Dell screwed me. I need monitor recommendations. at DVinfo.net

Mike Barber · June 20th, 2008, 04:48 PM

I ordered the Dell 24" UltraSharp 2408WFP back on June 11th (at $500 after a $200 instant rebate, which was nice). They gave me an estimated delivery date of June 20th. That date comes and I see that it has not even been shipped yet, so I call in to ask about it. I am told that it's on backorder and won't be in stock for about 14 days. So I'm another two to three weeks from having a monitor for my shiny new Mac Pro which just arrived, and is now sitting on the floor, acting as a paper weight. This is my first and very likely last dealing with Dell.

So, I need to look at alternatives. How are Samsung monitors? Any good HP ones (LP2465)? Apple's are simply too expensive. I am looking in the 24" range that is nice for video editing.

Paul J Carey · June 20th, 2008, 05:56 PM

I bought a Samsung SyncMaster 245BW from Costco for $399 about 2 months ago. Love it. I have it hooked up to my macbook and it runs like a champ. Crisp images. Great color. And I got it for a great price.

http://www.samsung.com/us/consumer/d...LS24HUBCFV/XAA

Edward Carlson · June 20th, 2008, 06:01 PM

The ViewSonic VG2030WM. My girlfriend has one and at max resolution (1680x1050) everything looks amazing! The backlight is even (unlike my Dell monitor) and the blacks look black (again, unlike my Dell monitor.) I got my Dell monitor for free, but if I were in the market for a monitor, I would definitely look at this one.

Mike Barber · June 20th, 2008, 06:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paul J Carey

I bought a Samsung SyncMaster 245BW

I noticed that's the one with the high gloss finish, how do you find that on your eyes? I can't stand it on a TV (I have a Samsung HDTV, but opted for the version with a matte finish), so I'm not sure how I would deal on a monitor that I am working on for 7 hours/day, 5 days/week.

Robert Lane · June 20th, 2008, 08:23 PM

You're absolutely right, Mike. The glossy panel is great for the consumer-driven market it was intended for, which was to give the illusion of greater sharpness/contrast. But having to deal with reflections all-day long as an editor would not only be an annoyance but could easily become distracting from the task at hand. And I'm sure would be the source of many a head-ache from having to work around the annoying reflections.

Dell did the very same thing to me: I ordered the 30" that was on-sale and found out the hard way it was going to take more than a month to deliver. What good is a deal if you never get it?

If you don't use your main monitor for color correction then pick the most cost-effective/size that fits your needs. But if you *do* use it for grading even if only first-tier grading then you'd want a panel that has proven NTSC/609 color compensation built-in. 23 and 30" inch ACD's qualify for this as do the pro-lines from Samsung and now even LG. (LG by the way is slowing gaining huge market share in LCD/plasmas.)

I'd recommend Sony but they got out of making pro monitor-only units and now only make panels for other companies - like Apple and Dell (and their own VAIO line).

Mike Barber · June 20th, 2008, 09:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Robert Lane

If you don't use your main monitor for color correction then pick the most cost-effective/size that fits your needs. But if you *do* use it for grading even if only first-tier grading then you'd want a panel that has proven NTSC/609 color compensation built-in. 23 and 30" inch ACD's qualify for this as do the pro-lines from Samsung and now even LG. (LG by the way is slowing gaining huge market share in LCD/plasmas.)

This will be my one and only monitor for some time, so reasonably accurate colour is important -- outside of getting a calibrated monitor or MXO.

I am just checking out the Samsung 245T, which seems in my price range -- would this be considered part of their pro line? What's decent from LG?

Mike Barber · June 20th, 2008, 10:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Robert Lane

But if you *do* use it for grading even if only first-tier grading then you'd want a panel that has proven NTSC/609 color compensation built-in. 23 and 30" inch ACD's qualify for this as do the pro-lines from Samsung and now even LG. (LG by the way is slowing gaining huge market share in LCD/plasmas.)

