Sceptre x24wg-Naga
Size: 24″
Aspect Ratio: 16:10
Pixel Format: 1920 x 1200
Contrast Ratio: 4000:1
Brightness: 300 cd/m2
Response Time: 2ms
Viewing Angle: 160/160
Input: DVI, VGA
I was going through my email this morning and in came an email flyer from Tiger Direct. I glanced at some of the smaller sized LCD monitors and came up to the Scepter 24″. The price is quite unbelievable for a 24″. For those that simply need the number of pixels (1920 x 1200) and do not mind the limited viewing angles, the price of $299.99 is a great deal. The 160/160 viewing angles suggest that this is using a TN LCD panel, which is not the greatest, but for just $300, the performance hit might just be swallowable considering the price. TN panels generally have faster response times and the Scepter x24wg-Naga delivers with a quick 2ms. If you like playing games on the PC and are on a budget, this might be a good choice.
Source: Tiger Direct
[tags]Sceptre, 24″, LCD Monitor, 1920 x 1200, DVI[/tags]
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Dell 2408WFP
Size: 24″ Wide
Pixel Format: 1920 x 1200
Contrast Ratio: 1300:1
Brightness: 400 cd/m2
Response Time: 6ms (Gray-to-Gray, GTG)
Color Gamut: 102% NTSC
Viewing Angle: 178/178
Inputs: DisplayPort, HDMI, DVI (2), VGA, Composite, S-Video, Component, USB-up, USB-down (4)
Price: $748 ($599 as of 2008.04.13)
The Dell 2408WFP replaces the very excellent (but slightly high-priced, for Dell) 2407WFP-HC. Almost everything is the same except for the improved contrast ratio and the addition of a DisplayPort input. Oh, there is one additional DVI input for a total of two. Contrast ratio has improved from 1000:1 in the 2407WFP-HC to 1300:1 in the 2408WFP. I’m not sure what the advantage of having DisplayPort as the new connection allows for higher video data bandwidth. However, DVI (single-link) is more than capable of driving a LCD display with 1920 x 1200 pixels. Additionally, my computers (PC & Mac) do not have DisplayPort interfaces and I don’t see why I would need one in the near future.
I am not completely sure what type of panel it is using, but I would guess either a S-IPS or PVA panel. I am leaning toward that it is a S-IPS panel since Dell has had used S-IPS panels for its high-end monitors. It is certainly not a TN panel since this model exhibits excellent viewing angles of 178 degrees.
The price for the 2407WFP-HC was $699. You will need to pay $49 more for the 2408WFP. Not that much, but if you don’t need that additional DVI, DisplayPort or a slightly improved contrast ratio, then maybe it would be wise to wait for 2407WFP-HC prices to fall and then snatch it before inventory runs out.
Update 2008.04.13
I just checked the price of the 2408WFP and it has fallen to $599. That’s a drop of $149 in just 3 months. But even with that drop, there are potent competitors out there for $100 less. Take for instance Samsung’s 2493HM. Although it sports a TN LCD panel, the 10,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio is great (according to Overclocker’s Online) and a quick check on Pricegrabber reveals you can purchase the 2493HM at a decent price of around $480, shipping and tax would be extra. For those that need a fast LCD monitor for gaming and do not care too much about viewing angles (since you’ll be the only one using it) or color fidelity, the 2493HM might be a good choice. Of course, the 2408WFP is still one of the better choices out there for those who require excellent viewing angles and color fidelity on a 24″ LCD monitor.
Dell is also putting DisplayPort into a lot of its new notebook PCs. If Dell continues to incorporate DisplayPort, I believe DisplayPort can be a strong contender to become the next generation connection for IT devices. But there is HDMI coming from the CE domain and you can’t count out DVI just yet.
Source: Dell (2407WFP-HC, 2408WFP) via Engadget
[tags]Dell, 24″, LCD Monitor, DisplayPort, HDMI, DVI, 1920 x 1200, Wide Color Gamut CCFL, WCG-CCFL[/tags]
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Samsung SyncMaster 2493HM
Size: 24″ Wide
Aspect Ratio: 16:10
Pixel Format: 1920 x 1200
Contrast Ratio: 1000:1, 10000:1 (dynamic)
Response Time: 5ms (Gray-to-Gray: GTG)
Brightness: 400 cd/m2
Viewing Angle: 160/160
Input: HDMI, VGA, DVI
Other: 4-way adjustable stand (height, swivel, tilt, pivot), speaker, 3-year warranty.
Price: $599
Samsung Electronics America, a subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Corporation, showcased its SyncMaster 2493HM 24″ LCD monitor and its slightly larger sibling, the 25.5″ SyncMaster 2693HM at Macworld.
Just a quick comment on the 25.5″ monitor: couldn’t they simply make it 26″? The model name suggests that the monitor is 26″ but in fact it is 25.5″. This might be confusing to the customer.
Unlike the slim LCD TVs that I saw at CES, most 24″ LCD monitors continue to be rather chunky. The 2493HM is no exception. (The Samsung link below will take you to the 2493HM page where you can view the monitor at different angles.) I am willing to guess that this 24″ is thicker than some 42″ LCD TVs that I saw. Why is that?
