1920x1200 Monitor (recommendation)

[vlad03]

Hi,

I want to buy a monitor that will mostly be used for Web Development (and maybe a little bit of Graphic Design). The resolution that I want is 1920x1200.

I found some good offers for the following models:
AOC P2460PXQU
AOC i2460Pxqu
Philips 240P4QPYEB
Benq BL2411PT

Also, I found a few from Asus:
Asus PB248Q, Asus PA248Q, Asus VS24AHL and one from Dell: Dell U2412M

Now, my question is specially about the brand (how much it can be trusted) and also about the ease of use. I would prefer it to not require calibration. That's why I would avoid buying a Dell (even though AOC also requires some calibration). And I would also avoid Asus; I had an experience with a PB248Q, which, because of the rotating feature, didn't stand at exactly 0 degrees (it went a bit more to the left).

I also know that all these brands don't produce their own monitors (and this usually results in a need for calibration), but I am not sure about Benq (?).

Which one would you recommend me?
Thank you!

 

[DevillEars]

After a number of TN panel-based monitors, I "discovered" IPS panel-based monitors and changed direction in favour of IPS. The reasons are quite simple, IPS delivers great viewing angles with minimal off-axis colour shift, more "natural" colours and - for me anyway - a presentation that is easier on the old eyes. Given your main usages of web development with some graphics design on the side, I would suggest you evaluate IPS versus TN and pick a preferred panel technology before you pick a manufacturer.

If you find IPS to your liking, next decision is what "quality" IPS panel to go for - A-IPS or AH-IPS.

A-IPS (Advanced In-Plane Switching) is the current "entry-level" version with 8-bit colour (16.7m colours) while AH-IPS (Advanced High-Performance In-Plane Switching) is the "higher-end" version usually offered with 10-bit colour (1 billion colours). 8-bit colour tends to limit colour gamut to ~100% RGB and ~80% Adobe RGB, while decent AH-IPS 10-bit colour panels can achieve close to 100% of Adobe RGB.

LG manufacture the bulk of all IPS panels and other monitor "manufacturers" source their panels from LG.

I've had three IPS monitors:

1) LG IPS236V (1920x1080 23" A-IPS panel - still have it and use it as second monitor on a laptop)
2) Asus PA248Q (1920x1200 24" A-IPS panel - factory calibrated) - sold to a nagging colleague when buying number 3
3) Asus PA279Q (2560x1440 27" AH-IPS panel - factory calibrated)

The LG is an entry-level IPS monitor and this price-point is evident in the flimsy stand and nasty capacitive controls. Having said that, the picture quality is still - after 4 years - pretty damned good. (I use a Spyder3 calibrator)

The PA248Q was an eye-opener... Excellent build quality, great ergonomics (stand & controls), plus a really fine picture thanks to the factory pre-calibration (although the factory calibration only addresses the monitor's settings, so the Spyder3 was again used to ensure that the GPU/driver calibration settings weren't conflicting with the monitor.) The 1920x1200 aspect ratio made a 24" monitor seem much larger and more usable due to the larger vertical component allowing 2 x A4 full page images to be displayed side-by-side at almost full scale.

A windfall allowed me to get the PA279Q (a choice based predominantly on my satisfaction level with the PA248Q coupled with a desire for "a little bit more of the same"). I had planned on keeping the PA248Q as a second monitor for the desktop, but a colleague who had heard of the planned PA279Q buy, nagged me to sell it to him and I eventually gave in - a much-regretted decision).

Both Asus PA-series monitors have really impressed me in all aspects of usage and their build quality is up there with the best on offer. I can't comment on Asus' after-sales support service as I've never had the occasion to have to make use of it - also, I guess it would depend largely on the distribution channel in each country. Picture quality is nothing short of excellent - particularly on the PA279Q with its 27" AH-IPS panel running at 2560x1440. But here again, the PA248Q deserves a mention - at its price-point, it was the best monitor at 24" 1920x1200 resolution I found.

BTW, Dell also market a 24" 16:10 1920x1200 IPS-based monitor and, if after-sales support is your main hot button, Dell tend to excel in this area. (I had one on trial but eventually chose the PA248Q although by a small margin).

Asus also offer a more-costly alternative to the PA248Q - the PA249Q - which features an AH-IPS panel (10-bit / 1 billion colours / almost 100% Adobe RGB) which is also a 24" 16:10 (1920x1200) monitor.

What I am saying is don't exclude Asus from your evaluation based on one past experience...

Dave

 

[vlad03]

DevillEars, thanks for your reply.

I already have some criteria, besides the resolution: IPS or PLS panel, (at least) 178/178 angle etc. I didn't know exactly what A-IPS and AH-IPS are.

And from what you wrote here, I see that Asus monitors offer a good factory pre-calibration, which is another important criteria for me.

One question: regarding those Asus monitors that you own(ed), were they straight, at exactly 0 degrees when rotated maximum to the left?
Like I was saying, I had one that was bent a bit to the left and I was told that it's normal. IMO, it has to stop rotating or at least make a "click" when at 0 degrees. (I sent it back and got a refund, anyway)

 

[DevillEars]

The pivot or rotation on both was from level landscape to level portrait as the pivot axis limits the pivoting to + 90 degrees from landscape. It is possible to rotate the display less than 90 degrees and deliberately achieve an "out-of-level" angle. Note that the pivot rotation is limited to 90 degrees clockwise from landscape to achieve a portrait orientation where the landscape left-hand edge moves to the top. This can be n issue if one is using the USB 3.0 hub as the connected cables will either have to have sufficient slack to allow pivoting or be unplugged before pivoting the panel.

On the PA279Q, the base has a "protractor & pointer" that give a clear indication of panel swivel angle via the pointer versus the protractor, but this is almost impossible to provide to cater for tilt angle or pivot angle without turning the display into something from "Transformers"...

As far as panel technology is concerned, a simple explanation of differences between TN and IPS.

TN (or Twisted Nematic) uses micro mirrors that, when a current is applied, twist the micro mirror so that the light is deflected, thereby effectively "switching by deflection". TN panels are able to achieve very rapid switching allowing very fast refresh rates making them ideal for FPS gaming applications. Unfortunately, TN panels also suffer from narrowish viewing angles due to fairly steep off-axis colour-shift.

IPS (In-Plane Switching) literally switch the light transmission on and off electronically within the panel itself. This process tends to be slower than that achieved by TN but the lack of angled mirrors permits wider viewing angles as the off-axis colour shift is a lot less (typically up to +178/-178 deg.

(PLS - Plane Level Switching - is a Samsung design that is similar to IPS).

A-IPS and AH-IPS are just "quality grades" of IPS with A-IPS being the entry level (or Volkswagen) and AH-IPS the high-performance level (or Porsche). Prices map to the car analogy unfortunately).

I hope that helps.

Dave

 

[vlad03]

To be more precise: the problem was not when I rotated the display clockwise less than 90 degrees; it was when I rotated it counter-clockwise, back to its normal position (landscape). It didn't stop at 0 degrees, it could go at - a few degrees and didn't have any "click" at 0 degrees.

Regarding panels, I won't buy a TN anyway.

Thanks again.