First Apple Coming- Need Monitor, Ideas?

[SCruzairhead]

First and foremost, I want to thank the many contributors who put in their two cents. This is my first post, but I have read Mac Rumors and the air thread daily for six months!

Here is the deal....

I finally could not take waiting for the updated air, so I bought the current one. I hope I made a good choice (sell it and get a new one if not)! I have always had a dell laptop with a 17" monitor, which no longer appeals to me due to size/weight. Now that my new computer is coming, I want to get some stuff to make it more usable.

This will be my main computer. Yes, I know it is "slow" but its faster then what I have been using. I pretty much surf the net/Excel/Word. When in my home office, I want to not strain my eyes. I want a monitor. Not just anyone, but a big a** one. Perhaps 32 or 27 inches. When you buy TVs that size, does the output from a Macbook air look grainy? Should I wait for an iMac update and get one of those to plug this into, so I have a fast home machine that can also serve as a display for my Air?

Also, I bought a time capsule 1tb. The 128 SSD will be too small. Should I return the cap and get something else? I want to keep it, but the price is a lot compared to others. Which do you recommend? Also, I still have my trusty dell, five years old and won't quit. Can I use the Time Cap for the Dell?

The air is exciting, but I have to admit, its getting expensive buying superdrives, monitor, apple mouse, apple keyboard, yikes.

Any advice is great!

 

[spinnerlys]

Just to add some information.

TVs are not good as computer displays, as they are made for constant motion, and most computer content doesn't move with 25 frames per second, except moving images.

A 27" TV will most likely only have a resolution of approx. 1338 x 768 pixel, 20" displays have more than that, thus the image will look blurry on a TV.

Maybe MRoogle can give you some information on recommended displays.

The Time Capsule is made for Mac OS X, but you may be able to access it wirelessly. MRoogle can give you more information.

 

[thinkdesign]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows CE; IEMobile 7.11) Sprint PPC6850SP)

Those few monitors whose stands can do a 90 degree "pivot" so the screen can be in either "landscape" or "portrait orientation", interest me.

I just went to the Samsung showroom on Columbus Circle in NYC, and was told that Samsung sells just one such model (at least in the US) now.... # B1940EW "19" high performance widescreen monitor", 1440 x 900, high contrast. I just noticed they don't have the price on this printout. It was cheap. This showroom used to be exclusively to see stuff and get questions answered. Recently they've added a feature that - at the front desk you can direct-order items for delivery.

Of course 19" is small, unless you really keep it in "portrait" mode and use that for fewer columns of type... maybe just one huge newspaper / magazine column?

I'm told (by Apple) you have to electronically rotate the image by going into the computer's menus... the "pivoting" monitors don't do that for you.

But bigger is better..... The B&H Photo catalog used to have 4 pivoting models by one mfr. under $500., up to 23" (Viewsonic?)... but now their latest physical catalog seems to have just one or 2 under $500. Not on display in-store in NYC... so with them -- you have to buy it, test it at home, and return it if no good. (I didn't check their restocking terms / fees.)

Last time I went to J+R Music they didn't have any pivotting ones. But that wasn't very recently... I'm going to go back in July and check again.

You have to stick to that correct term "pivotting", even though some salespeople don't know what it means.
Not "swivelling."

I would love to find a 24-25-26" pivotting one, (esp. if it can display TV too).

 

[pfealey]

I've got a Dell 2209wa.

Seems to tick most of your boxes, other than displaying TV - and possibly the size.

It's 22", and has DVI and VGA inputs. It pivots, and best of all, has an E-IPS display, so colour reproduction is better, and images look sharper. The res is 1280 x 1050, so almost 'Full HD'.

It cost me Roughly £200 inc delivery here in the UK.

Samsung do a couple of 24"+ Pivoters, but they don't have great screens.

I'm very happy with my Dell, but would love a 24" Cinema Display so everything 'matches'. Not willing to spend *that* much money on one just so everything looks the same!

 

[soph]

I would love to find a 24-25-26" pivotting one, (esp. if it can display TV too).

I've got a HP LP2475w (http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/us/en/sm/WF05a/382087-382087-64283-72270-3884471-3648442.html) which is significantly above your price range but does indeed pivot. As I don't (yet) use it with OS X nor like pivotting I can however not comment on any automatic orientation adjustment.

A quick net search said HP does not support OS X well, but screen orientation can be adjusted by hand.

It has lots of different input (DVI, DisplayPort, HDMI, component, S-video, composite) but does not have a TV receiver itself, as it's meant for professional office use.

And it needs colour calibration before usage ...

 

[gri]

Bad experience with Dell. Had to return two 3008 monitors, one for dead pixels after 6 months, the replacement (which turned out to be a refurbished one) broke after just 5 hours of use. Now hoping for a 27' ACD, using a loaner old 20' ACD which is still better in its uniformity than the Dells (as is my 23' ACD at home)...

