A bit overwhelmed with making IPS decision....

[dawgies]

Have been considering upgrading to a S-IPS or H-IPS panel. I currently have a 19" Dell 1905FP with a VA (Samsung) panel. 75% of the time I'm using the monitor for email, web, Word documents. 25% of the time I'm pretending to be an amateur photographer doing digital editing in PaintShop Pro. No gaming.

I've lurked for while following many threads on 4:3 vs. widescreen, wide gamut, pixel size, anti-glare screen being "sparkly", should you get a model with the polarizer to avoid "white bloom"., etc. I read the DS-263N thread so much I think I know ToastyX's settings by heart. I've read multiple panel lottery posts. Had narrowed things down to the HP LP2065, NEC 2490, DS-265W (and now read about the HP LP2475).

I want very clear text (old eyes). Just read one poster saying the 20" models have the worst eyestrain due to the smaller pixels (so that seems to shoot down the 2065). I have an email buddy that got the NEC 2690 and spent hours calibrating and has to use Firefox for web viewing due to the wide gamut issues (though her print matching is now perfect). I read one person's blog that said he didn't like widescreen monitors.

I sure hate to spend the $$$ for the NEC, but I will if it's much better than anything else. I don't have any of these available locally where I can view before purchasing. I'm at the "deer in the headlights" stage. Comments to help direct me will be very appreciated. Thank you.

 

[albovin]

75% of the time I'm using the monitor for email, web, Word documents. 25% of the time I'm pretending to be an amateur photographer doing digital editing in PaintShop Pro. No gaming.

Comments to help direct me will be very appreciated. Thank you.

NEC2490
Other options: IMac 24" and Hazro HZ24Wi - both (glossy) have even clearer text.

 

[ToastyX]

The NEC 2490 is the only monitor where you wouldn't be making sacrifices in terms of image quality.

- No major color shifting like on TN and VA panels
- No white or orange glow like on most monitors with IPS panels
- No sparkly coating like the 20", 23", and 30" IPS panels
- No funky pixel structure that affects text clarity like on newer VA panels
- No wide gamut issues

Nothing else can match that except for the 24" Hazro monitors, which are only available in the UK right now.

If the glow and the wide gamut won't bother you, then the HP LP2475w and the DoubleSight monitors are the best value.

 

[dawgies]

The NEC 2490 is the only monitor where you wouldn't be making sacrifices in terms of image quality.

- No major color shifting like on TN and VA panels
- No white or orange glow like on most monitors with IPS panels
- No sparkly coating like the 20", 23", and 30" IPS panels
- No funky pixel structure that affects text clarity like on newer VA panels
- No wide gamut issues

Nothing else can match that except for the 24" Hazro monitors, which are only available in the UK right now.

If the glow and the wide gamut won't bother you, then the HP LP2475w and the DoubleSight monitors are the best value.

ToastyX,

You really helped me clear the fog on this. Not sure if white glow would be an issue, because I generally view my monitor from the front. Seems there were a lot of people not happy that the DS-263N didn't have the extra polarizer, so that made me aware of the issue. I have to research the wide gamut issues further. You added info I had not asked for...the "funky pixel structure that affects text clarity like on newer VA panels". I had thought that maybe I should just get a newer VA panel, but you helped me rule that out. In all I'd read, I had not seen that characterization of the newer VA panels.

Bottom line is I'm not in a hurry. You've helped me rule out VA panels and the HP LP2065. The NEC 2490 doesn't appear to be going anywhere soon and I'm certainly not missing a great sale price on it by waiting. I'm going to keep watching this forum and look for the reviews on the DS-265W and the LP2475. I may be able to live with some white glow and wide gamut to get the better value.

Thank you ToastyX and Albovin for jumping in here. I'm sure there are a lot of people that read these forums and learn a lot from what you contribute.

 

[visualguy]

- No funky pixel structure that affects text clarity like on newer VA panels

I haven't compared newer VA panels to older ones, but I've compared a new PVA panel (Samsung LTM300M1) to a new IPS panel (LG LM300WQ5), and the differences in text rendering are extremely minor. Without anti-aliasing, I can't see a difference in text quality between the two. With ClearType enabled, I find text on the IPS panel to be very slightly sharper. However, I still find the PVA panel to be better overall for text. The reasons are as follows:

1. The graininess of the IPS panel is somewhat distracting when reading small text. Note, however, that people say that the IPS panel in the NEC 2490 is not grainy (unlike most IPS panels).
2. I typically read black text on a white background at fairly low brightness (100cd/m2). The IPS panel provides somewhat grayish whites and a low contrast ratio at that brightness level, which hurts text. The PVA panel maintains whites that still look white at low brightness, as well as a much better contrast ratio. All this helps with text clarity (both white-on-black and black-on white).

