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

For use as a monitor the DELL would kick the pants off any 26" LCD TV. Note that 26" TVs can be used as a monitor, but they are not specifically designed for use as a monitor. Text is never going to look as sharp on a TV as it will on a monitor.

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)!
Why r u so worried about the lack of HDMI?? It has a DVI port, and as you know DVI and HDMI are compatible. You would simply need to buy a conversion (HDMI to DVI) cable which costs less than 500 bucks.
Resolution of 1680x1050 is good enough. (only thing is that the aspect ratio will be 16:10 as opposed to 16:9). Remember that there is nothing magical about 1080, simply that it is an industry standard. A couple of years from now and we will probably be looking at resolutions higher than 1080. There is a thread on this site which discusses this!!

They may both use IPS panels but the quality of the DELL panel is definitely better. Ask anyone who is into graphic designing. About lack of TV function... your TV tuner will have a remote just like a TV remote. For 1680x1050 resolution you can pick up the mainstream TV tuners which cost only about 1200/- INR.
Cheers
 
For use as a monitor the DELL would kick the pants off any 26" LCD TV. Note that 26" TVs can be used as a monitor, but they are not specifically designed for use as a monitor. Text is never going to look as sharp on a TV as it will on a monitor.

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)!
Why r u so worried about the lack of HDMI?? It has a DVI port, and as you know DVI and HDMI are compatible. You would simply need to buy a conversion (HDMI to DVI) cable which costs less than 500 bucks.
Resolution of 1680x1050 is good enough. (only thing is that the aspect ratio will be 16:10 as opposed to 16:9). Remember that there is nothing magical about 1080, simply that it is an industry standard. A couple of years from now and we will probably be looking at resolutions higher than 1080. There is a thread on this site which discusses this!!

They may both use IPS panels but the quality of the DELL panel is definitely better. Ask anyone who is into graphic designing. About lack of TV function... your TV tuner will have a remote just like a TV remote. For 1680x1050 resolution you can pick up the mainstream TV tuners which cost only about 1200/- INR.
Cheers
Thanks....but the thing is I dont plans to use the new LCD for Textual/Graphical purpose! Its meant to be for entertainment purpose-mainly watching movies through an HD media player, doing some basic internet, occasional gaming and ofcourse acting as a TV with my Airtel DTH! Basically you know, my wife would also want some entertainment factor(same as above) thrown into it! Would the two LCDs be any different in terms of quality in these respect??? I mean video quality, picture quality etc????

I have an ASUS G73JH-A1 gaming laptop(from Canada) with a 17" glossy WLED 1920 X 1200 Full HD, an i7 720qm processor and an ATI Mobility Radeon 5870 graphic card and I doubt I would replace it for basic usage(MS Office, casual gaming and other casual activities) given the fact Im so much in love with it:)! And when i want to Game on a larger screen, thats where the new LCD would come into play:)
 
Since youre not going to do graphic design work you can go with a 26"

however mind you I noticed in a previous post someone said 21-26" lcd tv has ips. This is not entirely true. True IPS will cost you good $ they do not come cheap. as far as I know s-ips panels in tv's of high quality start from around 60k at 32" size, while mac cinema display 24" costs 50k with s-ips led lcd. this I'd pick over anything for design work.
 
Thanks....but the thing is I dont plans to use the new LCD for Textual/Graphical purpose! Its meant to be for entertainment purpose-mainly watching movies through an HD media player, doing some basic internet, occasional gaming and ofcourse acting as a TV with my Airtel DTH! Basically you know, my wife would also want some entertainment factor(same as above) thrown into it! Would the two LCDs be any different in terms of quality in these respect??? I mean video quality, picture quality etc????

I have an ASUS G73JH-A1 gaming laptop(from Canada) with a 17" glossy WLED 1920 X 1200 Full HD, an i7 720qm processor and an ATI Mobility Radeon 5870 graphic card and I doubt I would replace it for basic usage(MS Office, casual gaming and other casual activities) given the fact Im so much in love with it:)! And when i want to Game on a larger screen, thats where the new LCD would come into play:)

My vote goes for LCD TV... for your usage, LCD TV will fit better.. HDMI and tuner built-in.. Would recommend LG over BenQ.. LG after-sale-service and customer support is really good..
 
Since youre not going to do graphic design work you can go with a 26"

however mind you I noticed in a previous post someone said 21-26" lcd tv has ips. This is not entirely true. True IPS will cost you good $ they do not come cheap. as far as I know s-ips panels in tv's of high quality start from around 60k at 32" size, while mac cinema display 24" costs 50k with s-ips led lcd. this I'd pick over anything for design work.
At 26" Most LG models are sold with IPS, Sony with AMVA and I heard Samsung with a higher customer base is more of a lottery!
It is believed that the IPS has the best viewing angle, worst response times(though compensated with recent IPS ones) and the blackest of blacks and the whitest of whites are good, but inferior to a good MVA/PVA ones which are better in this regard.
 
