Help buy a 24-26" LCD Monitor!!!

[freeekychakra]

Hello Guys! My 2nd thread and seems Im really turning Hi fi

I want to buy a 24-26" LCD Monitor(not TV)! Although i do have a 42 inch Sony LCD TV in my drawing room, this one(monitor) is for my bedroom and I want to use it with AIRTEL DIGITAL TV!
Reasons for choosing monitor over TV are:-
1) Lower overall costs
2) Better display options in that size
3) Using it with PC as well (although TV can also be made into a monitor but i prefer this way)!
4) In any case ill use my own speakers all the time(which cost me a fortune, so I have to make full use of it-You know thats the Indian mentality-Whatever you buy, make it work for its full money's worth)!
5) I believe its more versatile!

So i need something which does these 2 things:-

1) Pairs with Airtel DTH interactive and broadcasts all the various channels when combined with a Suitable TV Tuner without using the computer!
2) Pairs with an HD streaming Media Player without using any computer!
3) Pairs with my computer/laptop!

So, basically I have 4 questions:-

I) Which LCD Monitor do you suggest(in 24-26") preferably full HD)??? - I had my eyes on the Samsung SyncMaster 25**HD with builtin tuner but dont know if its available in India

II)Also could you suggest what TV tuner to buy(if you suggest External)??? And the pros and cons of using External vs Internal TV Tuners?

III) Are there any cons of using a monitor as a TV?? I mean, is there something very major Ill miss out on compared to a TV as far as Digital TV Experience in concerned when Settopbox boxes are used with a monitor????

IV) Apart from a Monitor and a TV Tuner, what other accessories Ill need for the setup???(basically im a noob in the TV department)

Thanks.....

 

[adityavj]

I recently bought a Benq G2420HD and am very happy with it. There is a big price jump from 24" to 26" monitors. 24" = 11-14K 26" = 25k + you could get a 32" LCD TV for the price of a 26" monitor

I would recommend Dell G2410 if you're looking for great contrast and lack of backlight bleed but can do without HDMI and Benq G2420HD or G2411 HD if you're looking for a VFM monitor with HDMI

 

[freeekychakra]

I recently bought a Benq G2420HD and am very happy with it. There is a big price jump from 24" to 26" monitors. 24" = 11-14K 26" = 25k + you could get a 32" LCD TV for the price of a 26" monitor

I would recommend Dell G2410 if you're looking for great contrast and lack of backlight bleed but can do without HDMI and Benq G2420HD or G2411 HD if you're looking for a VFM monitor with HDMI

Thanks! That was of great help! HDMI Is important to as I want to use it as an external display source too! Does it have all the inlets neeessary for a Digital TV Connection and as an external source for my laptop and streaming media player?? Howz the Benq in terms of picture quality? Are there any better options???
I found something called Benq mk2432 LCD TV cum monitor - amazing piece for the specs and price! Has all the ports and inlets! Any idea about the total number of channels in it? Someone said its only 99 channels???

My other questions???? TV Tuner?

 

[corElement]

See im in a similar situation but I'm in need for an IPS panel as TN panels are horrible.

However all the ips panels are more than 30k for 24"+ in india which is horridly overpriced.
The mac cinema display 24" led ips is 50k

cheapass 24" tn panels for 13k are just not worth it, the only affordable ips is an e-ips dell 2209wa lcd monitor but it's not s-ips , its not full hd, its not 24", its got overly bright backlight which has to be turned down to correct the colour curve.

So the only solution for you if youre not someone doing design work looking for an industrial grade monitor just go see 24" monitors and decide visually since youll only get tn panels.

 

[freeekychakra]

So are you saying im better off buying an LCD TV and use it as an external device for my laptop rather than vice versa if the TN panels are so bad??? I mean a standard Sony Bravia or Panasonic 26" with HDMIs, s-video and probably usb port etc costs around 24k. Only thing is its HD ready with HD only in HDMI but the rest would be SD! Not a problem in any case as I think we in India are very from broadcasting HD content!
What do you say???