 

[Moogle Stiltzkin]

I am no expert but everyone online seems to agree that the NEC 2490 is the best choice for your photography needs.

Calibration on the Nec is also better because of Internal Lut and push to caliberate option that is available to it.

 

[albovin]

I haven't compared newer VA panels to older ones, but I've compared a new PVA panel (Samsung LTM300M1) to a new IPS panel (LG LM300WQ5), and the differences in text rendering are extremely minor. Without anti-aliasing, I can't see a difference in text quality between the two. With ClearType enabled, I find text on the IPS panel to be very slightly sharper. However, I still find the PVA panel to be better overall for text. The reasons are as follows:

1. The graininess of the IPS panel is somewhat distracting when reading small text. Note, however, that people say that the IPS panel in the NEC 2490 is not grainy (unlike most IPS panels).
2. I typically read black text on a white background at fairly low brightness (100cd/m2). The IPS panel provides somewhat grayish whites and a low contrast ratio at that brightness level, which hurts text. The PVA panel maintains whites that still look white at low brightness, as well as a much better contrast ratio. All this helps with text clarity (both white-on-black and black-on white).

visualguy, what if you go far far away from this thread - closer to 30" monitors?
You bother the whole forum with your PVA vs IPS vs "graininess" neuralgia. Have some rest.
In this thread people talk about nothing but 2490, is it clear?
No problem with graininess in this thread.
Repeat: No problem with graininess in this thread.
No LM300WQ5 here.
Nothing.
Go and have rest.

 

[visualguy]

albovin,

I'm quite fed up with your obnoxious attacks. If you want to be a bully and refuse to be civilized, go somewhere else. This is not a playground for hooligans.

 

[Frameless]

The 2490 may be a very good overall screen, but the black level isn't very good compared to some of the best PVA-panels. Some Eizo screens like S2431 have a black level of of 0.12 at 142cd/m2 brightness (sRGB), which is very impressive.

In this test, the reviewer gets a black level of 0.32 at 200cd/m2. When i had the NEC 2690 (returned it for several reasons, not because its a bad screen), i achieved a black level of 0.27 at 200cd/m2 brightness, with Spyder 3! I don't know why i got a better result.

Anyway, i think NEC 2490 is probably the best choice if you are mainly using it for graphics work, but if you care about black level and the cons with PVA-panels don't scare you, then maybe you should get a Eizo screen.

 

[ToastyX]

I haven't compared newer VA panels to older ones, but I've compared a new PVA panel (Samsung LTM300M1) to a new IPS panel (LG LM300WQ5), and the differences in text rendering are extremely minor. Without anti-aliasing, I can't see a difference in text quality between the two. With ClearType enabled, I find text on the IPS panel to be very slightly sharper. However, I still find the PVA panel to be better overall for text. The reasons are as follows:

1. The graininess of the IPS panel is somewhat distracting when reading small text. Note, however, that people say that the IPS panel in the NEC 2490 is not grainy (unlike most IPS panels).
2. I typically read black text on a white background at fairly low brightness (100cd/m2). The IPS panel provides somewhat grayish whites and a low contrast ratio at that brightness level, which hurts text. The PVA panel maintains whites that still look white at low brightness, as well as a much better contrast ratio. All this helps with text clarity (both white-on-black and black-on white).

I don't know how 30" S-PVA panels are like, but newer 24" S-PVA panels actually have a grainier coating than the NEC 2490. Not long after trying the EIZO HD2441W, I saw a Gateway FPD2485W at a store and a Dell 2407WFP at a Dell booth, and they all had the same fuzzy coating. Older 24" PVA panels had a coating more like the NEC 2490, and P-MVA panels have an even milder coating.

Newer S-PVA and P-MVA panels also have a split-pixel structure where each subpixel is divided into two smaller subpixels, which are further divided into eight sections:

For darker colors, only the top and the bottom of the pixel are lit, which caused the gap inside the pixel itself to be larger than the gap between the pixels:

This caused my eyes to blend the top of one pixel and the bottom of another pixel together, which resulted in a slight vertical blur. This ruined text quality for me. Older VA panels always had the pixels fully lit, and text was never a problem on those panels.

