The screen on my PC died recently, FUBERED.

I'm currently using one that SWMBO had as part of a package deal on her PC.
She couldn't stand it & neither can I.

Its a 15" Lite View. Horrible, dull, no contrast, no speakers.

I've got some vouchers for Comet so I'll be buying it there - prolly not the
best deal I know, but I have the vouchers.

I've got no idea about screens - technical spec or brand names. I want
something bigger than this 15", maybe 17 or 19. Oh, I do want built in
speakers

Could someone please advise on the models here?
http://www.comet.co.uk/shopcomet/cat...c/viewAll/true

Ta.


--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

"The Medway Handyman" wrote in message
om...
The screen on my PC died recently, FUBERED.

FUBARED do you mean?

mark

"The Medway Handyman" gurgled happily,
sounding much like they were saying:

Could someone please advise on the models here?
http://www.comet.co.uk

Don't need to know more than that. They'll be extortionate crap.

Very few monitors - all flat screen now, of course - come with built-in
speakers - they'd either make the monitor much bulkier or sound like
tinny junk, so you'd be far better off with stand-alone speakers.

How about
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showpr...odid=MO-010-AS
together with
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showpr...odid=SP-067-LG
or
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showpr...odid=SP-047-LG

mark wrote:
"The Medway Handyman" wrote in
message om...
The screen on my PC died recently, FUBERED.

FUBARED do you mean?

mark

Mark,

****ed Up Beyond All Repair [ed]!

The Medway Handyman wrote:
The screen on my PC died recently, FUBERED.

I'm currently using one that SWMBO had as part of a package deal on
her PC. She couldn't stand it & neither can I.

Its a 15" Lite View. Horrible, dull, no contrast, no speakers.

I've got some vouchers for Comet so I'll be buying it there - prolly
not the best deal I know, but I have the vouchers.

I've got no idea about screens - technical spec or brand names. I
want something bigger than this 15", maybe 17 or 19. Oh, I do want
built in speakers

Could someone please advise on the models here?
http://www.comet.co.uk/shopcomet/cat...c/viewAll/true


The Acer X193W or ET.XX3HE.001 should be good quality, and 19" is the 'sweet
spot' for value at present.

Just buy some desktop speakers, and then you can listen to decently
reproduced music....

"Unbeliever" wrote in message
...
mark wrote:
"The Medway Handyman" wrote in
message om...
The screen on my PC died recently, FUBERED.

FUBARED do you mean?

mark

Mark,

****ed Up Beyond All Repair [ed]!

Exactly!

The Medway Handyman wrote:
The screen on my PC died recently, FUBERED.

I'm currently using one that SWMBO had as part of a package deal on her PC.
She couldn't stand it & neither can I.

Its a 15" Lite View. Horrible, dull, no contrast, no speakers.

I've got some vouchers for Comet so I'll be buying it there - prolly not the
best deal I know, but I have the vouchers.

I've got no idea about screens - technical spec or brand names. I want
something bigger than this 15", maybe 17 or 19. Oh, I do want built in
speakers

Could someone please advise on the models here?
http://www.comet.co.uk/shopcomet/cat...c/viewAll/true

Ta.


Whatever you buy, make sure it has DVI. And use it if your PC can do so.
(At least you will be ready for the PC you buy which does have it.) Of
course, you probably want VGA/DSUB as well for widest compatibility.

(We have four monitors in the house. Two Samsungs and two 'others'.
Happy with 3 out of four. One of the 'others' is/was a Lite View. :-( )

--
Rod

Hypothyroidism is a seriously debilitating condition with an insidious
onset.
Although common it frequently goes undiagnosed.
www.thyromind.info www.thyroiduk.org www.altsupportthyroid.org

mark wrote:
"Unbeliever" wrote in message
...
mark wrote:
"The Medway Handyman" wrote in
message om...
The screen on my PC died recently, FUBERED.

FUBARED do you mean?

mark

Mark,

****ed Up Beyond All Repair [ed]!

Exactly!

I meant the TMH - not his screen. ;-)

My speakers are crap. the size of a 10p piece. Abandoned them in favour of
some cheapies from Asda

In message , The Medway
Handyman writes
The screen on my PC died recently, FUBERED.

