24" Monitor For White Background/Colour Work - No Games

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Hi,

Can anyone please recommend me a 16:10 24" monitor that will be used primarily for work involving white backgrounds such as spreadsheets, word processing, some internet browsing and some work with photos ?

There will be no games use with the monitor and the main qualities are that the panel should be able to produce uniform and reasonably accurate colours without artefacts such as tinting, bleed etc. Other preferences are for a good build quality and a matt bezel.

The monitor is to replace a 6 year old Eizo 20" 4:3 aspect monitor without suffering loss of quality of image etc.

Budget is around £600

Thx
Binty
 
I'm sure a lot of people will recommend you the Dell UltraSharp U2410, which would set you back about £450. I have used this panel myself rather extensively and have found the colours are very good and are more than adequate, for example, for photographic work on Adobe Illustrator. It is an inplane switching model with 12-bit colour (partly due to processing) with excellent reproduction of most colours and very impressive whites. If I was being picky I would say that it does suffer a tiny bit from dithering on dark greys. It has a broad colour gamut and the RGB presets are a little off (but pretty good really) - so you will probably need to calibrate it a little yourself.

I have also used some LaCie monitors including the 320 GII and they are fantastically calibrated for accurate colours. They also have a 324 model which is 24", but it is a little beyond your budget and you're probably better off getting the Dell and calibrating it a little yourself - if you feel you need to.
 
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PCM2,

Thx for your reply.

I am wobbling about the Dell U2410 due to the issues with the tinting that users have reported on the forum. If a white background is used a lot then my concerns are that the tinting if present would quickly become annoying. If I knew that I could get a "good un" then I would opt for it.

I suppose I will have to take a chance within my budget or up the budget and go for another Eizo or LaCie or NEC

Thx
Binty
 
PCM2,

Thx for your reply.

I am wobbling about the Dell U2410 due to the issues with the tinting that users have reported on the forum. If a white background is used a lot then my concerns are that the tinting if present would quickly become annoying. If I knew that I could get a "good un" then I would opt for it.

I suppose I will have to take a chance within my budget or up the budget and go for another Eizo or LaCie or NEC

Thx
Binty

the tinting is indeed annoying on the U2410, and in my experience, 100% of the U2410 have the issue to some degree to the other. go for a NEC, they have a technology called ColorComp that let you change color temperature brightness for individual areas of the screen.
 
Is the tinting in question one of whites appearing slightly pink or something else?

Edit: I've read about the issue and it seems to be one of uneven colour at different areas of the screen. This isn't actually something I found particularly noticeable when I was using the U2410, but it sounds as if some specific units suffer more than others. Given this, I would probably stay clear of that monitor since you are going to be doing a lot of "white space" work.

I haven't had a lot of experience with recent NEC monitors, but from what I've heard they are generally very pleasing on the colour front. I am not sure if it's available in the UK yet, but I'd keep an eye on their upcoming PA241W. Judging from the specification and NEC's past record I think it should be a safe bet as far as accurate colours are conerned. It also fits in with your specifications in terms of resolution, aspect ratio and size-wise. Not entirely sure on the price, but it should be within your budget.
 
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If you're coming from an Eizo, you may want to consider staying with them, as they are damn good monitors, particularly for colour work etc. I've got one myself (a 3 year old S2110W, which is fantastic and still going strong). The new S2443W is just about within your price range, and would be well worth a look. Best thing with Eizo is the 5-year warranty, can't argue with that (only manufacturer that does this). As you've intimated, I'd stay well away from the Dell given the issues it's got. Not had any experience with NEC... some of the higher end ones are well regarded for colour work though.
 
NEC, they have a technology called ColorComp that let you change color temperature brightness for individual areas of the screen.
NEC calibrate it at the factory, testing it at 15 sections I think. They then individually adjust each of these sections so that the screen appears uniform in brightness and colour. You then have the choice to enable it (or not) when you recieve the panel. This means, if you get a panel with poor uniformity, it can be corrected. That's the theory.

The reality is that sometimes Colorcomp actually seems to make uniformity worse (I think that was the case with TFTCentral's 2490WUXi review sample), and unfortunately I don't think there's a way users themselves can get access to make the necessary adjustments even though the hardware supports it. The other thing is that the adjustments don't come for free. Obviously to have all parts match the screen must be adjusted to match the section with the worst uniformity. What that means is you get a screen with less contrast than would otherwise be the case. This means that a screen with good uniformity, which doesn't need Colorcomp, would still be better than a screen which requires it to look uniform.

