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I've been contemplating getting a widescreen LCD cause I need more screen real estate to program more efficiently and have been having a painfully hard time finding one to suit my needs, and then I stumbled across the Sharp Aquos LC32GP1U 32" 1080p LCD Gaming HDTV (http://www.amazon.com/Sharp-Aquos-LC32GP1U-1080p-Gaming/dp/B000NKAYWG/ref=pd_bbs_2/103-4636370-4960668?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1174197404&sr=1-2):

(http://pandadesigns.com/f13/Sharp_LC32GP1U.jpg)

This thing has *SIX*, yes *SIX* 1080P compatible inputs including 3 HDMI, 2 sets of components and 1 DVI-I (for your PC). It supposedly has some special electronics as well to minimize the input control lag that many digital displays suffer from. More details about the set can be found here (http://www.vanns.com/shop/servlet/item/features/462836529).

There's also a 37" version for those who need something bigger. The display is just reaching retailers now so the reviews are just starting to trickle in with threads on AVS Forum (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=785463) and HardOCP (http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1167198). As I've found while searching for an LCD all of them have flaws and apparently this one suffers from uneven brightness issues.

I don't know if they've been mentioned here but I've been intrested in these ones Westinghouse LVM-42W2 - 42" 1080p LCD Video Monitor  (http://www.amazon.com/Westinghouse-LVM-42W2-1080p-Video-Monitor/dp/B000E7RACK/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-8009149-7865748?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1174227029&sr=1-1). It has only 8 ms lag, which shouldn't be noticeable at all. The reviews are superb and the price is unbeatable for that size. There's also Westinghouse LVM-37W3 - 37" 1080p LCD Video Monitor  (http://www.amazon.com/Westinghouse-LVM-37W3-1080p-Video-Monitor/dp/B000EYZ994/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2/102-8009149-7865748?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1174227029&sr=1-2), which while a little smaller also has an even smaller price. There's only 1 HDMI connection, but it also has 2 HD Component, 2 DVI HDCP and 1 S-Video Input, not that the last one would see much use.

If you are sitting at a desk, with at most 2 feet between your face and the monitor, anything over 30" will be too big imo.

I need something that can fit on my desk and be used as a PC monitor so those are too large for me. Actually 32" is a bit big as well -- 30" 1920 x 1080 or 1920 x 1200 would be perfect for my needs but I haven't found one yet (30" PC LCDs are typically 2650 x 1600). Dell has a 27" at 1920 x 1200 which is a wee bit too small but that may be my best option depending on how good the Sharp's picture quality is as a PC monitor.

My problem is that LCD panel makers assume everybody has 20/20 or better vision and make their panels with ridiculously small dot pitches. As reference I run my 18" diagonal CRT at 1024 x 768 which is 71 DPI even though it can easily do 1600 x 1200 or even higher. In comparison a 20" diagonal widescreen LCD display is typically 1680 x 1050 at a headache inducing 99 DPI. A 24" 1920 x 1200 display is slightly better at 94 DPI but still way too small for my eyes. The 27" Dell I mentioned above is 84 DPI which may just about be tolerable for my eyes given the better sharpness compared to a CRT. The 32" Sharp works out to 69 DPI which will make things slightly larger than they are right now on my CRT but that's okay since I can set the LCD back further away from me since it's nowhere near as deep as my CRT.

Edit: typos

I've got the aforementioned 37" Westinghouse and have been in love with it since the day I got it. I've never played games on the PC I have hooked up to it but I haven't been dissapointed so far between that, HD cable and the 360. Unless I get a PS3 I don't see myself running out of HD inputs, either.

Hehe, yea, it's certainly a bit to large to have on a desk. If you have nothing against sitting on the couch a few meters away doing you computer business it's less of an issue though, if you can create that setup.

Iirc, that's just a deinterlacing issue, no? I've never had it pop up on my hdtv, though I've only played progressive scan xbox and pc games since I got the set.

A little small, but if you're still an old-school computer desk person, I guess that's a plus. I say go for the sofa, man ;) Using it as a multitasker, do you really want to orient your sofa/recliner to center on your computer desk to watch movies or hd cable? I won't even consider the idea of watching tv or movies in a computer chair :P

Just some thoughts, looks like a decent set, if a bit steep for a unitasker.

