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The New Wave of LCDs

David Murphy — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 11:00:00 -0500

Buying a new monitor can be tricky. First, you must decipher the manufacturer doublespeak. Not all specifications are created equal, nor are they measured fairly: You truly can’t tell a book by its cover, nor a monitor by its box copy. And then there are the displays themselves. A monitor by itself might look good to you, but you won’t know what you’re missing unless you compare it against the competition.

That’s why we’re here to help. The market is flooded with configurations, technologies, and sizes that might look good on paper or even attractive in the store, but that doesn’t mean these monitors represent the best of their class. You owe it to yourself to understand all the options. What does color gamut really mean? How do you know if a panel has 6-bit or 8-bit color depth? And how do those matters and others impact the overall image quality of a screen?

We’re going to walk you through the basics of today’s LCD monitor technology and what it means to you, a consumer who wants the best picture for your pennies. But we’re not going to leave you hanging: We’re also going to review 10 monitors across a wide swath of sizes and prices to give you a head start on your purchasing decision.

In the end, you’ll get the picture—the picture you deserve!

Understand the Technology

What’s important? What’s hype? What do those numbers on the box mean? We’re glad you asked

Color Gamut

The triangle in the center of this chromacity
diagram represents the NTSC color gamut,
used to measure the color output of LCDs.

The human eye can perceive a far more expansive range of colors than a computer or television display can produce. The subset of colors a display is capable of producing is defined as its color gamut. Typically, a display’s gamut is measured as a percentage of the National Television System Committee (NTSC) color standard, with 72 percent of that range being standard for LCDs. Recent technology advances, however, have enabled displays to reach 92 percent and even beyond 100 percent of the NTSC. But the expanded range of colors can come at the cost of color precision if a display’s color depth hasn’t increased as well.

Color Depth

An LCD’s color depth defines the number of levels that each primary color can render. In an 8-bit panel, the red, green, and blue channels of a pixel are capable of 256 levels each. Multiplied, that makes for a total of 16.7 million possible colors. (This number doesn’t change if the display’s color gamut broadens; the space between colors only widens, thereby diminishing color precision.) With 6-bit LCD panels, which are increasingly common, the red, green, and blue subpixels of a single pixel are capable of just 64 levels each for a total of 262,144 colors. That’s a big drop from their 8-bit counterparts. To compensate for the difference, manufacturers use techniques such as dithering and frame-rate control on 6-bit panels to expand their palettes. Traditionally, these techniques have been able to elicit up to 16.2 million colors, but it’s now common for 6-bit panels to claim 16.7 million colors, making it difficult for consumers to discern whether a display is actually an 8- or 6-bit panel. See the sidebar on this page for more on this issue.

Backlight

The vast majority of desktop LCD monitors have backlights made of cold-cathode fluorescent lamps (CCFL), but the use of LEDs for backlights is rising. LED backlights use a grid of either white or mixed red, blue, and green LEDs to create the display’s backlight. In the latter case, the panel’s color is theoretically improved because the backlight matches the color filters of the pixels themselves. Besides producing a wider color gamut, LED displays are also able to achieve a deeper black than standard CCFL monitors. On the other hand, LEDs are more expensive than CCFLs, and individual LEDs can, potentially, age at different rates.

Inputs

Increasingly, LCD monitors sport newer video
interfaces, such as HDMI, alongside the trusty
DVI port.

Ideally, you’re not planning to connect your new LCD monitor with a VGA cable. That analog standard is old and moldy, and it’s preferable to maintain a digital signal from your computer to the display. While LCD displays should come with at least one DVI port, that standard is being augmented by newer, more capable digital interfaces such as HDMI and DisplayPort.

Both offer greater bandwidth than DVI (which is crucial for displays with resolutions greater than 1920x1200), HDCP-support for playing copy-protected content, and the ability to carry both video and audio signals over the same thin cable. While HDMI has more market penetration on videocards than DisplayPort, adapters will allow you to connect your videocard’s DVI port to your display’s HDMI or DP input.

HDCP

Put simply, if your display doesn’t support HDCP (High-Definition Copy Protection), you won’t be able to watch commercial HD DVD or Blu-ray movies in full resolution on your display.

Contrast Ratio

Don’t pay attention to contrast ratios: They’re all hype, as each display manufacturer will engineer its own testing situation, so there’s no basis for meaningful comparison.

Manufacturers have recently taken to touting a screen’s dynamic contrast ratio, which is typically a higher (thus more impressive) number than standard contrast ratio, although the techniques for measuring this are just as suspect.