I'm currently using one that SWMBO had as part of a package deal on her PC.
She couldn't stand it & neither can I.

Its a 15" Lite View. Horrible, dull, no contrast, no speakers.

I've got some vouchers for Comet so I'll be buying it there - prolly not the
best deal I know, but I have the vouchers.

I've got no idea about screens - technical spec or brand names. I want
something bigger than this 15", maybe 17 or 19. Oh, I do want built in
speakers

Could someone please advise on the models here?
http://www.comet.co.uk/shopcomet/cat...itors/n/100057
1/sort/price_asc/viewAll/true

Just bought one of these

http://www.edge10.com/technical_pdfs..._technical.pdf

Not the best quality, but good enough at £120 + VAT

more space on the screen than you can shale a stick at

--
geoff

The Medway Handyman wrote:

I've got some vouchers for Comet so I'll be buying it there - prolly not the
best deal I know, but I have the vouchers.

I've got no idea about screens - technical spec or brand names. I want
something bigger than this 15", maybe 17 or 19. Oh, I do want built in
speakers

Could someone please advise on the models here?
http://www.comet.co.uk/shopcomet/cat...c/viewAll/true

For budget screens the Acer ones are usually ok. The big widescreen
samsungs can be very nice as well (or better still a pair of 24" ones on
a dual head card ;-)). The LGs are usually ok as well.

It worth noting that the sound from audio equipped flat panels is
generally poor. If all you want to here is the clicks and squeaks of
windows then they are fine, but watching movies etc will be
disappointing. Video7, and agNeovo are good sources of monitors with
speakers, but you will probably not find them at comet.

If you go for a larger widescreen model, its worth checking if your
graphics card is up to the required resolution. Note that LCDs look
horrible if run at anything other than their native resolution.

--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

John Rumm wrote:
SNIP

It worth noting that the sound from audio equipped flat panels is
generally poor. If all you want to here is the clicks and squeaks of
windows then they are fine, but watching movies etc will be
disappointing. Video7, and agNeovo are good sources of monitors with
speakers, but you will probably not find them at comet.

Clicks, squeaks & the sound on video clips, no music. My old screen had
built in speakers & I was happy with those.

If you go for a larger widescreen model, its worth checking if your
graphics card is up to the required resolution. Note that LCDs look
horrible if run at anything other than their native resolution.

Where would I find the info on what graphics card I have?

Cheers


--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

The Medway Handyman wrote:
John Rumm wrote:
SNIP
It worth noting that the sound from audio equipped flat panels is
generally poor. If all you want to here is the clicks and squeaks of
windows then they are fine, but watching movies etc will be
disappointing. Video7, and agNeovo are good sources of monitors with
speakers, but you will probably not find them at comet.

Clicks, squeaks & the sound on video clips, no music. My old screen had
built in speakers & I was happy with those.
If you go for a larger widescreen model, its worth checking if your
graphics card is up to the required resolution. Note that LCDs look
horrible if run at anything other than their native resolution.

Where would I find the info on what graphics card I have?

Cheers


Device Manager.

Use the key with the Windows symbol on it and, at while holding that
down, press Pause or Break. This brings up the system properties.
Choose the Hardware tab, and then Device Manager.

(I always remember this key combo by 'Windows breaks' - yes it does,
doesn't it.)

--
Rod

Hypothyroidism is a seriously debilitating condition with an insidious
onset.
Although common it frequently goes undiagnosed.
www.thyromind.info www.thyroiduk.org www.altsupportthyroid.org

In article , geoff
writes

Just bought one of these

http://www.edge10.com/technical_pdfs..._technical.pdf

Not the best quality, but good enough at £120 + VAT

Nice looking monitor but cant find it under 145 + vat, any pointers?
--
fred
BBC3, ITV2/3/4, channels going to the DOGs

The Medway Handyman wrote:
The screen on my PC died recently, FUBERED.

I'm currently using one that SWMBO had as part of a package deal on her PC.
She couldn't stand it & neither can I.

Its a 15" Lite View. Horrible, dull, no contrast, no speakers.