Current 24" S-PVA panels are worse than the NEC 2490 in terms of coating and pixel structure. P-MVA panels have a better coating, but they also have the split-pixel structure now.

 

[videomasterz]

damn albovin relax dude... visualguy is just giving some info about his opinion on newer PVA panels... like we all do here...

 

[albovin]

damn albovin relax dude... visualguy is just giving some info about his opinion on newer PVA panels... like we all do here...

Oh, yes. "Piastres! Piastres!" - that's an opinion, yes.

 

[SH1]

No perfect LCD tech. Someone looking for maximum contrast and black will probably make a different choice than a person looking for the best uniformity, viewing angles, and apparently color.

Black level has been my biggest concern, which helped drive me towards using a TV panel...

 

[visualguy]

ToastyX,

That's interesting information. Where did you get the picture of the pixel structure?

I haven't encountered text quality problems with the 30" PVA panel or the 24" PVA panel in the Samsung 243T, but I haven't seen the newer 24" PVA monitors that you mentioned.

Too bad the 30" LG panel isn't as nice as the 24" LG panel in the 2490...

 

[Biges]

Have been considering upgrading to a S-IPS or H-IPS panel. I currently have a 19" Dell 1905FP with a VA (Samsung) panel. 75% of the time I'm using the monitor for email, web, Word documents. 25% of the time I'm pretending to be an amateur photographer doing digital editing in PaintShop Pro. No gaming.

I've lurked for while following many threads on 4:3 vs. widescreen, wide gamut, pixel size, anti-glare screen being "sparkly", should you get a model with the polarizer to avoid "white bloom"., etc. I read the DS-263N thread so much I think I know ToastyX's settings by heart. I've read multiple panel lottery posts. Had narrowed things down to the HP LP2065, NEC 2490, DS-265W (and now read about the HP LP2475).

I want very clear text (old eyes). Just read one poster saying the 20" models have the worst eyestrain due to the smaller pixels (so that seems to shoot down the 2065). I have an email buddy that got the NEC 2690 and spent hours calibrating and has to use Firefox for web viewing due to the wide gamut issues (though her print matching is now perfect). I read one person's blog that said he didn't like widescreen monitors.

I sure hate to spend the $$$ for the NEC, but I will if it's much better than anything else. I don't have any of these available locally where I can view before purchasing. I'm at the "deer in the headlights" stage. Comments to help direct me will be very appreciated. Thank you.

If you have the money, go for 2490. Buy somewhere where you can possibly return it, if you don't like it. I have 2690 and I like its larger pixels, but I had no choice anyway, because 2490 is not sold in Europe. If you want to save some money and don't mind non-wide screen monitor, NEC 2090 or 2190 may be a good choice, I think they also have the polarizer, although I'm not sure of it.

 

[ToastyX]

That's interesting information. Where did you get the picture of the pixel structure?

I don't remember where I got it from.

I haven't encountered text quality problems with the 30" PVA panel or the 24" PVA panel in the Samsung 243T, but I haven't seen the newer 24" PVA monitors that you mentioned.

The Dell 2405FPW, Samsung 243T, and early versions of the 244T all have older PVA panels without those problems. The newer PVA panels started appearing when the Dell 2407WFP came out.

 

[SH1]

I don't remember where I got it from.


The Dell 2405FPW, Samsung 243T, and early versions of the 244T all have older PVA panels without those problems. The newer PVA panels started appearing when the Dell 2407WFP came out.

I think whether this is a significant problem is highly dependent on the individual. I read some of the reviews on the Prad site covering some of the presumably affected panels and I didn't see anything negative with regard to text quality. If anything, it was the opposite.

Not saying that IPS doesn't have a leg up on text quality. It may, but it's going to be among a number of tradeoffs between the different technologies...

And as Biges mentions, buy from a place with a good return policy. That's probably one of the most important things actually...

 

[scivian]

The NEC 2490 is the only monitor where you wouldn't be making sacrifices in terms of image quality.

- No major color shifting like on TN and VA panels
- No white or orange glow like on most monitors with IPS panels
- No sparkly coating like the 20", 23", and 30" IPS panels
- No funky pixel structure that affects text clarity like on newer VA panels
- No wide gamut issues

Nothing else can match that except for the 24" Hazro monitors, which are only available in the UK right now.