Hi guys! I had my final exams which continued for a month...so couldnot post this before(and ofcourse im happy enough to make this post since I came to know I passed my exams:yahoo:)
After doing a lot of research in many shops and branded ones i finally bought an LCD TV of 26 inch size....with 2.4ms response time(to suit my gaming needs and this was a very important feature for me)....3 million:1 mega contrast ratio dynamic(I thought this was more of a gimmick ratio but as explained later this was truly superior to the others not only in numbers ratios but also in performance-infact appreciably better...or to put it more accurately- far superior to the others)....1 USB input....3 HDMI....resolution=1366:768(720p)....1080i and 1080p with HDMI only....IPS panel technology...60Hz refresh rate...dolby surround...24p cinema....backlight control....DivX(and many other formats) compatible...energy star 4 rating....all the possible pulldowns possible (2:2, 5:5...3:2)....and an LED backlight technology....
Thats LG 26LE5300 for you! Its an LED LCDTV by LG in 26 inch size!
Now for the real story...went to the local outlet and then a few others....Was intent on buying either Samsung 26 inch series 4 model or LG 26 inch LD350(the 2010 model) or the sony bravia Bravia 3 EX300 model! Liked the LG one with better viewing angles(IPS) as mentioned before compared to the VA of samsung and sony and slightly better colour naturality and booked the LG LD350! Was roaming around the shop when finally my eyes fell on a 22 inch LG 22LE5300(The 26 inch model was not on display then)! Fuc* was my instant response.....I did a thorough comparison of the LCD TVs i mentioned before with it! Believe me guys and this is no exaggeration! The 22 inch LG 22LE5300 literally took the pants off all the other bigger 26 inch sized Tvs....be it sony ex300, series 4 samsung or the lg jazz series! Instantly halted my previous order...
went to another outlet to check on the 26 inch model LED of the Samsung(sony still doesnt have LED in 26 inch)....did a comparison of the 26 inch Samsung LED and 26 inch LG LED! What i found was that static image sounded almost similar in both but I could recognize a definite blur in moving images in the Samsung LED! It was like moving images left a little trail behind its movement! It was recognizable enough for me though most of the reviews about the Samsung 26 inch LED has been excellent(just 1 review in amazon.com mentioning about motion blur in Samsung)...so may be it was my eyes....but i asked the staff about the difference in LCD Panel between both as LG is IPS but im not aware of the samsng one...they has no clue of what i was asking:D...a usual problem with Indian market... but one of them said something like Samsung has EDGE technology but LG has both EDGE and DIGITALLED(I dont know what that means though).....but what I did find was the image quality(esp the moving ones) were definitely better in LG from what my eyes could see...and the staff also mentioned that HD content can be played through USB only in the LG and Samsung USB is restricted to only SD(But cant rely on the authenticity of his statement though)...anyways the live difference was noticable enough for me to choose the LG over Samsung(though I keep on hearing that Samsung picture quality is in general better than LG and that kept ringing in my ears as i was choosing the LG over the Samsung but finally decided on LG as nothing better than what your own eyes can see)....
went back to the old outlet and completed the purchase of the LG 26LE5300!

The Downside- yes the only downside as expected was the price - It cost me 29500 INR which was around 6000k more than the 26 inch LCD ones(the Samsung LEDTV is even more expensive by another 1.5k-dont remember the model number of Samsung 26 inch LED but i think they also have only one model of LED TV in 26 inches just like LG has 26LE5300 as the one and only model in India with LED technology in 26 inches)!
I know some might say that at that price one can get the 32 inch LCD...ya thats true may be another 3k and u can get a 32 inch LCDTV but what i saw was that the LG LED literally pulled the pants out of the 32 inch LCD TVs in terms of picture quality...be it Samsung, LG or Sony...you have to see it to believe! Of course the difference is in the Technology...And the difference between LED LCD technology and plain LCD technology was a lot more than what i presumed!

Here is the summary of LG 26LE5300 from the website for the readers-
LG 26LE5300 Televisions - 26" Class High Definition LED TV (26.0" diagonal) - LG Electronics US

and if all that came with 2.4ms response times to suit my gaming needs Im more than happy with it....considering I needed a TV for broadcast and not just a monitor...

BOTTOMLINE - If anyone is searching for a 26 inch TV and shelling out an extra 6000k is not that much of an issue in return for a definite improvement in picture quality, then LG LE5300 is a definite yes in terms of consideration and if lower response times is also something u r looking for then it becomes a "Must Buy":lol:....i mean you should definitely consider this model!:)...i know im speaking like an LG representive but im so happy with my TV that it makes me sound like one!
I hope Ive helped some of you guys looking to buy a 26 inch TV...as im aware reviews and comparisons in this segment are not as easily found as in the 32 inch lineups!
 