I'm looking between the LG W2600H-PF and the Samsung SyncMaster 245T, with a slight lean towards the LG. I'm not seeing any info for any monitors as far as if they have NTSC/609 compensation built in.

Robert Lane · June 20th, 2008, 10:47 PM

Some time ago Apple published white-papers about color grading in FCP/Color and listed several brands/models of monitors that had the proper built-in circuitry to *emulate* the NTSC 609/709 color gamut. Of course Apple's own ACD's were listed but so were Samsung, LG, Sony and short list of others. I think even Phillips and Gateway (Sony panels) were listed.

The models listed then would most likely be outdated now however my guess is that any monitor that is listed for professional graphics/video usage will have the proper display properties. Be sure you *don't* get a monitor labled "commercial use" as those are for constant-on displays for retail storefront and active-monitor marketing which is commonplace now. Those models are using less color accurate panels.

Don Ward · June 20th, 2008, 11:40 PM

I feel your pain. I have a new Mac Pro to set up and my two 22" Dell ultrasharps are delayed. I'm gonna steal a monitor from some other system to get it up and running, but I'm hoping the Dells are worth the wait.

Richard Gooderick · June 21st, 2008, 12:28 AM

Here is PC Pro's review:
http://www.pcpro.co.uk/reviews/18441...p-2408wfp.html

Mike Barber · June 24th, 2008, 10:31 AM

I picked up an LG W2600H-PF yesterday and I can tell you I am not happy with it at all. It's a 25.5" screen, so the real estate is very nice, however… the colour shift (is that the right term I am looking for?) is bad to the point of being useless. I'm certainly not expecting broadcast monitor quality here, but I think it's useless when a white screen looks blue in the bottom left and red in the upper right, as an example.

It's awful. I move just a bit to the left or right and a white page gets obviously blue. If I stand up, it gets even worse. I mean really, really bad. I would rather stick with my old Apple 17" Studio display (which does not suffer from this)! Otherwise a nice monitor, especially for the price, however for any kind of creative work it is outright useless.

Actually, I take that back. It's even bad for reading this forum. It's just bad. Bad monitor. Stay away!

I feel I was premature in cancelling my order from Dell. I was angry with their awful customer service, but if the monitor is truly a good one for video work, I think I can put up with it.

Anyone here using the Samsung SyncMaster 245T?

June 20th, 2008, 04:48 PM	#1
Mike Barber Major Player Join Date: May 2006 Location: Toronto ON Canada Posts: 731	Dell screwed me. I need monitor recommendations. I ordered the Dell 24" UltraSharp 2408WFP back on June 11th (at $500 after a $200 instant rebate, which was nice). They gave me an estimated delivery date of June 20th. That date comes and I see that it has not even been shipped yet, so I call in to ask about it. I am told that it's on backorder and won't be in stock for about 14 days. So I'm another two to three weeks from having a monitor for my shiny new Mac Pro which just arrived, and is now sitting on the floor, acting as a paper weight. This is my first and very likely last dealing with Dell. So, I need to look at alternatives. How are Samsung monitors? Any good HP ones (LP2465)? Apple's are simply too expensive. I am looking in the 24" range that is nice for video editing. __________________ Mike Barber "I'm laughing to stop myself from screaming."