If the glow and the wide gamut won't bother you, then the HP LP2475w and the DoubleSight monitors are the best value.

Is it at all possible to get a Hazro monitor in the US?

 

[worthless808]

Is it at all possible to get a Hazro monitor in the US?

Not "yet". Hazro has said they are working on getting a US distributor, but they've been saying that for a long time, so I wouldn't hold my breath.

 

[EW27]

Toasty is the expert, but in my opinion, the "white glow" is something you can easily live with, and that's about the only compromise you'll have to make with a Planar or Doublesight 26" IPS, either of which is cheaper than the 2490.

But since you specifically mentioned clear text, old eyes, and eye-strain, I can almost guarantee you will not be able to live with a 24" at 1920x1200. I'm in my mid-thirties, and I simply could not comfortably use my 24" LCD (eye-strain, headaches, etc.) without adjusting Windows dpi and font size, which screws up menus, blurs icons, and ruins the general layout of Windows and many other applications. A 26" has the same native resolution, but is physically larger and has a higher pixel pitch, which in my case eliminated all visibility problems and made messing with dpi and font size unnecessary.

So I recommend you go to a store and play with a 24" at native res for a bit before you make a decision. If your eyes are like mine, you'll have serious problems with any 24", even the legendary 2490.

 

[Moogle Stiltzkin]

Toasty is the expert, but in my opinion, the "white glow" is something you can easily live with, and that's about the only compromise you'll have to make with a Planar or Doublesight 26" IPS, either of which is cheaper than the 2490.

But since you specifically mentioned clear text, old eyes, and eye-strain, I can almost guarantee you will not be able to live with a 24" at 1920x1200. I'm in my mid-thirties, and I simply could not comfortably use my 24" LCD (eye-strain, headaches, etc.) without adjusting Windows dpi and font size, which screws up menus, blurs icons, and ruins the general layout of Windows and many other applications. A 26" has the same native resolution, but is physically larger and has a higher pixel pitch, which in my case eliminated all visibility problems and made messing with dpi and font size unnecessary.

So I recommend you go to a store and play with a 24" at native res for a bit before you make a decision. If your eyes are like mine, you'll have serious problems with any 24", even the legendary 2490.

I have a 24'' so i know just how tiny the texts are. So it sounds like 26'' is better of you since many say the texts are bigger then on the 24'' screens. Imho that would be just great but too bad i don't have enough dough to get a 26'' heh.

Also now that i just bought a spanky new Eye One 2 Display Calibrator, i ran into some calibration limitations due to my Dell 2405 FPW monitor that does not allow you to adjust contrast on DVI ... like wtf :X

You will be able to do all the calibration you need with the NEC mentioned above. And going a step higher then other normal monitors, you can caliberate the internal lut which would produce much better calibration over all. I can appreciate better the NEC, once i realised just how crap my monitor came to calibration limitations based on the monitor capabilities


Anyway i was looking at the NEC 2490, NEC 2690 and HP LP2475w. I finally decided to get the HP because like someone else mentioned, it's using a new s-ips panel and has some good specs and is cheaper then the NEC by far, even after i bought my calibrator it still is cheaper then the NEC.

I would get the NEC if i was a graphics designer, but i am more towards gaming and media viewing in which case the HP is way better imho any violent disagreements

 

[dawgies]

Toasty is the expert, but in my opinion, the "white glow" is something you can easily live with, and that's about the only compromise you'll have to make with a Planar or Doublesight 26" IPS, either of which is cheaper than the 2490.

But since you specifically mentioned clear text, old eyes, and eye-strain, I can almost guarantee you will not be able to live with a 24" at 1920x1200. I'm in my mid-thirties, and I simply could not comfortably use my 24" LCD (eye-strain, headaches, etc.) without adjusting Windows dpi and font size, which screws up menus, blurs icons, and ruins the general layout of Windows and many other applications. A 26" has the same native resolution, but is physically larger and has a higher pixel pitch, which in my case eliminated all visibility problems and made messing with dpi and font size unnecessary.

So I recommend you go to a store and play with a 24" at native res for a bit before you make a decision. If your eyes are like mine, you'll have serious problems with any 24", even the legendary 2490.

Thanks very much for commenting on this. I will go and check out the 24" screens that I can find. I appreciate you taking the time to write and suggest this. The impact on my eyes is a very big consideration for me.