I've got some vouchers for Comet so I'll be buying it there - prolly not the
best deal I know, but I have the vouchers.

I've got no idea about screens - technical spec or brand names. I want
something bigger than this 15", maybe 17 or 19. Oh, I do want built in
speakers

Could someone please advise on the models here?
http://www.comet.co.uk/shopcomet/cat...c/viewAll/true

Ta.


My local PCman, (http://www.woc.co.uk/pricelist.aspx?category=MONLCD)
who never stocks anything he isn't prepared to give a proper warranty
on, currently stocks Samsung and Ilyama.

We've got three Samsung syncmasters here. Last of the old 4x3 aspect
ratios, bought a little cheaper as a result.

Run at their native resolution, they are more than adequate.

A good screen is the MAJOR cost of a PC. Dont skimp.

And, probably, don't buy from Comet either. I doubt they will be around
to honour any warranties in 6 months time..

In message , The Natural
Philosopher writes
The Medway Handyman wrote:
The screen on my PC died recently, FUBERED.
I'm currently using one that SWMBO had as part of a package deal on
her PC. She couldn't stand it & neither can I.
Its a 15" Lite View. Horrible, dull, no contrast, no speakers.
I've got some vouchers for Comet so I'll be buying it there - prolly
not the best deal I know, but I have the vouchers.


And, probably, don't buy from Comet either.

He needs to spend them on something there.

I doubt they will be around to honour any warranties in 6 months time..

The warranty will be with the manufacturer anyway
--
Chris French

On Tue, 03 Feb 2009 21:30:27 GMT
"The Medway Handyman" wrote:

The screen on my PC died recently, FUBERED.

I'm currently using one that SWMBO had as part of a package deal on her PC.
She couldn't stand it & neither can I.

Its a 15" Lite View. Horrible, dull, no contrast, no speakers.

I've got some vouchers for Comet so I'll be buying it there - prolly not the
best deal I know, but I have the vouchers.

I've got no idea about screens - technical spec or brand names. I want
something bigger than this 15", maybe 17 or 19. Oh, I do want built in
speakers

Could someone please advise on the models here?
http://www.comet.co.uk/shopcomet/cat...c/viewAll/true

Ta.


I just bought a 20" Samsung SyncMaster from eBuyer.com. I'm overjoyed
with it (no HDMI though). It replaced a Hansol 19" CRT that took up
9/10 of my desk, and most of the output of the local nuclear power
station.

R.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Acer-P223W-C.../dp/B000VPG18E

I just got one of these and it's brilliant. Shop around - I got a
white one from Dabs for less than 100 quid. It has DVI input as well
as analogue.

chris French wrote:
In message , The Natural
Philosopher writes
The Medway Handyman wrote:
The screen on my PC died recently, FUBERED.
I'm currently using one that SWMBO had as part of a package deal on
her PC. She couldn't stand it & neither can I.
Its a 15" Lite View. Horrible, dull, no contrast, no speakers.
I've got some vouchers for Comet so I'll be buying it there -
prolly not the best deal I know, but I have the vouchers.


And, probably, don't buy from Comet either.

He needs to spend them on something there.

I doubt they will be around to honour any warranties in 6 months
time..

The warranty will be with the manufacturer anyway

Warranties, and any claim for breach of contract, are always with the seller
unless the manufacturer offers their own specific warranty regardless of
seller like most hard disk manufacturers do.
--
Dave Baker

In message , Dave Baker
writes
chris French wrote:
In message , The Natural
Philosopher writes
The Medway Handyman wrote:
The screen on my PC died recently, FUBERED.
I'm currently using one that SWMBO had as part of a package deal on
her PC. She couldn't stand it & neither can I.
Its a 15" Lite View. Horrible, dull, no contrast, no speakers.
I've got some vouchers for Comet so I'll be buying it there -
prolly not the best deal I know, but I have the vouchers.


And, probably, don't buy from Comet either.

He needs to spend them on something there.

I doubt they will be around to honour any warranties in 6 months
time..

The warranty will be with the manufacturer anyway

Warranties, and any claim for breach of contract, are always with the seller
unless

Well, I wouldn't term it warranties, but yes, your legal contract is
with the seller.

the manufacturer offers their own specific warranty regardless of
seller like most hard disk manufacturers do.