 

[corElement]

The main critical difference between lcd monitors and lcd tv's is

- Pixel dimension : tv is rectangular / monitor is square or round
- pixel pitch or pixel distance from each other : why professional text/graphic work cannot be done on tv's as mistakes may cost a fortune.
- smaller pixel size : how lcd monitors have much higher resolutions than lcd tv's at smaller size.
- excessive motionflow and backlight on TV's for long durations of comfortable work.

Now comes the question which people wonder about when I tell them this.

One monitor says it has 24" hdmi but it's a tn panel with HD ( 1920x1080 res ) 13k
Another monitor says 22" dvi with ips panel non hd (1680x1080 res ) 15k

And then you have a 26" hd lcd at 25k with the differences I mentioned above.
Does it mean it's better than the two monitors mentioned above?

Depends, if youre wanting the best screen without additional hardware which generates heat etc, the best colour, the best viewing angle, the 22" ips crushes the 26" hd monitor and lcd tv both. Saying that, how is the 22" better than th 26" lcd? simmply because of the following

A good physical size ratio to pixel size.
Superior viewing angles with the IPS panel.
Faster response and motion compared to a 26"
Accurate colour balance.
Digital input without sound ( use hdmi output to dvi converted corded into dbi port on lcd )

However the 22" that im talking about may not be full hd but it has higher res than 720 which is 1366.

So to end the question from my end I'm pointing to you
Dell UltraSharp 2209WA 22 inch e-IPS Widescreen Flat Panel Monitor -

The dell 2209wa if you prefer accurate picture vs features and interfaces.

 

[freeekychakra]

The main critical difference between lcd monitors and lcd tv's is

- Pixel dimension : tv is rectangular / monitor is square or round
- pixel pitch or pixel distance from each other : why professional text/graphic work cannot be done on tv's as mistakes may cost a fortune.
- smaller pixel size : how lcd monitors have much higher resolutions than lcd tv's at smaller res.
- excessive motionflow and backlight on TV's for long durations of comfortable work.

Now comes the question which people wonder about when I tell them this.

One monitor says it has 24" hdmi but it's a tn panel with HD ( 1920x1080 res ) 13k
Another monitor says 22" dvi with ips panel non hd (1680x1080 res ) 15k

And then you have a 26" hd lcd at 25k with the differences I mentioned above.
Does it mean it's better than the two monitors mentioned above?

Depends, if youre wanting the best screen without additional hardware which generates heat etc, the best colour, the best viewing angle, the 22" ips crushes the 26" hd monitor and lcd tv both. Saying that, how is the 22" better than th 26" lcd? simmply because of the following

A good physical size ratio to pixel size.
Superior viewing angles with the IPS panel.
Faster response and motion compared to a 26"
Accurate colour balance.
Digital input without sound ( use hdmi output to dvi converted corded into dbi port on lcd )

However the 22" that im talking about may not be full hd but it has higher res than 720 which is 1366.

So to end the question from my end I'm pointing to you
Dell UltraSharp 2209WA 22 inch e-IPS Widescreen Flat Panel Monitor -

The dell 2209wa if you prefer accurate picture vs features and interfaces.

AMAZING RESPONSE!!! that was really vivid! And the Dell looks absolutely fabulous! But the lack of HDMI??? Can a Cable box be connected to it??? And a streaming media player??? And HD content???

 

[alokbharti]

accurate response corElement..I found it very useful..Thanks

 

[corElement]

AMAZING RESPONSE!!! that was really vivid! And the Dell looks absolutely fabulous! But the lack of HDMI??? Can a Cable box be connected to it??? And a streaming media player??? And HD content???

Well suffice to say if you are indeed connecting this to a streaming media player it would depend on the model of the player if youre able to take out audio and video via seperate hdmi ports if they have more than one in which case youd be using an hdmi to dvi converter cable to link the dell to the media player and the other hdmi to go to an AVR. However I doubt this is possible so...to answer your question, youd have to use an hdmi to dvi converter cable for video and spdif for audio to an avr. The 2209wa is between 720p and 1080p at 1680x1080 pixels with hdcp content enabled so id you ever play a blu-ray disc it will play it without issues. Files on the harddrive shouldnt even be a question, they'll ofcourse play.

However the cable box, it would depend on what outputs the cable box has.

