Help! Indecisive buyer alert!

[dylanblues]

Firstly thanks to anyone taking the time out to read this and help.

I've spent quite a while looking a monitor to buy with my new build. It's main use is going to be for browsing and writing but I also want to use it for multimedia, in particular watching movies from my settee with the kids and a very small amount of gaming! As such I could do with a nice crisp picture and good viewing angles. As such (and within my budget! - £250) I'm looking at the Dell 2209WA. The problem is the more reviews I read the less sure I become, every time I hover over the buy button another review pops up that says, 'whoa hang on a minute there....have you considered.......? That then leads me down further roads to madness as I check the reviews on these monitors!

I guess the fact that I keep thinking about the 2209 should tell me a thing or two but my main concern is no HD (for the future) and is a 22" really enough for 'distance viewing' - approx 3-4 metres.

So as I said.......help?!

 

[cmndr_andi]

The Dell 2209WA is a wonderful monitor - but you are right that it is a bit small for viewing Tv/movies at such a distance. Also, it is 16:10 which, while great for desktop work and gaming, is not ideal for watching films. My sister has a 2209WA as her primary monitor - it is wonderful for films and displays 1080p video files/Blu Rays wonderfully, you simply can't tell that the screen is not FullHD. However, she watches these videos at her desk (so less than 1m from the screen) - at 3-4m viewing would not be that enjoyable and the benefit of the high quality screen is negated.

As far as I can see - your other options are:

- Increase your budget slightly and get a 720p 32" TV. This will be great for media watching, OK for gaming and reasonably poor for browsing and writing.
- Getting a large TN panel monitor like this. It will be OK for movie viewing (the viewing angles won't be great due to the TN panel, but it will be full HD resolution and reasonably big), OK for browsing and writing (again its big and high res - but the image quality is not as good as the 2209WA) and good for gaming.

 

[dylanblues]

The Dell 2209WA is a wonderful monitor - but you are right that it is a bit small for viewing Tv/movies at such a distance. Also, it is 16:10 which, while great for desktop work and gaming, is not ideal for watching films. My sister has a 2209WA as her primary monitor - it is wonderful for films and displays 1080p video files/Blu Rays wonderfully, you simply can't tell that the screen is not FullHD. However, she watches these videos at her desk (so less than 1m from the screen) - at 3-4m viewing would not be that enjoyable and the benefit of the high quality screen is negated.

As far as I can see - your other options are:

- Increase your budget slightly and get a 720p 32" TV. This will be great for media watching, OK for gaming and reasonably poor for browsing and writing.
- Getting a large TN panel monitor like this. It will be OK for movie viewing (the viewing angles won't be great due to the TN panel, but it will be full HD resolution and reasonably big), OK for browsing and writing (again its big and high res - but the image quality is not as good as the 2209WA) and good for gaming.

You've got it all going on Andi! Thanks mate. You've summed up my predicament exactly........like a technological Bob Dylan!

I don't think the TV option is viable, as the majority of my time is spent right in front of the screen as with your good sister. So the big toss up is with the TN and the 2209WA. The more I think about it, the more 'd like a bigger screen but if I'm only looking at big shadows in the dark froma distance I don't suppose it makes much sense really? Maybe I'll have to go for the 2209WA after all and make sure I get the closest seat on the settee!