Which Screen? Apple Cinema Display vs. Other Brands

[jahtao]

Hello all... the question is which computer screen to buy?

A client of mine is looking to get a new wide-screen screen, he is drawn to Samsung because he has been told that they are the same hardware as the Apple Cinema Displays (ie Samsung make them for Apple - can anyone confirm this?). Does anyone have any recommendations? What is the current screen-de-jour?

I think its a 23" we're after, doesn't have to be HD or offer firewire/usb connectivity. Doesn't have to be the very cheapest possible, just cheaper than Apple I think.

Thankyooooo...........
Matt

[Getafix]

I just sold my 22" HP screen & am thinking of getting this:

Newegg.com - BenQ FP241VW Silver-Black 24" 6ms GTG DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor with Tilt Adjustment and 1:1 Pixel Mapping 500 cd/m2 1000:1 - Retail

Read pretty good reviews about it & for the price it seems hard to beat.

[macleodgrant]

i have the dell 24inch and it's good but i get a lot of digital interference and have to switch the monitor off and then back on, then it's fine. apparently could be the length of the cable they supply which is crap! it's not a problem really and i'm used to it but i've never heard about the apple monitors doing that

[psycho_monkey]

Originally Posted by macleodgrant

i have the dell 24inch and it's good but i get a lot of digital interference and have to switch the monitor off and then back on, then it's fine. apparently could be the length of the cable they supply which is crap! it's not a problem really and i'm used to it but i've never heard about the apple monitors doing that

At one studio I work at we've got an apple monitor on an apple recommended DVI extension and there's a slight amount of noise. Not enough to make it worth investing in an ethernet extension box though.

Apparently, it's the video card in the G5 - we have other systems with this arrangement and they're fine. Some batches of the card can handle it, others can't.

[Football]

Originally Posted by jahtao

Hello all... the question is which computer screen to buy?

A client of mine is looking to get a new wide-screen screen, he is drawn to Samsung because he has been told that they are the same hardware as the Apple Cinema Displays (ie Samsung make them for Apple - can anyone confirm this?). Does anyone have any recommendations? What is the current screen-de-jour?

I think its a 23" we're after, doesn't have to be HD or offer firewire/usb connectivity. Doesn't have to be the very cheapest possible, just cheaper than Apple I think.

Thankyooooo...........
Matt

If possible, he might consider waiting till MacWorld next month. Apple's displays are due for a refresh and possibly could get a slight price drop as well.

That being said, I bought a 22-inch HP recently that I was very unhappy with (I returned it). In the future I will buy a larger Apple Cinema Display (I have a small one already). Based on my experience viewing my smaller one I have decided to stay with Apple and suck up the cost difference when I make that next purchase.

[Solar]

I've heard a lot of great things about NEC . I heard that they are the best in the Market

NEC LCD Flat Screen Monitor nec tft lcd tv display

[travisgarrison]

I have the 24" Dell at home and installed two of them in studios where I work. I have had zero complaints since day one. They simply do what they are supposed to and provide a great picture quality. The flexibility of input connectors plus a cheaper price makes it a no-brainer over the Apple screens.

Regarding the Samsung/Apple question - as I recall, there are only a few manufacturers of LCD panels, and many monitor manufacturers install the same model of LCD panel. So yes - it's possible that the Samsung and Apple monitors share the same LCD panel. What is undoubtedly different is the housing, interfacing, etc.

[musikwerks]

I have 2 x 24 inch BenQ's (as listed above) and they are great. They also have HDMI inputs which is cool.

I would stay away from the Apple screens if you do any sort of graphics work. The Apple screens only have a contrast ratio of 400:1 and are not capable of reproducing super blacks. I was caught out once when a printer informed me that there were 3 different and very obvious shades of black on some artwork I sent. First question he asked was "are you using an Apple monitor?". I could not see what he was talking about until I changed monitors, then it was reaaallly obvious.

[T_R_S]

Originally Posted by musikwerks

The Apple screens only have a contrast ratio of 400:1 .

The published Spec on Apple.com is 700:1
A color calibrator is nessecary for graphics

[AlphaDingo]

30 inch dell that rocks. I bought it refurbished with the same warranty as a brand new one.

[neilio]

Originally Posted by musikwerks

I have 2 x 24 inch BenQ's (as listed above) and they are great. They also have HDMI inputs which is cool.

I would stay away from the Apple screens if you do any sort of graphics work. The Apple screens only have a contrast ratio of 400:1 and are not capable of reproducing super blacks. I was caught out once when a printer informed me that there were 3 different and very obvious shades of black on some artwork I sent. First question he asked was "are you using an Apple monitor?". I could not see what he was talking about until I changed monitors, then it was reaaallly obvious.

that would be really amazing(in a bad way) if true, it was graphic artists that kept apple alive and competitive in the gil amelio/dark days of apple...

seriously...i refuse to believe that apple would put out a bad / inferior graphics monitor..., but dells would be better?

that makes no sense...

and i think the fellow who spoke about calibrators is correct.

[mdme_sadie]

Dells are fine, they use a very good quality screen (I forget the brand) and are at a good price. Apple screens are also beautiful things to behold but are overpriced. LCD's aren't good for print work anyway, then again nor are CRT's unless they're calibrated. In general though I find LCD's offer deeper blacks, sharper image and are far easier on the eyes than CRT's, I switched to them years ago and would never go back. Currently I have a Wacom CINTIQ 21UX primary and Dell 2001FP secondary (cg, graphics and software development). They're both fine. One thing to be aware of if you're doing print, NVidia graphics cards all have a pinkish/yellow tint to the second monitor no matter which source is used, that includes Quadro cards, sadly ATI have crappy drivers on Windows.

[Tony Shepperd]

IMO, you get what you pay for.
If he is on a Mac, buy a Mac.
The 23" cinema is really great and worth the money.

When you are staring at the computer for 10 or 12 hours a day, you want something that looks great and wont burn your eyes out!

[ToddF]

Originally Posted by Tony Shepperd

IMO, you get what you pay for.
If he is on a Mac, buy a Mac.
The 23" cinema is really great and worth the money.

When you are staring at the computer for 10 or 12 hours a day, you want something that looks great and wont burn your eyes out!

I agree with the Apple monitors. We have 23 and a 20. Never had a problem with them and they are on for at least 12 hours a day. You can get a used one if the price is an issue.

Most all graphics and video guys I see all use them also.

Peace, Todd

[Reptil]

AG Neovo AV series. great screens, rugged design. a little pricey.