Seeking help for new monitor.

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26 Sep 2006
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I'm currently looking into buying a new monitor, however outside of the information supplied on the forums here I admit that I have very little knowledge in terms of what would be classed as good quality and value for money.
My main concern is that I want to purchase a HD capable monitor, not only for standard HD content but also one capable of running PS3 content when it's out.
I'm looking for something 20" - 22" and would be grateful if you could throw any suggestions my way as to what you think would do the trick!
 
welcome to OcUK! :) If you're looking for a monitor with decnet HD support you need to consider a couple of things. Firstly the 20"-22" models only have a resolution of 1680 x 1050 and so the maximum true HD resolution they can support is 720p (720 lines vertically). 1080 content would be scaled down but would still be usable. This is the same for most modern TV sets anyway, which only support 1366 x 768 in most cases, so nothing to be worried about too much.

If you want to future proof yourself you would need to look for a screen with HDCP support since this encryption method will eventually be incorporated into HD hardware players and source material. Some screens support this, including the Dell 2007WFP, 2407WFP and BenQ FP241W for example. The BenQ FP241W (coming soon) is one of the first truly HD supporting monitors supporting all 720 and 1080 content types and offering HDCP support and an HDMI interface. That might be a good option to consider if you have the budget. (more info on that model here).

Aside from that one other thing to consider when using a screen for HD / movie content is the screens performance in these areas. Some panel technologies offer better performance than others, and you're looking for panel technologies with smooth movie playback, minimal noise and wide viewing angles. MVA based screens (inc the BenQ) are widely regarded as some of the best in these areas at the moment. Take a look here for a mass of info about TFT's including info about specs and terminology which will probably help you :)
 
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