SHARP 37" LCD monitor has horrible shadow

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video (More info?)

plastic_man1968@yahoo.co.uk wrote:

> Folks,
>
> Bought two of these big screens for the company. One shows a clear
> image, the other suffers from a horizontally offset shadow about 1" to
> the right. It's not just the fonts, but all contrasting images on the
> screen that produce a shadow.
>
> Have tried adjusting all video controls on the monitor.
>
> Using Windows 2000 and quite a long (but not cheap) VGA cable.
>
> As I've never used an LCD screen this size before, I thought before
> replacing either the VGA cable or monitor, some of you might know a few
> tips and tricks.

Have you tested both in the same location using the same cable and the same
computer and with everything else that you can figure out a way to control
identical? If so, the one with shadows is busted. If you haven't tested
them under identical conditions then do so and if they both work right then
start substituting components from the setup with the shadow until you find
the one that is causing it.

My first guess would be a reflection in that long cable.

> Plastic Man

--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video (More info?)

<plastic_man1968@yahoo.co.uk> wrote in message
news:1121947809.332906.135300@g49g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> Folks,
>
> Bought two of these big screens for the company. One shows a clear
> image, the other suffers from a horizontally offset shadow about 1" to
> the right. It's not just the fonts, but all contrasting images on the
> screen that produce a shadow.
>
> Have tried adjusting all video controls on the monitor.
>
> Using Windows 2000 and quite a long (but not cheap) VGA cable.

And therein is the clue for the most likely cause of this problem.
The description you give is the classic sign of a termination problem
(at the monitor input) resulting in reflections (and "ghosting") on the
video cable. Either the monitor itself is not properly terminating the
cable (which may be switchable, I don't know this model) or (and
more likely) there is a problem in the cable run itself - either a poorly-
terminated connector at the monitor end, some flaw or damage
to the cable itself causing an impedance discontinuity, or possibly
you're running this through a switchbox or using an extension cable
to make up the length (both of which are notorious for causing such
problems).

Unfortunately, "not cheap" does not automatically equate to "a
good quality implementation of the right solution" when it comes to
cables. Try swapping the two monitors - if the problem stays with
the "long cable" installation, then it's not with the monitor itself.
And if it tracks the monitor, check to see if the input impedance is
switchable (i.e., some monitors let you put their inputs in to a
"high impedance" mode, to permit daisy-chaining of the monitors).

Bob M.