg

    It's a 1680x1050. I had issues trying to run at 1440x900, the monitor seems to have belived it was getting a smaller resolution signal an would crop out part of the image... but I switched from DVI to VGA and it works now. The only reason I need 1440x900 is because my Radeon X1650 can't play TF2 at 1680x1050. When I get a new card I can go back to DVI since I won't need to change the resolution anymore... i hope.

    Monkey Ball Warrior on
    "I resent the entire notion of a body as an ante and then raise you a generalized dissatisfaction with physicality itself" -- Tycho
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    LaCabraLaCabra MelbourneRegistered User regular
    edited May 2008
    Guys, I think I'm gonna go ahead and get the benq. Unless anyone wants to try to find something better for under $500AUD.

    LaCabra on
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    devoirdevoir Registered User regular
    edited May 2008
    Drez wrote: »
    Well...

    I got the monitor. March 2007. No Overscan option in the menu.

    Sigh.

    Doing a bit of research, you should be able to contact your retailer or the support centre to get the firmware updated. People in Australia were taking them in and picking them up the same day.

    devoir on
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    devoirdevoir Registered User regular
    edited May 2008
    There really isn't a lot on the internet about what's recommended for a gaming monitor. Finding it hard just to find info on what has 1:1 mapping...

    It looks like the BenQ doesn't have 1:1 pixel mapping, and has a low contrast ratio, but I guess that's just a factor of having a budget under $500.

    Edit: Hrm, I just found this: http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.aspx?catid=31&threadid=2049206&enterthread=y

    This for a list of 1:1 supporting models: http://lcdresource.com/dsp_scale.htm

    Lacabra, I'm looking at this thread on whirlpool now: http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies-archive.cfm/843339.html

    Also, this: http://www.drainweb.com/?p=95#more-95

    devoir on
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    LaCabraLaCabra MelbourneRegistered User regular
    edited May 2008
    Yeah, I saw those. And also this. It looks like it'll pretty much suit me.

    LaCabra on
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    devoirdevoir Registered User regular
    edited May 2008
    It looks good. The lowest price I can find is at umart, about $479.

    devoir on
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    LaCabraLaCabra MelbourneRegistered User regular
    edited May 2008
    Same. High five.

    LaCabra on
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    TM2 RampageTM2 Rampage Registered User regular
    edited May 2008
    So today I got an HP w2007 monitor from Fry's to try out. It's 20 inches, widescreen, and is 1680x1050. It looks pretty neat, I guess, except black doesn't seem to be really black on this thing at all. The contrast ratio is 1000:1, though, huh.

    Well, it seems like it's a TN panel, which is the worst in terms of picture and color quality, I've heard?

    The darn thing's backlighting (I think?) is kind of uneven... the bottom is lighter than the top! Arggghhh!

    Are you guys having this uneven lighting problem with your monitors? Maybe I should put up with a borked CRT and wait for LED-backlit LCDs to get cheaper (hah hah) or for SED to come out (hah hah ;_;).

    TM2 Rampage on
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    devoirdevoir Registered User regular
    edited May 2008
    TM2 Rampage, check out: http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.aspx?catid=31&threadid=2049206&enterthread=y

    Specifically, look at the recommendations section in the second post. Your monitor is listed there at number 16 on the multimedia recommended list. There are a couple within that same price range that I expect are better. Just Control+F for "HP w2007".

    devoir on
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    AngrySpoonAngrySpoon Registered User regular
    edited May 2008
    Deusfaux wrote: »
    prove it.

    Anandtech's best input lag results came from a 30" SIPS

    Well, after more research it looks like you were right and I was wrong, its just *VA panels that seem to have the inherent input lag (at least there doesn't seem to be a single model on the market with less than 10 MS measured that I could find) SIPS on the other hand are just expensive.

    Rampage, the uneven coloring is caused by the TN panel itself, even if LED backlights became mainstream it wouldn't fix the problem.

