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pcho

macrumors newbie
Original poster
May 15, 2005
6
0
I have been a PC user for almost 20yrs and I finally decided to switch to Apple. I have just ordered a Mac Pro for my photographic hobby and I have difficulty making up my mind on which brand of LCD to purchase.

I am considering the apple 30" versus a new model HP 30" LCD. The HP is a much newer display and slightly cheaper here in Australia. Can anyone help me with my decision

Perry
 

jason999

macrumors member
Apr 10, 2008
53
0
I have been a PC user for almost 20yrs and I finally decided to switch to Apple. I have just ordered a Mac Pro for my photographic hobby and I have difficulty making up my mind on which brand of LCD to purchase.

I am considering the apple 30" versus a new model HP 30" LCD. The HP is a much newer display and slightly cheaper here in Australia. Can anyone help me with my decision

Perry

Get a Samsung LCD. I mainly use a PC over a Mac but be warned any LCD you get with a Mac will require a calibrator which is another $180 to $200 to get the colours right for the Mac.

I use the Samsung 2253bw 22" which has a dynamic contrast of 8000:1 which is absolutely awesome.
Black is black unlike many out there with poor contrast levels.

Samsung has a 24" and 26" LCD with 1080p and 10,000:1 dynamic contrast which is worth a look at.

Before the 2253 I had the 2243 which I have to say is not as good as the 2253 for watching videos.

I use MagicTune (latest version for XP) and it worked well. No calibration required for XP.

Make sure you get one with a viewing angle of 178/178 as some are not so high where if you are off centre from viewing it doesn't look to good. Samsungs are pretty good with high viewing angles.

Samsung here in oz has a 3 year on site warranty which is adead pixel warranty. Get one single dead pixel and they'll come out and replace it. No other brand that I am aware of has a dead pixel warranty like Samsung does.

Samsung oz web site though does not have all the latest LCD screens, so you'll have to do some google searches for Samsung LCD in oz.

The Samsung 2253bw I own is 2ms responce time which is far better than the 2243bw with 5ms. 2ms and I do not see any blur with fast moving video.

I use my Samsungs for Photoshop CS3 Extended on both PC and a Mac. Mainly use the PC.

Samsung leaves the HP in its wake an dthe Apple for that matter.
 

Decrepit

macrumors 65816
Sep 6, 2007
1,146
1
Foothills to the Rocky Mountains
I have been a PC user for almost 20yrs and I finally decided to switch to Apple. I have just ordered a Mac Pro for my photographic hobby and I have difficulty making up my mind on which brand of LCD to purchase.

I am considering the apple 30" versus a new model HP 30" LCD. The HP is a much newer display and slightly cheaper here in Australia. Can anyone help me with my decision

Perry

Can you get yourself in front of either of the models so you can see for yourself?

I've never seen the Apple 30", but the HP 30" is shockingly good. The demonstration I saw it at was for the computer it was attached to, but they had it playing Star Wars Episode I in one corner, email BIG in another corner, and multiple other applications. And it was displaying everything very crisply.

From what I heard, the panel underneath the HP logo is the best one out there without tripling the price. But you'll need to research it to make sure that is indeed true.


I'll put it this way. If Apple releases a Mini (or non Mac Pro) that can do dual link DVI, I will be buying a 30" HP display.
 

dante@sisna.com

macrumors 6502a
Apr 21, 2006
736
0
I have been a PC user for almost 20yrs and I finally decided to switch to Apple. I have just ordered a Mac Pro for my photographic hobby and I have difficulty making up my mind on which brand of LCD to purchase.

I am considering the apple 30" versus a new model HP 30" LCD. The HP is a much newer display and slightly cheaper here in Australia. Can anyone help me with my decision

Perry

I have both of these monitors: both are excellent.

The Gamut on the Apple is much lower than the HP but is closer to SWOP print space without calibration. The HP can achieve this easily with either calibration from the Mac OS (somewhat crude, but works) or with a third party calibrator.

The HP is a Stunning Monitor. One of the best I have ever used or seen. Blacks are dark, motion pixel response is decent, brights are out of this world and the gamut is very wide. Excellent for preparing photos for the web and for future HD work.

I have to give the nod to the HP. I love this LP3065. I plan on purchasing a second very soon.

Dante
 

dante@sisna.com

macrumors 6502a
Apr 21, 2006
736
0
Get a Samsung LCD. I mainly use a PC over a Mac but be warned any LCD you get with a Mac will require a calibrator which is another $180 to $200 to get the colours right for the Mac.

Huh????

Sorry, but this is a very misleading statement and has nothing to do with "the Mac."

Calibration is required for nearly any monitor where a user needs to accurately match an output color space.
 

dante@sisna.com

macrumors 6502a
Apr 21, 2006
736
0
Get a Samsung LCD.

I use the Samsung 2253bw 22" which has a dynamic contrast of 8000:1 which is absolutely awesome.
Black is black unlike many out there with poor contrast levels.

Samsung has a 24" and 26" LCD with 1080p and 10,000:1 dynamic contrast which is worth a look at.

