LCD panel - contrast ratio

[julianhj]

Am I right in thinking that a ratio of 800:1 is better than 400:1 - I'm having a blonde moment and can't work out how significant a spec it is!



>>> Edited by julianhj on Sunday 3rd April 19:57

[simpo two]

IMHO it's over-rated. I have two Sony S-71s here - I think they are 300:1. Anyway, if I use all the contrast it's like looking into the sun - and the details just bleach. Brightness and contrast don't seem to work the same on TFTs as CRTs.

So, amazingly, I run:
Contrast: 70-80
Brightness: 20-30
Backlight:0-20.

So I'm not sure why you need any more contrast, really...

[julianhj]

Cheers, that's helpful. The reason I ask is that the Iiyama E481S I bought 6 months ago for £400 seems to have been superceded by the E485S - priced at £250

The only spec difference I can see is a doubling of the contrast ratio and an increase in response time (by 2ms).

Have flat panels fallen in price that much, or is there another reason for the price drop?

[Muncher]

TFT prices seem to have fallen, I paid £800 for my 18.1" Samsung 181T 2 years ago

[julianhj]

I'm thinking of buying a cheapish 19" TFT and a video to XGA converter - effectively a cheap alternative to an LCD TV.

[simpo two]

julianhj said:

Have flat panels fallen in price that much, or is there another reason for the price drop?

I understand new factories have come online and so there's oversupply at present: 15" TFTs for £99 etc.

[ultimasimon]

Muncher said:

TFT prices seem to have fallen, I paid £800 for my 18.1" Samsung 181T 2 years ago

Yeah, me too and it was 'trade'.

There are some luvvly Sony 23" widescreens on ebay for that price now

I am currently buying 15" 3yr onsite for £88 plus vat and 17" with the same warranty for £104 plus vat.

My buyer tells me the prices have crashed as manufacturers tried to double them last year out of greed, and hardly anyone bought them. Its nice to see the prices fall when the come grovelling back again begging us to buy at a reasonable price

[julianhj]

Simon, what brand are you buying?

>> Edited by julianhj on Sunday 3rd April 22:31

[beanbag]

ultimasimon said:

Muncher said: TFT prices seem to have fallen, I paid £800 for my 18.1" Samsung 181T 2 years ago Yeah, me too and it was 'trade'. There are some luvvly Sony 23" widescreens on ebay for that price now I am currently buying 15" 3yr onsite for £88 plus vat and 17" with the same warranty for £104 plus vat. My buyer tells me the prices have crashed as manufacturers tried to double them last year out of greed, and hardly anyone bought them. Its nice to see the prices fall when the come grovelling back again begging us to buy at a reasonable price

Yup! Another sucker here. I bought an Iiyama 18.1" TFT for £600! Quality monitor as it has 2 DVI inputs, an S-video an AV and a USB hub but still.....£600!!!!!

[julianhj]

beanbag said:

Yup! Another sucker here. I bought an Iiyama 18.1" TFT for £600! Quality monitor as it has 2 DVI inputs, an S-video an AV and a USB hub but still.....£600!!!!!

Which model dod you get and is it any good? I'm looking at the Iiyama LCD TVs and wondering if it's not worth buying a standard panel and a separate video to XGA scaler - works out half the cost, it seems.