Planar PX2611W 26"

Outnumbered said:
Is there any noticeable difference with regard to text quality on the PX2611W vs the NEC 2690? I've narrowed down my choices to these two monitors, and it seems like the Planar would be a better choice (although it seems to be out of stock everywhere at the moment) since it's less expensive and better suited for gaming, but I do a considerable amount of reading at the computer, so text quality/easiness on the eyes is a big issue for me.
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I can't compare to the NEC 2690 but I have the PX2611W and text is clear and crisp. Text is definitely easier to read on this than my prior CRT monitors.
 
I went ahead and picked this up since it showed up in stock on Amazon Wednesday morning. (Prime trial with $4 overnight shipping is pretty nice on something this big). It arrived yesterday and I've been putting it through its paces since then. Overall I am happy with it - there are no dead pixels that I can see, and no backlight bleed. Text is very sharp, at least the equal of my old Mitsubishi CRT, colors are good (definitely good enough since I don't do any photo editing), response time seems perfectly adequate for FPS play.

Best of all I could immediately tell that it is substantially less fatiguing to my eyes than the P-MVA panel I had been using (which is the main reason I wanted an IPS panel). Something about *VA panels in general really messes with my eyes; the Planar I've been able to spend hours reading at without a headache or feeling of eye strain.
 
I also picked up one of these from Amazon. I have not seen a unit with the A-TW polarizer, but I do see white glow in the corners, so I will go out on a limb and say that Planar units are still not using it. The picture is terrific and there is no backlight bleed or dead/stuck pixels.

Unfortunately, my unit makes a humming sound at all brightness levels and I cannot find a way to silence it. So, I will have to attempt a return and move on to something else. I've got to learn that if some people say they can hear a sound from a monitor and others say they cannot, I have to assume I'll be in that group that can hear it...
 
back in stock at the egg, fyi

anyone with this panel ever compare it to Hannspree HF289H 28 ?
 
Yes, I have seen the the Hanns up close. Its a TN panel so its not even in close. TN / 6 bit panels are best left to the bargin bin. IPS is not perfect but it is the best of what is on the market now.
 
What has everyone done to get movies/bluray DVDs to look decent on this monitor? I just bought one for retouching work and love it, but would like to watch movies on it every once in a while. I currently calibrated it with an Eye1 w/17% brightness and 50% contrast settings and it looks great in Photoshop. Unfortunately, when I view a movie, the primary colors look oversaturated and the movie looks generally too dark. Any suggestions?
 
That is the problem with none coloraware apps with wide gamut. If you have a Nvidia card, you change the settings so that Nvidia handles color for video which will get it close to right.

If you want to get real fancy there are more accurate technical work arounds for video.
 
So, I've been rockin the PX26 for a few weeks and love it! Now, is there a way to connect an Xbox360 to it and play at 1080p? I know the monitor does 1900x1280. Will that Microsoft VGA HD connector work?
 
tc1unit said:
So, I've been rockin the PX26 for a few weeks and love it! Now, is there a way to connect an Xbox360 to it and play at 1080p? I know the monitor does 1900x1280. Will that Microsoft VGA HD connector work?
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If you want to connect your Xbox 360 and use 1080p you're going to need to use the DVI input, the VGA input I believe doesn't handle 1080p (not 100% sure).

You could buy a 2 port manual hdmi switcher from monoprice.com and some dvi-hdmi dongles to hook both PC and 360 to the Planar display.
 
Who has the best return policy on this panel? Just in case, lol

Looking to purchase later today.

many thx
 
tc1unit said:
So, I've been rockin the PX26 for a few weeks and love it! Now, is there a way to connect an Xbox360 to it and play at 1080p? I know the monitor does 1900x1280. Will that Microsoft VGA HD connector work?
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There is a known color banding when connecting any device which outputs 1080i/p.

