U2311h question

[nathanlross]

Hi all, I've been searching for a new monitor for ages, and can't seem to settle on a decent one. I first saw the ST2410 and thought that would be it, but then I saw the SP2309w, and thought wow, that's my monitor, I then started hearing about all these panel types, anyway, to cut a long story short, I found the u2311h, which pretty much looks perfect apart from two things; lack of hdmi and no headphone/audio out. I saw the u2410 which looks insane, but It's out my price range, which is really annoying, as it would suit all my needs.

Basically, I've got a Macbook pro which has dual-link DVI and an xbox 360 (hdmi). Apparently HDMI and displayport are very similar, to the point where an adapter literally just changes the connection at one end, so, assuming a HDMI to Displayport adapter carries audio, could I get a HDMI to Displayport adapter for the xbox, then, attach a soundbar to the monitor, then plug my speakers into the soundbar, essentially routing the sound?

To me this makes sense, but if you want clarification let me know and I'll try and reword it

If this isnt the case, are there any other monitors MVA/PVA/IPS monitors you can recommend for £250 maximum, ideally around 22"-24" with HDMI, DVI and audio out/3.5mm headphones, either dell or any other manufacturer .

Thanks for reading this.

 

[elbert]

First the U2311h's 8ms isn't ideal for gaming. I suggest a 2~5ms monitor. I think the Asus 24" VH242H is a good choice as it has both DVI and HMDI with only 5ms. Its priced £185.92. I suggest the frequently bought together HMDI cable as the monitor lacks a HMDI cable. The monitor comes with DVI cable, VGA cable, Audio cable, and Power cord.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B001TH8OYW/ref=asc_df_B001TH8OYW560748/?tag=pangbuycentral0f_21&creative=7966&creativeASIN=B001TH8OYW&linkCode=asn

Here are the details on this monitor.
http://usa.asus.com/Product.aspx?P_ID=LswHsbV9DN9vjQxS&content=specifications

The Asus 24" VW246H is a bit better for gaming at only 2ms. It cost £201.70 but again you have to purchase the HMDI cable separately.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Asus-VW246H-Monitor-HDMI-20000/dp/B001KAQKNA

Asus monitor specs.
http://usa.asus.com/Product.aspx?P_ID=zMRyN4KB5o5rSqKr&content=specifications
Both these monitors have very good reviews on both newegg and amazon.co.uk.

 

[nathanlross]

First the U2311h's 8ms isn't ideal for gaming. I suggest a 2~5ms monitor. I think the Asus 24" VH242H is a good choice as it has both DVI and HMDI with only 5ms. Its priced £185.92. I suggest the frequently bought together HMDI cable as the monitor lacks a HMDI cable. The monitor comes with DVI cable, VGA cable, Audio cable, and Power cord.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B001TH8OYW/ref=asc_df_B001TH8OYW560748/?tag=pangbuycentral0f_21&creative=7966&creativeASIN=B001TH8OYW&linkCode=asn

Here are the details on this monitor.
http://usa.asus.com/Product.aspx?P_ID=LswHsbV9DN9vjQxS&content=specifications

The Asus 24" VW246H is a bit better for gaming at only 2ms. It cost £201.70 but again you have to purchase the HMDI cable separately.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Asus-VW246H-Monitor-HDMI-20000/dp/B001KAQKNA

Asus monitor specs.
http://usa.asus.com/Product.aspx?P_ID=zMRyN4KB5o5rSqKr&content=specifications
Both these monitors have very good reviews on both newegg and amazon.co.uk.

Thanks for pointing them out, they both look good but I should of stated earlier that I'm not getting it primarily for games. I'm studying Film & Video at university and I've started teaching myself 3D animating so was hoping for some sort of PVA/MVA or IPS display as I've heard they're better for that sort of stuff, occasionally playing the odd game using the xbox (Bad Company 2, Halo Reach)

I've found someone on a classifieds website selling a BenQ FP241W for £250, with a faulty red pixel on the right hand side (which can be fixed by rubbing it, was wondering if that's a good monitor as it got good reviews, and looks like it has all the ports Id need.

