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LG 27" Monitor junk? Or am I doing it wrong?

I am not limited to 27"

24" is supposedly good for photo editing? (No personal exp)

If I go mini display port - direct to display port on new monitor is there resolution constraints still based on my computers graphics card? (Sry, new to this)

Budget: I believe quality products warrant the price. Hoping to get something new for under 1k if possible
 
Sam5281 said:
I am not limited to 27"

24" is supposedly good for photo editing? (No personal exp)

If I go mini display port - direct to display port on new monitor is there resolution constraints still based on my computers graphics card? (Sry, new to this)

Budget: I believe quality products warrant the price. Hoping to get something new for under 1k if possible
Click to expand...

Are you going to try going from MiniDisplay Port to DVI. Just because your LG monitor isn't the most expensive or highest quality monitor doesn't mean it is total junk! I think you should try running it at 1920x1080 via DVI, the results may surprise you!
 
Sam5281 said:
I am not limited to 27"

24" is supposedly good for photo editing? (No personal exp)

If I go mini display port - direct to display port on new monitor is there resolution constraints still based on my computers graphics card? (Sry, new to this)

Budget: I believe quality products warrant the price. Hoping to get something new for under 1k if possible
Click to expand...

I want to point out to you that there is an incredible range to the cost of these setups. I used to do a certain amount of "finishing" work. I would receive a rough layout for the thing and mask out images as necessary, do all color correction, retouch anything necessary out of the thing, and make a proof to be viewed on a color corrected print viewer (you can buy stickers that show a mark whenever the lighting temperature is incorrect, so that people know to expect metamerism). When you add things up at that level such as printer + RIP software + printviewer + display + colorimeter, you're up to several thousand dollars. I'm just saying this to give you some perspective. It isn't just the display. A good display just makes some things easier.

Going back to your initial concerns, color can be a few things. If there it isn't being recognized as an RGB output stream, that would cause some strange colors. It would not affect sharpness if the output resolution is still recognized at its native setting. You would find that under system preferences -> display. Keep in mind until we get external displays, notebook displays are ahead in terms of dpi. I have a 24" 1920x1200, specifically the older version of this one. Colors are great. I don't have grey tracking problems or anything annoying like that. As far as sharpness is concerned though, I can definitely see more aliasing than on my 17" macbook pro. If you're uncomfortable with the dpi, it would be good to go to either a higher resolution 27" or a 24" at 1920x1080 or 1920x1200.

Altemose said:
Are you going to try going from MiniDisplay Port to DVI. Just because your LG monitor isn't the most expensive or highest quality monitor doesn't mean it is total junk! I think you should try running it at 1920x1080 via DVI, the results may surprise you!
Click to expand...

If it only has DVI that might make sense. Typically the only reason you would get better results is if the monitor is being treated as a television.
 
thekev said:
I want to point out to you that there is an incredible range to the cost of these setups. I used to do a certain amount of "finishing" work. I would receive a rough layout for the thing and mask out images as necessary, do all color correction, retouch anything necessary out of the thing, and make a proof to be viewed on a color corrected print viewer (you can buy stickers that show a mark whenever the lighting temperature is incorrect, so that people know to expect metamerism). When you add things up at that level such as printer + RIP software + printviewer + display + colorimeter, you're up to several thousand dollars. I'm just saying this to give you some perspective. It isn't just the display. A good display just makes some things easier.



Going back to your initial concerns, color can be a few things. If there it isn't being recognized as an RGB output stream, that would cause some strange colors. It would not affect sharpness if the output resolution is still recognized at its native setting. You would find that under system preferences -> display. Keep in mind until we get external displays, notebook displays are ahead in terms of dpi. I have a 24" 1920x1200, specifically the older version of this one. Colors are great. I don't have grey tracking problems or anything annoying like that. As far as sharpness is concerned though, I can definitely see more aliasing than on my 17" macbook pro. If you're uncomfortable with the dpi, it would be good to go to either a higher resolution 27" or a 24" at 1920x1080 or 1920x1200.







If it only has DVI that might make sense. Typically the only reason you would get better results is if the monitor is being treated as a television.
Click to expand...


Right now he is using a DVI and an HDMI adapter. If he cut the HDMI the quality should improve.
 
Altemose said:
Right now he is using a DVI and an HDMI adapter. If he cut the HDMI the quality should improve.
Click to expand...

Yeah but I think that's related to the color thing, assuming it's not giving him a full RGB signal. I don't see how it would improve sharpness. Everyone is a bit different in their sensitivity, but 1920x1080 would be lower in dpi than his notebook display. It could cause that kind of reaction from a person.
 
thekev said:
Yeah but I think that's related to the color thing, assuming it's not giving him a full RGB signal. I don't see how it would improve sharpness. Everyone is a bit different in their sensitivity, but 1920x1080 would be lower in dpi than his notebook display. It could cause that kind of reaction from a person.
Click to expand...