One unfortunate note: There is undesirable color banding at 'real' (1 to 1) mode at 1080p and 1080i (1920x1080). This applies to devices like a PS3 or cable boxes or any device that sends a 1080p or 1080i "high definition" signal to the display. The banding is not visible in movies but it is in games. The banding disappears in 'full' aspect mode. This means that you might notice some quality loss at 1 to 1 in those modes. If you use 'full' aspect mode, the image will be stretched vertically some but have no banding. These modes are the only ones where I noticed the banding. Native 1920x1200 doesn't have that banding nor does any other resolution I tested. Planar could perhaps release a firmware update to fix the 1080p/1080i color banding if enough people complain. To be as clear as possible: the color banding does not happen with PC's or Macs at 1920x1200 at 32bit color when DV mode is at the default TEXT mode even if you are playing a movie or game.
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http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=84&Itemid=68&limit=1&limitstart=3

This is the primary reason why I decided to spend the extra $$$ for the NEC LCD2690WUXi which does not have this deficiency.
 
shagvirus said:
Who has the best return policy on this panel? Just in case, lol
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The answer is Planar itself.

I bought my first LCD monitor way back in 2002. After doing exhaustive research of at least 50 hours over a span of 5 - 6 months I finally settled on this little known brand in the consumer market. It was the 19" PX191 with a S-PVA panel; I think it was $650 back then when it was on sale at Dell. Still using it today and no issues other than a little bit of backlight bleed at 3 of the 4 corners.

Planar clearly stated a ZERO DEAD PIXEL policy back then. Thankfully I never had to use it. The policy only applied to the PX monitor series, and includes "white glove customer service" meaning if your monitor was defective they would ship you a new monitor within 2 or 3 days (you must provide your credit card info). You use the same box to ship back your monitor and you do not have to pay shipping charges at all.

Planar no longer officially have a ZERO DEAD PIXEL policy, however, while doing research for a new monitor (100+ hours of research over a 9 month period) I have read some posts about Planar honoring the unstated ZERO DEAD PIXEL policy if you call their customer service. It is done on a case by case basis so your miles may vary. However the "white glove customer service" still exist (at least the last time I checked).

I have to say that I was rather disappointed by the fact that the PX2411w used a TN panel.
 
Wow, No more talk about this monitor or is it old now? My SONY G520 is looking fuzzy and the ghosting changes if you bump the monitor or the desk. I decided to go with the PX-2611 and ordered it from DELL and purchased a 2 yr. extended warranty so that will give me 5 yrs on it. I hope this will take the place of my G520 and almost ordered the PX-22 something for my wife but settled on the 2209WA IPS. I may need a few color correction help from you guys/gals when it gets here on the 2nd via UPS.

Thanks, JASTECH
 
Well I removed the SONY G520 off my desk today and placed a PX2611W in it's spot. I will have to say this is stunning and messages the eyeballs very good indeed. Now to get my box of Crayolas out and think about how to AdobeRGB my system. Any help and or pointers would be nice.

Thanks, JASTECH
 
Has anyone else noticed this monitor tends to wake from sleep on its own momentarily, show a dialog box about a missing video signal, then go back to sleep?

Mine has been doing this lately. I dont think its the computer/video card because the secondary monitor connected to the same video card does not have this issue.

Also, for those asking earlier this year; I've been using my 360 with the HD VGA cable and the picture looks great at 1080p.
 
TheSmJ said:
Has anyone else noticed this monitor tends to wake from sleep on its own momentarily, show a dialog box about a missing video signal, then go back to sleep?

Mine has been doing this lately. I dont think its the computer/video card because the secondary monitor connected to the same video card does not have this issue.

Also, for those asking earlier this year; I've been using my 360 with the HD VGA cable and the picture looks great at 1080p.
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i dont use sleep, just power off screen after 20min..takes some time to come out though.

cold boot takes awhile for screen to post.
 
shagvirus said:
i dont use sleep, just power off screen after 20min..takes some time to come out though.

cold boot takes awhile for screen to post.
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well, you've had the display for a few weeks now....any complaints other than what I mentioned? The 'D' pad in particular...:)
 
windows 7 7048 build

No complaints really. colors are excellent. no dead pixles.

Using a profile from here http://countercultured.net/cal/ the custom one. i think it looks the best to me using the text setting on lcd.

Vista 64 & windows does not see the native res as 1920 x 1200 but i manually set it to that. win7 does show a 59,60,85hz setting for the refresh rate. i use the 60....setting to 85 makes screen not readable.

I do get a little backround wash when watching movies. really unsure if i need to tweak a nvidia setting or thats how it is. BUT this is mostly for PC games.

Games played CSS, TF2, L4D, Fallout 3, Mirrors Edge, WoW.

Granted its not a crt so THAT is the only gripe i have. i play vsync off, most of the time. i cant stand the muddy mouse feel with sync on.