There's one other snag to all of this too (but correct me if I'm wrong about something): Native resolution quality. You'll be very tempted to run at 1920x1080 or whatever, but do you have the GPU for it? I'm running at 1920x1200 myself, and gaming wise, it can be pretty taxing (I have a 7600). I'm better off gaming in 1680x1050 or lower (i.e. something closer to a 20" display's native res). Needless to say, but it doesn't look all that great.

I think that anything 7000 series (or the ATI equivalant) is probably pushing it for these kind of resolutions. You can compensate a bit by turning off AA, since the res can pick up the slack, but you're probably better off going with a top end GPU.

I know you said you just want screen real estate for programming, but you do plan on gaming too right? I mean, I mainly plan on using my setup for audio and mixing work myself, nothing really graphic intensive, but gaming wise, I'm a little screwed.

So.... Fair warning.


Secondly...

In response to Sky, 32" isn't much for going the sofa route. Unless it's TV's or games, of course. But work-wise? I know that XP would at least suck at it. Maybe Vista scales things better, I don't know. I do know that even OS X would be a bitch to work from a distance with, since not every type of app scales like the Finder does.

DPI for monitors?  I'm confused.

I probably should've said PPI as in Pixels Per Inch but I use them interchangably since it's easy enough (for me) to equate pixels with "dots".

Yes I'm well aware of the resolution issue in 3D games. I'm the type of player that played GLQuake at 512 x 384 instead of 640 x 480 on my Voodoo cause I wanted the extra FPS.

I guess it all depends on the game too, of course. Source seems to run pretty well on a 7300-7800 at 1920x1200. Medieval TW2 needs a fair bit tweaking (kind of mid range settings). I haven't tried, but something like Oblivion or RS: Vegas probably runs like shit.

What gpu are you using anyways?

7800 GT at the moment.

Cool.

Anyways, on a sidenote, I might be getting one of these Sharps myself. 1080p in a sub-40" probably isn't necessary for console gaming, but I want one anyways. ;) The inputs are nice too.

I'd like to wait a bit though to see what other brands/models come out. I wonder if this going to be the new trend.

if I get a 27-32" it's going to be 720P. The PS3 and 360 don't look that much better (if at all) at 1080p. And I'd prefer the framerate increase from my PC from running at 1368x720.

For me it has to be a PC monitor first, and a TV a distant second. So I'm looking at the new 24" LCD monitors. They run at 1920 x 1200 and have DVI, composite, component and video in. Either the DELL 2407WFP (rev.4) or the BenQ FP241W.

The larger monitors, eg. 30", don't take non-computer inputs, and are getting too large for a desk. Whereas the TV's just have too low a res.

Well, well, well (http://www.newegg.com/Product/ShowImage.aspx?Image=24-014-133-14.jpg,24-014-133-03.jpg,24-014-133-04.jpg,24-014-133-05.jpg,24-014-133-06.jpg,24-014-133-07.jpg,24-014-133-08.jpg,24-014-133-09.jpg,24-014-133-10.jpg,24-014-133-11.jpg,24-014-133-12.jpg,24-014-133-13.jpg&CurImage=24-014-133-04.jpg&Depa=0&Description=BenQ%20FP241VW%20Silver-Black%2024"%2016%20ms%20(6%20ms%20GTG)%20DVI%20HDMI%20Widescreen%20LCD%20Monitor%20500%20cd/m2%201000:1%20-%20Retail). Isn't that monitor a no-brainer.

Be careful with the FP241W -- it has issues with 1:1 pixel mapping. The WZ is probably a better choice though Newegg doesn't carry it.

Both are too small for me at that resolution.

Man, that thing is ugly. Pretty nice of them to include all of those cables though.

/agree.  I want a monitor.  As in, a panel that displays stuff.  What's all this plastic for?

They've managed to do wonderful things with optics over the past 200 years.  I even hear that that wily rascal Ben Franklin has invented some kind of bifocular device!