Some monitors offer a dynamic contrast feature that performs on-the-fly adjustments to contrast in order to enhance the grayscales of the given content. The downside is that these adjustments aren’t always analyzed correctly—your picture can be thrown too far into either the dark or light extreme. Worse, if consecutive scenes in a movie or game differ dramatically, you’ll likely notice the image fading in and out as the display adjusts to the content.

Pixel Response Time

Quite simply, pixel response time refers to how long it takes a single pixel to transition from one state to another. Just like contrast ratios, pixel response measurements are entirely at the mercy of the manufacturer. A slow pixel response time can result in ghosting in fast-moving content such as games.

Know Your Panel’s Lineage

While all modern LCD monitors fall under the thin-film-transistor (TFT) classification, subsets within that class bear notable differences. These are the most common types of TFTs:

TN (Twisted Nematic): The most inexpensive and commonly used TFT, TN panels are known for having extremely fast pixel response times and a 6-bit color depth. These panels feature inferior viewing angles and lower color fidelity than S-IPS or S-PVA panels.
S-IPS (Super In-Plan Switching): Considered to be the best overall TFT in terms of color reproduction and viewing angle, S-IPS panels are often sold at premium prices, so they’re sold by a limited number of manufacturers. The panels have 8-bit color depth, although black and dark grays can take on a purplish hue at wide viewing angles. And the overdrive technology manufacturers use to elicit faster pixel response times from these panels can introduce noise into videos, unless your monitor or videocard comes with a built-in noise-reduction function.
S-PVA (Super Patterned- ITO Vertical Alignment): S-PVA panels also have 8-bit color depth and better color reproduction and viewing angles than TN panels. S-PVA panels feature better contrast and black levels than both TN and S-IPS panels, and S-PVA is usually the panel type found in higher-quality (but not professional) monitors.

On To The Monitors!

Next Page: Multi-Monitor Mayhem!

Multi-Monitor Mayhem

Like us, you’ve probably found that a single screen doesn’t cut it anymore.
Here are two apps that will help you make the most of your multi-mon setup

DisplayFusion

If you’re tired of using third-party photo-editing applications to get your desktop wallpaper to span multiple displays, you’re in luck. The 15-day trial of DisplayFusion (www.binaryfortress.com) allows you to customize every last inch of your desktop, and the $10 pro version opens up access to Flickr and wallpaper randomization modes.

The program’s main screen is the meat of the application. From here, you can set up a single wallpaper that spans any number of displays, or you can individualize each monitor with a different wallpaper: perhaps a loving portrait of your family alongside your favorite sports team (or sports team’s cheerleading squad).

Randomizing your desktops’ wallpapers is as easy as clicking a button. The program will swap your wallpapers in and out up to once a day. We recommend you not set them to change every minute unless you want to turn your desktop into a screensaver of sorts.

DisplayFusion is unique in its ability to pull down images from any Flickr user and make them into wallpapers. It’s a great feature for the photography enthusiast, as you can then use the application to create a rotating slide show of wallpapers based on everything you upload to your account.

Or you can aim one step higher. Using a series of keywords and group filters, you can turn your wallpaper into an endless stream of new images centered on your specific interests. It’s a perfect solution if you’re tired of the same ol’, same ol’.

UltraMon

Consider UltraMon (www.realtimesoft.com) the jack-of-all-trades for your desktop interface. While it doesn’t offer as much wallpaper functionality as DisplayFusion, it includes a plethora of other desktop features. A 30-day trial lets you try the app out, after which you have to pay $40 for the full version of the program, which includes a year’s worth of updates.

UltraMon builds a ton of functionality into its minimal interface. The program adds additional buttons to the top of your windows that allow you switch a window from one monitor to another without having to drag it over yourself. A second button lets you span your current window across all of your displays. You can also assign these commands—and a host of others— to individual hotkey combinations through UltraMon’s extensive options menu. And you can opt to have Ultra- Mon regulate your windows’ dimensions when moving between displays of different resolutions.

One of the more frustrating issues for multi-monitor users is that it’s impossible to make Windows screensavers run on more than one display at once. You can certainly download multi-monitor-friendly screensavers, but the ones that come packaged with Windows XP work on only one display—unless you have UltraMon, that is.

The utility not only lets you run separate instances of your screensaver across all of your displays but also allows you to assign a different screensaver to each display. Balance out a slide show of your college days with a good ol’ Windows logo.

Westinghouse L2610NM

David Murphy — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 11:00:00 -0500

Taking a cue from ViewSonic’s playbook, Westinghouse’s L2610NM produces a crappy image out of the box. We haven’t seen a display ship with such a whited-out picture in a long time.