 

[EW27]

Don't get me wrong, I prefer NEC over every other manufacturer, and the 2490 is the best 24" LCD ever made. But 1920x1200 at that size and pitch just made my eyes bleed. If your eyes have aged better than mine, then go for it, and I'm sure you'll love it. I just think you should make sure before you drop the dough...

 

[dawgies]

Don't get me wrong, I prefer NEC over every other manufacturer, and the 2490 is the best 24" LCD ever made. But 1920x1200 at that size and pitch just made my eyes bleed. If your eyes have aged better than mine, then go for it, and I'm sure you'll love it. I just think you should make sure before you drop the dough...

I'm looking at 1280 x 1024 resolution now and did well with this monitor for two years. However in the last year, my eyes have started to get fatigued. Part of this is due to working where I use a monitor ten hours a day. I'll do whatever I can to test resolutions before I buy and will buy from a place with a good return policy. Even at that, I hate to pay return shipping...so will definitely try to check out any larger monitors we have available in my area so I can get a feel for the larger screens and resolutions.

 

[EW27]

I'm looking at 1280 x 1024 resolution now and did well with this monitor for two years. However in the last year, my eyes have started to get fatigued. Part of this is due to working where I use a monitor ten hours a day. I'll do whatever I can to test resolutions before I buy and will buy from a place with a good return policy. Even at that, I hate to pay return shipping...so will definitely try to check out any larger monitors we have available in my area so I can get a feel for the larger screens and resolutions.

If you had problems with 1280x1024 on a 19", then 1920x1200 on a 24" is not going to work. Even on a 26", its much smaller than a 19" at 1280. As far as return policies go, CDW is great about that. They'll send you the new one before you ship the old one, and pay shipping both ways.

 

[dawgies]

If you had problems with 1280x1024 on a 19", then 1920x1200 on a 24" is not going to work. Even on a 26", its much smaller than a 19" at 1280. As far as return policies go, CDW is great about that. They'll send you the new one before you ship the old one, and pay shipping both ways.

Well. I can read the 1280 x 1024 clearly....my eyes just get tired after a while. I'm wondering now if I'm going to need reading glasses to get a larger screen.

 

[Biges]

Well. I can read the 1280 x 1024 clearly....my eyes just get tired after a while. I'm wondering now if I'm going to need reading glasses to get a larger screen.

Are you blinking enough? That may be a problem.
But also there may be other causes - the crystal structure, too high brightness, whatever.

 

[lifanus]

dawgies, I'm a photographer and I had the same problem you ran into, I was editing my images on my crappy 19" samsung and today I finally decided to shred out $1180 for a NEC 2690.

Reason I choose 2690 over 2490 is that 2690 supports a whooping 95% Adobe RGB color gamut, while the 2490 only supports 76% of Adobe RGB coverage. 26" will give much less eye strain than a 24" with same resolution. The 24" NEC is only 100 dollar cheaper, so why not go 26".

An alternative to NEC would be Planar 26" PX2611w, which use same NEC H-IPS tube, however, Planar comes without all the NEC hardware features like X-light Pro and ColorComp for critical graphic editing. I contacted planar tech support and they claim 80% Adobe RGB color gamut support, which is not bad at all, and you can get it for at least $300 cheaper (around $899) if you are on a very tight budget.

The main drawback of having a wider color gamut say NEC 2690 is the sRGB images will be displayed horribly, while the 2490 would handle sRGB fairly better in that case.

I'll give an update when I receive my 2690WUXi this weekend.

 

[dawgies]

Are you blinking enough? That may be a problem.
But also there may be other causes - the crystal structure, too high brightness, whatever.

I'm just sitting here grinning. I know it's a serious question and I don't know how to answer. I think about a lot of things in my life, but never once questioned whether I was blinking enough. It's actually a valid concern, because I've had Lasik surgery and that can make the eyes dryer. Still, have had a very tough day and this brought a much needed smile to my face.

I really appreciate everyone that has responded to my situation. It's a serious purchase that could be quite expensive and I have needed the input that this thread has provided. Thank you Biges for giving things to consider to help my eyes tolerate my current and future monitor.

 

[dawgies]

dawgies, I'm a photographer and I had the same problem you ran into, I was editing my images on my crappy 19" samsung and today I finally decided to shred out $1180 for a NEC 2690.