Pretty much any electrical item I've ever bought has at least a years
warranty from the manufacturer, the last 2 monitors had 3 yr IIRC.

--
Chris French

On Wed, 04 Feb 2009 10:45:50 +0000, The Natural Philosopher
wrote:


And, probably, don't buy from Comet either. I doubt they will be around
to honour any warranties in 6 months time..

In which case he should use his vouchers pronto.

On Wed, 04 Feb 2009 08:16:39 GMT, "The Medway Handyman"
wrote:



Where would I find the info on what graphics card I have?


Rod's told you how to find the device details but, simply, your
existing card probably has a connector that looks like:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Belkin-Pro-M...3766941&sr=1-1

DVI connectors look like:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/...A38UDII8M9Z5GS


You can get adaptors like:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Belkin-DVI-I...3766941&sr=1-3

DVI (Digital Video Interface?) is the future-proof connector. The
chances are that a monitor with a DVI connector will also have a VGA
connector - my LG ones do. (And the DVI cards that I bought a few
weeks ago came with an adaptor.)

The Medway Handyman wrote:



I've got some vouchers for Comet so I'll be buying it there - prolly not the
best deal I know, but I have the vouchers.

I've got no idea about screens - technical spec or brand names. I want
something bigger than this 15", maybe 17 or 19. Oh, I do want built in
speakers


To answer your questions, using your link, and with no idea for how much
you want to spend, then the HP w1907v on the homepage - £129.99 will be
good enough, I'm quite sure.

I'm twin-viewed with a Dell and Benq, I bought the wife a HP to twin
with her LG. I can happily say that the HP gives good strong vibrant
colours, and good contrast.

Once caveat - the Brightview screens are very reflective, so not so good
if you have a lot of bright stray light. If, however, like us you spend
many an hour in a darkened room, the HPs are good solid monitors.

The speakers will be, well, crap, but that seems to be all you want from
them.


As others have said - don't buy Comet. But, like you say, you will - the
above is my recommendation for a reasonably priced monitor. Review in
store, if possible, too, with a movie file / fast animation, although
the days of slow LCDs are well behind us. This advice is worth what you
paid me for it.


Mike

Rod wrote:
The Medway Handyman wrote:
John Rumm wrote:
SNIP
It worth noting that the sound from audio equipped flat panels is
generally poor. If all you want to here is the clicks and squeaks of
windows then they are fine, but watching movies etc will be
disappointing. Video7, and agNeovo are good sources of monitors with
speakers, but you will probably not find them at comet.

Clicks, squeaks & the sound on video clips, no music. My old screen
had built in speakers & I was happy with those.
If you go for a larger widescreen model, its worth checking if your
graphics card is up to the required resolution. Note that LCDs look
horrible if run at anything other than their native resolution.

Where would I find the info on what graphics card I have?

Cheers


Device Manager.

Use the key with the Windows symbol on it and, at while holding that
down, press Pause or Break. This brings up the system properties.
Choose the Hardware tab, and then Device Manager.

OK. Done that. Now what?



--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

The Medway Handyman wrote:
Rod wrote:
The Medway Handyman wrote:
John Rumm wrote:
SNIP
It worth noting that the sound from audio equipped flat panels is
generally poor. If all you want to here is the clicks and squeaks of
windows then they are fine, but watching movies etc will be
disappointing. Video7, and agNeovo are good sources of monitors with
speakers, but you will probably not find them at comet.
Clicks, squeaks & the sound on video clips, no music. My old screen
had built in speakers & I was happy with those.
If you go for a larger widescreen model, its worth checking if your
graphics card is up to the required resolution. Note that LCDs look
horrible if run at anything other than their native resolution.
Where would I find the info on what graphics card I have?

Cheers


Device Manager.

Use the key with the Windows symbol on it and, at while holding that
down, press Pause or Break. This brings up the system properties.
Choose the Hardware tab, and then Device Manager.

OK. Done that. Now what?



Well, you are actually trying to find out what your display adapter is.
So click on "Display adapters"! (Just a possibility that the whole tree
could be collapsed - click on the [+] symbols at left if needed.

