I was recently looking around for a new monitor and think I found one that "does it all" but before buying, I just wanted to know if anyone has purchased this monitor before: http://bit.ly/14VEHK, or if anyone has any suggestions.
I'm looking for:
- 24" (preferably 1920x1200 resolution)
- At least 1 VGA, 1 DVI, and 1 VGA
- Looks good when playing Xbox 360/PS3
- I don't need a tv tuner, this monitor just comes with one
- $200-$400
It seems to me that this monitor does everything that I want, and more. However, I know that some monitors will stretch the image of Xbox 360/PS3 since the max resolution they can output is 1920x1080. I'm fine with having the two horizontal black bars on the top and bottom of the picture for gaming, as long as the video quality isn't compromised. I currently have a Samsung 22" Syncmaster 220BW, which looks ok at 1680x1050 (with horizontal black bars), but it doesn't look that clear to me. Any opinions are appreciated.
On a 24" inch screen you really won't be able to discern between 1920x1080 and 1280x720, so if you can get a 720 screen cheaper, get that instead.
More than resolution you need to be looking at view angles (the higher the better) and contrast ratio (the higher the better -- don't accept anything less than 10,000:1). If you ever want to play BluRays on the monitor, you should also look for a monitor that has either 24hz/120hz/240hz refresh rate, as well.
$38 on new discs -- Check
$15 on burn after burn that showed as a DVD -- Check
$11 on new laser -- Check
$28 on new multimeter -- Check
___________________________________
Knowledge from Leerage? -- Priceless
Well, I'm still going to be using it as a monitor for my computer primarily, which is why I'm going for 1920x1200. This monitor seems to have all the specs that you recommended, though.
Everything about this monitor seems to be perfect for what I want. The only negative things I've read about it were that the brightness is a little low, but I usually play in dark rooms anyway (being in college), so I don't need a really bright screen. All the inputs give me many options for input without having to buy a switch box. It even has a tv tuner, which I don't "need", but why not. My only, and I mean ONLY, concern is that it would stretch the image for input of 1920x1080 vertically so it would fit the native resolution of 1920x1200. I guess that's really the question I really want answered: Does this monitor stretch the image vertically if the input resolution isn't 16:10?
It does seem like a good product based on the link and your needs. I have a Samsung TV and it is awesome, so I can vouch for Samsung as well.
I am not sure if the monitor will force you to stretch to its native resolution or not. A TV would just put the image into whatever ratio was required. However, a monitor might not. Since this is a 'hybrid', I am not sure. People writing reviews for it at NewEgg seem to imply that it does not force to a different ratio.
Good luck with your purchase. I'm sure you'll enjoy it.
$38 on new discs -- Check
$15 on burn after burn that showed as a DVD -- Check
$11 on new laser -- Check
$28 on new multimeter -- Check
___________________________________
Knowledge from Leerage? -- Priceless