Eizo's latest screens do the same with something called "DUE", except it's calibrated to 25 points. Personally, if I was spending that sort of money on a screen, I'd probably look at importing an HP Dreamcolor instead :)

Anyway, adjustment controls are certainly better than nothing, and I think this shouldn't be considered a luxury extra, but a real requirement if LG continues to have so many problems manufacturing larger (22"+) IPS panels with half decent uniformity. But there's no doubt it's best to try to get a panel without major uniformity issues, corrective controls or not. The unfortunate part is there is still a random element of luck in it all, even if you pay more. When you pay more you're hopefully minimizing the chances of a poor panel though.

Best thing with Eizo is the 5-year warranty, can't argue with that (only manufacturer that does this)
Dell, for a price, offer a 5 year warranty on some screens too. I'm sure there's other who do too..
 
Is the tinting in question one of whites appearing slightly pink or something else?

Edit: I've read about the issue and it seems to be one of uneven colour at different areas of the screen. This isn't actually something I found particularly noticeable when I was using the U2410, but it sounds as if some specific units suffer more than others. Given this, I would probably stay clear of that monitor since you are going to be doing a lot of "white space" work.

The tinting on screens relates to the IPS panel construction by LG. It can appear as a left to right, top to bottom, or diagonal tint. It presents itself as a certain colour of tint on one side and either no tint or a different coloured tint on the other side. IE you might have green tint at the bottom left and red at the top right (a diagonal tint) or it may only be red at the top right with no tint at the opposite corner.

The tint can be either Red (which looks pink on pale backgrounds), Green, or Blue. It is always present but is mostly visible on uniform backgrounds, particularly medium-light greys, but also white. The severity of the colour gradation can also range from difficult to notice on all but very specific shades of grey (and even then not that bad) to very obvious all the time. I think most U2410's probably have it to some degree, but in my own case it's so mild that I consider it a non-issue. I had 2 other U2410's were I considered it a major issue though..

I have little doubt that, in the U2410's case, the problem is made worse by the back light which produces its very wide colour gamut (103% NTSC - most monitors are much less) and so any perception of tint, particularly red or green, is likewise boosted. I'm ok with my U2410's uniformity, but I would not recommend that route if you have the money to avoid the potential annoyances I had to go through to get a screen I was happy with. The quality is too random and there's a reasonably high chance you'll get a screen with either noticeable tint or dead pixels (due to the nature of IPS panels it appears you face at least double the risk of a TN panel when it comes to dead pixels).

On the other side Dell will point out (and I believe them.. ) that very few users report these problems. I think that says more about the users, and the fact that they've just paid twice as much for a screen as they had to, because if they're happy with tinted screens (and don't notice it) they'd surely be just as happy with a TN panel..

The problem with screens like the U2410 is they're built to a price point where the grade of panel purchased from LG is highly variable. Keep in mind these screens are £250 in the rest of the World and, much as though people would love to imply it's all because of import taxes, Dell overcharge the UK for these screens which mean raised expectations for the reality of what they can deliver within their "real" (and not rip-off-Britian) price point.

It also means they do not include corrective controls within the panel which can minimize these problems. These corrective electronics are what tend to seperate the high end screens from the consumer ones. Although, as stated above, they are not a perfect solution (but still usually much better than no solution).

If you get a U2410 with excellent uniformity then, in a lot of ways, it'll be just as good as a much more expensive screen for a fraction of the price. However I would personally avoid a wide gamut monitor now unless the panel was a native 10 bit panel. This is due to the limitations colour managed applications have when using ICM files to emulate sRGB colours (8 bit panels drop several million of their 16.7 million colour values to emulate sRGB when using an ICM file). The colours do look like a standard sRGB screen on the U2410, but I can't help thinking they look kinda washed out compared to a native 8 bit panel sRGB screen.

I would look to something like the upcoming HP ZR24w or even a 24" Apple Cinema Display instead. Although not perfect either, where colour uniformity problems do exist on things like the Apple they might be less noticeable because of the narrower standard gamut. It's those or NEC/Eizo etc..
 
If you believe the rumours and are willing to wait - a 27in Apple Cinema Display may be the best monitor to fulfil the OP's requirements. However, going by Apple's ACD pricing so far, i'd expect it to cost even more than the Dell U2711.

In regards to tint and this rumored monitor - going by users experience with the H-IPS iMac 27in, it may well have the same yellow screen problem. However, Apple (unlike dell) will keep replacing the monitor until you are happy (again going by users of the 27in iMac).
 