 

[Scottsdale]

I have three 24" LED Apple Cinema Displays. I know bigger would be great, but these displays are absolutely INCREDIBLE. In addition, they make the system like a docking station. You can leave all of your accessories plugged into the ACD's USB hub. You can also leave your MBA's power adaptor in your notebook bag. The ACD's LED-backlit display is unbelievable. It is a lot nicer than the 30" ACD.

The other consideration you should ponder is waiting for Apple to update its displays which are rumored for an update soon. Apple is going to release potentially two new LED-backlit ACDs in the next few months. They will probably be released when the Mac Pro is finally updated. The commonly rumored display is a 27" LED-backlit ACD that uses the same panel as the 27" iMac. I believe they will also offer either a 32.5" or 33" display in addition.

You could also use multiple 24" displays. There is a company that offers 24" "CinemaView" displays that compete with the 24" ACDs and have an aluminum frame/case. They look very similar. But they also offer an adaptor that allows the use of two 24" ACDs or two of their 24" CinemaView displays with your MBA.

Two 24" ACDs with your MBA ($149) using a "CinemaView Duo":

http://www.cinemaview.com/product/cinemaview-duo

Competing 24" Aluminum Displays:

http://www.cinemaview.com/product/cinemaview-24-display

One last note. I have bought my last three 24" LED ACDs from Apple in the refurbished section at Apple.com. They only cost $599 and they're like brand new with full one-year warranty. So you could buy two 24" LED ACDs and a CinemaView Duo for $1347. Or for $400 less, you could buy two 24" CinemaView Displays instead. They're not as nice, but they're cheaper.

 

[Disavowed]

I would wait

The new display for the 27' iMac is drop dead beautiful in terms of both it's form and function. Lets just hope we don't have to wait that long, which we shouldn't given that it is, in a way, done already as evidenced by the iMac release and its universal acclaim for the display.

Now, a MBA update........


not going there today......not gonna do it.

 

[gwsat]

I have three 24" LED Apple Cinema Displays. I know bigger would be great, but these displays are absolutely INCREDIBLE. In addition, they make the system like a docking station. You can leave all of your accessories plugged into the ACD's USB hub. You can also leave your MBA's power adaptor in your notebook bag. The ACD's LED-backlit display is unbelievable. It is a lot nicer than the 30" ACD.

Scottsdale beat me to it in recommending an Apple display. I am a long time home theater nerd, so I pay a lot of attention the quality of the images on any display. The 24 inch Apple LED Cinema Display is, quite simply, in a class by itself. Every time I walk up to one in the Apple Store I am stunned all over again by the quality of its images. As is true with most Apple products, you will pay a premium for it but in this case you would really get what you paid for.

 

[thinkdesign]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows CE; IEMobile 7.11) Sprint PPC6850SP)

Another 'pivoting' monitor seen: "Viewsonic VP2365wb 23" IPS 1080p Monitor for Photographers", 1980 x 1080, analog and digital inputs, 4 port USB hub, DVI-digital and VGA analog inputs. 178 degree viewing angle. 300 bucks. Saw it today at J&R Music in NYC, where they said that currently it's their only pivoting model.

 

[SnoFlo]

The Dell 2209WA is very nice (I have one) but the black level isn't so great. Great bang-for-buck LCD though.

 

[mangrove]

You might try the new HP 30" that came out In June 2010

The model is HP ZR30w. It's got all the latest (S-IPS, etc). It comes with gobs of cables, but it's best to get the Kanex Mini DisplayPort to DisplayPort Cable for like $15. when your Apple has a Mini DisplayPort.

HP's Small Business Site sells it for $1299, but MacMall is $1249. The sites do not mention the cables, but mine just arrived with USB (it can serve as a 4x USB hub), DisplayPort to DisplayPort cable and a DVI-D cable marked with a label that says "Dual-Link DVI cable"

Maybe this helps if it's within your budget.

 

[Spacekatgal]

I would also strongly vote for the 24 inch ACD. I disagree that bigger is better. When I use my husband's 27 inch iMac, it's too big in many ways. The MBA can't really play games, but in my experience the large resolution is more that even the i7 imac can totally process. You end up running games in Windowed mode, or going down to a lower resolution.

There are undoubtedly better monitors in terms of picture than the Apple ACD. But, considering the total package, I think it's a great investment. It's so easy to use with the MBA.

 

[AtmChm]

I also vote for the Apple 24" LED display. However, I also vote for just about any Apple cinema display. About a year ago I bought a 22" ACD - one of the older ones with the acrylic case - on ebay for about $200. I'm still amazed at how good it looks for its age - no dead pixels and no fading. The older displays have the ADC connector, which I needed at the time, but if you get the ADC to DVI connector, you can even use one of the older monitors for far less.

The new ACD 24" is pricey, but I would agree you get what you pay for in this case. It is far better than other large screen monitors I have had.