June 21st, 2008, 12:28 AM	#10
Richard Gooderick Major Player Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: London, UK Posts: 795	Here is PC Pro's review: http://www.pcpro.co.uk/reviews/18441...p-2408wfp.html __________________ http://www.gooderick.com

June 24th, 2008, 10:31 AM	#11
Mike Barber Major Player Join Date: May 2006 Location: Toronto ON Canada Posts: 731	Lg W2600h = P.o.s. I picked up an LG W2600H-PF yesterday and I can tell you I am not happy with it at all. It's a 25.5" screen, so the real estate is very nice, however… the colour shift (is that the right term I am looking for?) is bad to the point of being useless. I'm certainly not expecting broadcast monitor quality here, but I think it's useless when a white screen looks blue in the bottom left and red in the upper right, as an example. It's awful. I move just a bit to the left or right and a white page gets obviously blue. If I stand up, it gets even worse. I mean really, really bad. I would rather stick with my old Apple 17" Studio display (which does not suffer from this)! Otherwise a nice monitor, especially for the price, however for any kind of creative work it is outright useless. Actually, I take that back. It's even bad for reading this forum. It's just bad. Bad monitor. Stay away! I feel I was premature in cancelling my order from Dell. I was angry with their awful customer service, but if the monitor is truly a good one for video work, I think I can put up with it. Anyone here using the Samsung SyncMaster 245T? __________________ Mike Barber "I'm laughing to stop myself from screaming."

June 20th, 2008, 05:56 PM	#2
Paul J Carey Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Minneapolis Posts: 66	I bought a Samsung SyncMaster 245BW from Costco for $399 about 2 months ago. Love it. I have it hooked up to my macbook and it runs like a champ. Crisp images. Great color. And I got it for a great price. http://www.samsung.com/us/consumer/d...LS24HUBCFV/XAA

June 20th, 2008, 06:01 PM	#3
Edward Carlson Major Player Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: North Hollywood, CA, United States Posts: 807	The ViewSonic VG2030WM. My girlfriend has one and at max resolution (1680x1050) everything looks amazing! The backlight is even (unlike my Dell monitor) and the blacks look black (again, unlike my Dell monitor.) I got my Dell monitor for free, but if I were in the market for a monitor, I would definitely look at this one.

June 20th, 2008, 08:23 PM	#5
Robert Lane Go Go Godzilla Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Scottsdale, AZ USA Posts: 2,823 Images: 15	You're absolutely right, Mike. The glossy panel is great for the consumer-driven market it was intended for, which was to give the illusion of greater sharpness/contrast. But having to deal with reflections all-day long as an editor would not only be an annoyance but could easily become distracting from the task at hand. And I'm sure would be the source of many a head-ache from having to work around the annoying reflections. Dell did the very same thing to me: I ordered the 30" that was on-sale and found out the hard way it was going to take more than a month to deliver. What good is a deal if you never get it? If you don't use your main monitor for color correction then pick the most cost-effective/size that fits your needs. But if you do use it for grading even if only first-tier grading then you'd want a panel that has proven NTSC/609 color compensation built-in. 23 and 30" inch ACD's qualify for this as do the pro-lines from Samsung and now even LG. (LG by the way is slowing gaining huge market share in LCD/plasmas.) I'd recommend Sony but they got out of making pro monitor-only units and now only make panels for other companies - like Apple and Dell (and their own VAIO line).

June 20th, 2008, 10:47 PM	#8
Robert Lane Go Go Godzilla Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Scottsdale, AZ USA Posts: 2,823 Images: 15	Some time ago Apple published white-papers about color grading in FCP/Color and listed several brands/models of monitors that had the proper built-in circuitry to emulate the NTSC 609/709 color gamut. Of course Apple's own ACD's were listed but so were Samsung, LG, Sony and short list of others. I think even Phillips and Gateway (Sony panels) were listed. The models listed then would most likely be outdated now however my guess is that any monitor that is listed for professional graphics/video usage will have the proper display properties. Be sure you don't get a monitor labled "commercial use" as those are for constant-on displays for retail storefront and active-monitor marketing which is commonplace now. Those models are using less color accurate panels.

June 20th, 2008, 11:40 PM	#9
Don Ward New Boot Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Loveland, CO Posts: 8	I feel your pain. I have a new Mac Pro to set up and my two 22" Dell ultrasharps are delayed. I'm gonna steal a monitor from some other system to get it up and running, but I'm hoping the Dells are worth the wait.