ips or 3D which way to go ?

[jamjar]

Hi All I,m still in a dilema about which TFT Monitor to go for , i,m NOT a gamer , but love watching dvds and blu rays , should i get a IPS screen or a 120hrtz 3D type screen like the new Benq model ? and are many dvds/blu rays going to be on 3D anyway to warrent getting a 3D monitor just to watch films ? Any ideas or views please.

 

[cmndr_andi]

You might also want to consider a VA panel like the one used on this BenQ.

This one is a proper 24in, very nice blacks and contrast ratio - plus the price makes it rather attractive. Since one of your main uses is watching movies - then this would be the monitor I would go for. Here is an in-depth review.

However, if you want to spend near £300 (like what the 120Hz BenQ costs), then I would strongly suggest you go for a 32in 1080p TV instead. If you have a google for the "Samsung LE32C530" you can get it for just under £300 and this review shows it is a nice TV and uses a VA panel.

As for Blu-ray 3D - the proportion of 3D compared to non-3D is and will remain tiny - mainly because films need to be shot in 3D or extensively re-worked to "retrofit" into 3D. Hence - buying a 23in monitor exclusively to play these movies instead of a 32in TV (which uses a panel technology more suited to video viewing) would not seem like the best option imho.

 

[PCM2]

I strongly recommend that BenQ for film watching (as I have done in this review). As can be seen and attested in both our review and the review on TFT Central, the EW2420 offers a strong contrast performance and has pretty in-your face colours for a standard gamut monitor. The variability in panels could be something to consider but as long as you're aware that 3D monitors have their fare share of problems across the board (as well as variability in this regard) then you should be able to make an informed decision.

If it helps I will also have a review up shortly of the BenQ XL2410T. It can give you an idea of what to expect from a '3D monitor' on movies under normal 2D viewing (I've tested a few and image quality was fairly similar across the board). It is also written in the same format as both the F2380 and EW2420 reviews on our website so can offer a useful comparison. If the F2380 tickles your fancy then the Samsung 2333T would also be worth considering for movies (uses a similar cPVA panel but only costs £130!)