Need a really good monitor

[Barry Katcher]

Hi, People.

Not really a PSP question, just want to hear some suggestions/recommendations for a really good 20-22 " flat-screen monitor. One that will show the photos I'm working on as clearly as possible. My operating system is Windows 7.

Thanks,

Barry

[Ron P.]

I don't have an answer for your monitor question, just advising that since it is not a request for help with PSP, I've moved it to the General Discussions>Imaging forum.

[teknisyan]

Hello Barry,

As long as the screen can produce 1024 x 768 (24-bit color) screen resolution, you should be good. Since there is no really technical requirements in order for you to display a clear image on the screen. Just make sure that you have a very good graphics card and the image is an high resolution image.

[Barry Katcher]

Thanks for the reply, Abiel.

I was thinking of a good high definition monitor meant for video gaming, like the Dell
Alien. Twice as expensive as most other monitors, but may be worth it.

Barry

[Tim Morrison]

The requirements for a good monitor for gaming tends to be a great response time, while for photo editing it is quality of colour reproduction... response time doesn't matter much at all.
For LCD monitors there are three major technologies used. The vast majority use "Twisted Nematic" (TN). This is also generally the lowest quality for photo reproduction. In most cases they only use 6 bits per pixel and use dithering to reproduce most colours. 6 bit screens will say they can show 16.2 million colours, although without dithering they can only manage 262 thousand. For good colour reproduction you really need an 8 bit per pixel monitor. These will be advertised as showing 16.7 million colours.
The other two main LCD technologies are In-plane Switching (IPS) and Vertical Alignment (MVA or PVA). These will be 8 bit per pixel or better and will also have a better wide angle of view without the darkening or colour shifts that are seen as you move further from directly in front on TN screens. They will also be more expensive.
So my recommendation is to use an IPS or MVA/PVA monitor. It's not always easy to tell as the LCD technology is often not stated in the monitors specifications. The two main giveaways are TN monitors will say that they show 16.2 million colours and have a viewing angle of 170 degrees. IPS and MVA/PVA screens will advertise 16.7 million colours and a 178 degree viewing angle.
I have a Hewlett Packard LP2275w... a 22 inch monitor that uses PVA and am very happy with it. I used to have a laptop with an IPS screen, which was excellent (until it was stolen from the front seat of my car while paying for fuel at a service station). I couldn't find an exact replacement. There are very, very few laptops with great screens available at the moment. (The iPhone 4 has an IPS screen).

[Barry Katcher]

Thanks, Tim. You just saved me some money by not heading in the wrong direction with that gaming monitor. I printed your post and I'll take it down to Comp USA and stick it under the nose of one of their techie-slash-salespeople. I'll also check out the specs on the HP and Dell websites.

Someone also suggested a HD TV monitor as a possibility. What thinkest thou?

By the way, I was a great fan of the Doors in the day. Glad to hear you're still alive and kicking.

Barry

[skier-hughes]

I assume you will be printing, so it is very important to properly calibrate your monitor, googling will provide lots of info like this
http://www.northlight-images.co.uk/viewing.html

[Barry Katcher]

Yup, Graham - I have some color calibration software, Monoco EZ Color, that I use to calibrate my scanner, printer and monitor. I don't know the first thing about the hows, whys and wherefores of color calibration - I just follow the instructions and it seems to be o.k.

In the past, i've gotten better results (the print being the same as the image on the monitor) from Photoshop than from PSP, but, with the new computer, it seems to be the other way around. Maybe because I'm waiting to get my new monitor before doing the calibration.

Barry

[somneim]

I have 22'' Philips and I am working with lots of photographs it easy to use and it is showing good performance. I used to calibrated it with hardware calibrator for monitors and I have to tell you, the result was magnificent. So no matter what monitor you choose make sure to be calibrated with proper equipment.