Write or type the name of your display adapter. (I assume you will only
have one of them.) Post details for further advice from someone/anyone here.

--
Rod

Hypothyroidism is a seriously debilitating condition with an insidious
onset.
Although common it frequently goes undiagnosed.
www.thyromind.info www.thyroiduk.org www.altsupportthyroid.org

In message , fred writes
In article , geoff
writes

Just bought one of these

http://www.edge10.com/technical_pdfs..._technical.pdf

Not the best quality, but good enough at £120 + VAT

Nice looking monitor but cant find it under 145 + vat, any pointers?

I bought from RL Supplies

might have gone up since then (November)

--
geoff

In message , Peter Johnson
writes
On Wed, 04 Feb 2009 08:16:39 GMT, "The Medway Handyman"
wrote:



Where would I find the info on what graphics card I have?


Rod's told you how to find the device details but, simply, your
existing card probably has a connector that looks like:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Belkin-Pro-M...le/dp/B0000B1K
4E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=A38UDII8M9Z5GS&s=generic&qid= 1233766941&sr=1-1

DVI connectors look like:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/...d_cart_shr?%5F
encoding=UTF8&m=A38UDII8M9Z5GS


You can get adaptors like:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Belkin-DVI-I...p/B000FO6I84/r
ef=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&m=A38UDII8M9Z5GS&s=generic&qid= 1233766941&sr=1-3

DVI (Digital Video Interface?) is the future-proof connector. The
chances are that a monitor with a DVI connector will also have a VGA
connector - my LG ones do. (And the DVI cards that I bought a few
weeks ago came with an adaptor.)


nah - go the whole hog and replace the guts of the computer too

motherboard £45

http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Products/...erview.aspx?Pr
oductID=2691

Analogue, digital and HDMI outputs, supports up to 7.1 audio

processor about £80 , 2gig memory - £15

While you're at it, ... you'll need a big furroff TV which can make best
use of the HDMI output


--
geoff

Dave Baker wrote:
chris French wrote:
In message , The Natural
Philosopher writes
The Medway Handyman wrote:
The screen on my PC died recently, FUBERED.
I'm currently using one that SWMBO had as part of a package deal on
her PC. She couldn't stand it & neither can I.
Its a 15" Lite View. Horrible, dull, no contrast, no speakers.
I've got some vouchers for Comet so I'll be buying it there -
prolly not the best deal I know, but I have the vouchers.

And, probably, don't buy from Comet either.
He needs to spend them on something there.

I doubt they will be around to honour any warranties in 6 months
time..
The warranty will be with the manufacturer anyway

Warranties, and any claim for breach of contract, are always with the seller
unless the manufacturer offers their own specific warranty regardless of
seller like most hard disk manufacturers do.

Monitors also fall into that category. Most have a three year RTB one
provided by the maker.

(not that that is an indication of quality - I made the mistake of
buying a batch of six Digimate ones for a customer once. They have *all*
been back for repair at least once! In the end I swapped them all out
for Video7 ones and took the hit, as it was too embarrassing to have the
things going tits up every five minutes).

--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

The Medway Handyman wrote:
John Rumm wrote:
SNIP
It worth noting that the sound from audio equipped flat panels is
generally poor. If all you want to here is the clicks and squeaks of
windows then they are fine, but watching movies etc will be
disappointing. Video7, and agNeovo are good sources of monitors with
speakers, but you will probably not find them at comet.

Clicks, squeaks & the sound on video clips, no music. My old screen had
built in speakers & I was happy with those.

Yup, I understand where you are coming from, but the flat panel built in
speakers will be very much poorer in comparison. That may not be an
issue - just be prepared.

If you go for a larger widescreen model, its worth checking if your
graphics card is up to the required resolution. Note that LCDs look
horrible if run at anything other than their native resolution.

Where would I find the info on what graphics card I have?

Bring up the system properties program (see Rod's description), click
the hardware tab at the top, then the device manager button. Click the
"+" by the "Display adapters" entry.