You figure it out

dvi - d
vga

sockets on a good screen vs

hdmi
hd native res on an inferior screen

accurate response corElement..I found it very useful..Thanks

Np hyeah:

 

[shredder]

There is one model from LG. It is the M237WA. It is one of those so called monitor TVs. It is exactly 23 inches diagonally measured. Those BenQ
so-called 24" TVs are actually 23.6 inches. It has all connectivity options, even S-video. It is definitely a TN panel. For viewing TV broadcasts it is suitable. It also has an additional option whereby you can watch TV while actually using it as a computer monitor. The screen splits vertically in half.
The black levels on this TV are weak but then this is a fault common across all TN panels. If watching movies via PC then you can make adjustments to the picture using VLC player (it's free). The remote is very user friendly and intuitive. The menu actually gives you a lot of options to adjust the picture to your heart's content. Even has advanced settings for Gamma and black level and RGB adjustment. It also allows you to adjust the amount of backlight. Claims to have SRS surround but the onboard speakers are so tinny that it will hardly make a difference. The speakers are acceptable while watching TV late in the night though. It has a headphone jack on the side. When switched on there is a blue LED that glows. Thankfully this can be turned off via the user settings (a blessing, since the blue LED can get really irritating, especially in the dark)!! Viewing angles are not great despite the claimed 178/178. This does not mean that you have to sit in front of the TV to appreciate it. Just don't expect IPS panel type viewing angles. But i must warn you that vertical viewing angles are really bad. Beyond a certain angle the screen starts giving off an irritating shine. But you can adjust the brightness accordingly to counter this problem (that's what the remote is for). But you won't encounter this problem much unless you are trying to watch TV in bed and are looking up at the TV from an angle.

Using the TV as a PC, text is not too sharp. But you can always increase font size through Windows, so I don't see this as a problem.

Resolution on the TV is 1920X1080p. Colours are vibrant and crisp. The forte of the monitor is in the realm of gaming. If you have a powerful PC with a high end graphics card then you will be blown away. NFS SHIFT, CRYSIS, PES 2010, GTA IV all look stunning on this monitor at native resolution. Being a TN panel, response times are no problem at all. HD movies look damn good. Hell, even normal DivX movies look good unless you are watching with your nose touching the screen.

MRP is around 16,000/-. Street prices will be considerably less.

 

[corElement]

Call me an elitist but LG tn panels white quality is as bad as dell tn panels. When I was working with a design firm and we were doing monitor shootouts to replace aged crt's most of the lg tn panels failed to even qualify given their inaccurate colours and highly un-uniform backlighting. From a professional front excluding features and purely focusing on the visual aspect, we found samsung tn panels to be almost uniform and near accurate with improved viewing angles vs other brands however as I said, call me an elitist, even samsung tn panels made me want to cry because I could look at the screen and see 6bit pixel quality all over the place. But that dosnt mean all of them are bad, I'm sure there are particular models from all brands which have good picture,

but hey I'm pretty sure most of you wont even notice what I'm talking about. My brother certainly dosnt. Calls me weird but I cant get myself to spend any money any further on bad panels. It just makes me wanna rip my eyes out. So again, same thing with audio, best method for people on a tight budget - GO AUDITION! LOL

 

[freeekychakra]

Call me an elitist but LG tn panels white quality is as bad as dell tn panels. When I was working with a design firm and we were doing monitor shootouts to replace aged crt's most of the lg tn panels failed to even qualify given their inaccurate colours and highly un-uniform backlighting. From a professional front excluding features and purely focusing on the visual aspect, we found samsung tn panels to be almost uniform and near accurate with improved viewing angles vs other brands however as I said, call me an elitist, even samsung tn panels made me want to cry because I could look at the screen and see 6bit pixel quality all over the place. But that dosnt mean all of them are bad, I'm sure there are particular models from all brands which have good picture,

but hey I'm pretty sure most of you wont even notice what I'm talking about. My brother certainly dosnt. Calls me weird but I cant get myself to spend any money any further on bad panels. It just makes me wanna rip my eyes out. So again, same thing with audio, best method for people on a tight budget - GO AUDITION! LOL

Unfortunately i belong to the same group...

Anyways, all you Hi fi guys out there thanks for your responses, it was of tremendous help!!

