When shopping for your next computer display, it goes without saying that not all things are created equal. Size, resolution, panel quality, and an array of other specifications make up the difference and the final price tag. But what exactly should you look out for?
Getting started
You might think that TFT or flatscreen displays are the only way to go, but the professional graphic artist, photo lab specialist, or anyone seriously involved in preprint, will prefer the "old" CRT: better color fidelity, gamut (displayable colour range), and viewing angle than their TFT counterparts. Sure, flatscreen technology has seen giant leaps forwards since the first LCD display, but getting anything that comes close to a professional CRT monitor in TFT, costs an arm and a leg, and is still only coming close to perfection.
Everyday home and office users, including the semi-pro and prosumer, will however turn to TFT flatscreen displays. Their small weight, thin profile, perfect flatness, and low electricity consumption make them the ideal choice for today's different computing environments.
With a variety of offerings from known and unknown manufacturers, it is often extremely difficult to make a buy you won't regret later on. Needless to say that the dirt-cheap displays you find in the corner of your local supermarket might not be comparable with the flatscreens quality manufacturers offer. The key component is of course the TFT panel itself, where one of Sony or Panasonic origin will significantly outperform one of unknown Chinese origin. That panel quality will be the determining factor in the final retail price.
The dreaded pixel faults
The most debated characteristic of flatscreens is undoubtedly the presence of pixel faults, and their number and placement on the screen. Manufacturers will usually include a warranty that specifies how many pixels may be faulty within each of the nine quadrants of the screen. Screens with so-called "Pixel Guarantee" are in fact nothing more than the panels which passed the quality control with flying colours (pun intended), and will come at a premium price. The ones with a few pixel faults - either "dead" (always black) or "stuck" pixels (always red, green or blue lit) - will be sold at regular prices. The dirt-cheap panels usually don't even get a thorough pixel by pixel check, which explains the low price even more.
One of the most important characteristics of any display is its maximum resolution, or in the case of a flatscreen, its native resolution. Unfortunately, advertising focuses mainly on screen size, which basically only tells you something about the size of the pixels. Many printed ads and catalogs will not even tell you which resolution the screen is, and only boast the screen diagonal in inches.
Resolution, not size
As resolution is directly related to screen real estate and to the comfort you experience while working, it is imperative to choose the display with the highest native resolution available. Better even, it is rather pointless to pay more for a 19-inch model if it offers only the same resolution as its 17-inch sibling. The only difference will be bigger pixels, which - unless you have vision problems - can even be downright annoying when viewing photorealistic images.
Another thing to look out for is the reaction time of the panel. If you're an avid gamer or video professional, you will want a screen that can turn from white to black and back in a fraction of a second without "ghosting". If you're a photographer or other professional, a reaction time even as high as 12ms is acceptable and won't disturb your working comfort or viewing pleasure.
Don't fall for the maximum viewing angle trap: you'll probably be the only one needing a perfect view of your screen, and you'll be sitting right in front of it. At the extremes of this "viewing angle", one can see what's on the screen, but in far from ideal quality. Far more important is the colour and brightness shift you might experience when looking to the extreme corners of your screen, due to the inherent difference in viewing angle of the tiny red, green and blue slots in each pixel. This might also be a reason to steer away from a pricey larger display with similar resolution to its smaller counterpart.
Go widescreen, definitely
These days, there is really no reason anymore not to go with a 16:9 widescreen display. Being able to view Full HD video content on a 1920 x 1080 pixels display, is nowadays within reach of everyone.
Often overlooked, are the connectivity options that really matter. First, there is the electronic connection. Analog VGA is rapidly disappearing, certainly for larger displays: there you will want to take advantage of the digital DVI output of your graphics card. As a reminder, graphics cards send out DVI-I, a combination of DVI-A (analog, convertible to VGA with a supplied plug) and DVI-D (digital).
Secondly, there is the physical connection to your desk. Almost all TFT monitors feature the four VESA mounting holes on the back, so you can easily make multi-monitor arrangements or use an extendable monitor arm clamped to your desk. Having the possibility to rotate the screen to portrait position with the factory monitor stand is also a nice feature.
Subtle differences
Since quite a few years, display manufacturers have been opting out of anti-reflective coatings, and went the way of the shiny, gleaming displays, often with the black trim being as shiny as the black screen when turned off. While this is aesthetically very pleasing, and far better in terms of light transmittance, you should be wary of glare and reflections of natural and artificial light when positioning your new display.
For the rest, manufacturers will try to make the difference with options such as buit-in speakers, USB hubs, ambient light sensors, webcams, and card readers. If you don't have these yet, they can be handy. But they rarely justify the extra cost if you don't need them, certainly if you have speakers that give out a far better sound when installed separately. But then again, your personal preference and small working area might let you choose differently.