And unlike ViewSonic’s VX2240w, adjusting the L2610NM’s brightness and contrast settings does little to help matters.

Word to the wise: A monitor’s brightness isn’t like whipped cream.
Overloading the display’s luminosity won’t make the picture any sweeter.

Switching through the display’s color temperatures requires a large contrast adjustment, as moving from one mode to another tends to wash out a huge section of the display’s lighter grayscales.

The color saturation on the 1920x1200 display suffers from its overly bright settings. It trades richness and vibrancy for a brightness that can overpower the natural look you’d expect images, and even your desktop, to have. Colors look white, blacks look gray—everything looks far more washed out than we’d ever want. Depending on which color temperature we picked, the monitor’s grayscales were imbued with various tints of color. We were unable to find a true black-to-white gradient even once.

We’d normally list the connections this display carries right here, but it’s irrelevant; we don’t want you connecting anything to this 26-inch spotlight.

Hannspree HF289HJB

David Murphy — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 14:00:00 -0500

Size is important, but so is quality. Hannspree’s 27.5-inch HF289HJB fits the former just fine, but its average performance makes us yearn for a better-quality picture to fill the massive screen.

No banding? No color-tracking issues? The HF289HJB avoids these problematic picture issues entirely.

We had to crank the brightness on this 1920x1200 display to the maximum level to achieve the best results in DisplayMate’s series of grayscale tests. Even after this adjustment, the display reproduced less detail in its darker values than any other monitor in this feature. The HF289HJB isn’t as bad on the lighter side of the spectrum, but it’s not good enough to compensate for the limited range of dark values.

The HF289HJB had more trouble producing lighter colors against a white background than other monitors we’ve tested. This resulted in skin tones that looked washed out in our real-world testing situations. On the gaming front, our Call of Duty 4 run-through lost a bit of its visual flair. The shades of green in the image suffered the most, and black scenes as a whole appeared slightly tinted with blue.

If we had our way, we would have made a few changes to this monitor. For starters, the display doesn’t come with any presets. None. We tweak our displays, but not everyone enjoys fiddling with the nuances of brightness, contrast, and color.

We’d also fix the HF289HJB’s strange audio setup. The single included speaker sends out its mono sound from the back of the display. This creates a strange auditory effect that could easily be improved by replacing it with two front-facing speakers.

You can adjust the height and angle of this mammoth monitor, but not pivot it or change it to portrait mode. But that’s OK: There are far more changes this panel needs than increased ergonomic options for it to be a king of the huge displays. We’d rather spend the cash on a better-performing, smaller panel.

Dell 2408WFP

David Murphy — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 11:00:00 -0500

Dell’s 2408WFP is the latest in the company’s line of 24-inch panels, following on the heels of the much-beloved Dell 2407WFP (reviewed September 2006). Unfortunately for Dell, improving upon its predecessor isn’t enough to push the 2408WFP above other tested displays.

Do not try to distinguish the 2408WFP from the 2407WFP. For all intents, they are the identical twins of Dell’s display world.

The Dell’s grayscale performance in DisplayMate was great, matching the range of Samsung’s 245T on the light end, although it didn’t quite match the 245T’s abilities at the darker end of the spectrum. These subtle differences became more apparent in our real-world testing, as both our gaming and movie benchmarks looked a bit darker on the 2408WFP than what we’re used to seeing. And we also had less detail in our high-res still images compared to what the 245T was able to produce.

Although it comes with a number of presets, none were able to alleviate the loss of detail we experienced without creating other issues at the same time. The unnatural, over-the-top brightness added by the display’s multimedia and gaming presets is simply unacceptable. Similarly, the 2408WFP’s 110-percent color gamut lends images far more color saturation than we’re comfortable with. Even the grayscales themselves are tinted by a mild green hue.

The 2408WFP comes with a number of connectors: HDMI, DVI, VGA, and component video, as well as a built-in USB hub and 9-in-2 media card reader. Dell also throws in a DisplayPort connector for the few people who run DP-capable videocards.

We applaud Dell’s 2408WFP for its efforts. While its saturation comes off a bit strong, we’d use this monitor on our desk without reservation—unless someone was offering us Samsung’s 245T too.

Samsung 245T

David Murphy — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 14:00:00 -0500

It’s no secret that the expensive Samsung 245T hosts an S-PVA panel beneath its slim black exterior. But this display’s performance is certainly worth the price. The 245T offers a stunning picture for its class, trumping our longtime favorite 24-inch panel, Dell’s 2407WFP, and even its latest rev, the 2408WFP.

This isn't a perfect display, but it wins the fight.