--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

Rod wrote:
The Medway Handyman wrote:
Rod wrote:
The Medway Handyman wrote:
John Rumm wrote:
SNIP
It worth noting that the sound from audio equipped flat panels is
generally poor. If all you want to here is the clicks and squeaks
of windows then they are fine, but watching movies etc will be
disappointing. Video7, and agNeovo are good sources of monitors
with speakers, but you will probably not find them at comet.
Clicks, squeaks & the sound on video clips, no music. My old
screen had built in speakers & I was happy with those.
If you go for a larger widescreen model, its worth checking if
your graphics card is up to the required resolution. Note that
LCDs look horrible if run at anything other than their native
resolution.
Where would I find the info on what graphics card I have?

Cheers


Device Manager.

Use the key with the Windows symbol on it and, at while holding
that down, press Pause or Break. This brings up the system
properties. Choose the Hardware tab, and then Device Manager.

OK. Done that. Now what?



Well, you are actually trying to find out what your display adapter
is. So click on "Display adapters"! (Just a possibility that the whole
tree could be collapsed - click on the [+] symbols at left if needed.

Write or type the name of your display adapter. (I assume you will
only have one of them.) Post details for further advice from
someone/anyone here.

OK it says ATI RADEON XPRESS series 200.


Wot that mean then?



--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

In article ,
John Rumm wrote:
If you go for a larger widescreen model, its worth checking if your
graphics card is up to the required resolution. Note that LCDs look
horrible if run at anything other than their native resolution.

So that's why they're no use as TVs?

--
*i souport publik edekashun.

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

The Medway Handyman wrote:
Rod wrote:
The Medway Handyman wrote:
Rod wrote:
The Medway Handyman wrote:
John Rumm wrote:
SNIP
It worth noting that the sound from audio equipped flat panels is
generally poor. If all you want to here is the clicks and squeaks
of windows then they are fine, but watching movies etc will be
disappointing. Video7, and agNeovo are good sources of monitors
with speakers, but you will probably not find them at comet.
Clicks, squeaks & the sound on video clips, no music. My old
screen had built in speakers & I was happy with those.
If you go for a larger widescreen model, its worth checking if
your graphics card is up to the required resolution. Note that
LCDs look horrible if run at anything other than their native
resolution.
Where would I find the info on what graphics card I have?

Cheers


Device Manager.

Use the key with the Windows symbol on it and, at while holding
that down, press Pause or Break. This brings up the system
properties. Choose the Hardware tab, and then Device Manager.
OK. Done that. Now what?



Well, you are actually trying to find out what your display adapter
is. So click on "Display adapters"! (Just a possibility that the whole
tree could be collapsed - click on the [+] symbols at left if needed.

Write or type the name of your display adapter. (I assume you will
only have one of them.) Post details for further advice from
someone/anyone here.

OK it says ATI RADEON XPRESS series 200.


Wot that mean then?

Looking at the ATI site:

http://ati.amd.com/products/radeonxp...tel/index.html

suggests that is a reasonably recent adaptor - so there is a pretty good
chance it will handle wide screen modes without any difficulty.

So basically choose whatever monitor you fancy (it looks like if you get
a companion card for the one you have, you can run a three monitor
desktop - that should give a nice bit of workspace ;-)

--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
In article ,
John Rumm wrote:
If you go for a larger widescreen model, its worth checking if your
graphics card is up to the required resolution. Note that LCDs look
horrible if run at anything other than their native resolution.

So that's why they're no use as TVs?

I don't think there is not enough contrast, sharpness, or colour
resolution in a broadcast TV picture (or even a SD DVD) to really pick
out the aliasing faults that happen with a computer display at the wrong
resolution. With a computer image, an abnormally thin or thick down
stroke on a text character is immediately obvious and ugly, but there is
not enough sharpness in the TV image in the first place to really make a
difference. Note also the TV resolution will be well under half the
native of the display which makes single pixel wide errors less obvious
anyway.

The main issues with (at least some) LCDs and video is lack of a decent
black level, a tendency to solarise subtle colour differences creating
flat patches of colour rather than continuous tones, and a tendency to
smear moving images due to slow response times. Note that the best LCDs
are now very much better than many of the older ones. Many still suffer
with maintaining any subtlety in dark images. So choose your set
carefully if you are an Alien fan!

