flat screen monitor recommendation...

[Maz]

I've never had a flat screen monitor on my home PC.

Yesterday my old CRT monitor packed up - now I'm using a borrowed 15" CRT.

I want to get a flat screen, 17" at least. Are they much the same?

What do I need to look out for? I really don't know the first thing about what is good and what isn't.

Any help appreciated w.r.t. brands and features.

Regards
Maz

 

[ColinJ]

 I'd go for bigger than 17". These days, you'd probably be getting widescreen format so a 17" screen would actually be shorter than that 15" screen which is probably 4:3 format.

I have a 19" screen, with 1440x900 pixel resolution. It's good and clear, but to be honest, I'd prefer a bigger screen with a higher resolution. If I read eBooks full-screen, the text is slightly too small for my old eyes.
The viewing angles on some LCD screens are not good. The old Dell laptop I'm using tonight is hopeless once you are more than about 20 degrees off straight ahead.

My nephew uses a widescreen LCD TV with a monitor input on it so he has killed two birds with one stone.

I didn't bother getting a screen with inbuilt speakers. They are always going to be a compromise so I prefer to rig my computer up to my hifi.

How much do you want to spend, and how much space have you got for the screen?

 

[Maz]

I'd go for bigger than 17". These days, you'd probably be getting widescreen format so a 17" screen would actually be shorter than that 15" screen which is probably 4:3 format.

I have a 19" screen, with 1440x900 pixel resolution. It's good and clear, but to be honest, I'd prefer a bigger screen with a higher resolution. If I read eBooks full-screen, the text is slightly too small for my old eyes.
The viewing angles on some LCD screens are not good. The old Dell laptop I'm using tonight is hopeless once you are more than about 20 degrees off straight ahead.

My nephew uses a widescreen LCD TV with a monitor input on it so he has killed two birds with one stone.

I didn't bother getting a screen with inbuilt speakers. They are always going to be a compromise so I prefer to rig my computer up to my hifi.

How much do you want to spend, and how much space have you got for the screen?

Hi Colin,

The monitor needs to fit into a cabinet which is 22" (internal) wall-to-wall.
Looking to spend max £100. Can you get good new ones at that price?

 

[ColinJ]

Hi Colin,

The monitor needs to fit into a cabinet which is 22" (internal) wall-to-wall.
Looking to spend max £100. Can you get good new ones at that price?

This 20" Acer model looks like it would do the trick for you! It is an updated version of mine with an extra inch or so of screen and is true 16:9 widescreen format (mine is only 14.4:9). It gets some good reviews and comes in well under your price limit. I paid about £140 for mine a few years ago.There are a lot of other good-looking monitors on that site in your price range, so perhaps take a look at them too.

 

[johnsie]

I've just bought a Proloite E2008HDS that is 18" wide by 11" high - no problems. Have a look at Amazon and the monitors with a high number of 5 star reviews

What is important is what you do most on the computer.

If you watch movies, you need widescreen, but don't be too swayed by high resolution and high refresh. These are only noticeable if you're playing fast video like action games.

If you do just e-mail and "work", a more traditional size and shape may be better for you.


Bear in mind that lots of web pages don't look as good on a widescreen monitor - they still all seem to be best viewed on a squarer monitor and there's lots of scrolling up and down to see the whole page.

Go into PC World or similar and try a few.

Hope this helps



Cheers

 

[ColinJ]

Bear in mind that lots of web pages don't look as good on a widescreen monitor - they still all seem to be best viewed on a squarer monitor and there's lots of scrolling up and down to see the whole page.

I thought about getting one of those monitors that you can swivel through 90 degrees. One of those would be ideal for viewing long web pages!

 

[Danny]

I thought about getting one of those monitors that you can swivel through 90 degrees. One of those would be ideal for viewing long web pages!

...or reading long Word documents.

I have a colleague who has turned her screen through 90 degrees for this reason.

 

[Maz]

I've just bought a Proloite E2008HDS that is 18" wide by 11" high - no problems. Have a look at Amazon and the monitors with a high number of 5 star reviews

What is important is what you do most on the computer.

If you watch movies, you need widescreen, but don't be too swayed by high resolution and high refresh. These are only noticeable if you're playing fast video like action games.

If you do just e-mail and "work", a more traditional size and shape may be better for you.


Bear in mind that lots of web pages don't look as good on a widescreen monitor - they still all seem to be best viewed on a squarer monitor and there's lots of scrolling up and down to see the whole page.

Go into PC World or similar and try a few.

Hope this helps



Cheers

Very rarely watch DVD's on it. Mainly work internet and work. Thanks.
The traditional shape/size one might suit me better.