Monitor question (1 Viewer)

[Anthony Moore]

I really like the flat panel monitors, but I really dont want to sacrifice any quality just to save space.

When I look at the specs of a flat panel (im looking at a 19"), I see that most are about .29 dot pitch. My DELL 19" crt that I have now is .25. And Im having a hard time finding any flat panels that go that low.

Ive always thought the dot pitch was the telling tale on the quality of a monitor. Am I missing something? Cause I know ive seen some really good looking flat panels.

Also, I know that the resolutions only really go up to 1280 X 1024 (or somewhere in that range). Is this good enough for my HTPC? Is this capable of HD?

I guess when it somes to monitors I dont know so much. Can someone kindly point out the specs I should look for in a good flat panel? I would really appreciate it.

My brother works at Best Buy (DISCOUNT!), so if you could recommend one from that store it would be a definate bonus.

Im really just looking for the best picture for my buck.

THANKS!

 

[JeremyErwin]

Depends on what variety of HD:
720p is 720x1280
(often widescreen LCD displays feature 1280x768). For some reason, there's a rash of "HD capable" 4:3 displays with a resolution of 1024x768, which cuts off the sides.

1080p is 1080x1920. Widescreen HD displays for the computer market will often have extra vertical resolution--Apple's 23" display is 1920x1200.

 

[Ken Chan]

There are several 20" LCDs that do 1600x1200.

A 19" LCD probably has more actual used screen area than a 19" CRT. Because the picture is larger, the dot pitch is actually larger. (Although thinking about the math for a moment, probably not quite enough to cover the difference.)But more to the point, dot pitch is probably not a useful way to compare LCD vs. CRT.

With an LCD, there are an exact number of pixels. You really want to drive the monitor at that size. (You could also drive a 1600x1200 at exactly one-quarter, 800x600.) The dot pitch tells you how far apart the pixels are, which is a simple matter of dividing the pixels by the screen size. CRTs don't have an exact number of pixels, per se. The dot pitch tells you potentially how small the pixels could get, and is a useful way to compare different CRTs.

With a digital (DVI) connection, an LCD should have a distinctly better picture than a CRT, unless you play 3D games, in which case the refresh rate can be an issue; or if you are very picky about black levels and color fidelity.