Thanks again

 

[jaguarskx]

The BenQ FP241W is a good monitor. It was pretty high on my short list of potential LCD monitors back in 2007, but I opted for something a bit more higher end. I'm not sure I would want to buy it used though, especially if it has a stuck pixel. Not all stuck pixels can be fixed.

I would stick with the Dell U2311H. Overall, it best suits your needs. The e-IPS panel will provide you with better color accruacy than TN panel monitors. Additionally, it comes pre-calibrated, so colors are pretty accruate for something that rolls off the production line. However, a colorimeter is still necessary to get the best possible color accuracy.

See following review:
http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/reviews/dell_u2311h.htm

The VW246H is a good gaming monitor, however, it does not suit the rest of your needs.

 

[elbert]

In your price range ViewSonic VP2365wb is the only display I could suggest. The problem with this monitor is no HMDI so you will need to buy a DVI to HMDI cable.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/ViewSonic-VP2365wb-display-widescreen-DVI-D/dp/B002R0JJYO
http://www.amazon.co.uk/5m-HDMI-DVI-Cable-Premium/dp/B001NXPR92/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1285360174&sr=1-1

Here is the monitor specs.
http://www.viewsonic.com/products/desktop-monitors/lcd/pro-series/vp2365wb.htm#tabbox_specs

IPS true colors provide a high contrast ratio and wide viewing angles coupled with 1920x1080 Full HD resolution

Later on you may want to buy the cheaper ASUS for a second PC monitor and Xbox gaming. This way the ghosting would no longer matter in games and other fast motion software.

 

[nathanlross]

The BenQ FP241W is a good monitor. It was pretty high on my short list of potential LCD monitors back in 2007, but I opted for something a bit more higher end. I'm not sure I would want to buy it used though, especially if it has a stuck pixel. Not all stuck pixels can be fixed.

I would stick with the Dell U2311H. Overall, it best suits your needs. The e-IPS panel will provide you with better color accruacy than TN panel monitors. Additionally, it comes pre-calibrated, so colors are pretty accruate for something that rolls off the production line. However, a colorimeter is still necessary to get the best possible color accuracy.

See following review:
http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/reviews/dell_u2311h.htm

The VW246H is a good gaming monitor, however, it does not suit the rest of your needs.

I was thinking the u2311h probably suits my requirements best, only thing I was wondering is if there's someway to connect the xbox to monitor by HDMI but have a adapter/dongle that have the audio sent to a 3.5mm jack so I can have sound from it, if that's possible

 

[nathanlross]

for some reason I can't edit my reply, so I'll put it here.

Is it possible to connect the xbox to the monitor by HMDI to displayport adapter, then do this;

to one of these

and then RCA to 3.5mm adapter, anyone know if that would work?

 

[elbert]

Check my second link in my previous post. This would require you to reconnect for each device unfortunately. Only problem with this tho is your monitor doesn't have the 3.5mm output. Instead of requiring 3.5mm output maybe you should look at some usb headsets. The monitor I suggest has 4 USB ports if you wish to get a new headset.

If you must have a HMDI to Displayport I have a list of them. Be warned I cant recommend none because no good cables of this type are on the market. Find the one you like and look for it on amazon.co.uk.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&IsNodeId=1&Description=hmdi%20to%20displayport&bop=And&Order=PRICE&PageSize=20

 

[nathanlross]

Cheers for the replies, I ordered one last night so should be here tomorrow, I Think I'm just going to get a xbox hd vga cable so that I can connect my speakers directly to them, thanks for all the input!

 

[bluchili]

I Think I'm just going to get a xbox hd vga cable so that I can connect my speakers directly to them

But won't this reduce your video quality?

I'm curious because I'm trying to do exactly the same thing as you - I just received my u2311h, which will be used primarily for work, but with significant after-hours gaming. Fabulous monitor - I'm very happy with it. But, of course, no audio.

I've read that the old XBOX 360 Core (predecessor to the Arcade) had an component cable that was small enough to plug in at the same time as HDMI (on newer systems). Therefore, if you can get your hands on one, you could output video over HDMI and audio through the component cable. I can't find one around here (Vancouver), but haven't checked ebay.

Please post a response once you've finalized your solution. I'm interested in the end result, since I won't be able to move on any solution until at least two weeks from now.