21 inch monitors / BNC

[acobra]

Hi all.. I have 2 questions. I'm in the market for a 21/22 inch monitor, and I wanted to know if anyone had any suggestions. I'm curious about what the BEST with no money constraints would be and also what the BEST "bang for the buck" would be.

Right now I'm leaning towards the Mitsubishi Diamond Pro 2060u - but it doesn't have BNC connectors which leads me to my second question:

Is there a big visible difference in DSUB vs BNC connections? I used to hear yes, huge difference, but lately I keep hearing that the difference is very small or non-existent?

Any Suggestions / Ideas / Comments?? Thanks!!!

[ALBPM]

BNC connectors do make a difference at resolutions of 1028 x 768 and higher. You will see better contrast, more vivid colors and a sharper image.

If you want the best image possible look at this SONY .22mm dot pitch.
http://www.ita.sel.sony.com/products.../gdmf500r.html

Paul

[acobra]

How much of a difference though?? Is it worth NOT getting a monitor because it doesn't have BNC?

How much visual difference would .24 and .22 aperature grill pitch make? Do you think it's worth an extra $500-800?? The other Sony models (g520 and e500) are both .24 also. One of the reviews I read (pcworld) thought that the Mitsubishi 2060 was better than the Sony G520 (at that price point).

Is there any diff in the F500 and F520??

[FrankDC]

If you can find a Mitsubishi 2040u it has BNC connectors, better specs and a better picture than Sony's F500R, and it's ~$700 less. Look up some comparitive reviews.

If you have the money to spend, Eizo's F980 is the best 21" monitor made right now. The F500R isn't even close.

[xortam]

Its crazy for any half-way decent 21" monitor to not include a BNC connection unless its a digital monitor. My 17" NEC 5FG has BNCs and I notice the difference on this old monitor. I wouldn't let it stop you if 1) you're going to run the cables through a cheap KVM switch, 2)you're going to use a crappy video card, or 3)you have poor eyesight and none of those factors are going to ever change.

[GoSharks]

My 2 cents on BNC connectors

Theoretically the BNC connectors should give you a better video image. BNC connectors are designed to match the impedance of the coaxial cable. Impedance miss matches will send small ripples (for lack of a better term) up and down the video cable. These ripples could be amplified by the monitor and show on the screen as very small ghost images particularly after a bright to dark, or dark to light transitions.

Even if you use a BNC cable, the end that attaches to the video card is still the VGA DB-15. The impedance mismatch at that end of the cable can cause the same types of ghosting affect. If both sides had BNC connections then there would be some improvement.

The biggest drawback to BNC cables is they do not support Windows pug and play standard.

If you are worried about signal quality, buy a monitor with an integrated (permanently attached) video cable. In this case the end that attaches to the monitor is usually soldered directly to the video amplifiers printed circuit board, no better connection that that for video quality.

Most monitors sold with video cables that use 15-pin d-sub connectors use the same 75 Ohm coaxial cable that the BNC cables use.

If you decide to try BNC please post your results.



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Jim at http://www.monitorsdirect.com

[xortam]

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size="2">Originally posted by GoSharks:
... Even if you use a BNC cable, the end that attaches to the video card is still the VGA DB-15. The impedance mismatch at that end of the cable can cause the same types of ghosting affect. If both sides had BNC connections then there would be some improvement.</font>

I would think that companies that are producing the higher quality BNC cables are very careful about impedance matching the D-sub connector.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size="2">... The biggest drawback to BNC cables is they do not support Windows pug and play standard.</font>

True, but my old 5FG isn't PnP (or Energy Star) so it doesn't affect me. I agree that this would be the major issue for most people.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size="2">If you are worried about signal quality, buy a monitor with an integrated (permanently attached) video cable. In this case the end that attaches to the monitor is usually soldered directly to the video amplifiers printed circuit board, no better connection that that for video quality.</font>

Good point ... except, you'll scream if you break one of the pins on your VGA connector.

Question for you Jim ... Does Monitors Direct have a showroom? I live in the South Bay. I've started considering buying a larger, modern monitor to exploit DH, versus my 13" TV (use 45" RPTV for movies).

[GoSharks]

xortam

Our main office is in Fremont. No Showroom sorry.By selling online we do not have the overhead and can pass those savings on.

Jim

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Jim at http://www.monitorsdirect.com

[xortam]

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size="2">Originally posted by GoSharks:
...No Showroom sorry.By selling online we do not have the overhead and can pass those savings on.</font>

I understand but I need to see the monitor operating before I make a purchase. I usually like to interact with the controls and view the monitor at various stores (varying lighting, HW, hookups, etc.) before settling on my choice. I guess I'll go the traditional route.

[mdhome]

Hi Ya'll
I have a Sony G500 and have tested it with and without bnc connectors on both a Radeon and a G400. To be honest I noticed very little difference on any of the various combinations running at 1600*1200 though BNC did look a little better.


regards MD

[ALBPM]

You guys have great prices Jim.... I wish I knew about your site before I purchased my 24" Sony.

Yes MD, I have seen the differences as well. Text is sharper and the picture has a bit more contrast and color. Even though it may seem slight it's nice to know your doing what you can to get the most out of your system.

Paul

[Maggi]

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size="2">Originally posted by acobra:
I'm curious about what the BEST with no money constraints would be
...
Any Suggestions / Ideas / Comments?? Thanks!!!</font>

the small one (21")

the biggie (29")

[acobra]

Leave it to Maggi to find the monitor that is out of most of our ranges... lol (how much does one of those cost btw??)

Seriously though... I think I'm settling in the $1000 range. Don't really wanna spend more than that right now. SO - I'm still looking at the 2060u and I guess the 2040 (and 2020?) which curiously seem to be more expensive than the 2060 (you would think the higher number would be the newer/better model). The 2040 is almost exactly the same as the 2060 in specs except the BNC connectors I think. I am also thinking about the Sony G and E series, and the Viewsonic P225F.

One thing to note - The Mitsubishi's have 20.3" viewable and all the others have 19.8" or 19.9"... I would think that an extra 1/2 inch viewable would make a pretty big difference right? If I'm paying close to $1000 to increase my screen size by 2" (i have a 19" now) I would think that another 1/2" would make noticible difference.

Oh, and are there even any monitors with a cable built in anymore?? That seems hard to find and even if the monitor has it, is it listed in the specs that way?

Any comments on monitors in this price range?? Thanks a bunch for your help so far!!! Sorry for the long winded post!!!!!

[GoSharks]

xortam

Where in the south bay can you find higher end monitors? All of the stores fryes etc, have low end monitors.

Jim

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Jim at http://www.monitorsdirect.com

[FrankDC]

The 2040/2060 both use the same tube and have the same basic specs, but the 2020 is older technology.

Jim, good luck on that one.. I'm in the south bay too and looked for months. Central Computer carries a few (Sony, Iiyama, Viewsonic) but not Mitsubishi or Eizo.