Not a problem. I didn't take it personally. I hope you didn't take offense at anything I said, either. We're both just trying to clarify our opinions; something that is occasionally harder to do by typing instead of talking face-to-face.
<font color=green>"and why didn't you state your case when i made a post a few weeks ago when about possibly buying a sony monitor?"</font color=green>
Sorry 'bout that, reptilej. I didn't see the post. I'm stretched a little thin, I think. I do a lot of technical support, and not just here at Tom's, but at work, on the phone, by email, and in other online forums. I need a clone!
I developed my opinion about Sony a few years ago when the company sent a dozen defective monitors to my shop. Some of them were new, and some were refurbished ... although everything I ordered was meant to be new, and straight from the factory. For example, one supposedly brand-new monitor had big, dirty sneaker prints on the top, and the screen and base were smashed.
I wasn't too happy about this, and the company really tried to give me the run-around when I attempted to get everything sorted out. That's something I haven't had to deal with from any other company that makes a supposedly top-of-the-line monitor.
During that time, and since then, I've had the opportunity to use more than one Sony monitor, and compare them against different brands ... starting with the defective batch the company orginally sent me. I became convinced that a user was paying more for the "name" of the monitor; the higher price didn't justify the actual quality. I didn't like the user interface, compared to monitors from companies like NEC, Mitsubishi or Samsung, and I certainly didn't care much for the attitudes of their technical support personnel or the shipping department.
I only order from them now if someone makes a specific request. But that's against my better judgement, and I'm willing to explain why to the customer if they ask what I think about the product.
Note: I haven't had the same kind of customer-relation problems with ViewSonic. But I still expect a certain percentage of what I might receive in an order from them to be DOA. It's just not that unusual. But I still stock them, due to the demand. I really think that is because of the large amount they spend on advertising, more than anything else. And, of course, the price.
My preferences in brand-name monitors are:
Iiyama
Samsung
NEC-Mitsubishi
LaCie
LG Electronics
In that order.
I've only had to RMA one monitor from Iiyama in the past five years, and they replaced it promptly. I think that's a pretty good track record.
If you are going to buy a monitor from an online storefront, <A HREF="http://www.pagecomputer.com/cgi-bin/start" target="_new">Page Computer</A> is a good supplier, IMHO. The prices are usually pretty reasonable, too.
Allanag: I think LG Electronics makes a pretty fair monitor, like the 915FT Plus ... but it's not in the same league as something like the <A HREF="http://www.iiyama.com/product2/HM903DT.HTM" target="_new">Vision Master Pro 454</A> in a 19" monitor.
I have had very few problems with various kinds of geometric distortion with the Iiyama monitors. I've spent a lot of time working with Photoshop, and I consider my monitor to be an asset when using the program, instead of what could be an irritating distraction.
But as you mentioned, choosing a monitor is subjective, and this is only my opinion. Check out the reviews, make a note of the specifications of the monitors you might wish to purchase, read the warranty information, and most of all ... stick to your budget. That would be my best advice.
Toejam31
<font color=red>My Rig:</font color=red> <A HREF="http://www.anandtech.com/mysystemrig.html?rigid=6847" target="_new"><font color=green>Toejam31's Tantalizing Tantric Toy</font color=green></A>
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<font color=purple>"Procrastination on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part."</font color=purple>
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