I just got my new monitor yesterday, and I'm so impressed with it, I must share with my other Mac brethren.
First of all, as many know, most LCD hardware manufacturers (Apple included with regards to the 20" iMac) now virtually exclusively use the greatly inferior TN panels in their displays. TN panels are inferior for a number of reason, including horrible color uniformity from top to bottom (especially bad in todays larger screens), terrible viewing angles, and inferior color reproduction due to using 6-bit color panels (primarily).
For several years now, if one wanted to avoid these TN panels, you had to be willing to spend some cash. The most obvious option for the Mac faithful had been the Apple Cinema Displays. While pricey, it's for good reason--they all used S-IPS panels. This IPS technology is the most advanced LCD technology in use today, and provides great viewing angles, great color uniformity, and great color accuracy (largely due to these being 8-bit displays). But these features quite literally come at a price.
The second option was to play the "panel lottery" with a manufacturer such as Dell. Even this option isn't very viable today, as Dell has gone virtually exclusively to PVA/MVA panels. While not nearly as bad a TN, PVA/MVA panels have horrible input lag, and the viewing angles are not quite as good as those with IPS. Still, a huge improvement over TN panels.
The third option would be to spend some serious money on a display from a manufacturer who is known for their high quality panels, namely Eizo and NEC. These displays though can cost upwards of $1,000.
Well, I'm happy to say that there is now an affordable alternative to TN panels...the Dell 2209WA. This panel uses a new LCD technology based on IPS called e-IPS (the "e" stands for economy I believe). Panel manufacturers have found a way to more cheaply produce a similar quality panel as an S-IPS, but at a fraction of the price. This 2209WA is the first and only panel of this type available in the US at this time.
Prior to purchasing my unibody Macbook, I had a Mini with Apple Cinema Display setup that I was using. I sold both of these to make the switch to a laptop. Coming from a prior ACD user, I can attest that the quality of this display is most definitely on par with that of my 20" Aluminum ACD.
If you've been on the fence looking for a quality monitor in today's sea of inferior panels, this is your answer. And the best part? They can be had from Dell Small Business for $212 with free shipping. I believe that might have expired at the first of May, but they are currently listed on their site at $219. This is an unbelievable deal for such a high-quality display.
The only downside to this monitor is it's size/resolution. This is a 16:10 22" monitor that runs at 1680 x 1050. While I'd like a little more screen real estate, I'll willingly sacrifice that at this point for a higher quality panel.
Seriously, this is an awesome monitor. Go get one now. I wish I could have afforded two.
First of all, as many know, most LCD hardware manufacturers (Apple included with regards to the 20" iMac) now virtually exclusively use the greatly inferior TN panels in their displays. TN panels are inferior for a number of reason, including horrible color uniformity from top to bottom (especially bad in todays larger screens), terrible viewing angles, and inferior color reproduction due to using 6-bit color panels (primarily).
For several years now, if one wanted to avoid these TN panels, you had to be willing to spend some cash. The most obvious option for the Mac faithful had been the Apple Cinema Displays. While pricey, it's for good reason--they all used S-IPS panels. This IPS technology is the most advanced LCD technology in use today, and provides great viewing angles, great color uniformity, and great color accuracy (largely due to these being 8-bit displays). But these features quite literally come at a price.
The second option was to play the "panel lottery" with a manufacturer such as Dell. Even this option isn't very viable today, as Dell has gone virtually exclusively to PVA/MVA panels. While not nearly as bad a TN, PVA/MVA panels have horrible input lag, and the viewing angles are not quite as good as those with IPS. Still, a huge improvement over TN panels.
The third option would be to spend some serious money on a display from a manufacturer who is known for their high quality panels, namely Eizo and NEC. These displays though can cost upwards of $1,000.
Well, I'm happy to say that there is now an affordable alternative to TN panels...the Dell 2209WA. This panel uses a new LCD technology based on IPS called e-IPS (the "e" stands for economy I believe). Panel manufacturers have found a way to more cheaply produce a similar quality panel as an S-IPS, but at a fraction of the price. This 2209WA is the first and only panel of this type available in the US at this time.
Prior to purchasing my unibody Macbook, I had a Mini with Apple Cinema Display setup that I was using. I sold both of these to make the switch to a laptop. Coming from a prior ACD user, I can attest that the quality of this display is most definitely on par with that of my 20" Aluminum ACD.
If you've been on the fence looking for a quality monitor in today's sea of inferior panels, this is your answer. And the best part? They can be had from Dell Small Business for $212 with free shipping. I believe that might have expired at the first of May, but they are currently listed on their site at $219. This is an unbelievable deal for such a high-quality display.
The only downside to this monitor is it's size/resolution. This is a 16:10 22" monitor that runs at 1680 x 1050. While I'd like a little more screen real estate, I'll willingly sacrifice that at this point for a higher quality panel.
Seriously, this is an awesome monitor. Go get one now. I wish I could have afforded two.
