LED IPS Monitor

[Grassman20]

I think I already know the answer to this question, but I have to ask before I drop some cash on a lesser choice. Does anyone make a LED backlit IPS monitor? The only one I have found is the Apple Cinema Display for a mere $1000. Is this my only choice?

I have an iPad which sports the LED IPS configuration and I love it. I'd really like to find a monitor which can do the same, preferably for a bit less cash.

Is Apple really the only company that sells this coveted combination?

 

[cjl]

Honestly, you're pretty much out of luck as far as that goes, but if your goal is image quality, a CCFL backlit LED will do just as well or better. The reason your display looks so good is the IPS panel, not the LEDs. The LED backlighting just saves power and runs cooler.

 

[jaguarskx]

LG announced an upcoming LED backlit IPS monitor series. But that was back in September 2010 and no further news is available.

LED is nothing more than light. It is the panel type that ultimately determines how good colors are and the monitor's viewing angles.

 

[Grassman20]

I'm not sure it's quite as simple as "LED is nothing more than light." The type of light makes a difference in display quality. As many have reported, the LED backlight will give you whiter whites and better contrast. See here and here.

That being said, I think your point probably remains true. The IPS vs TN display choice is much more important than the CCFL vs LED backlight choice. Sounds like I might have to look at the trusty Dell UltraSharp U2311H for my display needs. Any other good ones I should consider? I'd really like a glossy screen, but I won't kill myself if I end up with matte.

 

[jaguarskx]

The is part of my reply to a question regarding the U2311h

Color gamut of 82% isn't really considered inferior. Normal color gamut is 72% while wide color gamut can be as high as 97%. The wide color gamut makes colors a little more greenish, but the benefit is for color printouts. Assuming both printer and monitor are properly calibrated, wide color gamut makes it easier for both displayed and printed colors to be the same.

LED backlit monitors have a color gamut of 68% which makes colors a little bluish. There is no benefit in any application so LED backlight would be considered inferior.

Most people do not notice they lower gamut of LED backlight, but some do and mention the fact that the light seems somewhat bluish.

I think the comparison between a PC monitor vs. a PC monitor would be better rather than using a notebook which generally has less space for CCFLs. The contrast is over hype when it comes to dynamic vs static. Of the two, static is the most important and is generally between 700:1 and 1000:1. My LG LH4790 HDTV and my Asus VK246H both have dynamic contrast. I turn that function off since it is very annoying and in some cases makes things look awful.

 

[cjl]

I'm not sure it's quite as simple as "LED is nothing more than light." The type of light makes a difference in display quality. As many have reported, the LED backlight will give you whiter whites and better contrast. See here and here.

That being said, I think your point probably remains true. The IPS vs TN display choice is much more important than the CCFL vs LED backlight choice. Sounds like I might have to look at the trusty Dell UltraSharp U2311H for my display needs. Any other good ones I should consider? I'd really like a glossy screen, but I won't kill myself if I end up with matte.

LED vs CCFL doesn't affect the contrast at all - that's simply a matter of the panel itself. As for whiter whites? Again, not really true. They may look slightly bluer, but CCFL is more than capable of a good white point. If anything, LED is somewhat inferior, as WLED only allows for around a 68% color gamut (compared to 72% for a standard CCFL). RGBLED is better, but it is difficult to get properly uniform, and it is extremely expensive to do correctly.

 

[Grassman20]

Interesting. Perhaps the more important combination to look at is IPS + high contrast ratio? My iPad sports the IPS with a contrast ratio of 900:1 or 950:1.

So the Dell I mentioned has 1000:1 as do many others. Is this a good ratio for a desktop monitor? I know some vendors straight-up lie about contrast ratios.

 

[bildo123]

LED vs CCFL doesn't affect the contrast at all - that's simply a matter of the panel itself. As for whiter whites? Again, not really true. They may look slightly bluer, but CCFL is more than capable of a good white point. If anything, LED is somewhat inferior, as WLED only allows for around a 68% color gamut (compared to 72% for a standard CCFL). RGBLED is better, but it is difficult to get properly uniform, and it is extremely expensive to do correctly.

I don't know if it's just me being picky but I too feel that even on the better LED backlight monitors (Samsung BX2450 I have) still cannot produce the true white my old CCFL Westy can. The Acer LED I have was terrible, I mean, even on 'warm' it looked only slightly less 'cool'. At this point I've given up on LED, that is except for my Macbook Pro at work, which is does come very close to the white I'm used to (and no way am I spending $1k on a cinema display). For a monitor though, I'm now looking at taking the plunge and getting an IPS 24" panel of some sorts. Guess I'll lurk around since I was able to get my old monitor working well for now.

 

[jaguarskx]

Interesting. Perhaps the more important combination to look at is IPS + high contrast ratio? My iPad sports the IPS with a contrast ratio of 900:1 or 950:1.

So the Dell I mentioned has 1000:1 as do many others. Is this a good ratio for a desktop monitor? I know some vendors straight-up lie about contrast ratios.

Read the following review to determine if the U2311h is right for you:

http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/reviews/dell_u2311h.htm

 

[Grassman20]

Thanks for that. Based on that comprehensive review, I think the Dell U2311h is a great display for the price.

Thanks for all the help. I feel a lot better now about not finding my IPS LED combo.

 

[Grassman20]

Best answer selected by Grassman20.