Monitors

FeaturesEverything You Need to Know about Nvidia’s 3D Goggle Gamble

Posted 09/16/08 at 03:54:37 PM by Norman Chan

Take note, Rainier Wolfcastle, because these goggles may actually do something. Nvidia’s latest visual computing venture is a serious foray into stereoscopic 3D, a technology that has not found success among mainstream consumers (or even enthusiasts) in recent history. 3D movies and gaming at home have always been seen as gimmicky, a perception that can largely be attributed to the fact that you have to wear some pretty goofy glasses to experience the effect. In fact, past iterations of 3D stereographic technology (including efforts by the now-defunct company ELSA) have been especially troublesome because they required bulky headgear (that had to be tethered to your PC) that had a tendency to give gamers headaches after just a few minutes of use. Nvidia wants to reinvigorate the 3D stereoscopic market by developing its own glasses hardware and driver software, which they hope will avoid the pitfalls of previous efforts.

Do we have the technology to make stereoscopic 3D tech practical? And more importantly, is this something that, as a gamer, you’d be open to embrace?

Comments: 10
TAGS: nvidia, viewsonic, DLP, 3D, monitors, hardware, nvision, 3d stereoscopic, 120hz, mitsubishi

FeaturesThe New Wave of LCDs

Posted 09/05/08 at 11:00:00 AM by David Murphy

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.

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.

Hit the jump to find out more!

Comments: 4
TAGS: lcd, monitors, hardware, features, lcd monitor, displays, lcd roundup, lcd monitors

ReviewsWestinghouse L2610NM

Posted 08/28/08 at 11:00:00 AM by David Murphy

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.

More of this sin against nature after the jump.

Comments: 0
TAGS: monitor, monitors, hardware, lcd monitor, westinghouse, reviews, lcd roundup, l2610nm, 26-inch

ReviewsHannspree HF289HJB

Posted 08/27/08 at 02:00:00 PM by David Murphy

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.

Dim news after the jump.

Comments: 0
TAGS: monitors, hardware, lcd monitor, reviews, lcd roundup, hannspree, 27.5-inch, hf289hjb

ReviewsDell 2408WFP

Posted 08/27/08 at 11:00:00 AM by David Murphy

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.

That said, there's much to like about the 2408WFP after the jump.

Comments: 3
TAGS: monitor, dell, monitors, hardware, 24-inch, lcd monitor, reviews, lcd roundup, 2408wfp

ReviewsSamsung 245T

Posted 08/26/08 at 02:00:00 PM by David Murphy

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 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.

Check out this superb display post-jump.

Comments: 3
TAGS: samsung, monitors, hardware, 24-inch, lcd monitor, kick ass, reviews, lcd roundup, 245t

FeaturesHow We Test: Displays

Posted 08/26/08 at 12:54:21 PM by David Murphy

Testing a display is two parts science, one part art. It's difficult to measure the performance of a display the same way Maximum PC evaluates other products. There is no benchmark that we can just fire up and then report a score from. Nor can we even test displays in their out-of-box condition. A fair amount of tweaking and visual analysis is necessary to ensure fair display benchmarking. And at the end of the day, determining which monitor reigns supreme is a mix of qualitative testing and the editor's expertise.

Read on to see exactly how we test monitors!

Comments: 2
TAGS: lcd, monitors, benchmarking, test bed, displays, displaymate, gamut

ReviewsAcer P244w

Posted 08/25/08 at 02:00:00 PM by David Murphy

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.