20" WS LCD: LG vs SAMSUNG vs ViewSonic

[Dr. V]

Same thing as the 225BW as i mentioned above, just the sexier finish and the "Vista Certified" logo...

Not to mention it's only 2ms!

It's an awesome monitor.

[RA1D]

i've read some really good reviews on it and i had a chance to check it out at best buy. its a really nice monitor except for the stand.

[gvblake22]

The 225BW and 226BW are very different monitors!
The 226 has better contrast ratio (1000:1 vs 700:1), better response time (2ms vs 5ms), and a less adjustable stand (no height adjustments). It also features a dynamic contrast ratio, which basically dims or brightens the backlight a little depending on the overall contrast of the image being displayed. This gives it an "artificial" contrast ratio of 3000:1.

I looked at the 225BW monitor in person and was not impressed. The colors are good, but the image shifts contrast and brightness when moving your line of sight around the monior. Even just moving from the top edge to the bottom, the image gets way darker and is hard to see. That right there killed it for me and I couldn't bring myself to buy it. I found nothing could compare to the panel technology used in the 24" screens so ended up going that route (a Gateway FPD2485W). I would choose the Dell 20" over the 225BW as I think it has a different panel type and probably won't suffer from the contrast/brightness shifting I saw with the 225BW. I haven't had a chance to see the Dell 20" or the 226BW in person, so I can't comment on their image quality.

[Dr. V]

I've been meaning to ask you about your experiences with that Gateway model. It's an extremely good price for a 24" and has been getting insane buzz.

[gvblake22]

Yeah, the thing dropped $100 a week after I bought it!!!!!!!!!
Overall though I am very happy with it. Colors are great, lots of inputs, good resolution scaling (except for 16:9 resolutions) and great stand adjustments. Only thing that I'm a little unhappy about is the odd ghosting effects and the bit of backlight bleed in the upper right corner (which is only visible when the screen is black though). Overall, it's a great monitor, but by no means the best out there. Equivalent models from Samsung, Dell, BenQ, and LG are all just as capable (Although the resolution scaling on the Dell seems to be hit and miss).

[Dr. V]

I know for a fact resolution scaling on the BENQs are unmatched. This is pretty important for me since I'll be using my monitor for consoles (main reason I'm picking it up actually). For Samsung, I can't comment on the scaling.

It looks like a BENQ is the ideal option for me, the 202W or the 222W is the best option for me. Depends on how these are at scaling. The FP222W says 16.7 million colors, but the FP222WH (newer) says so with dithering...I'm confused. As for the 20 FP202W, I'm almost 100% this is an 8-bit panel.

WOW! 2ms and 16.7 million colors (this one surely looks like an 8-bit). VisionQuest...I've heard a bit about them, actually.

Canada Computers - LCD Monitors/LCD TVs > 22" LCD Monitors : VisionQuest VQL-22WSHD 22 Inch 1680 x 1050 - 300 cd/m2 - 700:1 - 2 Ms (GTG) - 0.282 Mm - 2 VGA, 1DVI-D with HDCP - Black w/Speakers .

[gvblake22]

I've never heard of VisionQuest, so you're on your own there...
Since it seems like you are very persistant on what you want out of your monitor, I would suggest buying it from a brick and mortar retail store so you can make sure you have a good return policy if it doesn't perform how you want/expect.

[Dr. V]

Very good point...

I was thinking of hitting up BesBuy actually. They have the BENQs, and some Samsungs.

Also, they have some HP products, and they're never bad so their monitors should be pretty shabby.

[Dr. V]

Alright, get this. None of the 20" or 22" monitors mentioned here from BENQ are 8-bit panels - they all use dithering. The Samsung 205BW and 225BW are 8-bit panels, and the 215BW which is the one I really want to get is said to be the single best widescreen monitor available even competing with 24", other than the BENQ FW241W, and possibly the DELL 2407WFP.

Samsung looks like it's the way to go. Anyone have any personal experiences with the 2x5 series?

[gvblake22]

Do you mean the Samsung 215TW? That is actually the monitor I was originally going to get, but it became scarce and splurged for the 24" instead. I would totally recommend the 215TW.