Devin Johnston Posted November 19, 2009 Share Posted November 19, 2009 I'm working on two 22" Samsung SyncMasters, they are pretty good but one thing that I don't like about them is that there is only one good viewing angle. Sitting at my desk my eyes are about even with the middle of the monitor, if I stand up and look at the monitor I see a completely different (brighter & more washed out) image than when I'm sitting down. This becomes a problem when people are standing behind me looking at what I'm doing. Is there a monitor with a wider viewing angle that you would recommend? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F J Posted November 19, 2009 Share Posted November 19, 2009 this is the problem with the TN panel types of the LCD display.. it would be ideal if u had a chance of visiting a store with other panel types where u could actually look at them (experience different angles, etc).. sounds like u'r looking for a IPS panel type (more expensive) which i hear doesnt degrade upon changing the angle.. the in-between panel is the VA panel, which might be enough for ur demands, thats y i recommend to go check 'em out in person, if possible.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Forreal Posted November 21, 2009 Share Posted November 21, 2009 (edited) Is there a monitor with a wider viewing angle that you would recommend?not as simple as it sounds! as Francisco said, you'll be wanting either a PVA panel (middle of the road) or an IPS panel (arguably the best) but the story doesn't end there... PVA panels supposedly have better blacks (deeper and more detailed) whereas IPS have the best viewing angles and are more responsive (less ghosting when images change rapidly (video, gaming, animation etc). but it doesn't end there... these better panels usually come with a wide colour gamut and that can present problems. also, there seems to be quite a lottery in terms of getting a panel with no defects. the same monitor can have wildly fluctuating quality. i recently posted a thread here looking for a good 24" monitor and Jeff has kindly offered to post some graphics to show the difference between standard and wide colour gamuts. in the meantime, have a read through the thread: http://www.cgarchitect.com/vb/38616-24-monitor-ips-pva-panel-non-wide-gamut.html#post268428 and here are some great review sites of the best panels: http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/reviews.htm http://www.prad.de/en/monitore/reviews.html Edited November 21, 2009 by derekforreal edited to add Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hazdaz Posted November 23, 2009 Share Posted November 23, 2009 CRTs FTW. Until other display technologies can surpass the color and viewing angle of 10+ year old CRTs, it's all technology for technology's sake and not because it's actually better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devin Johnston Posted November 23, 2009 Author Share Posted November 23, 2009 So it's like everything else there's no good answer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaneis Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 So it's like everything else there's no good answer. Not so, it's just that when talking monitors there are trade-offs with most makes and models. It's more a case of "...it's like everything else, pay for quality, get quality". That being said, buying an Eizo will snag you a monitor to drool over. Actually, best not to drool over it, they are expensive http://www.eizo.com/na/index.html Next best option would be something from NEC's professional (colour critical) range. http://www.necdisplay.com/ Both Eizo and NEC produce monitors suitable for colour critical/ soft-proof/ medical/ scientific environments. They are both at the higher end of the market but the benefits of accuracy and time saved between yourself and print/ digital publishing will soon put you on the right side of ROI. Also consider that others in your workplace can utilise your monitor if they need to check or proof work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rfirkins Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 How do you guys tactfully tell a client that the problem isn't your image, it's their monitor? 90% of my images probably never make it to print, they just end up being emailed from the architect (likely viewing the image on a cheap LCD with the contrast turned up to 11) to the client (ditto on the cheap LCD,) possibly to ultimately end up projected in a Powerpoint in some ghastly lit conference room. Then they ask, why do the "white" walls go from grey to blown out hotpots? (which looks like a nice smooth gradient on my CRT.) No matter how much $ you spend, in the end the presentation is often not under your control. Obviously I'm not saying one should start with inferior equipment, but sometimes I wonder about picking up a cheap TN panel, leaving it at the factory settings, and previewing my images on it before sending them out. Just so I have some idea what the client might be actually seeing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devin Johnston Posted November 24, 2009 Author Share Posted November 24, 2009 It's a great question that again probably doesn't have an answer, personally I've spent countless hours trying to color calibrate monitors and printers in my office with little success. The problem is maintenance, every time a printer has it's ink changed or a computer is replaced, reformatted, or the monitor is unplugged you have to recalibrate. I've spent years trying to explain the importance of color accuracy but the only time people are concerned is when they go to print something and it doesn't come out right. So now I only calibrate my teams monitors and printers every 6 months or so just to keep them semi accurate. Beyond that you would really need someone doing that full time which isn't going to happen in todays economy. The only way you will be able to control it is to have it printed on a printer that you know is accurate, but with digital images I don't see how it can be controlled if the monitor is not calibrated. The answer is obvious, hardware manufacturers need to decide on a universal standard for displaying and printing colors and stick with it, until then we will always have this problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaneis Posted November 25, 2009 Share Posted November 25, 2009 How do you guys tactfully tell a client that the problem isn't your image, it's their monitor? Simple answer: Calibrate your monitors and get a hard-proof. Long Answer: If you're able to say that all of your images are produced on monitors that are regularly calibrated and you have hard proofs done, then there really isn't anything else to say. You have provided them with the best possible quality, you've proofed it, you can't do any better than that and as your images are ready for print, your hands are clean. A simple explanation should suffice - you have to calibrate regularly to ensure that your monitors display as true an image as possible. Unless they have their displays calibrated with some form of regularity, then they'll never be able to view the image in it's correct state. If they don't believe you, show them the hard proof. It's always intrigued me... that someone can print a photo at home using crappy copy paper and a cheap bubble jet printer, then have the same photo printed at a lab and see - before their very eyes - the evidence that their equipment makes crappy reproductions. Yet, when it come to monitors or projectors they can't see the same relationship between their cheap, uncalibrated displays and calibrated professional quality displays. The guys I use for printing refuse to send a run to print without having a hard proof approved by their artist and designer clients... which works well, because the artists and designers won't approve a run unless they've seen a hard proof. Once you've been using the same print people for a while, you really don't need to hard proof as much - you'll know what you need to do at your end to get the right results. On a similar note, once you have a good relationship with your printers (i.e. you are a good customer) they'll probably hard proof for free if the final job will go to print. If the final will be a digital file, they may charge a small fee for a hard proof. (Tip: Have them do all of your office stationery as well and you're well on the way to being a good customer ) Through trial and error, I have completely given up on soft proofing with clients. My printers do a small hard proof for me and that's what I use for approvals. If the clients want digital, I'll send that. If they query it, I can then show them a hard proof - which (funily enough) becomes proof that their displays are up-to-$#!+. No one argues It's a great question that again probably doesn't have an answer... Apparently not Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devin Johnston Posted November 25, 2009 Author Share Posted November 25, 2009 Shaneis I did give him the only answer there is to the problem if you read my post, it happens to be the same one you gave. My point in saying that there might not be an answer was to highlight that if you let the client view and print the images themselves then it's out of your control and there really is no answer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rider650 Posted December 1, 2009 Share Posted December 1, 2009 Since a few months I`ve got a hp lp2475w. It`s a 24" IPS screen and it`s not that expensive. The display quality is great - not that I have much comparison since it`s the first quality screen I ever owned. But for 370 € plus taxes it sure is great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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