Theres one more Dell Monitor -24" DELL U2410! Its full HD with HDMI and 80,000:1 contrast time!
Dell UltraSharp U2410 24"W Monitor | Dell India
However I think they are more expensive! Any idea guys about the street price of it????

Alrite, This link below shows the various outputs/inputs in an Airtel Settopbox in picture!

Airtel DTH Digital TV Installation and experience along with pictures of new STB

Can someone please advise on what TV Tuner card to buy and what type of cables and converter cables to have for optimum quality in the connection to TV??? Also what external TV Tuner card should I get???

 

[shredder]

Call me an elitist but LG tn panels white quality is as bad as dell tn panels. When I was working with a design firm and we were doing monitor shootouts to replace aged crt's most of the lg tn panels failed to even qualify given their inaccurate colours and highly un-uniform backlighting. From a professional front excluding features and purely focusing on the visual aspect, we found samsung tn panels to be almost uniform and near accurate with improved viewing angles vs other brands however as I said, call me an elitist, even samsung tn panels made me want to cry because I could look at the screen and see 6bit pixel quality all over the place. But that dosnt mean all of them are bad, I'm sure there are particular models from all brands which have good picture,

but hey I'm pretty sure most of you wont even notice what I'm talking about. My brother certainly dosnt. Calls me weird but I cant get myself to spend any money any further on bad panels. It just makes me wanna rip my eyes out. So again, same thing with audio, best method for people on a tight budget - GO AUDITION! LOL

How true! But it was specifically mentioned that the monitor/TV was to be used to watch broadcast and not for any hi-funda type editing work. If such were the case then the member should go in for those DELL monitors with IPS panel, which will burn a hole in the pocket. Said panels are supposedly 8 bit in contrast to 6 bit TN panels.

 

[shredder]

There are n number of external TV tuners in the market by brands like zebronics, frontech, Supercomp, etc. The prices range from about 1.2k onwards. But make sure the advertised resolution matches the monitor's resolution. (Most such tuners support only upto 1680X1050 resolution). The advantage of such tuners is that they allow you to adjust basic settings like colour, brightness, etc which most monitors do not have. Also, they resize the video for you so that you get a picture which fills the screen without giving you the stretched picture. They come with a remote, and will basically allow you to use your monitor like a TV. Composite cable has to be connected to S-Video port (conversion cable bundled). So the TV/AV button on the remote allows you to switch between normal RF, AV and S-Video. The S-Video option renders pictures with slightly better colour, but might seem overly sharp.
Connection to monitor is done via a D-Sub cable.
All in all a good buy if you want to watch TV on your monitor and are not too picky about picture quality.

 

[freeekychakra]

There are n number of external TV tuners in the market by brands like zebronics, frontech, Supercomp, etc. The prices range from about 1.2k onwards. But make sure the advertised resolution matches the monitor's resolution. (Most such tuners support only upto 1680X1050 resolution). The advantage of such tuners is that they allow you to adjust basic settings like colour, brightness, etc which most monitors do not have. Also, they resize the video for you so that you get a picture which fills the screen without giving you the stretched picture. They come with a remote, and will basically allow you to use your monitor like a TV. Composite cable has to be connected to S-Video port (conversion cable bundled). So the TV/AV button on the remote allows you to switch between normal RF, AV and S-Video. The S-Video option renders pictures with slightly better colour, but might seem overly sharp.
Connection to monitor is done via a D-Sub cable.
All in all a good buy if you want to watch TV on your monitor and are not too picky about picture quality.

The name of a tuner which supports higher resolution of 1080/1200 types????

 

[freeekychakra]

Ok guys, after much research and considerable help from you guys especially your posts, ive decided ill buy a TN panel only....I have a sony 42 inch for extreme quality and I doubt any of these 22-26 inch monitors will beat it in terms of quality, so no point thinking about that! The reason i wanna buy a TN panel is that I want a versatile LCD which will function, both with Airtel DTH and also my movies in my harddrive! I dont want higher response times when im playing COD4/Crysis etc which will spoil my gaming experience though I accept for viewership experience nothing would have been better than the IPS panels. Finally Ive narrowed my choices to an LCD Monitor cum TV which doesnt make me bother about buying a TV tuner with appropriate specs separately!