Last edited:
congrats buddy!

Thanks dude!
The picture quality is amazing. the response time is really 2.4 sec(i mean it is really responsive as it claims) and plus it is IPS Panel!
The sad part of the story is that just as it happens on most occasions, i dont get time to have fun with it as much as wud like:sad:. Its more of my wife's companion than mine:).
Anyways, anyone else with the LG 26LE5300....any first hand experiences? wat do u think?
 
Hijacking this post (apologies to the OP), as I also have a similar requirement but on a very tight budget. I am planning to set up a LCD monitor + TV tuner based system to be used with a STB/laptop/media player in my bedroom. My budget is strictly around 10k.

I have enquired about the following LCD monitors in Pune:
1. Samsung 22 Inch LCD Monitor - 8.6k
2. AOC 22 Inch LCD Monitor - 7.8k

The Moser Baer TV tuner price was quoted around 1.5k

I would like to know if this combination will give me a better picture quality than the conventional CRT TV? Please note that I am not a videophile. Just marginal improvement will do for me.
Also, How much price difference is there for the above mentioned models in mumbai (Lamington road? or any other areas)?

I need to make a buying descision within two weeks time, so urgent help required.

Thanks
Vivek
 
Last edited:
LCD monitor + TV tuner combo will not give you a better picture than CRT. However since you are not a videophile, then it should just about do the job for you. What I can suggest is to up your budget by about 2000/-. It will be worth it because you can consider a Monitor with inbuilt TV tuner card, which will have all connectivity options. In addition you might get the 24" variety which is always better. There are models from BenQ, LG, AOC. The price would be slightly higher than your 10k budget but it's better to stretch it slightly, than to go in for a separate TV tuner card.
 
LCD monitor + TV tuner combo will not give you a better picture than CRT. However since you are not a videophile, then it should just about do the job for you. What I can suggest is to up your budget by about 2000/-. It will be worth it because you can consider a Monitor with inbuilt TV tuner card, which will have all connectivity options. In addition you might get the 24" variety which is always better. There are models from BenQ, LG, AOC. The price would be slightly higher than your 10k budget but it's better to stretch it slightly, than to go in for a separate TV tuner card.

I had almost zeroed down on the AOC 22 Inch Monitor TV after seeing a price tag of 10.5k in eBay (just in my budget) but when I enquired with a local dealer here in Pune, the price quoted was 12.5k. So, I reverted back on my plan to go for a LCD Monitor rather than a Monitor TV. I would like to save my monies for upgrading my music set up rather than investing on video options. I want to spend as little as possible on video solutions :ohyeah:
 
When I had almost finalized on taking the LCD monitor + TV tuner route, I stumbled upon this 22 Inch Sansui LCD TV (model no. SANSUI FONTES S2220YM-L) which retails for Rs 9,800/-(further negotiable) just to add to my confusion further.
Have anyone used/seen this LCD? The specs are quite impressive as follows:

Hd ready
Matt finish
30000:1 super Contrast Ratio
1366x768 display resolution
16.7 Million Display Color
5 ms Response Time
USB

Please help. Need to take a buying descision soon.
 
Why do you guys need a TV tuner to watch TV on a monitor?
If you have a cable connection with RF as the input or if you don't intend to record the programs on the computer you don't need a TV tuner at all.
LCD monitors come with a VGA and DVI port by default mostly. You can connect the VGA to the computer and the DVI to the STB to watch TV. You just need to switch the source from VGA (Analog) to DVI (Digital) from you monitor's "select source" button.
You get cheap "Component to DVI" or "HDMI to DVI" cable/adapter/converter easily for connecting from your STB to DVI in the monitor.
 
Hi guys! I had my final exams which continued for a month...so couldnot post this before(and ofcourse im happy enough to make this post since I came to know I passed my exams:yahoo:)
After doing a lot of research in many shops and branded ones i finally bought an LCD TV of 26 inch size....with 2.4ms response time(to suit my gaming needs and this was a very important feature for me)....3 million:1 mega contrast ratio dynamic(I thought this was more of a gimmick ratio but as

i just want to know who is correct as the LG sales Manager has told me the 26le5300 model is 4ms response time and has 1000000:1 contrast ratio
so i request freeekychakra to double check the tv and let me know what is the real specification. Also i checked in the showroom it has the blur effect and it is the refresh rate and does not have anything to do with the response time as this model has 60Hz but then i checked it on a larger screen having 200Hz and there also it has the blur.
Now you will say it is due to my eyes but trust me the showroom guy actualy played a DVD and as the boy run he paused the DVD that is how you check the blur effect.
So now pl. let me know the exact specification as i will be buying the same model before diwali.
Thank.
 
Order your Rega Turntables & Amplifiers from HiFiMART.com - India's reputed online dealer.
Back
Top