--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

John Rumm wrote:
Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
In article ,
John Rumm wrote:
If you go for a larger widescreen model, its worth checking if your
graphics card is up to the required resolution. Note that LCDs look
horrible if run at anything other than their native resolution.

So that's why they're no use as TVs?

I don't think there is not enough contrast, sharpness, or colour
resolution in a broadcast TV picture (or even a SD DVD) to really pick
out the aliasing faults that happen with a computer display at the wrong
resolution. With a computer image, an abnormally thin or thick down
stroke on a text character is immediately obvious and ugly, but there is
not enough sharpness in the TV image in the first place to really make a
difference. Note also the TV resolution will be well under half the
native of the display which makes single pixel wide errors less obvious
anyway.

The main issues with (at least some) LCDs and video is lack of a decent
black level, a tendency to solarise subtle colour differences creating
flat patches of colour rather than continuous tones, and a tendency to
smear moving images due to slow response times. Note that the best LCDs
are now very much better than many of the older ones. Many still suffer
with maintaining any subtlety in dark images. So choose your set
carefully if you are an Alien fan!

And viewing angles. The laptop screens here are all pretty poor - the
displays are unusable at angles significantly away from 90 degrees -
vertically or horizontally. Trying to watch TV on them would be a bad
joke - lean a bit one way or sit up/slouch and the screen changes
colour/brightness/whatever.

--
Rod

Hypothyroidism is a seriously debilitating condition with an insidious
onset.
Although common it frequently goes undiagnosed.
www.thyromind.info www.thyroiduk.org www.altsupportthyroid.org

In message , Mike Dodd
writes
As others have said - don't buy Comet. But, like you say, you will -
the above is my recommendation for a reasonably priced monitor. Review
in store, if possible, too, with a movie file / fast animation,
although the days of slow LCDs are well behind us.

I just feel I ought to say that, in spite of their seedy-looking stores
and some immature-looking staff, I have been very pleasantly surprised
by Comet. When I found what turned out to be a common audio problem with
many laptops, the manager of the local store joined me in loading a
certain file onto several of the display machines. I found him pleasant
and very helpful, going well beyond the call of duty. He also understood
what I was talking about. I bought an Acer machine there. It was not
overpriced.

In contrast, a more recent contact with Dabs ended in a total failure of
minds to meet, and I was forced to bypass them and go straight to a
manufacturer (Lenovo) to provide all the advertised components of a
purchase.

On these two deals, I'd rate out of 10, Lenovo 9, Comet 8, Acer 4
(useless support), Dabs 3 (for quick delivery).

We do need the likes of Comet to see things like TV's and vacuum
cleaners before buying online or elsewhere. Be careful what you wish
for.
--
Bill

In article ,
Rod wrote:
And viewing angles. The laptop screens here are all pretty poor - the
displays are unusable at angles significantly away from 90 degrees -
vertically or horizontally. Trying to watch TV on them would be a bad
joke - lean a bit one way or sit up/slouch and the screen changes
colour/brightness/whatever.

Pretty well the same applies to LCD TVs - or rather the ones I've got or
seen. Could be the very latest/most expensive are better.

--
*Whatever kind of look you were going for, you missed.

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

"Dave Plowman (News)" gurgled happily, sounding
much like they were saying:

And viewing angles. The laptop screens here are all pretty poor - the
displays are unusable at angles significantly away from 90 degrees -
vertically or horizontally. Trying to watch TV on them would be a bad
joke - lean a bit one way or sit up/slouch and the screen changes
colour/brightness/whatever.

Pretty well the same applies to LCD TVs - or rather the ones I've got or
seen. Could be the very latest/most expensive are better.

Just to counter that, this laptop (Dell D830, c.12mo old) doesn't change
colour/contrast brightness across a viewing angle of about 160deg
horizontally - reflections start to kick in at the outer edges of that,
but nothing too bad. Vertically's a bit more restricted, starting to
change at about 30deg below and roughly half that above. Still, that's
what the hinge is for.

I don't recall my previous laptop (Dell D800, c.4yo now) being much
different.