Getting started
You might think that TFT or flatscreen displays are the only way to go, but the professional graphic artist, photo lab specialist, or anyone seriously involved in preprint, will prefer the "old" CRT: better color fidelity, gamut (displayable colour range), and viewing angle than their TFT counterparts. Sure, flatscreen technology has seen giant leaps forwards since the first LCD display, but getting anything that comes close to a professional CRT monitor in TFT, costs an arm and a leg, and is still only coming close to perfection.
Everyday home and office users, including the semi-pro and prosumer, will however turn to TFT flatscreen displays. Their small weight, thin profile, perfect flatness, and low electricity consumption make them the ideal choice for today's different computing environments.
With a variety of offerings from known and unknown manufacturers, it is often extremely difficult to make a buy you won't regret later on. Needless to say that the dirt-cheap displays you find in the corner of your local supermarket might not be comparable with the flatscreens quality manufacturers offer. The key component is of course the TFT panel itself, where one of Sony or Panasonic origin will significantly outperform one of unknown Chinese origin. That panel quality will be the determining factor in the final retail price.
The dreaded pixel faults
The most debated characteristic of flatscreens is undoubtedly the presence of pixel faults, and their number and placement on the screen. Manufacturers will usually include a warranty that specifies how many pixels may be faulty within each of the nine quadrants of the screen. Screens with so-called "Pixel Guarantee" are in fact nothing more than the panels which passed the quality control with flying colours (pun intended), and will come at a premium price. The ones with a few pixel faults - either "dead" (always black) or "stuck" pixels (always red, green or blue lit) - will be sold at regular prices. The dirt-cheap panels usually don't even get a thorough pixel by pixel check, which explains the low price even more.
One of the most important characteristics of any display is its maximum resolution, or in the case of a flatscreen, its native resolution. Unfortunately, advertising focuses mainly on screen size, which basically only tells you something about the size of the pixels. Many printed ads and catalogs will not even tell you which resolution the screen is, and only boast the screen diagonal in inches.
Resolution, not size
As resolution is directly related to screen real estate and to the comfort you experience while working, it is imperative to choose the display with the highest native resolution available. Better even, it is rather pointless to pay more for a 19-inch model if it offers only the same resolution as its 17-inch sibling. The only difference will be bigger pixels, which - unless you have vision problems - can even be downright annoying when viewing photorealistic images.
Another thing to look out for is the reaction time of the panel. If you're an avid gamer or video professional, you will want a screen that can turn from white to black and back in a fraction of a second without "ghosting". If you're a photographer or other professional, a reaction time even as high as 12ms is acceptable and won't disturb your working comfort or viewing pleasure.
Don't fall for the maximum viewing angle trap: you'll probably be the only one needing a perfect view of your screen, and you'll be sitting right in front of it. At the extremes of this "viewing angle", one can see what's on the screen, but in far from ideal quality. Far more important is the colour and brightness shift you might experience when looking to the extreme corners of your screen, due to the inherent difference in viewing angle of the tiny red, green and blue slots in each pixel. This might also be a reason to steer away from a pricey larger display with similar resolution to its smaller counterpart.
Go widescreen, definitely
These days, there is really no reason anymore not to go with a 16:9 widescreen display. Being able to view Full HD video content on a 1920 x 1080 pixels display, is nowadays within reach of everyone.
Often overlooked, are the connectivity options that really matter. First, there is the electronic connection. Analog VGA is rapidly disappearing, certainly for larger displays: there you will want to take advantage of the digital DVI output of your graphics card. As a reminder, graphics cards send out DVI-I, a combination of DVI-A (analog, convertible to VGA with a supplied plug) and DVI-D (digital).
Secondly, there is the physical connection to your desk. Almost all TFT monitors feature the four VESA mounting holes on the back, so you can easily make multi-monitor arrangements or use an extendable monitor arm clamped to your desk. Having the possibility to rotate the screen to portrait position with the factory monitor stand is also a nice feature.
Subtle differences
Since quite a few years, display manufacturers have been opting out of anti-reflective coatings, and went the way of the shiny, gleaming displays, often with the black trim being as shiny as the black screen when turned off. While this is aesthetically very pleasing, and far better in terms of light transmittance, you should be wary of glare and reflections of natural and artificial light when positioning your new display.
For the rest, manufacturers will try to make the difference with options such as buit-in speakers, USB hubs, ambient light sensors, webcams, and card readers. If you don't have these yet, they can be handy. But they rarely justify the extra cost if you don't need them, certainly if you have speakers that give out a far better sound when installed separately. But then again, your personal preference and small working area might let you choose differently.