    AngrySpoon on
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    SpiralStairsSpiralStairs Registered User regular
    edited May 2008
    guys. i need help.

    i've tried reading through this thread several times, but i seem to get overwhelmed by this talk of hdmi, 1:1 pixel mapping, constrast ratios, dvi, 1080p, 1080i, overscan and such - my brain goes into hard lock and has to be rebooted with some kind of vodka.

    basically i play a bit of wow, some tf2, a few other assorted pc games as well as using this system for all my browsing and video/music needs. i've got a budget maxing out at £300, i'm never going to be plugging a console into my monitor, i'm not too worried about HD (i guess, i don't really even know what it is) - i just want a 24" TFT which is good. i don't want ghosts, or whited out, weird looking videos. nor do i want my eyes to burn when i'm looking at it, or have stupid looking borders or cropped out areas.

    the monitors i've found within my price range seem to be :

    Acer AL2416WB - £215
    Benq G2400W - £247
    Belinea 0.DISPLAY4.1_24 - £281
    Samsung SM245B - £282
    Iiyama Plb2403ws-b1 - £284
    Phillips 240BW8EB - £289
    LG L246WH - £302

    are any of these good/bad/horrendously bad ? am i just wasting my time looking for something at this price level. i'm leaning towards the BenQ, it seems to have decent reviews, i've seen the brand name come up a few times in this thread, and i used to by blank cds from them. they were good.

    SpiralStairs on
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    gneGnegneGne Registered User regular
    edited May 2008
    Yes, the BenQ G2400W is one of the best 24" inch TN panels on the market, and definately the best out of your list.

    EDIT: Yeah, best choice for sure.

    gneGne on
    pasigcopyox6.jpg
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    Triple BTriple B Bastard of the North MARegistered User regular
    edited May 2008
    gneGne wrote: »
    BenQ G2400W


    Seems like a nice monitor. It's got everything I need. VGA, headphone jack, nice screen...any known issues with color bleeding or stuck pixels or anything like that?

    EDIT: Nevermind. I think I found my new baby. In light of my impending stimulus check, I've decided to go all the way and just get an HDTV and be done with it. I've decided on this one. It will be mine.

    Triple B on
    Steam/XBL/PSN: FiveAgainst1
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    SpiralStairsSpiralStairs Registered User regular
    edited May 2008
    sweet.

    one thing. that benq has an 'image brightness' of 250cd/m2. i don't really know what that means, but it sounds kind of.. low. for some reason. i'm sure i've seen brightness figures up near 500 or more.

    SpiralStairs on
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    TM2 RampageTM2 Rampage Registered User regular
    edited May 2008
    sweet.

    one thing. that benq has an 'image brightness' of 250cd/m2. i don't really know what that means, but it sounds kind of.. low. for some reason. i'm sure i've seen brightness figures up near 500 or more.
    This is a bit unrelated, but one thing you might wanna look out for is input lag. It's different from response time... it could mean that when you move your mouse, the display might take a split second or something to actually show the mouse moving... Might not be noticeable or a bother for some... it varies a lot and I guess you just have to research about the input lag for specifically the monitor you wanna get.


    Btw, Devoir, thanks a lot for the link. It's really helpful.

    Also thanks for the info, AngrySpoon.

    Today at my college I noticed that the old Dell LCD screens in the library have MVA panels. It appeared that there was hardly any color shifiting or anything like that. I'm looking into changing to an MVA or IPS. one.. ugh... but I'd hate to get a monitor that exceeds the price of a PS3, which is what I'm planning to get next month... eh heh. Also, the Dell monitor was a bit grainy-looking... I guess that was because of the anti-reflective coating, according to some googling. I'll probably try to get a glossy screen again next time...

    TM2 Rampage on
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    LaCabraLaCabra MelbourneRegistered User regular
    edited May 2008
    I've read a number of reviews for the BenQ that talk favourably of its gaming performance, so probably no input lag there.

    LaCabra on
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    PlacerPlacer Registered User regular
    edited May 2008
    Is the color accuracy on the BenQ at least passable? ill be calibrating later, but what's it like?

    Placer on
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
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