"John Rumm" wrote in message
et...
Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
In article ,
John Rumm wrote:
If you go for a larger widescreen model, its worth checking if your
graphics card is up to the required resolution. Note that LCDs look
horrible if run at anything other than their native resolution.

So that's why they're no use as TVs?

I don't think there is not enough contrast, sharpness, or colour
resolution in a broadcast TV picture (or even a SD DVD) to really pick out
the aliasing faults that happen with a computer display at the wrong
resolution. With a computer image, an abnormally thin or thick down stroke
on a text character is immediately obvious and ugly, but there is not
enough sharpness in the TV image in the first place to really make a
difference. Note also the TV resolution will be well under half the native
of the display which makes single pixel wide errors less obvious anyway.

You can see that on HDTV (1920x1080 pixels) on the wrong size panel, there
are a lot of 1366x768 panels miss sold as HDTVs about (I inherited a Philips
one recently, its OK as a monitor though).

Adrian wrote:
"Dave Plowman (News)" gurgled happily, sounding
much like they were saying:

And viewing angles. The laptop screens here are all pretty poor - the
displays are unusable at angles significantly away from 90 degrees -
vertically or horizontally. Trying to watch TV on them would be a bad
joke - lean a bit one way or sit up/slouch and the screen changes
colour/brightness/whatever.

Pretty well the same applies to LCD TVs - or rather the ones I've got or
seen. Could be the very latest/most expensive are better.

Just to counter that, this laptop (Dell D830, c.12mo old) doesn't change
colour/contrast brightness across a viewing angle of about 160deg
horizontally - reflections start to kick in at the outer edges of that,
but nothing too bad. Vertically's a bit more restricted, starting to
change at about 30deg below and roughly half that above. Still, that's
what the hinge is for.

I don't recall my previous laptop (Dell D800, c.4yo now) being much
different.

An old Toshiba, a not very old HP and even a MacBook - all change
substantially by altering the viewing angle. Not to the extent of not
being able to see anything - just very odd colours/brightness/contrast.
The HP is especially bad vertically.

One Samsung monitor is pretty good but does change a bit.

Our TV, though relatively early as LCD sets go, ain't bad. Pretty much
never notice anything.

But have to concur - they (laptops, monitors and TVs) do vary a lot.

--
Rod

Hypothyroidism is a seriously debilitating condition with an insidious
onset.
Although common it frequently goes undiagnosed.
www.thyromind.info www.thyroiduk.org www.altsupportthyroid.org

Bill wrote:
In message , Mike Dodd
writes
As others have said - don't buy Comet. But, like you say, you will -
the above is my recommendation for a reasonably priced monitor. Review
in store, if possible, too, with a movie file / fast animation,
although the days of slow LCDs are well behind us.

I just feel I ought to say that, in spite of their seedy-looking stores
and some immature-looking staff, I have been very pleasantly surprised
by Comet. When I found what turned out to be a common audio problem with
many laptops, the manager of the local store joined me in loading a
certain file onto several of the display machines. I found him pleasant
and very helpful, going well beyond the call of duty. He also understood
what I was talking about. I bought an Acer machine there. It was not
overpriced.

In contrast, a more recent contact with Dabs ended in a total failure of
minds to meet, and I was forced to bypass them and go straight to a
manufacturer (Lenovo) to provide all the advertised components of a
purchase.

On these two deals, I'd rate out of 10, Lenovo 9, Comet 8, Acer 4
(useless support), Dabs 3 (for quick delivery).

We do need the likes of Comet to see things like TV's and vacuum
cleaners before buying online or elsewhere. Be careful what you wish for.

We have found their products descriptions so odd as to be positive lies.
For example, printer resolution expressed as horizontal *times* vertical
(working on manufacturers' figures) so actually pixels per square inch.
Or screen resolution that was number of pixels on the entire screen.

If these were locally produced, I'd just put it down to staff ignorance.
But they are (apparently) produced centrally so someone should know what
they are doing up in head office, shouldn't they?

--
Rod

Hypothyroidism is a seriously debilitating condition with an insidious
onset.
Although common it frequently goes undiagnosed.
www.thyromind.info www.thyroiduk.org www.altsupportthyroid.org