Converter cables are generally total trash. It may help. I personally would rather do a $10 investment and just try a DVI to DVI cable rather than dumping tons of cash into a new monitor. Just as a test. If I am wrong (which I might be) I have no problem admitting it. Just in my experience double adapter chains and converter cables mess with color and sharpness.
 
Altemose said:
Converter cables are generally total trash. It may help. I personally would rather do a $10 investment and just try a DVI to DVI cable rather than dumping tons of cash into a new monitor. Just as a test. If I am wrong (which I might be) I have no problem admitting it. Just in my experience double adapter chains and converter cables mess with color and sharpness.
Click to expand...

I completely agree with you on the use of adapter chains. People on here often advocate using Apple's whatever to whatever adapter then a cable, and it makes no sense when much of the time you can just find a single cable solution on monoprice or amazon. If I needed mini displayport to dvi, I would just purchase one cable with that combination.
 
thekev said:
I completely agree with you on the use of adapter chains. People on here often advocate using Apple's whatever to whatever adapter then a cable, and it makes no sense when much of the time you can just find a single cable solution on monoprice or amazon. If I needed mini displayport to dvi, I would just purchase one cable with that combination.
Click to expand...

Very true. The reason why most people say that is because Apple adapters are pretty good and a majority of the time you buy a port converting cable (e.g. Mini DisplayPort to DVI) the quality is poor. Some are very good though!

I wonder what the OP is going to do!
 
Altemose said:
Very true. The reason why most people say that is because Apple adapters are pretty good and a majority of the time you buy a port converting cable (e.g. Mini DisplayPort to DVI) the quality is poor. Some are very good though!

I wonder what the OP is going to do!
Click to expand...

Guy told me at Bestbuy that DVI-to DVI won't be any improvement on what I have, so didn't buy cable.
 
Sam5281 said:
Yes
Click to expand...

The only reason I am encouraging you to get a new adapter and a fresh DVI to DVI cable is because I believe it truly is the cable.

http://www.lg.com/us/monitors/lg-E2742V-BN-led-monitor

The monitor has a 4.9/5.0 star reviews across 85 different customers. While not a perfect survey by any means, it shows that it is a decent display.

In my case, a new adapter and running strictly DVI and no HDMI made a night and day difference. It may not be in your case, but I start with the most affordable fixes and work my way out.
 
Sam5281 said:
Yes
Click to expand...

That is definitely a cable mess. There have been problems with obtaining RGB output from HDMI. I don't know whether that applies to yours. but it would make colors look washed out.

Aside from that cables and adapters are all terrible. This includes the ones sold by Apple. Feel free to look at their reviews if you don't believe me. They aren't a highly profitable item, and companies just try to purchase them for as little as possible. I would probably go with a one cable solution like this. You just want the simplest possible conversion between the port on your notebook and the display. If you were using one with a displayport port or a choice of ports that included displayport, I would say to use a mini displayport to displayport cable for the same reason.
 
thekev said:
That is definitely a cable mess. There have been problems with obtaining RGB output from HDMI. I don't know whether that applies to yours. but it would make colors look washed out.

Aside from that cables and adapters are all terrible. This includes the ones sold by Apple. Feel free to look at their reviews if you don't believe me. They aren't a highly profitable item, and companies just try to purchase them for as little as possible. I would probably go with a one cable solution like this. You just want the simplest possible conversion between the port on your notebook and the display. If you were using one with a displayport port or a choice of ports that included displayport, I would say to use a mini displayport to displayport cable for the same reason.
Click to expand...

The Apple adapters put out pretty good quality! Though the adapters and cables I have ordered off Amazon are usually garbage.
 
How much does the resolution on the macbook play to resolution on the LG monitor? IE: Would higher resolution macbook, look better not only by itself, but better on an external monitor?
 
1600x900 on a 20" looks pretty bad to me, I can't imagine 1920x1080 on a 27" monitor. The pixels must be huge!
 
Sam5281 said:
How much does the resolution on the macbook play to resolution on the LG monitor? IE: Would higher resolution macbook, look better not only by itself, but better on an external monitor?
Click to expand...
The macbook should be driving whatever resolution the monitor requires. i.e. the macbook screen resolution has nothing to do with the monitor. If it's a 1920x1080 monitor the macbook should be displaying a 1920x1080 picture on it. Anything else will absolutely suck.

Doesn't matter which macbook, anything from an 11.6 MBA to a venerable 17" Macbook Pro should drive the monitor at its native resolution.

First thing you need to do is quit using an adapter chain. That's nothing but bad news from the beginning and is the most probably source of your troubles.

If the monitor won't accept DVI, get a quality miniDisplayPort to HDMI cable. Monoprice has them and is usually the best bang for your buck.
 
deeddawg said:
The macbook should be driving whatever resolution the monitor requires. i.e. the macbook screen resolution has nothing to do with the monitor. If it's a 1920x1080 monitor the macbook should be displaying a 1920x1080 picture on it. Anything else will absolutely suck.

