which 30inch Display Would You Suggest?

[Glen Quagmire]

+1.

i don't own one, but they are stunning displays.

Thirded. The Spectravision ones, in particular, are spectacular. I am planning on buying the 30" model in a couple of weeks. The panel is H-IPS. However, they don't have USB.

If you're prepared to consider a S-PVA panel, consider the Eizo SX3031W (which has two USB ports). I have a three year old S2110W, which is brilliant. It does have a cooling fan, though, which might be an issue if you're sensitive to noise.

Given that you're in the UK, smogsy, the following two suppliers might help (though they only deal in high-end stuff like NEC, Eizo and LaCie):

http://www.nativedigital.co.uk/shop/
http://shop.colourconfidence.com/section.php?xSec=10154

 

[UltraNEO*]

Only monitor I could think of is Apple's Cinema Display, as Dell/Samsung/etc all have 30" displays but no USB hub...

the ACD30 doesn't have HDCP compliance... but it does have firewire and SB hubs, two of each.

 

[sboerup]

I love my 3007wfp-HC. 3008 is practically the same but with more connections available.

I've heard amazing things about the HP 3065. I would NOT get the Samsung, it is not a S-IPS panel. Why buy a 30" and not get the best panel type.

Apple really isn't worth it IMO, unless you really prefer looks over EVERYTHING. Dell is a winner in my book.

I bought mine refurbished, looks brand new to me! Saved me $400. They have plenty 3008's in their refurb section. Just google "dell refurbished monitors". They come with the same 3 year in-home replacement warranty.

 

[nutritious]

I love my 3007wfp-HC. 3008 is practically the same but with more connections available.

I've heard amazing things about the HP 3065. I would NOT get the Samsung, it is not a S-IPS panel. Why buy a 30" and not get the best panel type.

Apple really isn't worth it IMO, unless you really prefer looks over EVERYTHING. Dell is a winner in my book.

I bought mine refurbished, looks brand new to me! Saved me $400. They have plenty 3008's in their refurb section. Just google "dell refurbished monitors". They come with the same 3 year in-home replacement warranty.

It's funny how people automatically assume IPS is the best. In most cases, ips has more accurate color reproduction and slightly better viewing angles, but it is NOT the best looking display. The samsung s-pva panels have better blacks, a better contrast ratio, and they don't have that annoying aggressive antiglare coating that IPS panels have, which gives the picture on the screen a sparkle like effect. Why do you think eizo uses s-pva panels instead of ips? They look better, that's why, but they don't necessarily offer the same accuracy when it comes to color reproduction. My old 26" nec monitor (h-ips) suffered from gamma shift on gray and blue colors, which was annoying. Also, that's not also taking into consideration the worse uniformity/backlight bleed IPS panels generally have when compared to pva panels.

I have seen the samsung 305t, dell 3007, and hp 30", and the apple 30", and the samsung was the best looking monitor, despite the fact it is is a pva panel.

 

[UltraNEO*]

I love my 3007wfp-HC. 3008 is practically the same but with more connections available.

I've heard amazing things about the HP 3065. I would NOT get the Samsung, it is not a S-IPS panel. Why buy a 30" and not get the best panel type.

Apple really isn't worth it IMO, unless you really prefer looks over EVERYTHING. Dell is a winner in my book.

I bought mine refurbished, looks brand new to me! Saved me $400. They have plenty 3008's in their refurb section. Just google "dell refurbished monitors". They come with the same 3 year in-home replacement warranty.

It's not just the looks, people who choose an Apple Cinema Display over an Dell, are usually graphic professionals who take colour accuracy with some degree of urgency, those users will be using their rigs to earn money. For those users, there are better alternatives out there but they costs are greater too, such as some of the ColorEdge displays - a complete waste of money for home users tho.

 

[thagomizer]

I have the HP LP3065 and it is an excellent monitor. Color, contrast, build quality have exceeded my expectations. It's also height-adjustable and very stable on the desk, something that made me leery of both the Dell and Apple stands.

I've had it for over a year, no problems with it whatsoever. I've driven it with the dual-link DVI port of a Macbook Pro as well as with a 2008 Mac Pro (ATI 2600 and a flashed eVGA 8800GT). No problems with any of these cards.

My previous (Dell) 24" had an insane amount of heat coming out of it, and even though the reviews raved about its clarity (it was the expensive, first S-IPS 24" model), the pixels had a shimmer behind the grain that I could never resolve. No such problem with the HP, the picture is rock solid.

The USB ports are on the side.

The only downside is that it's a bit on the ugly side, but at least it's black.