My first LCD

[Banshee16]

I just bought my first LCD monitor. Up to now, I've been running a Viewsonic 19" CRT. Is it just me, or does an LCD display much more useable space for the same size as a CRT does? This new 19" LCD seems like it has a bigger picture.

In addition, it seems far more sensitive with respect to how it displays some graphics......EN World, for instance, has a whole shadowy background pattern that never appeared on my CRT. All I saw with that was a flat black background.

Is this normal?

Banshee

 

[Drawmack]

LCD has better color then a CRT, so you probably will notice some things change. Also make sure your resolution on your computer is set to the recommended resolution for the monitor (should have said the resolution right on a plastic thing covering the monitor when you unpacked it). Unlike CRT monitors which can handle many resolutions LCDs should really only be used at their recommended resolution.

As for the more space. Unlike TVs which are sold based on a diagonal measurment of the screen, computer monitors are sold based on a diagonal measurment of the entire case. So the less plastic there is around the edge of the screen the larger the screen on the same size monritor. Most CRT monitors have thicker borders then LCD monitors so yes generally an LCD monitor get more screen space out of the same inches.

 

[Flexor the Mighty!]

I just bought my first LCD monitor. Up to now, I've been running a Viewsonic 19" CRT. Is it just me, or does an LCD display much more useable space for the same size as a CRT does? This new 19" LCD seems like it has a bigger picture.

In addition, it seems far more sensitive with respect to how it displays some graphics......EN World, for instance, has a whole shadowy background pattern that never appeared on my CRT. All I saw with that was a flat black background.

Is this normal?

Banshee

I don't think LCD can truly do black so that may be the deal with Enworld and its black backgrounds, a CRT still does better color.

 

[Banshee16]

I don't think LCD can truly do black so that may be the deal with Enworld and its black backgrounds, a CRT still does better color.

Oh, I didn't realize that. I noticed that in NWN2, the colours of the grass seem a bit different. More yellow in it than I'd noticed before. And the wallpaper on my computer is a photo of the moon I took with a telephoto lens at 400mm, showing the craters, lines on the moon etc. and I'm noticing that on the LCD, the brighter areas in the picture seem to be missing the detail that was displayed on my CRT. They're almost "washed out", if you know what I mean. I don't know if that's part of what an LCD shows differently, or whether I just need to play with my settings. What with Christmas and travelling and all, I've basically only plugged it in, turned it on, and installed the drivers, so I'm still on the factory settings at the moment.

The monitor I'm using is a Samsung SyncMaster 931BF 19". I'm making the change from a Viewsonic G90f.

The other downside I've realized is that I no longer have a convenient place to put my center channel speaker for my surround sound, as it used to sit on top of the CRT, and now it's sitting on the desk, in front of the monitor.

Banshee

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

Actually, the ENWorld thing you're seeing may be the slate-like background. Its not actually a flat black except for a few places. Most of it is actually a design that is very close to black but has some light splotches here and there.

 

[Banshee16]

Actually, the ENWorld thing you're seeing may be the slate-like background. Its not actually a flat black except for a few places. Most of it is actually a design that is very close to black but has some light splotches here and there.

That's exactly what I'm seeing...but my CRT never showed it. It just displayed as black. Now that I think of it, my LCD at work, which is a lower-end LCD, didn't really show it either. I could see it along the header, and the bottom of the page, but the message board pages all displayed as black.

Banshee

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

That's exactly what I'm seeing...but my CRT never showed it. It just displayed as black. Now that I think of it, my LCD at work, which is a lower-end LCD, didn't really show it either. I could see it along the header, and the bottom of the page, but the message board pages all displayed as black.

Banshee

Yep. The text here in the quick reply box is flat black, but the borders all have the slate style. Its the same as the grey background, but a much darker colour so I can see why a lower end monitor would just pick it up as flat black.

You'll probably spot little things like that for the first few weeks. I've been on a widescreen LCD monitor for too long now, though, so I don't really notice them at all anymore.

 

[John Crichton]

As for the more space. Unlike TVs which are sold based on a diagonal measurment of the screen, computer monitors are sold based on a diagonal measurment of the entire case. So the less plastic there is around the edge of the screen the larger the screen on the same size monritor. Most CRT monitors have thicker borders then LCD monitors so yes generally an LCD monitor get more screen space out of the same inches.

Are you sure about that? I sold monitors & TVs for 2 years and all manufacturers always used the diagonal measurement of the screen alone, not the casing for both.

 

[greymist]

...all manufacturers always used the diagonal measurement of the screen alone, not the casing for both.

I agree with John. My undrstanding is that the diagonal measurement for a CRT is the size of the picture tube. Invariably a part of the tube is not visible as it is covered by the case of the TV/monitor. LCD panels also measure the full screen, but a much smaller amount of the perimeter is encased by the box.

If you can remember back before flat CRTs, the amount of the tube that was covered was even larger.

As for colours, I think CRTs are still supposed to be better, but you are comparing an old CRT to a brand new LCD. I wonder is you looked at a new high end CRT if you would see even more impressive resolution than your new LCD.

Still I am jealous, as I am still using a 17" CRT on my desktop PC! An old ViewSonic PT775, the damn thing won't die, so I can't justify a new LCD!!

 

[LightPhoenix]

And the wallpaper on my computer is a photo of the moon I took with a telephoto lens at 400mm, showing the craters, lines on the moon etc. and I'm noticing that on the LCD, the brighter areas in the picture seem to be missing the detail that was displayed on my CRT. They're almost "washed out", if you know what I mean.

LCDs in general, and Samsungs IME particularly, tend to be fairly bright. I usually have to turn my brightness down, whereas with CRTs I usually had to turn it up.

Also, the Samsung's auto-detect mode actually does a fairly good job at getting the settings to a decent level. You may want to fine-tune from there, but it's a really good start.

Are you sure about that? I sold monitors & TVs for 2 years and all manufacturers always used the diagonal measurement of the screen alone, not the casing for both.

Yeah, I sold TVs for a while myself, and it's measured from corner to corner of the screen. Well, actually, I suspect it's corner to corner of the opening in the case, but it's pretty much the same.

This new 19" LCD seems like it has a bigger picture.

As for the increased size, I only have a guess. CRTs are slightly convex, whereas LCDs and flatscreen TVs are, well, flat. I suspect that while the diagonal is measured the same, the curvature of the CRT actually decreases the viewing area even when looking straight on. It's the same reason the viewing angle of a flatscreen is so much greater, I think. So when you switch from CRT to LCD, it seems like you're getting more space, when you're not.

Also, resolution plays into it a bit - but I'm assuming that the LCD is being displayed at the same resolution as the CRT. I know I definitely noticed it, and I was running at the same resolution. I've heard a lot of customers make similar remarks when consumer flatscreen TVs were relatively new. That is, once I spent half an hour on the phone with them telling them how to hook them up.