1) LG M237WA
M237WA LCD Monitor Computer Products

2) Benq MK 2432
BenQ India - Consumer Electronics

I think these two are specifically made for users of my type in need of something versatile!
Ruled out Dell as they would be more expensive and without any inbuilt tv and being the same TN technology, i doubt there will be any difference in quality for the increased price, and the good Samsung ones are just not available in India.

Now ... is it the right decision??? If ya, then which of the 2???

If there is a better option then please mention! I can extend my budget till 18k for the whole setup but screen size I would prefer is something in 24 or 26 inch range!22 would ne too smal for my cabinet

 

[shredder]

The name of a tuner which supports higher resolution of 1080/1200 types????

The AVerTV DVI Box 1080i is a tuner which supports 1080i resolution. But the device will set you back by about Rs. 7999/- only.
However even the 1680x1050 tuners will work on 1920x1080 resolution monitors.
The AVerMedia AVerTV Box Genie is a 1990/- TV tuner which provides a premium choice for widescreen monitor (16:9/16:10).
Here are the features

Features:-

* 16:9/16:10 Widescreen
* Picture-in-Picture Mode
* Built-in Speaker
* 16-Channel Preview
* 3D-motion Adaptive De-interlace
* 3:2 Pull-Down technique
* Plug & Play
* Progressive Scan
* Auto Power-off
* Infrared Remote Control with Full Function
* Special for Professional Game Consoles and Video Camcorders

 

[freeekychakra]

The AVerTV DVI Box 1080i is a tuner which supports 1080i resolution. But the device will set you back by about Rs. 7999/- only.
However even the 1680x1050 tuners will work on 1920x1080 resolution monitors.
The AVerMedia AVerTV Box Genie is a 1990/- TV tuner which provides a premium choice for widescreen monitor (16:9/16:10).
Here are the features

Features:-

* 16:9/16:10 Widescreen
* Picture-in-Picture Mode
* Built-in Speaker
* 16-Channel Preview
* 3D-motion Adaptive De-interlace
* 3:2 Pull-Down technique
* Plug & Play
* Progressive Scan
* Auto Power-off
* Infrared Remote Control with Full Function
* Special for Professional Game Consoles and Video Camcorders

hmm Thanks sir, thats pretty expensive! considering that even with the use of these expensive tv tuners,the quality of transmission would ultimately depend on the monitor's HD capability! And i cant let go off HD either! Also i have around 400 GB of HD content in the form of removable media so I would like an HD monitor!
Dont you think Im better off with an inbuilt TV tuner in a monitor like the ones I mentioned in my previous post???? Would give me the combo at a far reduced price! In fact Ive heard great reviews about Benq MK2432 with not just HD but also 3D comb filter, 3D de-interlacing 3D noise reduction! Benq are known for manufacturing quality TN panels which they distribute to other companies too! However in this particular model the panel is good but nothing spectacular keeping in mind the cost of the whole thing! Im really having a hard time choosing between it and LG M237wa which is supposed to have better contrasts (spec wise)!
It would be really helpful if somebody who has used or atleast seen both these monitors with first hand experience give a comparison of their display and features??????

Heres a comparison of both!

http://2007.prad.de/en/guide/vergleich_auswahl.html

[[[Edit- the compairson link is not functioning! Manully select LG M237WD(international version of the WA model) in the 23 inch monitor list and BenQ MK2442(international version of the MK2432) from the 24 inch monitor list]]]

Could someone explain the differences between the two technically? Also the specs in the BENQ in their website(missed in the comparison chart) mentions about 3D features as mentioned about which the LG doesnt speak of in their website!

 

[shredder]

hmm Thanks sir, thats pretty expensive! considering that even with the use of these expensive tv tuners,the quality of transmission would ultimately depend on the monitor's HD capability! And i cant let go off HD either! Also i have around 400 GB of HD content in the form of removable media so I would like an HD monitor!
Dont you think Im better off with an inbuilt TV tuner in a monitor like the ones I mentioned in my previous post???? Would give me the combo at a far reduced price! In fact Ive heard great reviews about Benq MK2432 with not just HD but also 3D comb filter, 3D de-interlacing 3D noise reduction! Benq are known for manufacturing quality TN panels which they distribute to other companies too! However in this particular model the panel is good but nothing spectacular keeping in mind the cost of the whole thing! Im really having a hard time choosing between it and LG M237wa which is supposed to have better contrasts (spec wise)!
It would be really helpful if somebody who has used or atleast seen both these monitors with first hand experience give a comparison of their display and features??????

