Where can I find high-quality LCD monitors in LA?

February 18, 2008 3:53 PM

CRT-Quality LCD monitors: do they exist? Where can I see them in person?

My fiancee is looking to replace her aging CRT monitor with an LCD, due to the CRT's habit of flickering and shutting itself off. The problem is that with every LCD she's used , she's hated the color quality and accuracy.

Are there LCD monitors out there that approach the color accuracy of quality CRTs? If so, is there a place in the greater Los Angeles area where we could go see them in person to judge? Since color reproduction and quality is the number one issue here, all of the standard electronics stores (Best Buy, Circuit City, Fry's) are out, since all of them that we've been to have been using analog VGA over massive multiplex splitters to display their monitors (result: every monitor looks really really bad).

posted by DoomGerbil to computers & internet (6 answers total)

You could try some of the Apple Cinema displays. I'm sure you could view them with direct computer connection at a local Apple store.
posted by demiurge at 4:01 PM on February 18, 2008

What you want is an LCD with an S-PVA panel. I have an older Samsung 214T. This site lists several more.
posted by mphuie at 4:04 PM on February 18, 2008

You want an NEC LCD2460wuxi. The panel is calibrated at the factory to compensate for irregularities in the backlight, though you do have to specifically turn this feature on, as it reduces brightness slightly -- don't worry, it is plenty bright already. It has a 178-degree viewing angle and very little color shift. I bought one of these a month or two ago and like it quite a bit.

They also have a wide-gamut version, the LCD2690wuxi, with a couple extra inches on it that also has brightness stabilization. The wide-gamut part is basically useless at the moment because even if your video cards supported 10-bit-per-channel DVI, your applications and OS certainly do not. However, it apparently is very nice regardless.
posted by kindall at 4:19 PM on February 18, 2008 [1 favorite]

I'm going to second the Apple Cinema Displays, and also recommend the Dell 2407-WFP HC, which is supposed to be pretty good (get the current revision, not one of the originals, as there seems to be a ghosting problem that may be fixed now).

I've been looking for a monitor for photo editing for about 6 months now, and I find it the single most agonizing computer decision I've made in recent memory. I'm looking for a smaller panel (19-22 inches), and getting an S-PVA or S-IPS panel has been difficult, unless I get the Apple Cinema Display--but that is so due for a refresh that I can taste it, and I don't want to end up frustrated when they come out with the new display next Tuesday or whenever. Most of the displays at that size (and in general) are TN panels, which are no good for photo/video work.

Report back with what you get!
posted by Admiral Haddock at 7:13 PM on February 18, 2008

ACDs are good. I have yet to see an LCD as good as an oldschool CRT for color though.
posted by rokusan at 7:28 PM on February 18, 2008

You want an Eizo. I have an Eizo at work and a 30" Apple Cinema display at home. It's no contest, Eizo is more consistent, better off angle and displays a larger color gamut. Apple displays look nice, but they aren't the greatest thing for color accuracy.
posted by doctor_negative at 8:16 PM on February 18, 2008