What kind of monitor do you use at home?

[Pat Logsdon]

Just purchased my first LCD Monitor. Verdict: YOWZA. 8)

It's a ViewSonic VP171B (http://www.viewsonic.com/products/lcd_vp171b.htm) 17" LCD monitor. I have to say that I'm VERY impressed. Text is extremely crisp and easy to read (my old Viewsonic CRT had a big blurry spot right in the middle). Colors are vibrant and bright.

This is also one of the first monitors to market with a sub 20ms pixel refresh rate (16ms, to be precise), so there's NO GHOSTING. Gaming is great - MOHAA and NOLF2 look wonderful!

I know that LCD screens are getting more popular, so I'm curious to see where the denizens of PPCT stand - what have YOU purchased for your home system?

[targetdrone]

Since I use this laptop most of the time, I responded with LCD. However, my old laptop (500mhz amd k6) has a broken screen, so I plug in my old 15" CRT monitor from my p120 that I bought in the early-mid 90's. I don't use the old setup very often, but I've thought about picking up one of those dirt-cheap 19" CRT monitors so I can play network games in style.

[TopDog]

I use an LG Studioworks 15" LCD... it's getting a little over 2 years old now, so I'm thinking of getting an 17" or 18" instead.

Never going back to CRT though ;-)

[Pony99CA]

I use a laptop as my primary PC, so I put LCD, too. I also have an older Pentium II 333 MHz desktop which has a 17" CRT.

Steve

P.S. I despise gaming acronyms. :rawr: This is a Pocket PC site, not a gaming site.

Gaming is great - MOHAA and NOLF2 look wonderful!
I figured out that MOHAA is probably "Medal of Honor Allied Assault", but had to use Google to find out that NOLF2 was "No One Lives Forever 2".

Just my rant of the day. :-D

[TopDog]

P.S. I despise gaming acronyms. :rawr: This is a Pocket PC site, not a gaming site.Well this is an Off-topic...

[Crystal Eitle]

I have a hand-me-down CRT, which is nice for what it is. I really really want a flat panel - I think LCD is much easier on the eyes - but it's kind of a luxury item right now.

That's OK. The longer I wait to buy one, the more the prices go down. 8)

[TopDog]

I think LCD is much easier on the eyes - but it's kind of a luxury item right now.I have to use glasses when working on a CRT-monitor to avoid severe headace, but on LCD's it's the other way around 8)

[Pony99CA]

P.S. I despise gaming acronyms. :rawr: This is a Pocket PC site, not a gaming site.Well this is an Off-topic...
Sorry if my point wasn't clear. I wasn't complaining about mentioning gaming here; it was certainly a valid point for the post.

I was simply trying to point out that Pocket PC Thoughts users might not all be huge gamers, and thus won't know all of the gaming acronyms like we might be expected to know the Pocket PC acronyms.

Steve

[davidspalding]

I just ignored the friggin acronyms. I didn't need to know.... (Aside: yeah, my wife bought me ICO for Fther's Day. It's such a gorgeous and unhurried game. Looking forward to playing it again. >:) )

Used to be that LCDs weren't good for games, particularly FPS (oops,... first-person shooters), they couldn't keep up with the frame rate without some blurring. Guess that's changed.

Me, I'm on my 1990s Sony Multiscan 200sf (17" Trinitron CRT), which has outlasted its 5-year extended warranty, woohoo. I wish I had more screen space (1280x1024) , I am just beginning to feel like I did on my Gateway 14" monitor at 1024x768. Princeton and Viewsonic 17" LCDs are getting cheaper by the month at Costco, so I figure when I get a new VAIO or Dell with firewire and digital movie software, I'll move up to a bigger monitor, and add a KVM switch to keep my old systems handy. But for now, these Sony Trinitron tubes are wonderful (I've worked on Dell 19" versions, too). Lovely color, clarity edge to edge. Yum.

[rhmorrison]

When I bought my current computer 2 years ago I (and my wife) wanted an LCD/TFT but they were too expensive at the time. An 18" LCD would have cost me $ 3,000 at the time. For $ 1,000 I was able to buy a 22" iiyama Vision Master Pro 510 which I (and my wife) have been very happy with.

The next computer monitor I buy will definately be a flat screen LCD/TFT/OLED or Plasma (if it's cheap enough).

[Hyperluminal]

My main (only) PC is a notebook too. So it's just me and my very vibrant, 15", UXGA Dell screen... :D

[Janak Parekh]

Just purchased my first LCD Monitor. Verdict: YOWZA. 8)
Indeed. We've had this discussion before. I have a Viewsonic VP201m at home. 1600x1200, 20" LCD. Expensive, but it is worth every penny. I'll never go back to a CRT.

BTW, SS, if you're running XP, try turning ClearType on and tuning it by using the ClearType tuning tool (http://www.microsoft.com/typography/cleartype/tuner/1.htm). ClearType looks a bit blurry at first, but once you're used to it, you can never go back either. ;)

--janak

[Hyperluminal]

ClearType? I've tried that in the past, and it looks great in some places, and too blurry in others, and it's kind of annoying to read. I'll try it again now though, to see if I get used to it... :)

[Janak Parekh]

ClearType? I've tried that in the past, and it looks great in some places, and too blurry in others, and it's kind of annoying to read. I'll try it again now though, to see if I get used to it... :)
You have to be using it on an LCD, and you have to give it a few days. Most people I know personally hated it at first, but then loved it once they got used to the antialiasing. For me, that's reason enough to use XP over 2k. ;)

--janak

[Hyperluminal]

Like I said before, I am using an LCD (wouldn't have it any other way! ;) ), and ClearType is kind of annoying, but I'll take your word for it and use it for a little while... :)

[Kati Compton]

I have a Dell 18" LCD. 20"? That must have cost a fortune!

[Hyperluminal]

BTW, Janak, I am starting to get used to ClearType. It's starting to be pretty nice to actually look at... :)

[lurch]

You forgot the option for "BOTH". I use a dual monitor setup, one CRT (21") and one LCD (17") :) Once you go DUAL MONITOR, you'll never go back!!! ;)

[Janak Parekh]

I have a Dell 18" LCD. 20"? That must have cost a fortune!
Especially when I got it -- the prices have plummeted recently. It's still worth it for the work I do, though, and in the long run it pays for itself (my eyes).

Once you go DUAL MONITOR, you'll never go back!!!
Ha! Been there, done that, gave it up, hated the wasted desk space. ;) Once you have a 1600x1200 screen, you don't need dual. :) OK, I should stop bragging...

BTW, Janak, I am starting to get used to ClearType. It's starting to be pretty nice to actually look at...
Yes. Join us in the land of ClearType, from which there is no escape. :robot:

--janak