Indeed. Unfortunately corrective lenses don't help me read teeny tiny text well enough at your typical monitor viewing distance.

Then comes the uncomfortable turtle neck position, with your shoulder hunched above your neck from sitting forward so you can read/play better.  I hate that position.  I'm still confused at this PPI concept.

Er, I guess it's not too hard.  Small physical size + high resolution = painful to read unless you lower the resolution which causes the LCD to not display optimally.  Large physical size + high resolution = not as bad?

Basically. Think of a 24" monitor at 1920 x 1200 resolution vs a 27" monitor at 1920 x 1200 resolution. Something that's an inch tall on the 24" monitor (measured with a physical ruler) would be 1.25" inches tall on the 27" monitor. On a 32" monitor at 1920 x 1080 it would be about 1.4" tall.

I'm using the NEC MultiSync 20WMGX2 monitor, which not so long ago was considered by the forums at widescreengaming to be the best all around monitor for both games and video. It is only 20" widescreen, but it has a very quick response time while maintaining high contrast ratio and being 1080p HDTV-ready. It come with a built-in TV tuner, so it can double as a regular television for your cable/xbox/wii.

It also has a hefty price tag for what you're getting at ~$600 US.

That said, please understand that no LCD in the world is going to beat a CRT for video. Up close, its always going to look grainier.

Yep, I should have mentioned that myself. And the Dell had problems with the image "tearing", which is supposedly fixed in the recent version 4 firmware. Just as the BenQ lack of 1:1 mapping is meant to be fixed via firmware. I must admit I do find the WZ frighteningly ugly.

I've found the http://www.hardforum.com/forumdisplay.php?f=78 [H]ard forums to be a fairly active place for monitor discussion. I notice the FP241W thread is now well over 3K posts, which is pretty much enough to start turning me against that display.

The thing I've found with LCD monitors is that all of them have issues if you look hard enough. So you have to decide which "flaws" are deal breakers and which ones you can live with. The problem with the FP241W is that Newegg is still selling monitors with the old firmware without the 1:1 update. They seem to have a huge inventory of them, which is probably why they aren't carrying the WZ yet.

The GX2 does look nice. It's an (A)S-IPS panel so it has better color and viewing angles than your standard S-PVA/S-MVA panel but it's been "souped up" to reduce the normally long response times of S-IPS panels to make it more suitable for gaming. Unfortunately 20" is the largest size they have with that panel at the moment.

They had to compromise somewhere, so size took a hit. Their larger monitors are very lack luster by comparison.

I was considering a 24" Dell or Samsung instead, and I'm still not sure I made the perfect decision. On the other hand, I've owned 3 NEC displays, all three in perfect working conditions to this day, one dating back to 1998, so I was purchasing for that in mind as well.

Unless you are willing to spend the big bucks on one of these things:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824002168


The 244T has input lag problems. The Dell has various issues depending on which of a bazillion revisions you have (actually there's only 4 so far).

I love the single solitary review for the NEC you linked:

Yes he clearly has his priorities straight.

Widescreen programming note: monitors meant as tvs are generally 16:9 aspect ratio, monitors meant as pc monitors are generally 16:10. Some games (Total War, Civ 4) will do 16:10 but not 16:9. Medieval 2 is unplayable on my 16:9 monitor (and I'm fucking pissed because it's not like I can return it).

Most stuff is great in 16:9, though some tweaking is often called for. Yay for polished games that actually support resolutions people use (MUA and FEAR were the only two of six I got with my new pc that natively support 16:9). It's not 2003 anymore, folks. Anyone porting from a widescreen console and not supporting 16:9 on the pc needs a car battery on their balls.

Well apparently there's a fatal flaw on this monitor -- it changes the color saturation (http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1171795&page=15) depending on how much "white" there is on the screen and there doesn't seem to be a way to disable that behavior. Oh well, back to the search...

That's just bizarre. I don't see the application.

Especially given how much color saturation is being played with in movies and tv (BSG, War of the Worlds just to name a couple off the top of my head).

I'd really like the LCD-bulb version of the Samsung 1080p DLP set (61", natch). Rumor is they'll have a  frikkin laser version in a year or two.