Do monitors advertise colour quality?

Kaiju · 16 Sep 2010 at 04:23

I bought a Viewsonic VX2439WM 24" monitor to replace a Samsung Syncmaster 2233+ 22"

First impressions were good but after a while messing around with it I found the colours to be less than impressive.

The colours seem bland no matter how I change the settings. At least compared to my old Samsung 22" that is.

This new Viewsonic has everything I could want but I never really checked the colours. Do monitors advertise colour quality?

PCM2 · 16 Sep 2010 at 07:10

Professional panel monitors often advertise a colour gamut and due to the nature of the panels will never appear 'washed out'. For twisted nematic panels (i.e. the common LCD panel like the VX2439WM) it is hit and miss with colour saturation/vividness. That is what reviews are for, and a quick scan of the VX2439WM on Google would probably put most people off buying it if they didn't like dull colours.

Kaiju · 16 Sep 2010 at 07:20

Thanks for the quick and informative response.

Do you have any recommendations for a 24"?

I'm guessing the Dell U2410 IPS panel is decent enough?

Duff-Man · 16 Sep 2010 at 08:03

Kaiju said:
I'm guessing the Dell U2410 IPS panel is decent enough?

Oh yes...

IPS panels generally have good colour reproduction and a wide gamut, but the Dell 2410 is a particularly good screen. As with all IPS panels, you also get excellent colour/brightness stability as you view the screen from different angles.

Of course all this comes at the cost of a larger pricetag, but you will find the difference from your Viewsonic to be like night and day...

Kaiju · 16 Sep 2010 at 08:08

That's great!

In Hong Kong where I live, a U2410 is around 300 quid. That's quite a bit cheaper than the UK.

Am I right in thinking anything cheaper is a waste if I'm dead set on awesome colour reproduction?

Duff-Man · 16 Sep 2010 at 08:49

Kaiju said:
Am I right in thinking anything cheaper is a waste if I'm dead set on awesome colour reproduction?

If awesome colour reproduction is what you want, it's probably best to confine yourself to IPS panels, which tend to be at the upper end of the price range. And go for something with an extended gamut (i.e. not the HP zr24w, which is otherwise a decent screen).

But yeah... The Dell 2410 would be ideal, and at that price, well worth it IMO.

The Dell U2311 is another, cheaper alternative which would fit your bill nicely.