The design is plain, which is nice. It doesn’t provoke a “Wow!” reaction. One of the best designs I have seen (aside from Apple‘s Cinema Displays) are monitors from HP. But I digress. The 2493HM has a feature that did wow me and that’s the dynamic contrast ratio of 10,000:1. That is very very good. I am not completely sure how this is achieved, but from the looks of it, the CCFL-based backlights are being modulated to be in sync, in terms of brightness, with the video that is being displayed.
The HDMI input might be nice but, with just one, is simply not enough. If you bought this as your main display for your PC, then you’ll be making use of that HDMI port (with a HDMI-to-DVI cable). If you want to connect your PlayStation 3, you’ll either need to disconnect your PC or get a HDMI hub, an additional cost.
(Update 2008.03.16) A comment came in saying that the 2493HM has both VGA and DVI ports in addition to HDMI, so I checked it out on Samsung’s site. And yes, the 2493HM has all three connectors. So you can use it for your PS3, PC and then some. Thanks for the comment!
Pay close attention to the viewing angle. It is just 160/160. What that tells me is that this monitor uses a TN panel, an inferior technology to Patterned Vertical Alignment (PVA) that Samsung uses for its more advanced models. I don’t particularly like spending $600 for a TN display and I recommend you don’t either.
All in all, this seems to be a OK display with ho-hum looks and general features with just one great feature: its dynamic contrast ratio of 10,000:1.
Source: Samsung via Yahoo!
[tags]Samsung, 24″, LCD Monitor, 1920 x 1200, HDMI, Dynamic Contrast[/tags]
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Vizio GV47LF
Size: 47″
Aspect Ratio: 16:9
Pixel Format: 1920 x 1080
Contrast Ratio: 1600:1
Viewing Angle: 178/178
Brightness: 500 cd/m2
Response Time: 8ms
Input: HDMI (2), S-Vido, Component, Composite (2), RGB
Price: $999 (refurbished)
Nothing extra special about this LCD TV, but it being a Vizio, you can expect the price to be spectacularly low. And the GV47LF doesn’t disappoint. At TigerDirect, you can get a 47″ 1080p LCD TV with very decent specs for a mere $999 (refurbished). The box itself looks fairly decent as well. Now, bear in mind, you don’t get fancy features like 120Hz, dynamic contrast ratio, 10-bit color, etc., but the price might be too good to pass up for some. Especially since Superbowl is coming up…
One comment about refurbished products: If I can get a really good price for a refurbished product, I have no qualms about purchasing one. Most products are not built with 100% quality and something sometime will go wrong. A refurbished product is a product where that something went wrong and was fixed. So, in a way, you get a product that has the weak spot already fixed.
Source: TigerDirect
[tags]Vizio, 47″, 1080p, 1920 x 1080, Full HD, LCD TV, HDMI[/tags]
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Sony mylo COM-2
Display Size: 3.5″
Pixel Format: 800 x 480
Wireless: 802.11b/g
Camera: 1.3MP
Video Support: MPEG4 SP/ASP, AVC Baseline (up to QVGA 30fps, 384/768 kbps)
Keyboard: Backlit
Availability: Now, ship date 2008.01.28
Price: $299
Sony has updated its mylo Personal Communicator to COM-2. The device has many merits. It looks better, the keyboard is backlit (now you can use it in the dark), and the LCD got a lot bigger with a lot more pixels to look at.
One of the best features of the mylo (previous generation included), in my opinion, is Skype via WiFi. Wherever you have a WiFi connection, you can make free phone calls to other Skype users and for a very cheap price make calls to anyone. I have a Skype Pro account that lets me call anyone anywhere for a very reasonable price, from my Skype phone and my computer. This might not be such a big deal to many, but for me, it is. I have an iPhone but I cannot communicate via voice when I travel to Korea. That’s because Korea does not have a GSM network. And even if it did, since I kept my iPhone locked, the existence of a GSM network would just mean extremely high-priced phone calls allowed by AT&T. With something like a mylo, that limitation no longer applies as long as I can find WiFi hotspots there. Speaking of WiFi hotspots, you get free access to Wayport hotspots (McDonald’s, IHOP, Hertz, some hotels, etc.) until the end of 2009, which I think is a great deal.
Another cool feature is the 1.3 megapixel camera, which should be adequate enough for taking quick snaps. I believe the original mylo did not have a camera. In terms of the display, the COM-2 has got it right. It is a 3.5″ TFT LCD that has a pixel format of 800 x 480! This is much higher density than the iPhone, which is limited to 480 x 320 pixels with the same size, 3.5″. Nokia’s N810 Internet Tablet also has a pixel format of 800 x 480 but with a larger sized LCD at 4.13″. I expect browsing the Internet will be quite a bit improved from the original 320 x 240 screen. I’m looking forward to actually playing around with the mylo COM-2 at my local Fry’s Electronics soon.
Source: Sony via Engadget
[tags]Sony, Portable Media Player, PMP, 3.5″, 800 x 480, MPEG4[/tags]
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