OT: New Monitor Not Very Crisp?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Uncle Grumpy
  • Start date Start date
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Uncle Grumpy

(PeteCresswell) said:
The GateWay product seems well thought out and well executed - it's just that
fonts are noticeably soft on it. It's about 25% of the softness you seen when
running an LCD monitor at some other rez than it's native rez.

I'm thinking I'm still missing something.

But what?
Click to expand...

It's not a Sony.

DUH!
 
Fried my trusty 20" CRT sometime last week. Suspect bad AC at the client site
since the group I'm working for has toasted three laptops in the past month.

Swapped in my monitor from home to the client site, and then went out and bought
a GateWay 24" (1920x1200) LCD monitor for home use.

Seems to work ok, but it lacks the crispness of the Sony 19" (1600x1200) that
I'd been using at home.

They're both running digitally and I set Windows' smoothing to "ClearType".
I also stepped through GateWay's (quite user-friendly) setup/tuning utility a
couple of times. Only anomaly is that the instruction manual refers to a
"Geometry" setting which is present on the monitor's menu, but not enabled.

Am I missing something?

The GateWay product seems well thought out and well executed - it's just that
fonts are noticeably soft on it. It's about 25% of the softness you seen when
running an LCD monitor at some other rez than it's native rez.

I'm thinking I'm still missing something.

But what?
 
[email protected] said:
Fried my trusty 20" CRT sometime last week. Suspect bad AC at the client site
since the group I'm working for has toasted three laptops in the past month.

Swapped in my monitor from home to the client site, and then went out and bought
a GateWay 24" (1920x1200) LCD monitor for home use.

Seems to work ok, but it lacks the crispness of the Sony 19" (1600x1200) that
I'd been using at home.

They're both running digitally and I set Windows' smoothing to "ClearType".
I also stepped through GateWay's (quite user-friendly) setup/tuning utility a
couple of times. Only anomaly is that the instruction manual refers to a
"Geometry" setting which is present on the monitor's menu, but not enabled.

Am I missing something?

The GateWay product seems well thought out and well executed - it's just that
fonts are noticeably soft on it. It's about 25% of the softness you seen when
running an LCD monitor at some other rez than it's native rez.

I'm thinking I'm still missing something.

But what?
Click to expand...

Most LCD are nowhere near as clear as a CRT. The only good LCD I've seen
is the OmniClear ones that almost look like glass.
 
Even LCD monitors have specifications similar to CRT monitors other than
resolution and refresh rate.
As I look at a page of listings for LCD monitors I see .250 to .298 DPI..and
under contrast I see 300:1 all the way up to 1000:1
The way I understand it the more DPI ...the finer the picture.So check your
monitor for its DPI...and compare that to your old CRT

In an LCD the thing to look at is Dot pitch which is the granularity of LCD
Pixels....the smaller the better...the higher the number.
CRT have a theoratical infinite contrast ration....LCD do not and as such
the higher the contrast ration the better the image.Poor contrast ration
manifests itself in the lack of true black...making type look less
sharp...soft.

peter
 
(PeteCresswell) said:
They're both running digitally and I set Windows' smoothing to "ClearType".
I also stepped through GateWay's (quite user-friendly) setup/tuning utility a
couple of times. Only anomaly is that the instruction manual refers to a
"Geometry" setting which is present on the monitor's menu, but not enabled.

Am I missing something?
Click to expand...

Hi Pete

Does the new monitor have both digital and analogue connectors? My
Hyundai screen does and many of the menu items are not available when it
is connected digitally.

For the ClearType, you might find tweaking the basic settings a bit will
make quite a difference. Microsoft offer an online tweaker here:
http://www.microsoft.com/typography/cleartype/tuner/Step1.aspx
or the ClearType Tuner, which installs into Control Panel as an applet:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/powertoys/xppowertoys.mspx

I also like ioIsland's free ClearTweak utility, here:
http://www.ioisland.com/cleartweak/index.php

Hope this helps :-)
 
Hi Pete

Does the new monitor have both digital and analogue connectors? My
Hyundai screen does and many of the menu items are not available when it
is connected digitally.

For the ClearType, you might find tweaking the basic settings a bit will
make quite a difference. Microsoft offer an online tweaker here:
http://www.microsoft.com/typography/cleartype/tuner/Step1.aspx
or the ClearType Tuner, which installs into Control Panel as an applet:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/powertoys/xppowertoys.mspx

I also like ioIsland's free ClearTweak utility, here:
http://www.ioisland.com/cleartweak/index.php

Hope this helps :-)
Click to expand...


My 32" ViewSonic under a EVGA 8800 w/320MB is fantastic! in both
digital and through the standard VGA port.

I'll never go back.

With DOSBox, I can run my legacy 640x480 apps and the SDL Open GL
support it has allows the 640x480 to be scaled up to 1280x678!

Mame32 lets me play legacy upright video games on a screen bigger
than they were ever played on!
My CAD apps from old days are GREAT Again!

I was all set to give up on Bill and move to Linux (oh my), but now I
am back.

Though I still do run Linux. Knoppix Live DVD is awesome too!
 
Per Nightowl:
Does the new monitor have both digital and analogue connectors? My
Hyundai screen does and many of the menu items are not available when it
is connected digitally.
Click to expand...

Good catch. I'm connected digitally. Dunno if it's the video card or the
monitor, but the analog connection doesn't really work - rez goes down the tubes
for one thing.

For the ClearType, you might find tweaking the basic settings a bit will
make quite a difference. Microsoft offer an online tweaker here:
http://www.microsoft.com/typography/cleartype/tuner/Step1.aspx
or the ClearType Tuner, which installs into Control Panel as an applet:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/powertoys/xppowertoys.mspx

I also like ioIsland's free ClearTweak utility, here:
http://www.ioisland.com/cleartweak/index.php
Click to expand...

I exiled this thing to one of my client sites. Next time I'm up there I'll try
those tweaks... and bring it back home if they work.

Hope this helps :-)
Click to expand...

Thanks!
 
Per MassiveProng:
My 32" ViewSonic under a EVGA 8800 w/320MB is fantastic! in both
digital and through the standard VGA port.

I'll never go back.
Click to expand...

A little voice was whispering "Yer gonna be sorrrrrry..." when I was buying this
thing. But it was on sale (about $600 total - including 6% sales tax)... Next
time, I'll remember to try before buy..ing.

Not that it's a total loss... just not something one would use when they had a
monitor like my Sony (or, probably your ViewSonic) available.
 
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