Doesn't matter which macbook, anything from an 11.6 MBA to a venerable 17" Macbook Pro should drive the monitor at its native resolution.

First thing you need to do is quit using an adapter chain. That's nothing but bad news from the beginning and is the most probably source of your troubles.

If the monitor won't accept DVI, get a quality miniDisplayPort to HDMI cable. Monoprice has them and is usually the best bang for your buck.
Click to expand...

Just lost me there

My MBP is (1440 x 900)

This has no impact on what it can power on an external monitor?
 
Sam5281 said:
Just lost me there

My MBP is (1440 x 900)

This has no impact on what it can power on an external monitor?
Click to expand...

The resolution of your internal display has no effect on the external display. Back in the 90s and early 2000s laptop GPUs could only drive certain resolutions on external displays.

Now we are only hitting that limit with extremely high res. displays like 4k. Your MacBook is more than capable of running this LG and then some.

Did you try a new adapter and cable?
 
Altemose said:
The resolution of your internal display has no effect on the external display. Back in the 90s and early 2000s laptop GPUs could only drive certain resolutions on external displays.

Now we are only hitting that limit with extremely high res. displays like 4k. Your MacBook is more than capable of running this LG and then some.

Did you try a new adapter and cable?
Click to expand...

I haven't - but just noticed that when I have displays not "mirroring" each other the LG looks a lot better for clarity. Not color/ that's still yellowish compared to my macbook, but in terms of clarity- it's a bit different on this mode.

P.S- Reason I asked about MacBooks resolution- was told by guy in best buy that it's all dependent on resolution from laptop... (I know better then to listen to guys at Best Buy)
 
Sam5281 said:
I haven't - but just noticed that when I have displays not "mirroring" each other the LG looks a lot better for clarity. Not color/ that's still yellowish compared to my macbook, but in terms of clarity- it's a bit different on this mode.

P.S- Reason I asked about MacBooks resolution- was told by guy in best buy that it's all dependent on resolution from laptop... (I know better then to listen to guys at Best Buy)
Click to expand...

In the old days the laptop would only output what the internal display was doing while in mirroring mode. If I had a 1024x768 display, that is all it would do on the external.

Nowadays that limit does not apply. I think you need a good Apple adapter and a good DVI cable and the sharpness would be resolved. As for color, that is an attribute of double changing interfaces (MDP --> DVI --> HDMI). Some LCDs have a warmer and more yellow white point, but until you are using the appropriate setup of cables you won't know.

Do you have another machine, maybe a PC to test this display with. I think if you went with a straight through MiniDisplayPort --> DVI cable or an Apple MDP --> DVI adapter you would be shocked with the results. I have said this every post and ultimately, it is your decision whether you want to try my advice or listen to the characters at Best Buy. In most cases, I would be right with most displays in this scenario.
 
Altemose said:
In the old days the laptop would only output what the internal display was doing while in mirroring mode. If I had a 1024x768 display, that is all it would do on the external.

Nowadays that limit does not apply. I think you need a good Apple adapter and a good DVI cable and the sharpness would be resolved. As for color, that is an attribute of double changing interfaces (MDP --> DVI --> HDMI). Some LCDs have a warmer and more yellow white point, but until you are using the appropriate setup of cables you won't know.

Do you have another machine, maybe a PC to test this display with. I think if you went with a straight through MiniDisplayPort --> DVI cable or an Apple MDP --> DVI adapter you would be shocked with the results. I have said this every post and ultimately, it is your decision whether you want to try my advice or listen to the characters at Best Buy. In most cases, I would be right with most displays in this scenario.
Click to expand...

Like I said- I'm using an apple adapter. (MDP to DVI)
I'm open to try method of switching cable.
Guess I'll get a DVI to DVI and use with current adapter OR
do as others suggested one cord (not apple) MBP to DVI
 
Sam5281 said:
Like I said- I'm using an apple adapter. (MDP to DVI)
I'm open to try method of switching cable.
Guess I'll get a DVI to DVI and use with current adapter OR
do as others suggested one cord (not apple) MBP to DVI
Click to expand...

Try the DVI to DVI cable and report back. Good thing you are using the Apple adapter. I have never had one show poor picture.

You can try the MiniDisplayPort to DVI cable, but I am not sure of what brands are good or not.
 
Sam5281 said:
Hello

Using an LG E2742 27" monitor with late 2008 macbook pro. Connected by mini display port to DVI adapter - then DVI to HDMI into monitor.

Picture on monitor just lacks everything. Different colors. Poor sharpness.

Is this a poor monitor?

Using for photo editing/photoshop/LR in current state - out of the question.

Please advise
Click to expand...

27" with 1080p resolution? What did you expect?

23" - 24" is absolutely maximum screen size for 1080p. If you go for larger display you gotta look for 1440p ones.
 
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