Before the 2253 I had the 2243 which I have to say is not as good as the 2253 for watching videos.

I use MagicTune (latest version for XP) and it worked well. No calibration required for XP.

Make sure you get one with a viewing angle of 178/178 as some are not so high where if you are off centre from viewing it doesn't look to good. Samsungs are pretty good with high viewing angles.

Samsung here in oz has a 3 year on site warranty which is adead pixel warranty. Get one single dead pixel and they'll come out and replace it. No other brand that I am aware of has a dead pixel warranty like Samsung does.

Samsung oz web site though does not have all the latest LCD screens, so you'll have to do some google searches for Samsung LCD in oz.

The Samsung 2253bw I own is 2ms responce time which is far better than the 2243bw with 5ms. 2ms and I do not see any blur with fast moving video.

I use my Samsungs for Photoshop CS3 Extended on both PC and a Mac. Mainly use the PC.

Samsung leaves the HP in its wake an dthe Apple for that matter.

Again, sorry, but the Samsung 2253bw can't hold a candle to either the Apple ACD 30 or the HP LP3065.

There is no comparison; the Apple and HP have far better panels and will produce a much higher and more accurate Gamut with far less Delta between colors due to their LUT's.

The Samsung you mention uses a TN panel, a low grade panel best for video and gaming but not very crisp or accurate.

The Apple and HP use IPS panels with far superior circuitry and vastly higher resolutions -- almost double that of the samsung.

Look them up here:

http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/panelsearch.htm

Some of the top end Samsung's are okay, but the HP hangs in with the best of them and few can match it's 30 inch 2560x1600 resolution.
 

aaquib

macrumors 65816
Sep 11, 2007
1,496
1
Toronto, Canada
Well from what I've heard, I'd say if you want the slightly better visual quality and a lower price, go with the Dell. It's just hard to say no to the Apple Cinema Display's because they look so dam good!
 

jason999

macrumors member
Apr 10, 2008
53
0
Again, sorry, but the Samsung 2253bw can't hold a candle to either the Apple ACD 30 or the HP LP3065.

There is no comparison; the Apple and HP have far better panels and will produce a much higher and more accurate Gamut with far less Delta between colors due to their LUT's.

The Samsung you mention uses a TN panel, a low grade panel best for video and gaming but not very crisp or accurate.

The Apple and HP use IPS panels with far superior circuitry and vastly higher resolutions -- almost double that of the samsung.

Look them up here:

http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/panelsearch.htm

Some of the top end Samsung's are okay, but the HP hangs in with the best of them and few can match it's 30 inch 2560x1600 resolution.

I saud get a Samsung and said I use a 2253.
There are Samsungs with 2560x1600 resolution screen for the Samsung 30FTPLUS 30" TFT which also has a usb2 connection.

Problem with hp is they have no dead pixel warranty. Have you ever seen a pixel die ? A dead pixel glows out which looks shocking and with photo work its next to useless.

Samsung screens work very well on Macs as they do with Windows XP computers.
 

jason999

macrumors member
Apr 10, 2008
53
0
Again, sorry, but the Samsung 2253bw can't hold a candle to either the Apple ACD 30 or the HP LP3065.

There is no comparison; the Apple and HP have far better panels and will produce a much higher and more accurate Gamut with far less Delta between colors due to their LUT's.

The Samsung you mention uses a TN panel, a low grade panel best for video and gaming but not very crisp or accurate.

The Apple and HP use IPS panels with far superior circuitry and vastly higher resolutions -- almost double that of the samsung.

Look them up here:

http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/panelsearch.htm

Some of the top end Samsung's are okay, but the HP hangs in with the best of them and few can match it's 30 inch 2560x1600 resolution.

I said get a Samsung and said I use a 2253.
There are Samsungs with 2560x1600 resolution screen for the Samsung 30FTPLUS 30" TFT which also has a usb2 connection.

Problem with hp is they have no dead pixel warranty. Have you ever seen a pixel die ? A dead pixel glows out which looks shocking and with photo work its next to useless.

Samsung screens work very well on Macs as they do with Windows XP computers.
 

Decrepit

macrumors 65816
Sep 6, 2007
1,146
1
Foothills to the Rocky Mountains
I said get a Samsung and said I use a 2253.
There are Samsungs with 2560x1600 resolution screen for the Samsung 30FTPLUS 30" TFT which also has a usb2 connection.

Problem with hp is they have no dead pixel warranty. Have you ever seen a pixel die ? A dead pixel glows out which looks shocking and with photo work its next to useless.

Samsung screens work very well on Macs as they do with Windows XP computers.

Last I heard, on corporate displays, they'd ask how many stuck-on or stuck-off you had as well as just dead subpixels per inch or whatever.

On the 30", due to the price, they should have a lot more leniency to switch it out.
 

jason999

macrumors member
Apr 10, 2008
53
0
Huh????

Sorry, but this is a very misleading statement and has nothing to do with "the Mac."

