Choosing and Buying Components - FPD Monitors (Page 13 of 22 ) If you have weighed the tradeoffs carefully and decided that an FPD is right for you, use the following guidelines when choosing one: - Current FPDs are available in analog-only, digital-only, and hybrid analog/digital models. Analog input is acceptable on 15" models running 1024 × 768, but on 17" models running 1280 × 1024, analog video noise becomes an issue. At that level of resolution, analog noise isn’t immediately obvious to most users, but if you use the display for long periods the difference between display with a clean digital signal and one with a noisy analog signal will affect you on an almost subconscious level. At 1024 × 768, we regard an analog signal as acceptable. At 1280 × 1024, we regard a digital signal as very desirable but not essential for most users. Above 1280 × 1024, we regard digital signaling as essential.
- Insist on 24-bit color support. Most current FPDs support true 24-bit color, allocating eight bits to each of the three primary colors, which allows 16.7 million colors to be displayed. Many early FPDs and some inexpensive current models support only 18-bit color, with six bits per color, and use extrapolation to simulate full 24-bit color support, which results in poor color quality. Avoid FPDs described as “24-bit compatible,” which means they aren’t 24-bit displays.
- Some FPD makers produce two or three lines of FPDs. Entry-level models are often analog-only and use standard panels. Midrange models usually have analog and digital inputs, and may use enhanced panels. Professional models may be analog/digital hybrids or digital-only, and use enhanced panels with IPS (In-Plane Switching) or MDVA (Multi-Domain Vertical Alignment). Choose an entry-level model only if you are certain you will never use the display for anything more than word processing, web browsing, and similarly undemanding tasks. If you need a true CRT-replacement FPD, choose a midrange or higher model. For the best possible image quality, choose a high-end model with IPS that is made by a top-tier manufacturer.
- Decide what panel size and resolution is right for you. When you choose an FPD, you are also effectively choosing the resolution that you will always use on that display.
- Verify the rated CCRT life. For an entry-level FPD that will not be used heavily, a 25,000-hour CCRT life is marginally acceptable. If you will use the FPD heavily, insist on CCRTs rated at 50,000 hours.
- Buy the FPD locally if possible. And whether or not you buy locally, insist on a no-questions-asked return policy. FPDs are more variable than CRT monitors, both in unit-to-unit variation and in usability with a particular graphics adapter. This is particularly important if you are using an analog interface. Some analog FPDs simply don’t play nice with some analog graphics adapters. Also, FPDs vary from unit to unit in how many defective pixels they have and where they are located. You might prefer a unit with five defective pixels near the edges and corners rather than a unit with only one or two defective pixels located near the center of the screen. In return for the higher price you pay at a local store, ask them to endorse the manufacturer’s warranty—that is, to agree that if the FPD fails you can return it to the store for a replacement rather than return the FPD to the manufacturer.
- If possible, test the exact FPD you plan to buy (not a floor sample) before you buy it. Ideally (and particularly if you will use the analog interface), you should test the FPD with your own system, or at least with a system that has a graphics adapter identical to the one you plan to use. Choose the specific FPD you buy based on how it looks to you. Comparing specifications helps narrow the list of candidates, but nothing substitutes for actually looking at the image displayed by the FPD.
- Make sure the FPD has a good warranty. Inexpensive FPDs may have a one-year parts and labor warranty, which is inadequate. Or they may have a three-year warranty on parts and labor, but warrant the CCRTs for only one year; in effect, that’s just a one-year warranty with window dressing, because the CCRTs are by far the most likely component to fail. Insist on a three-year parts and labor warranty that covers all parts, including CCRTs. If the manufacturer offers an extended warranty that covers all parts, consider buying it.
The best choices for flat-panel displays are more limited than for CRT monitors. We consider the first tier in flat-panel displays to include only Hitachi and Fujitsu, with Samsung straddling the low first-tier/high sec-ond-tier boundary. We favor Hitachi FPDs based on their image quality and their dead-pixel warranty, which at zero dead pixels and five dead subpixels is the best in the industry. Also, all of the Hitachi FPD models we recommend are warranted for three years, including the backlight.
RECOMMENDATIONS
FPD Monitor
For an entry-level 15” FPD, choose the Hitachi CML158B. Although it is an analog-only FPD, the CML158B has excellent display quality. It provides 1024 × 768 native resolution with a 0.297mm pixel pitch. The viewing angles are acceptable, at 130° horizontal and 100° vertical. Brightness, at 250 nit, is excellent, as is contrast at 400:1. At 35ms, the response time is middling, so you probably won’t want to use this FPD for fast-motion video. For a general-purpose 17” FPD, choose the Hitachi CML174B or the similar CML175B, which adds built-in speakers but is otherwise identical. The CML174B has analog and DVI-D connectors and provides superb image quality. It supports 1280 × 1024 native resolution with a 0.264mm pixel pitch. The viewing angles are excellent, at 160° horizontal and vertical. Brightness, at 260 nit, is excellent, as is contrast at 400:1. At 16ms, the response time is fast enough to support fast-motion video reasonably well, although the CML174B still exhibits some ghosting and smearing when displaying graphics-intensive games. (Of course, that’s true of any FPD, so you can’t hold it against the CML174B.) Color rendition on the CML174B is as good as it gets on an FPD, which is to say good enough to satisfy anyone except the most demanding graphics artists. The CML174B costs only $150 or so more than the CML158B, and we think it’s the best choice for an FPD for a general-purpose system. For a general-purpose 19” FPD, choose the Hitachi CML190B. It has analog and DVI-D connectors and provides superb image quality. It supports 1280 × 1024 native resolution with a 0.294mm pixel pitch. The viewing angles are wider even than the CML174B, at 170° horizontal and vertical. Brightness, at 250 nit, is a bit lower than the CML174B, but still excellent. Contrast, at 500:1, is superb. At 25ms, the response time is a bit slower than the CML174B, but still fast enough for most purposes other than fastmotion video and gaming. Color rendition on the CML190B is excellent. The CML190B costs $250 or so more than the CML174B, but that extra money buys you a “big” FPD, with a VIS similar to that of a 20” CRT.
We have not seen the 20” Hitachi CML200B FPD, but based on our experience with other Hitachi products we would expect it to be an excellent choice for those who can afford it. For $500 or so more than the CML190B, the CML200B buys you only one extra inch, but it is the best choice we know of in a 20” FPD that supports 1600 × 1200 native resolution.
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