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Dell, for a price, offer a 5 year warranty on some screens too. I'm sure there's other who do too..
For a price, exactly. Eizo claim theirs to be an industry topping one, and i've not seen any evidence to the contrary.

The way Apple price their screens (all their products in fact!), the new 27" is surely going to be just ridiculous. Plus it will be glossy won't it? OP wanted matte. My money is still on Eizo for what you need it for, but NEC seem to on par or at the very least close behind them by most accounts.
 
Just pony up and get the Eizo. Not only will it last you another 6 years but you'll actually have a quality screen free from worries or concerns. Just make sure you go for a ColorEdge as the Flexscans aren't quite as inline with the price IMHO.
 
Just pony up and get the Eizo. Not only will it last you another 6 years but you'll actually have a quality screen free from worries or concerns. Just make sure you go for a ColorEdge as the Flexscans aren't quite as inline with the price IMHO.

I thought that the ColorEdge were more expensive than the FlexScan or are you referring to the functionality and quality versus price. My understanding are that the ColorEdge are aimed at graphics professionals whereas the FlexScan were more general but capable of a decent level of graphics work.

For example, the ColorEdge CG241W is around £840 exc VAT and the FlexScans are SX2662W (IPS) at £739 exc VAT and S2433W (PVA) at £553 exc VAT.

I am not convinced of any benefits I would get with the ColorEdge model as it will not be used at a graphics professional level and I have been using a FlexScan for the past 6 years and it has been OK. However, I am open minded on the subject but lobbing out a "thick one" for a ColorEdge seems hard to justify.

Thx
Binty
 
For a price, exactly. Eizo claim theirs to be an industry topping one, and i've not seen any evidence to the contrary.
In Eizo's case I don't feel a 5 year guarantee is anything to be congratulated about - I'd kind of expect it when you're paying that much for what is, in the end, an entirely ordinary panel with some nice features added. A screen like their CG243w looks very nice, but I'd probably go for the HP Dreamcolor if I was dropping that much cash on a screen. I do think some of Eizo's other screens represent poor value for money though. It's a real shame consumers currently have to pay obscene premiums just to get some corrective controls. But, yes, I'm sure you get good support for the price premiums - as you should :)

The way Apple price their screens (all their products in fact!), the new 27" is surely going to be just ridiculous. Plus it will be glossy won't it? OP wanted matte.

I'd have said the same (about not wanting glossy) until I saw just how thick the matte coating is on many of LG's current panels. They really add a "grainy look" to things. Personally I can live with it but I would choose a glossy screen over it if given the choice. Some people find it unbearable for text reading and the "dirty like sand" type of look it gives to white backgrounds annoys some people too. I just hope the next generation of LG panels have a less aggressive anti-glare coating applied.

Like I also said, I would strongly advise people to stick to a standard gamut screen unless you're going with a native 10 bit panel too. That's because of the limitations colour managed apps have when simulating different colour spaces, like sRGB, on an 8 bit screen. There's no way they can do it from within a wide gamut mode other than by dropping millions of values. Since most content is sRGB this is the main thing many will likely be doing when using colour managed apps in a wide gamut mode. So you're essentially making your panel less than 8 bit when viewing most colour managed content on an 8 bit panel. Had I fully understood this I would have held off on going wide gamut until the prices of native 10 bit panels dropped (which is in the process of happening).
 
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MKay,

I was referring to the actual bezel being glossy rather than the screen itself.

I suppose in reality, if I can get a 16:10 24" replacement from any supplier for my old 4:3 20" FlexScan that will be enough and I am happy to work with a PVA panel.

All that I hope to be able to buy is a monitor without tinting and bleed etc that has a matte bezel, is well built and gives good images on white backgrounds with decent colours. It's not to much to ask from a supplier is it, especially when I want to shove a monkey plus into their grubby mitts....?

Thx
Binty
 
I thought that the ColorEdge were more expensive than the FlexScan or are you referring to the functionality and quality versus price. My understanding are that the ColorEdge are aimed at graphics professionals whereas the FlexScan were more general but capable of a decent level of graphics work.

For example, the ColorEdge CG241W is around £840 exc VAT and the FlexScans are SX2662W (IPS) at £739 exc VAT and S2433W (PVA) at £553 exc VAT.

I am not convinced of any benefits I would get with the ColorEdge model as it will not be used at a graphics professional level and I have been using a FlexScan for the past 6 years and it has been OK. However, I am open minded on the subject but lobbing out a "thick one" for a ColorEdge seems hard to justify.

