Hi,
I don't know if this is the place to post reviews, but here it goes....
Just unpacked the Dell 24" HD screen from the box. From receiving the package to turning on the computer takes about 10 minutes (including the time it takes to explain to confused roomates why the h-ll a Dell product is coming into a Mac home).
I've gotta say that I had been racking my brain about which screen to buy. I must have made a dozen trips to the Apple store comparing the 20" to the 23", deciding if High Definition was worth it, deciding if 3 extra inches was worth $750 (CDN).
While scouring boards and reviews, I noticed this Dell LCD -- an inch bigger than Apple's; every kind of input you can imagine (S-Video, RCA, Component, VGA, and, DVI, 9 media card slots, 4 USBs [no firewires]); a tilt and swivel stand; height control (which works AMAZINGLY, it's SO fluid); landscape AND portrait mode; Picture-in-Picture -- all for $1,400 (CDN, incl. tax and ship). All things considered, it's almost $500 less than Apple's 23" HD. Still -- not an Apple, so the decision was tough. But that was it. I bought this screen blind. I had never seen it before, nor did I know anyone who had one.
Now that I'm in front of it: 100% right decision. It's terrific. The frame is minimal, stirdy, unobtrusive. The controls are easy to adjust. The picture is phenomenal. Right out of the box, it's compatible with my Power Mac G5. System Preferences even recognizes it as a Dell 2405 display and the calibrator runs perfectly.
First stop: HD trailers in the QuickTime gallery. Batman Begins. Flawless image -- I would even say better than the ACDs (not a side by side test, but I had spent hours scrutinizing them in Apple stores, so I think I remember the image quality). Crisp. Bright. Stunning.
Final Cut Pro. This display was bought primarily to complement FCP Studio. The timeline spans the entire screen. Enormous. So much room. With DV video, the viewer and canvas are 99% of their size (FCP users know what I'm talking about). Almost a full frame size. Desktop previewing is great, too. When working with 4:3 video, the aspect ratio is preserved, even though it is a 16:10 display (i.e. black bars on the left and right). In Arrange > Standard mode, a full 10 tracks are viewable (timeline track height on it's third notch). This makes for a superb work space.
DVDs. Like the Apple 23", DVDs are OK but not great. The resolution on these monitors seem to be too high for DVDs. The image is not crisp and sharp. I'm sure when HD DVDs hit the market, they'll use the screens to their full potential.
That's all so far. Only thing is that it does produce a fair bit of heat. Perhaps a little bit more than the ACDs.
For those on the fence, I give this Display a solid "BUY" rating. I was skeptic up until I hit the power button.
In my humble opinion (and I'm sure many will disagree with me), an aluminum bezel and an Apple logo do not justify sacrificing wonderfully useful extra features, more screen real estate, and -- to boot - spending an extra 500 bucks.
I don't know if this is the place to post reviews, but here it goes....
Just unpacked the Dell 24" HD screen from the box. From receiving the package to turning on the computer takes about 10 minutes (including the time it takes to explain to confused roomates why the h-ll a Dell product is coming into a Mac home).
I've gotta say that I had been racking my brain about which screen to buy. I must have made a dozen trips to the Apple store comparing the 20" to the 23", deciding if High Definition was worth it, deciding if 3 extra inches was worth $750 (CDN).
While scouring boards and reviews, I noticed this Dell LCD -- an inch bigger than Apple's; every kind of input you can imagine (S-Video, RCA, Component, VGA, and, DVI, 9 media card slots, 4 USBs [no firewires]); a tilt and swivel stand; height control (which works AMAZINGLY, it's SO fluid); landscape AND portrait mode; Picture-in-Picture -- all for $1,400 (CDN, incl. tax and ship). All things considered, it's almost $500 less than Apple's 23" HD. Still -- not an Apple, so the decision was tough. But that was it. I bought this screen blind. I had never seen it before, nor did I know anyone who had one.
Now that I'm in front of it: 100% right decision. It's terrific. The frame is minimal, stirdy, unobtrusive. The controls are easy to adjust. The picture is phenomenal. Right out of the box, it's compatible with my Power Mac G5. System Preferences even recognizes it as a Dell 2405 display and the calibrator runs perfectly.
First stop: HD trailers in the QuickTime gallery. Batman Begins. Flawless image -- I would even say better than the ACDs (not a side by side test, but I had spent hours scrutinizing them in Apple stores, so I think I remember the image quality). Crisp. Bright. Stunning.
Final Cut Pro. This display was bought primarily to complement FCP Studio. The timeline spans the entire screen. Enormous. So much room. With DV video, the viewer and canvas are 99% of their size (FCP users know what I'm talking about). Almost a full frame size. Desktop previewing is great, too. When working with 4:3 video, the aspect ratio is preserved, even though it is a 16:10 display (i.e. black bars on the left and right). In Arrange > Standard mode, a full 10 tracks are viewable (timeline track height on it's third notch). This makes for a superb work space.
DVDs. Like the Apple 23", DVDs are OK but not great. The resolution on these monitors seem to be too high for DVDs. The image is not crisp and sharp. I'm sure when HD DVDs hit the market, they'll use the screens to their full potential.
That's all so far. Only thing is that it does produce a fair bit of heat. Perhaps a little bit more than the ACDs.
For those on the fence, I give this Display a solid "BUY" rating. I was skeptic up until I hit the power button.
In my humble opinion (and I'm sure many will disagree with me), an aluminum bezel and an Apple logo do not justify sacrificing wonderfully useful extra features, more screen real estate, and -- to boot - spending an extra 500 bucks.