Reason I choose 2690 over 2490 is that 2690 supports a whooping 95% Adobe RGB color gamut, while the 2490 only supports 76% of Adobe RGB coverage. 26" will give much less eye strain than a 24" with same resolution. The 24" NEC is only 100 dollar cheaper, so why not go 26".

An alternative to NEC would be Planar 26" PX2611w, which use same NEC H-IPS tube, however, Planar comes without all the NEC hardware features like X-light Pro and ColorComp for critical graphic editing. I contacted planar tech support and they claim 80% Adobe RGB color gamut support, which is not bad at all, and you can get it for at least $300 cheaper (around $899) if you are on a very tight budget.

The main drawback of having a wider color gamut say NEC 2690 is the sRGB images will be displayed horribly, while the 2490 would handle sRGB fairly better in that case.

I'll give an update when I receive my 2690WUXi this weekend.

LIfanus, I'll be looking forward to your remarks about the monitor. I don't know if we are going to see a trend towards wide gamut in most new monitors, but it would be an easier choice for me if the monitors weren't wide gamut. I suppose I feel that way because it's an unknown for me.

 

[Snowdog]

I have owned the the NEC 2490 for about a week. I bought it specifically because it WASN'T wide gamut. If you want the drama of wide gamut wait for the HP 2475. If the HP was normal gamut, I would have waited for it.

My 2490 review here. It is a work in progress. I don't a conclusion yet, but this is IMO the least compromised monitor currently available at any price.
http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1338622

 

[dawgies]

I have owned the the NEC 2490 for about a week. I bought it specifically because it WASN'T wide gamut. If you want the drama of wide gamut wait for the HP 2475. If the HP was normal gamut, I would have waited for it.

My 2490 review here. It is a work in progress. I don't a conclusion yet, but this is IMO the least compromised monitor currently available at any price.
http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1338622

Thank you Snowdog for posting. I have been following your thread already since the 2490 is one I'm considering. A previous poster suggested my old eyes might not be able to handle the 1920 x 1200 resolution. What's your opinion?

 

[Snowdog]

Only your eyes can tell. I am no spring chicken. I have been 20 years staring at computer monitors for long hours. 13+ years as a programmer + university + hobby before that. This is a quite good pitch IMO. It has much nicer text than many previous monitors I have used since it present a stable image and has a lot of control to tailor the display exactly as you like it. I know a lot of older guys 50+ at work who use similar pitch monitors (1600x1200 CRTs no less) so I don't see where age factor kicks in. If you have proper glasses there shouldn't be a focus strain issue. You may ask your optometrist for computer glasses. That put the most comfortable focus region at 2-3ft for computer usage.

Do you have a big box store with a good return policy. I am in Canada. BestBuy/Futureshop has 15 days return for any reason policy. I would suggest trying a panel of the same size just to see how it works out, or maybe you keep it and save a bundle. Maybe discover that a cheap TN works fine for you at the same time.

I wouldn't want to buy something like one of these expensive NECs unless I was fairly certain it would work for me.

Best of luck.

 

[EW27]

LIfanus, I'll be looking forward to your remarks about the monitor. I don't know if we are going to see a trend towards wide gamut in most new monitors, but it would be an easier choice for me if the monitors weren't wide gamut. I suppose I feel that way because it's an unknown for me.

Check out the 2690 thread. Toasty gave one the same treatment he gave the Planar and Doublesight (see their threads), and you probably won't find many reviews that comprehensive. He also compared all 3 of them, along with the 2490, in the mentioned threads.

 

[Biges]

I'm just sitting here grinning. I know it's a serious question and I don't know how to answer. I think about a lot of things in my life, but never once questioned whether I was blinking enough. It's actually a valid concern, because I've had Lasik surgery and that can make the eyes dryer. Still, have had a very tough day and this brought a much needed smile to my face.

I really appreciate everyone that has responded to my situation. It's a serious purchase that could be quite expensive and I have needed the input that this thread has provided. Thank you Biges for giving things to consider to help my eyes tolerate my current and future monitor.

Good to make you smile
I actually had a problem with my eyes being... eee... sore (I know, I should improve my English, especially my knowledge of past times...). And my ophthalmologist told me that the problem is, that people often blink less when STARING at their monitors. Eyes are then more dry.

 

[EW27]

Good to make you smile
I actually had a problem with my eyes being... eee... sore (I know, I should improve my English, especially my knowledge of past times...). And my ophthalmologist told me that the problem is, that people often blink less when STARING at their monitors. Eyes are then more dry.