Calibration is required for nearly any monitor where a user needs to accurately match an output color space.

Are you joking?

Samsung LCD screens work very well with Macs.
Many people that post in here use a Samsung LCD with their Macs.

Samsung 30FTPLUS 30" TFT has a screen resolution of 2560x1600 which will do what the person wants it will do.

Like me he is in Australia. Not seen any HP screen listed anywhere here in oz. Mac screens here in oz cost 3 times that of Samsung screens. Its why so many do not buy Mac screens with their Macs.

I use a Samsung 2253 LCD 22" on my PC and a 2243bw on my Mac. Displays better than the Mac screen at a fraction of the price.
 

2contagious

macrumors 6502a
Apr 29, 2008
755
0
UK
I will never ever buy HP anymore. I bought a 22" HP display a year ago. It's the worst crap I've ever seen.

I'm going for the 30" apple display this summer.
 

Decrepit

macrumors 65816
Sep 6, 2007
1,146
1
Foothills to the Rocky Mountains
I will never ever buy HP anymore. I bought a 22" HP display a year ago. It's the worst crap I've ever seen.

I'm going for the 30" apple display this summer.

Just something to consider... The 22" is a consumer product, the corporate product with the better technology and support aren't so bad.

The 30" has a very strong support team, and since it's the business product line, you can get it replaced via email. Every repair I need to call in on HP corporate stuff I actually do via email so that I can explain what I did and save the tennis match that frontline tech support can be.
 

dcnblues

macrumors member
Oct 23, 2007
38
0
Listen to what Dante is telling you. You basically want to research what kind of panel you want. Wikipedia is a great resource for this.

And this:

http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.aspx?catid=31&threadid=2049206&FTVAR_STKEYWORDFRM=&STARTPAGE=1&FTVAR_FORUMVIEWTMP=Linear

Try also
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=166

For photography and nothing else, the Apple CD uses a better panel than the dell. It hasn't been updated in about 3 years, however, and lacks newer inputs and has slow refresh rate for movies. For video, motion, gaming, high def, the Dell is better, particularly with every concievable input. You'll be able to buy a blue ray player, plug it in, and watch excellent 1080p. It will, however, require a little web research to get settings you can input which will get it close to calibrated (without having to buy calibration hardware). Good enough for most, but any real pro photographer would want the cinema display for accurate color. It's a tradeoff.

I've got the dell 2408 (24"), and like it very much. Don't get too scared reading these boards which are filled with a minority of owners who've had problems. Sift for good info. You can find it.
 

Decrepit

macrumors 65816
Sep 6, 2007
1,146
1
Foothills to the Rocky Mountains
I said get a Samsung and said I use a 2253.
There are Samsungs with 2560x1600 resolution screen for the Samsung 30FTPLUS 30" TFT which also has a usb2 connection.

Problem with hp is they have no dead pixel warranty. Have you ever seen a pixel die ? A dead pixel glows out which looks shocking and with photo work its next to useless.

Samsung screens work very well on Macs as they do with Windows XP computers.

Found it...

http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsuppor...c=us&objectID=c00288895&jumpid=reg_R1002_USEN

0 dead pixels
3 dead stuck on bright sub pixels
5 dead stuck on dark sub pixels
5 total dead sub pixels

If somebody doesn't buy the HP, it should be for the right reasons. :)
 

macfeever

macrumors newbie
Apr 18, 2008
11
0
HDTV television as monitor - is it good?

Is anyone using their HDTV television as a tv and computer device? I'm looking at the Viewsonic and HP and can't decide which way to go...

these are the 2 peripherials I have in mind:

Viewsonic N3235w LCD HDTV - 32", 1366x768, HDMI, 16:9, 1200:1 Contrast Ratio, 1080i

HP: LP3065 30-inch monitor.
 

Decrepit

macrumors 65816
Sep 6, 2007
1,146
1
Foothills to the Rocky Mountains
Is anyone using their HDTV television as a tv and computer device? I'm looking at the Viewsonic and HP and can't decide which way to go...

these are the 2 peripherials I have in mind:

Viewsonic N3235w LCD HDTV - 32", 1366x768, HDMI, 16:9, 1200:1 Contrast Ratio, 1080i

HP: LP3065 30-inch monitor.

What are you plugging it into? Any Mac can export such a low resolution like that television has, but very few can drive the 2560x1600 that the HP 30" LCD (or any 30" LCD) requires.

If you have a non-pro Mac, don't bother with the 30" displays. That television is larger physically, but is designed to be looked at from a distance. The 30" LCD computer displays are designed to be stared at from under 4' for hours and hours.
 

dante@sisna.com

macrumors 6502a
Apr 21, 2006
736
0

Digital Skunk

macrumors G3
Dec 23, 2006
8,097
923
In my imagination
Go for the NEC, HP, or Apple. They are all top notch monitors IMHO. I use the 30" at work for the color accuracy, and the only ones that I have seen to have such great color are the NECs.

The one you linked to is the one I may be interested in if I can't find someone with a 23" or 30" they are willing to sell me.
 
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