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Aardvarck

Limp Gawd
Joined
Sep 21, 2004
Messages
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I got my income tax check today and I'm finally going to buy that HD monitor I've been dying to purchase. I plan on purchasing one today, hopefully at my local Fry's or BestBuy.

Problem is, I can't decide on which monitor to get.

Before I get into the monitors that I've been eying, I'll explain what my intentions are for the monitor.

I plan on using it as a gaming monitor, for watching movies and the usual internet browsing. It will replace my 17" Sony LCD as my primary monitor. I will use the 17" as a secondary and for when I'm gaming.

I will hook up my PS3 to the new HD monitor (It's currently hooked up to a standard-def TV, which sucks!) via HDMI.

The number of inputs is relatively important to me. I'd like more than just a DVI and a VGA connection.

Ok, that being said, here are the monitors I've had my eye on:

Gateway 24" FHD2400
Westinghouse 24" L2410NM
Hannspree 28" HF-289HJB (see link below) http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8718532&type=product&id=1200703080130

I've long since been a fan of the Gateway because of the glossy screen and the number of inputs, but the BLB issues kind of bug me. The new 28" looks pretty appealing but it's just been released and I'm not too sure I'm willing to take the risk.

Any feedback or advice is appreciated.
 
As you are so attentive to HD quality, remember that most of "HD monitors" usually do NOT support Full HD over HDMI. They overscan and crop movies.
So you will probably need at least 2 DVI or DVI and HDMI inputs (DVI for HD and HDMI for a computer).
If HD support is important for you, spend some time reading monitor tests to make sure your candidate REALLY support HD with no overscan and cropping.
 
The Hannspree monitor has two HDMI inputs and no DVI connections.

Does the Gateway produce any overscan or cropping issues? The Gateway is the one that looks most appealing, but all the complaints I've read about the BLB issues kind of have me afraid to purchase it. The Hannspree is starting to look pretty appealing, but I'm not quite familiar with the brand name (I'm assuming it's a part of Hanns-G).

Why would it be better to use the DVI with HD and the HDMI with the computer? I figured it would be the other way around?
 
I plan on picking up the Hannspree in a month when I get back from school. The manual for it states that it can do 1080p and that there is a 16:9 option so I am hopping that it won't stretch my 360 or ps3. It says on the website that it is 1920x1080 but that is a misprint, it is actually 1920x1200.
 
Hey there,

I've heard that the Hans-G does not do proper scaling of 1920x1080 images, but I'm not sure if it's the same monitor. It seems to stretch them to 1920x1200 making things look slightly taller.

The monitors I've seen that can do proper 1:1 (w/o overscan) of 1920x1080 (that I've personally tested and can vouch for):

1) Westinghouse L2410NM. Will do 1:1 scaling with 0% overscan of 1080/1920x1080 on HDMI, VGA and component
2) BenQ FP241VW/W (June 2007 build dates and later) will do 1:1 scaling with 0 overscan of 1080p over HDMI, VGA, and component
3) BenQ G2400W - Same on HDMI, will stretch 1920x1080 on VGA to 1920x1200 (erroneously)

All these monitors will take a 720p signal and scale it up to full resoution without overscan or improper stretching. This is technically not TRUE 1:1, but it preserves proper aspect ratio which is what you want.

Expect that there is no overscan on DVI, it's a given, and these monitors will also do 1:1 of 1920x1080/1080p on DVI as well.

The Westinghouse has one small advantage with 720p. It does not just scale up to 1920x1080, it also smooths out the image, giving an effect similar to a 2xAA antialias. The BenQ's don't but they still look pretty good.

Again, I have user experience with the above monitors and can absolutely, 100% verify this is the case.

The BenQ FP241VW and Westinghouse are MVA type panels, and the G2400W is TN. None of them have any backlight bleed issues (or very minimal) that I've seen.

I've tested the HDMI and component with both video game consoles, and a cable box to validate that there is no image cropping or overscan.

If the Hanspree does 16:9 that ensures it won't stretch the image, but there is nothing in that manual Brumby05 listed that mentions it will allow overscan control. The BenQ's all have an overscan on/off button, and the G2400W's level of overscan is less than 2% when set to ON, and none when set to OFF

Regards,

10e
 
Thanks for posting that manual! I actually got it from another thread about that monitor.

10e,

So, what your saying is that ps3 games hooked up via the HDMI connection on the monitor and that have a maximum output of 720p run the risk of being overscanned to fit this display?
 
Aardvarck said:
Why would it be better to use the DVI with HD and the HDMI with the computer? I figured it would be the other way around?
Click to expand...

This is in case if your HDMI fails - you have another digital input (DVI) to save the game.
For example, the Dell 2408 doesn't support 1080p over HDMI. But it has 2 (!) extra DVIs that work pefectly.
Other famous models witn no 1080p support over HDMI - Samsung 245T, Dell 3008, older versions of the BenQ 241W.
Manuals say nothing about that. Look for decent tests from trustworthy magazines or practical users.
For the case of HD support (I mean 1080p, nothing else is full HD) a decent test will tell you:
1. What HD source is connected and what input used.
2. What 1080p movie is used and what format (e.g. 2.4:1)
3. A photo of the monitor with a scene from the movie attached, so that you can judge by yourself if it is 2.4:1 or not.
 
Yeah, it's possible the Hanspree will overscan HDMI "video" type signals, so you won't see this issue hooking a PC up to the HDMI. It's not a guarantee, but possible.

It doesn't really matter what resolution it's at. Certain monitors will overscan any and all "video" resolutions over HDMI like 480p/720p/1080p. Many TVs do it too. 480p or 720p will get scaled/interpolated up to the native resolution of the monitor, but it usually does not affect overscan.

The best test is to download the images from www.tigerdave.com and display them on your chosen device (PS3/360). I use this to measure the amount of overscan. Zero overscan is optimal, but I am ok with 1 to 2% to minimize distortion.

Regards,

10e



Aardvarck said:
Thanks for posting that manual! I actually got it from another thread about that monitor.

10e,

So, what your saying is that ps3 games hooked up via the HDMI connection on the monitor and that have a maximum output of 720p run the risk of being overscanned to fit this display?
Click to expand...
 
I am also looking for a good 24" to 28" for daily use as a monitor and for gaming.

I was looking into purchasing a tv (42") but notice how i would have to turn my head all the time while programming.
 
Thanks 10e.

BTW, I've been reading a lot of topics in the Display Forum and I've noticed that you've provided your input on a lot of topics. I appreciate the valuable information you have provided not only me, but others that have any concerns regarding such an important purchase.

:cool:
 
FWIW, I have my 360 piped into my new Hannspree 28" (just got it yesterday) via the 360 VGA cable and by using that test image from tigerdave.com I see no overscanning at 1920x1080.
 
Aardvarck, always welcome.

JMR, you shouldn't see any overscan there. Overscan generally only affects HDMI and component due to their use as video display standards, where overscan is most used (to eliminate the sub channel noise seen at the bottom of the screen).

Did it stretch to fill the whole screen, or are their black bars top and bottom?

Regards,

10e
 
Sorry for not replying sooner, I thought I had email notification on.

No, there were no black bars on the top and bottom.
 
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