Your English is fantastic, that's not what he meant...

 

[dawgies]

Your English is fantastic, that's not what he meant...

If I'm following this correctly, the "he" is referring to me and I'm a "she" with old eyes....that might not be blinking enough.

 

[dawgies]

Only your eyes can tell. I am no spring chicken. I have been 20 years staring at computer monitors for long hours. 13+ years as a programmer + university + hobby before that. This is a quite good pitch IMO. It has much nicer text than many previous monitors I have used since it present a stable image and has a lot of control to tailor the display exactly as you like it. I know a lot of older guys 50+ at work who use similar pitch monitors (1600x1200 CRTs no less) so I don't see where age factor kicks in. If you have proper glasses there shouldn't be a focus strain issue. You may ask your optometrist for computer glasses. That put the most comfortable focus region at 2-3ft for computer usage.

Do you have a big box store with a good return policy. I am in Canada. BestBuy/Futureshop has 15 days return for any reason policy. I would suggest trying a panel of the same size just to see how it works out, or maybe you keep it and save a bundle. Maybe discover that a cheap TN works fine for you at the same time.

I wouldn't want to buy something like one of these expensive NECs unless I was fairly certain it would work for me.

Best of luck.

If we focus (pun intended) on the eyestrain issue, your comments above mean with a good quality monitor my old eyes might be able to tolerate 1600 x 1200 for a 20" or , 1920 x 1200. in the 24-26" monitors.

I had ruled out the HP LP2065 because I thought that resolution on that sized monitor would be harder on my eyes. Your comments suggest that might not be the case. Since my main goal is to have an S-IPS screen for truer color representation, I'm not certain I want wide gamut and don't have to have a larger screen....are there reasons to not consider the LP2065 (other than the panel lottery)? That would be a lot less expensive and I wouldn't have to sweat the wide gamut issues. I've read the text quality is good on that monitor.

Edit: I've read a thread about the Dell 2007FP that sounds as if the current shipped models have an S-IPS panel. That would give me two 20" S-IPS panels to chose from. Comments?

 

[EW27]

If I'm following this correctly, the "he" is referring to me and I'm a "she" with old eyes....that might not be blinking enough.

Woops...I guess I need to work on my English...ma'am.

 

[dawgies]

Only your eyes can tell. I am no spring chicken. I have been 20 years staring at computer monitors for long hours. 13+ years as a programmer + university + hobby before that. This is a quite good pitch IMO. It has much nicer text than many previous monitors I have used since it present a stable image and has a lot of control to tailor the display exactly as you like it. I know a lot of older guys 50+ at work who use similar pitch monitors (1600x1200 CRTs no less) so I don't see where age factor kicks in. If you have proper glasses there shouldn't be a focus strain issue. You may ask your optometrist for computer glasses. That put the most comfortable focus region at 2-3ft for computer usage.

Do you have a big box store with a good return policy. I am in Canada. BestBuy/Futureshop has 15 days return for any reason policy. I would suggest trying a panel of the same size just to see how it works out, or maybe you keep it and save a bundle. Maybe discover that a cheap TN works fine for you at the same time.

I wouldn't want to buy something like one of these expensive NECs unless I was fairly certain it would work for me.

Best of luck.

Just went out to check out monitors in the area. We don't have a Best Buy, but we have an Office Depot and Sam's. OD had a bunch of monitors, but none hooked up to a computer where I could use a mouse and check out the monitor. Sam's had some HP systems with 22" and 24" monitors. I played around with the 2408 monitor at 1920 x 1200 and the text and icon size was fine for my eyes. It was a nice monitor with good colors, but I learned that as pretty as the glossy screen is...I can't live with the glare. I wasn't considering a monitor with a glossy screen, but now I know that's something I wouldn't like.

I've decided I don't want wide gamut. I don't have to have the wider screen of the NEC 2490 and would prefer not to spent that amount if I could be happy with a 20" S-IPS. I'd like to try a 20" and see how it is....so that narrows things down to the HP LP2065 and the Dell 2007FP. Both are subject to a panel lottery, but it appears its the same S-IPS panel in both.

The questions now are .... any reasons to not get one of these monitors? Does one have more anti-glare (sparkle) than another? Is the NEC 2490 so superior in image quality and text clarity that it's worth shelling out more than twice the cost of the smaller monitors? If I end up getting another monitor in 4-5 years, it's harder to walk away from a $1100 monitor.

Thanks.