Mirrors Edge needs sync, w/o it tears too much.

Only game that you can notice a wash is Mirrors edge if i remember right. Its funny had this screen but havent really gamed alot on it. had alot of RL shit to do.

The D-pad is meh...doesnt really bother me. its quirky but i have all my settings set so i dont fiddle too much.

Questions, stuff you want me to test when im off ill do no prob.Good luck to all :)
 
shagvirus: those color profiles how do you use them? did you use xcalib?
I installed windows 7 , and I can't remember how I used them under vista.
 
its quirky but this guide will help

http://dennismueller.org/blog/2009/02/color-management-vista/

what i did was, i right clicked installed 5 profiles or so. added them all. choose a profile (set as default) , went to advanced tab up top changed device profile to the same profile as i choose in other screen.

then clicked change system defaults. sometimes the profile would load and sometimes not...i did that over and over with other profiles and seemed when i hit change system defaults and soon as i clicked that box near it, the profile loaded right there and the color changed.

sorry i cannot be that much help..i just goofed with it and it loaded, heh. never neede to reboot to show the profile change...when you click on the box you can hear the hd hit like it wants to load the profile.

good luck.

if i see a better guide i will post
 
shagvirus said:
what do you thing about yours?
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Very nice so far; my nitpicking about the 'D' pad aside. Downloaded those profiles and am using the custom one now. Noticed a pinkish tint on the toolbar and some windows, but my photos look fine....I'll try the other profiles later.

:)
 
Jima13 said:
Very nice so far; my nitpicking about the 'D' pad aside. Downloaded those profiles and am using the custom one now. Noticed a pinkish tint on the toolbar and some windows, but my photos look fine....I'll try the other profiles later.

:)
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what toolbar has that tint?

how did you load it, via that program?
 
Thanks for the information on the ICC Profile, the 263N works for me. This is a brilliant monitor! I will put my SONY G520 in the yard sale. I have not played a game on it yet so I guess I will NEED to in order for the panel to get exercised, lol

Thanks, JASTECH
 
I tried to calibrate my PX2611w and just couldn't get the same numbers that other obtained nor could I get the values on the Planar website. I made a call and did some additional checking on previous reviews. I just finished talking to a Planar supervisor and she confirmed what I was finding. The panels on a new PX2611w (starting at the end of 2008) are different than those from the start of 2008 and before. They are now on their third panel. The original panel was 500 cd/m² and had a contrast ratio of 800:1. The new ones are specified at 400 cd/m² with a contrast ratio of 1000:1. As far as blacks go, the old is somewhere near .62 cd/m² and the new are probably around .40 cd/m² (Somewhere in the middle of 2008 it looks like they had a panel that was 500 cd/m² and a contrast ratio of 1000:1.)
I'm still trying to figure out how to calibrate my monitor, ColorEyes seems to be the best software for me to use at this time. (I have the DPT-94).
 
just got the PX2611w a day ago. still playing around with it. the colors are outstanding. waja, once you calibrate can you send me your settings and icc profile? i'm sure we both are on the 3rd gen panel for this model.
 
mit1214 said:
can anyone confirm how many DVI inputs are on this monitor? from what i've read it seems as if there is only one DVI input... however, looking at their specs on their website, they mention two DVI inputs and they include HDMI-DVI cable.. can anyone confirm?

http://www.planar.com/products/flatpanel_monitors/px_flatpanel/px2611w.cfm

i'm thinking about picking up one of these units...
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I got mine last Friday...1 DVI input only and just a DVI-D cable too. As an FYI, I'm returning mine due to backlight bleed, a busted d-pad and the wide gamut issue.
 
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I'm waiting for a response back from Planar on the two DVI ports. Sounds like new models will have it. Great cause the only thing keeping me from buying this monitor was the lack of inputs. This is still one of the fastest IPS monitors out right?
 
Got a response from Planar.

Rob,

You are correct on that. It has both DVI-D, as well as DVI-I.

If you need anymore information, please don't hesitate to ask! :)



Regards,
Kyle Chase
Planar Technical Support
1-866-PLANAR1 (+1.503.748.5799)
We welcome your feedback at: http://www.planar.com/Support/Feedback/
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I'm sure a lot of retailers are still selling old inventory though so try to check first. Now I don't know whether to get the LP2475w or this.
 
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