This 1920x1200 display boasts a 97-percent color gamut and the effect is clear. The 245T dishes out notably vibrant blues, reds, and greens, and its color saturation remains strong at even very light levels. To us, the display’s colors feel just right: crisp and bold without any hint of oversaturation. But even if you disagree, the monitor comes with a number of preset options for tweaking the coloration to your exact preferences. We found success using the Mild preset, as Normal made images appear drab and Brilliant made our images look like a supernova.

We were equally impressed by the 245T’s range of grayscales. The display is able to reproduce more details as its darker grayscales turn to black than any other monitor we’ve ever tested. Its light grayscales are similarly expansive. The 245T’s healthy grayscale range translates into superior detail on high-definition images and movies.

Our criticisms of this monitor are few, but strong: We dislike the 245T’s optional dynamic contrast feature, as it treated us to a healthy dose of image fades whenever our movie of choice, V for Vendetta, switched between scenes of varying brightness. Nor did we like the 245T’s lack of single-button contrast adjustments. You can adjust the monitor’s brightness, but not the contrast, without having to traverse a number of OCD screens.

The 245T supports just about any input connection you might use, including VGA, DVI, component, and HDMI. You can swivel, tilt, and raise the monitor at your leisure, and even flip the whole panel to portrait mode. Five included USB ports sweeten the deal, but we don’t need any more convincing. With features as strong as its picture, the Samsung 245T is the monitor to beat in its size class.

Acer P244w

David Murphy — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 14:00:00 -0500

Acer’s native-1080p display wins points for hitting the widescreen 16:9 formfactor, but the P244w treats its colors with the same unpleasantness it treats its grayscales. The monitor’s color saturation suffers from a reduced range on both the top and bottom ends of the spectrum: Colors lose their vibrancy as they get darker and become washed out as they get lighter.

The P244w offers acceptable detail in its grayscales in our synthetic tests but still displays less detail in an image than other monitors we’ve tested in our real-world routines. And we didn’t enjoy how dark scenes in our real-world movie tests always looked tinted by a bit of unnatural brightness—we much prefer a richer, deeper black.

When the P244w is on, you’re treated to bleeding backlight on the screen’s top and bottom edges during darker scenes.

Start saving your phone books: You can’t adjust the height of this display. And we dislike how the display’s presets don’t appear to vary the image quality very much at all. The P244w’s list of connections—DVI, VGA, and HDMI—lacks the component option that higher-quality displays often come with. We’d prefer a monitor that has more: picture quality, connections, ergonomic options—anything.

Gateway FHD2401

David Murphy — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 11:00:00 -0500

The Gateway FHD2401 hits a ball or two out of the park, but we’re not terribly impressed by this 24-inch panel’s overall performance.

The FHD2401’s mighty speaker bar wins the sound portion of our display testing, no question.

The display’s grayscale performance favors the darker side of the spectrum. The FHD2401 is able to distinguish among shades of gray against a black background, but a below-average showing in lighter grayscales hurts overall performance.

Worse, banding and color-tracking discrepancies permeated the darker end of the grayscale when the monitor was tasked with producing 256 different shades.

The 1920x1200 display touts a 92-percent color gamut, which made for rich coloration in our real-world suite of tests. But the display’s visuals aren’t the best we’ve seen—in our movie, game, and image-quality tests, the images were lacking minor details on both ends of the grayscale spectrum compared to the best panels we’ve tested.

The FHD2401 offers support for HDMI, VGA, and DVI inputs, but no component input. You can’t adjust the monitor’s height either, a sloppy omission for a monitor in this size class.

ViewSonic VX2240w

David Murphy — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 14:00:00 -0500

ViewSonic’s VX2240w is unwatchable at its factory default setting—the screen’s brightness is cranked beyond the point of acceptable image quality. Fortunately, we were able to tweak the display’s settings to produce an image that was at least similar in quality to the Gateway HD2201’s. While the VX2240 matched the HD2201 tit for tat in its ability to produce lighter shades of gray on a solid white background, the former exhibited better color saturation in the lighter shade levels.

Something unusual happens when you adjust this monitor’s coloration options.

Flesh tones on the VX2240 appeared more lifelike compared to those of the HD2201, and the former even offers two additional color temperature settings for picture customization. This monitor displayed no banding issues and only a few color tracking discrepancies on the most demanding black-to-white gradients, but it does suffer from a critical flaw.

When you change its color temperature, the VX2240w is sometimes unable to produce its full range of dark or light contrasts. This sucks the quality out of a normal picture, but flipping the display on and off brings back normal settings. Still, it’s the kiss of death for the VX2240w.