Thanks, Igor, your comments are useful as always.
I was not aware of the issue with wide gamut monitors.I did notice that
several models allow emulation of difference color spaces though - so
that explains the purpose of that feature.
I'll spend some time on the website that you mention and try to get a
better understanding of the background. The more I think about the specs
I'm looking at, the less sense some of them make.
For instance -
If my eyes can only distinguish about 10 million colors (per Wikipedia),
what advantage is there in going with a 1 billion color monitor? (I'm
seeing several "1.04 billion color" monitors advertised.)
Which would display more color variation - a 1 billion color sRGB
monitor or a 16.7 million color adobe RGB / wide gamut monitor? I'm
guessing the wide gamut monitor with look like it had more colors even
if it technically did not.
How well does the windows desktop scale to a smaller 4k desktop - will
the icons be so tiny it will be a pita to use?
I guess I need a better understanding of the fundamentals before knowing
what I need to get. Higher resolution has obvious advantages, but I'm a
little unclear what I need regarding colors.
Mark
On 4/25/2016 12:55 PM, Igor PDML-StR wrote:
Mark,
Here are a few followup thoughts:
Monitors that support (99% or 100%) of Adobe RGB are called "wide-gamut".
(You probably figured that out, I am just mentioning it as that helps
if you are searching for reviews of different models.) While they are
great, there is a caveat with them: some programs do not support them,
assuming that you have just SRGB. As a result, the screen output from
those programs is inherently inaccurate.
(I am finally suspecting that Epson printer "preview" program that
comes with the printer's drivers actually suffers from that.)
Many wide-gamut monitors support switching to SRGB mode, but I am not
sure if all do, and, the convenience of that may vary.
Besides the "regular suspects" (Dell, NEC, ASUS), - I see some good
references about some EIZO ColorEdge monitors. The models reviews that
I've seen are referring to the models that are out of production (e.g.
EIZO ColorEdge CX240 for the more "consumer" version, CG246 for the
"pro" version), but I would assume some current models might be worth
looking at.
Also, Mark Stringer mentioned ASUS PA248Q, and the last reference I
had mentions ASUS PA249Q. I haven't looked at all the details, but at
least the PA248Q is not "wide-gamut" monitor (i.e. doesn't cover Adobe
RGB), unlike PA249Q.
You can read more here:
http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/reviews/asus_pa248q.htm
Overall, this website (TFT central) is a very helpful resource for
monitor information.
Besides other things, - you can read some reviews there:
http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/reviews.htm
At least, you can see what is and is not important for you from those.
Larry wrote a very important point that I was going to but forgot:
check that you video card supports the resolution and the number of
the monitors you are planning to have.
Also, note that at least some of the cheaper Korean 4K monitors do not
support lower resolutions. I.e. you cannot drive them at a lower
resolution the way you could with some standard or HD resolution
monitors.
And finally, just in case, - keep in mind that the diagonal size (24",
etc.) - works differently between 3:4 (SD), 9:16 (or 10:16) (HD) and
21:9 (4K) monitors, in the sense, that 24" HD may look smaller than
24" SD.
I assume, with 4K or 5K, the difference is even more pronounced.
Cheers,
Igor
PS. Mark S.: my condolences for your family loss.
At least it brought a relief from suffering.
On Sun, 24 Apr 2016, Igor PDML-StR wrote:
Mark,
I agree with Bruce and Rick, let me add some other thoughts.
I've had Dell U2410 for some 5 years, and I've been happy with it.
The only thing I could've done differently is that I should've had
something in 27". (But they were too expensive at that point.)
Indeed, it is hard(er) to find today wide-gamut (Adobe RGB) 24"
monitors today. I am not seeing any from Dell. It has some in 25" and
27":
https://pcmonitors.info/dell/dell-up2516d-and-up2716d-wide-gamut-wqhd-monitors/
This discussion mentions some NEC and 24" ASUS monitor. I don't know
anything about those beyond what's written there:
http://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/3925252
I find wide-gamut very useful if you are going to print your photos,
as Epson printer can go beyond SRGB.
Some monitors are hard to calibrate, and some -- are easy. You can
google for reviews. Sorry, I haven't looked in detail at the recent
monitors.
I am not completely sold on 4k or 5k monitors yet. Maybe...
The wide format, however, can be handy for working on many windows at
once.
Sorry, I don't remember all the good parameters at the moment. But
if you look at Dell's U2410 parameters, - that can you give a good
guide line as for what is good while not necessarily overly luxurious.
HTH,
Igor
On Sun, Apr 24, 2016 at 6:33 PM, Mark C wrote:
I'm thinking about upgrading my current monitor. What specs should I be
looking at?
I'm considering -
IPS panel technology
Minimum 1900 x 1080 / 1900 x 1200 preferred. I am only looking for a
24 inch
monitor given to be part of a two monitor system, so I doubt I will
be able
to get much greater resolution without going larger.
Anti glare Screen
Digital input (DVI or HDMI) (should be a given but I have run into a
few
with VGA only.)
I don't know what to make of these stats:
Contrast ratio. When I calibrate my monitors the iDisplay utility
reports a
contrast ration of about 900:1 for the better monitor I'm using and
about
850:1 for the older TN monitor. When shopping I see quoted figures from
1000:1 to 2,000,000:1 on monitors that don't seem much different in
price or
class. Not sure what to make of this spec.
Percent of gamut. Percent of what gamut? sRGB? More is better?
Brightness in terms of CD/CM2. Is more better? Ive read that a
calibrated
monitor should be about 122 CD/CM2. Everything I have looked at way
exceeds
that. In a couple cases users have commented that the monitor is too
bright
and they can't dim it enough to accurately calibrate it. But that
could be a
problem with the controls on that specific model. Any suggested target
level?
That's all I'm looking at - anything I should consider but am
oblivious to?
Any recommendations or warnings about brands?
Thanks
Mark
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