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i'm looking to buy a 22' monitor and i'm not sure what qualities make one better than another. i'd like to have a great picture, but i hear most lcds have a lot of bleeding, and i'm not sure what to look for to avoid that. obviously, i want to spend as little green as possible as well.

thanks!!!

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another question of yours that better be made Community Wiki. :) – Molly7244 Nov 30 '09 at 0:21
Why, it appears a valid query? – lagerdalek Nov 30 '09 at 0:23
didn't vote to close the question, so yes, it is a valid query, but since there is no definite answer to the question, rather personal preferences, this should be CW. – Molly7244 Nov 30 '09 at 0:25
@Molly I don't see that it is. There are a great number of measurements of monitor quality. However, what values for each of those measurements are considered 'good' is objective. What measurements are more important, that could be subjective or it may depend on the use of the monitor. – Daniel Bingham Nov 30 '09 at 1:09
Question is valid, but not answerable. What will the monitor be used for? What do YOU want in a monitor? Without knowing that there's no specific correct answer. Other things that would help: what OS, what country will it be used in? – CarlF Nov 30 '09 at 1:43
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closed as not constructive by MDMarra, Diago Nov 30 '09 at 4:37

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3 Answers

up vote 1 down vote

To list the basics:

  • Response time - lower is better
  • Contrast ratio - higher is better
  • Max resolution supported - higher is better
  • Viewing angle - higher is better
  • Brightness supported - higher is better
  • Supported refresh rates - higher is better
  • Display Type (eg. IPS, TN, etc) - TN is most common, VA and IPS will be more expensive, each has it's own advantages and disadvantages.
  • Supported Input (HDMI, DVI, etc) - HDMI is a bonus if you wan't high def output
  • Power Usage - lower is better
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What values should one look for? For instance, contrast ratio - high ratio or low ratio? I would assume a high ratio is better, but I could be wrong. – Daniel Bingham Nov 30 '09 at 1:08
added some details for ya – John T Nov 30 '09 at 1:36
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up vote 0 down vote

excellent website:

TFT Central - Monitor Reviews, Guides, News

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up vote 0 down vote

For me it is just:

Price, Warranty, resolution, ports.

My primary monitor is an NEX 1880SX... It has a 33ms refresh time and a 350:1 contrast.

As far as I am concerned, nearly all panels are the same and I think that marketing is a load of BS.

Even in the day, it was advertised as "amazing 33ms refresh technology - stop motion blur" etc...

So - Get one that has the ports you need - if you want it to last I recommend you go for the cheapest price that has - HDCP enabled HDMI... resolution of at least 1920x1080 but if you can find one, 1920x1200 and has a warranty of at least 3 years (I find that if they go faulty, it is 80% of the time in 18-24 months, otherwise they go for several years longer)

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Regarding "nearly all panels are the same," that has not been my experience. At one point I was using three monitors LCD panels at one time. A 17" Samsung (the oldest), a 24" Gateway, and my Macbook Pro's 15". When next to each other it was very easy to see quality difference. It went like this, the Macbook's was the best, then the Samsung and then the Gateway. Basically, what made one stand out from another was clarity (no blur between pixels) and colors. – donut Nov 30 '09 at 1:36
I said "nearly"... within same generations, for example, 15" to 17" to 24" are all probably different technologies - if you look at any inch size and compare it to any other of the same inch that is roughly the same price, they are usually the same panels. – William Hilsum Nov 30 '09 at 8:08
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