Heres a comparison of both!

PRAD | LCD-Monitor Comparison

[[[Edit- the compairson link is not functioning! Manully select LG M237WD(international version of the WA model) in the 23 inch monitor list and BenQ MK2442(international version of the MK2432) from the 24 inch monitor list]]]

Could someone explain the differences between the two technically? Also the specs in the BENQ in their website(missed in the comparison chart) mentions about 3D features as mentioned about which the LG doesnt speak of in their website!

First of all the BenQ has a slight advantage in terms of screen real estate. (LG 23" as opposed to BenQ 23.6"). Performance of both would be roughly around the same since both are TN panels at around the same price point.
The LG is supposed to have a better contrast but those figures are that of dynamic contrast ratio which are souped up and are not benchmarked. So just ignore dynamic contrast ratio.
And yes, if the TV already has an internal TV tuner then why waste munny by buying separate tuner again??
3D comb filter, 3D de-interlacing 3D noise reduction WOW! Whatever the hell are these things?? What do they do?? Is it maybe some kind of gobbleydegook put up by companies. I'm sure these things have a function but in a 23-24" screen size I doubt you'll see any difference. Maybe you should consider going in for a TV that gives you more control over picture adjustment, like backlight control, RGB control, Gamma, etc, (all of which the LG has, dunno about BenQ though)
Also note that as per the link provided by you, BenQ is not wall mountable...
In the end it all boils down to you... perhaps you could go to a shop which sells both and do a comparision yourself. Also consider availability of service centres, ASS, etc. LG has a wide network but I don't know about BenQ. LG has some scheme in select cities whereby service personnel can call on you.

P.S.: IF as corElement posted
"Another monitor says 22" dvi with ips panel non hd (1680x1080 res ) 15k"
and if you get 22" IPS panel for 15k then grab it!!!!

 

[freeekychakra]

First of all the BenQ has a slight advantage in terms of screen real estate. (LG 23" as opposed to BenQ 23.6"). Performance of both would be roughly around the same since both are TN panels at around the same price point.
The LG is supposed to have a better contrast but those figures are that of dynamic contrast ratio which are souped up and are not benchmarked. So just ignore dynamic contrast ratio.
And yes, if the TV already has an internal TV tuner then why waste munny by buying separate tuner again??
3D comb filter, 3D de-interlacing 3D noise reduction WOW! Whatever the hell are these things?? What do they do?? Is it maybe some kind of gobbleydegook put up by companies. I'm sure these things have a function but in a 23-24" screen size I doubt you'll see any difference. Maybe you should consider going in for a TV that gives you more control over picture adjustment, like backlight control, RGB control, Gamma, etc, (all of which the LG has, dunno about BenQ though)
Also note that as per the link provided by you, BenQ is not wall mountable...
In the end it all boils down to you... perhaps you could go to a shop which sells both and do a comparision yourself. Also consider availability of service centres, ASS, etc. LG has a wide network but I don't know about BenQ. LG has some scheme in select cities whereby service personnel can call on you.

P.S.: IF as corElement posted
"Another monitor says 22" dvi with ips panel non hd (1680x1080 res ) 15k"
and if you get 22" IPS panel for 15k then grab it!!!!

Ya, the Dell, I saw it is rated as the best LCD monitor in the market today with reviews of 10 out of 10! but its not without its limitations(no HDMI, max resolution of 1680X1050)! Dont you think Im better off buy a neat LCD TV 26" at almost the same total expense as both being IPS Panels would perform almost the same in terms of response times!

I mean if we look at this:-
Dell 2209WA ANY NEAT 22-26"LCDTV

IPS Panel Yes Yes

Resolution(max) 1650 X 1050 1368 X 768(1080 with HDMI)
HDMI No Yes(1-3)
TV Functions No Yes
Response time 5ms 5ms

Price 15k+2k for TVtuner 16-17k for 22" LCD TV, around 20-21k for 26" LCD TV