Thx
Binty
I have a Flexscan (a 21" widescreen) and can't complain. It's matte, and not at all grainy as some other brand matte screens may be. But if you're not bothered if it's gloss then that opens up your choice a bit I guess. I can only imagine the newer Flexscan models are even better than what I've got anyway, and I do quite a bit of Photoshop work etc. as well as the odd game, and it seems to handle everything pretty well if you ask me. No doubt a monitor expert would find fault, but that's true of any screen out there.

Best thing is to just look at reviews and especially user comments for any monitor you like the look of. Only way you'll get a sense of how well it performs.
 
I thought that the ColorEdge were more expensive than the FlexScan or are you referring to the functionality and quality versus price. My understanding are that the ColorEdge are aimed at graphics professionals whereas the FlexScan were more general but capable of a decent level of graphics work.

For example, the ColorEdge CG241W is around £840 exc VAT and the FlexScans are SX2662W (IPS) at £739 exc VAT and S2433W (PVA) at £553 exc VAT.

I am not convinced of any benefits I would get with the ColorEdge model as it will not be used at a graphics professional level and I have been using a FlexScan for the past 6 years and it has been OK. However, I am open minded on the subject but lobbing out a "thick one" for a ColorEdge seems hard to justify.

Thx
Binty

I'm just thinking if you're going to be keeping it for so long, what's the little extra money spread over 5 years? With the ColorEdge you know you've got a monitor that is showing you true accurate consistent colours, no tinting, no oddities, corner to corner homogenous brightness and colour temperature. The FlexScans are the ColorEdge monitors with all the features stripped out, but it's all the features that make it worth the price. Or you may as well just buy a Dell or HP.

The other thing that bothers me is the monitors have to pass muster to become CG series. If they don't they can still be used in the FlexScan series. Now I don't know if they always have more than required to fullfill CG orders so some potentially end up as FlexScans anyway, but I wouldn't put any money on it.

In Eizo's case I don't feel a 5 year guarantee is anything to be congratulated about - I'd kind of expect it when you're paying that much for what is, in the end, an entirely ordinary panel with some nice features added. A screen like their CG243w looks very nice, but I'd probably go for the HP Dreamcolor if I was dropping that much cash on a screen. I do think some of Eizo's other screens represent poor value for money though. It's a real shame consumers currently have to pay obscene premiums just to get some corrective controls. But, yes, I'm sure you get good support for the price premiums - as you should :)

The HP Dreamcolor didn't seem to fair too well in the Prad.de review. They commented on two different image quality issues that were below that of the CG243W, and when you get to that price point image quality is what you're forking out for.
 
The HP Dreamcolor didn't seem to fair too well in the Prad.de review. They commented on two different image quality issues that were below that of the CG243W, and when you get to that price point image quality is what you're forking out for.
Although problems at that price suck it wouldn't worry me too much since the sorts of issues they found (dither and black level etc) are most likely software related and HP directly support firmware updates. It sucks that HP supposedly locked the screen down to their own calibration software though, so you're kinda relying on HP to improve things on the software side. But if I was dropping so much cash on a screen it'd certainly be with the intention to use it in 10 bit mode (and, apart from not getting the software calibration to work in 10 bit the review pretty much stuck to 8 bit). The CG243W still uses an 8 bit native panel - If I want that a U2410 with good uniformity will do the job (just about) as good for a fraction of the price.. The problem is getting one with good uniformity of course :) Unlike the CG243W the Dreamcolor also still has an A-TW polarizer, and will probably be amongst the last screens available to have one. The Eizo seems better in terms of stuff like DUE, as well as options since HP software was/is apparently limited, but overall I'd still take my chances on the Dreamcolor. I do think it's pretty obscene that you have to pay CG243W prices right now just to get some half decent control over the uniformity though.. and I hope that changes soon, especially with all the problems LG has making uniform panels.
 
I do think it's pretty obscene that you have to pay CG243W prices right now just to get some half decent control over the uniformity though.. and I hope that changes soon, especially with all the problems LG has making uniform panels.

You're not wrong there. Though as you say, it's dependant on HP getting the software right. Difference being colour management is Eizo's entire company ethos, if they screw it up they go under. If HP get it wrong, meh, brush it under the carpet, pretend it never happened. Not to mention Eizo have been doing it better for longer, I'l put my confidence in them. Good luck we can spend our own money on what we want eh! Heh.
 
I have an HP LP2475w which I am very pleased with.

Excellent build quality and a matt bezel.

I know some people experienced some pinking with theirs (nothing on mine) which seems to either go away by itself or HP are happy to replace the monitor for.
 
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