LCD monitor - a question

[Knight-Dragon]

I just got a relatively new 20" Dell LCD monitor fr a friend. My question is shld I stick to its native resolution (1600x1200 I think), or can I tone it down, w/o long-term harm to the monitor?

My friend advises me to use the native resolution...

 

[vbraun]

If you change it, the picture will look like crap. I'd go with your friends advice, especially becasue you got a good monitor from them.

 

[Grisu]

yep, keep the native resoltion, it's the only one where you'll get a sharp image. tuneing down the resolution won't harm the monitor, but the image will look less sharp, due to interpolation.

edit: why would you even want to turn town the resolution? 1600x1200 is awesome, wish my screen could do it.

 

[Knight-Dragon]

Well, the wording is a little smallish, but I think it's just need to take some getting used to...

Now, I have to break out of some old habits; there's so much space on the screen, that I don't need to minimize stuff much.

 

[AlanH]

You can alter the size of the text in Windows. If I recall correctly:

Right click on the desktop and select "Settings". Click Advanced. There's a pop-up menu to select the size of displayed text (I think it's in dpi - dots per inch). Try changing it and see if it improves things.

 

[wit>trope]

I hate LCD monitors. Mine got a dead pixel which strangely enough only seems dead when you look at it straight on. If you look at it from a slight angle, it looks fine or blends in or something. And the LCD companies don't even replace monitors if they have one dead pixel! CRT monitors are higher quality (better color representation, resolution switching, etc.) and much cheaper for the same screen real estate. The only advantage LCDs have going for them is their lower power usage and small size and maybe lack of harmful radiation.

I believe if you change the resolution to exactly 800x600, it will look just as good due to to the ratio being an integer (i.e. it's exactly twice as small vertically and horizontally)

@alan, some applications don't seem to display properly when you increase the dpi to a high level ... text overlaps and sometimes some text is not displayed at all (but you can press TAB to have it be displayed)

 

[Knight-Dragon]

Apparently the industrial std is 3 dead pixels, before they would chg it for you.

In any case, mine has no dead pixel, since I bought it fr a close friend and he has the opportunity to hot-test it for the last 6 mths...

Here at least, no one sells big-sized CRT monitors anymore... <shrugs>

 

[Knight-Dragon]

You can alter the size of the text in Windows. If I recall correctly:

Right click on the desktop and select "Settings". Click Advanced. There's a pop-up menu to select the size of displayed text (I think it's in dpi - dots per inch). Try changing it and see if it improves things.

I have tried that already. The effect isn't really appealing....

In any case, I am going with this resolution. Just need some getting used to...

 

[Comraddict]

I have tried that already. The effect isn't really appealing....

In any case, I am going with this resolution. Just need some getting used to...

effect will be good if you don't exceed 105dpi.

also what will help a lot is enabling ClearType if you are using windows XP.

20.1" LCDs have awesome dot pitch number, 0.255... which unfortunatelly means small fonts but no pixelation.

 

[Perfection]

When it comes to dead pixels I accept none. You get a dead pixel you yell at them until they let you have another.

 

[Comraddict]

When it comes to dead pixels I accept none. You get a dead pixel you yell at them until they let you have another.

Samsung has 0 dead pixel policy. IMO enough reason to buy only them.

Also I think Samsung is Dell's LCD OEM for most LCDs.

 

[vbraun]

Samsung has 0 dead pixel policy.

I was wondering why I had no dead pixels on my monitor. Thats awesome.

 

[Grisu]

I hate LCD monitors. Mine got a dead pixel which strangely enough only seems dead when you look at it straight on. If you look at it from a slight angle, it looks fine or blends in or something. And the LCD companies don't even replace monitors if they have one dead pixel!

I've had 5 LCD's so far, and none of them ever had a dead pixel plus, if you got a LCD with a decent resolution (decent meaning definately higher than crappy XGA), a single pixel won't really matter.

personally, I would never want a CRT again. all this bloody flickering was driving me nuts, and even if I set the refresh-rate very high, I kept getting headaches, since I'm on a strict LCD diet, no more headaches

 

[wit>trope]

I've had 5 LCD's so far, and none of them ever had a dead pixel plus, if you got a LCD with a decent resolution (decent meaning definately higher than crappy XGA), a single pixel won't really matter.

Fortunately the pixel is closer to a corner than it is to the center but even when I don't notice it's annoying just knowing that it is there!

Mine has 1280x720 resolution is that crappy? Mine is pretty big though -- about 26 or 27 inches -- so one pixel still looks pretty big.

Even if an LCD had no dead pixels I wouldn't like knowing that at ANY MINUTE of operation it could develop dead pixels. Dead pixels apparantly can occur over use as well.

Only reason why LCDs are popular is because it is a "hip" thing. They look "sleek", sexy, and the wave of the future. I read about this on a website

personally, I would never want a CRT again. all this bloody flickering was driving me nuts, and even if I set the refresh-rate very high, I kept getting headaches, since I'm on a strict LCD diet, no more headaches

You know what it might be is when the computer boots up Windows the resolution and refresh rate is at a low level -- I believe 60hz. So that may be what's causing the headaches.

I don't think a refresh rate of 100Hz would cause any perceptible flickering or headaches. Good CRTs should display at 100Hz at high resolutions. I keep mine at 85Hz.

When it comes to dead pixels I accept none. You get a dead pixel you yell at them until they let you have another.

That won't work for me since they specifically warned me that if I don't buy a special service plan that the manufacturer wouldn't replace it if there's just one dead pixel.

Thanks for the tip about Samsung! Perhaps I will return to LCDs for my next monitor purchase if the prices go down enough.

 

[Zelig]

Mine has 1280x720 resolution is that crappy? Mine is pretty big though -- about 26 or 27 inches -- so one pixel still looks pretty big.

That's an LCD T.V. you're using, not meant to be used as a computer monitor... they're no more comparable than a CRT T.V. versus a 2048x1536@85Hz CRT monitor.

 

[wit>trope]

Quick question. Would using an LCD at low brightness and contrast and saturation prolong its life?

 

[Zelig]

Quick question. Would using an LCD at low brightness and contrast and saturation prolong its life?

Possibly, I'm inclined to say it might, but really don't know. However, many LCDs will "age" by becoming less bright, so after a few years, it isn't uncommon to have to turn the brightness higher.