CRT vs Lcd monitoring

Believe me, I've been struggling with this question for years.
For long I felt CRT monitors were better than Lcd monitors for critical color correction. But feeling the current push in Lcd technology, is the acceptance for professional LCd displays such as the JVC 24"HD ok, or do the people with the golden eyes only see the bvm CRT as the only way for critical color grading?
Knowing I usually color 1080 24p.
If you make a good living coloring, I really would appreciate your comments.
- Eric.

Someday I will be done with this question.
CRT technology fails for a number of reasons over a certain display size, and it is for those reasons that the technology is no longer acceptable,both for the technical and economic challenges. At 24", it is almost not worth the justification for HD in any sense, since that technology really only starts pulling away from what went before it at maybe 36" and beyond.
In years past, the JVC LCD's may have been competitive in terms of rendition, but suffered from massive off-angle viewing problems. It is spectacularly difficult to build a decent LCD -- if you find one in a "reasonable" price category, +caveat emptor+ -- its a $38 Rolex.
Some of the recent plasmas are pretty good. Some high-end post facilities are actually using them, but have conditioned them behind LUT-boxes like Truelight's Northlight system, among others, and have a crack staff of technicians on standby with probes in hand -- and do routine daily/weekly checks, lineups and calibrations. Most of the time, its to make sure the monitor is displaying the AIM values of the day for the associated lab, but its also because they just wander, and not just over time, but with the intensity of the picture that happens to be up.
Consumer TVs are for folks at home to kick back and watch Glee or whatever, or ignore it altogether just to have enough noise in the background to cover what's going on in the foreground.
So if you're making video that people don't watch anyway, LCD is great, and doesn't cost very much either.
jPo
jPo

Similar Messages

Can switching from CRT to LCD monitors cause system problems?

My 9.1 locks up periodically (but the cursor still moves) since I replaced two 20" CRT monitors with two Samsung 19" LCD monitors. Could this affect the performance of my machine? I've tried everything else to address the freeze problem but recall the issue started when I installed the LCD monitors. Anything I can do?

Studedot,
You may have issues with the amount of video memory depending on the resolutions of the new LCD screens.
I find LCD screens go up to insane resolutions, way more than the corresponding size CRT monitor, ie. a 17in Dell LCD monitor with higher resolution than a 21in CRT.
It shouldn't cause crashes or freezes, but may cause -redraw problems when closing / moving windows in 2D and playing 3D games.

LCD monitor recognized by X as CRT

I'm buy new LCD monitor and connect it to D-SUB on my GeForce4 MX 440.
But X and Nvidia drivers recognize the monitor as CRT.
I don't have DVI input on my video card. And only one monitor connected to computer.
I'm try to define in xorg.conf
Section "Device"
Identifier "Card0"
Driver "nvidia"
VendorName "nVidia Corporation"
BoardName "NV18 [GeForce4 MX 440 AGP 8x]"
BusID "PCI:1:0:0"
Option "ConnectedMonitor" "DFP"
EndSection
But after that I see in the /var/log/Xorg.0.log
(II) NVIDIA(0): Using ConnectedMonitor string "DFP-0"
(WW) NVIDIA(0): Inappropriate ConnectedMonitor string.
(II) NVIDIA(0): Connected display device(s): CRT-0
(--) NVIDIA(0): CRT-0: maximum pixel clock: 350 MHz
How can I force LCD monitor detection?

Mythoz wrote:
/usr/share/doc/NVIDIA_GLX-1.0/README.txt:
Option "ConnectedMonitor" "string"
NOTE: anything attached to a 15 pin VGA connector is regarded by the
driver as a CRT. "DFP" should only be used to refer to flatpanels
connected via a DVI port.
Thenk you.
I have no way to right recognize LCD monitor connected via D-SUB.

LCD Monitor with B&W G3 Tower

Hello, I am looking to replace my 17" Apple Studio Display CRT on my G3 B&W Tower with an LCD monitor. My questions are: 1) Will my computer (VGA port) accept any current LCD screens on the market, or do I have to stay with Apple's LCD monitors? 2) There are several Apple Studio LCD Displays offered on eBay. They mention DVI and ADC connections. How do I know which models will work with my B&W G3? Forgot to mention that I have upgraded the processor with a Sonnet G4 500Mhz. Thanks.

Hi,
your B&W (like mine) should be equipped with a standard VGA output on your video card, which should accept any monitor with a VGA connection.
I tried a couple of LCD (a Samsung and a Hewlett Packard) which worked flawlessly and did not give me any problems.
I am not sure whether you can connect any of the current generation Apple flat screens due to the different interface, but you surely can take advantage of any VGA equipped LCD.
cheers

Adding HD CRT TV as monitor?

I have a Powermac G5 I am using to edit in Final Cut Pro using High Def footage. I just bought an LG CRT HD TV/Monitor. This was to replace my current 23" Apple Display as my #1 monitor. The trouble is that the resolution options offered for the new LG are MUCH lower than what are offered for the old (not HD) Apple display?
Any help here?
Thanks,

That's what you get for buying an HD CRT TV. A monitor will always have a MUCH higher resolution than a TV, even an LCD TV or CRT TV (even if it's a HD TV). Go back to your 23" monitor. It will display HD better than any HD TV.

Dell 24" LCD monitor shows barely perceptible lag

I have a Power Mac G5 and just bought a Dell 24" LCD monitor, the 2405FPW, for $825. After happily clearing off my desk of two old CRT's and connecting it up and using it for a couple days, I began to notice a lag between anything I did and when it would appear on the screen. The lag is barely noticeable, but I tend to mouse around very quickly and need precise control of the pointer, and after hours of use, the slight discrepancy seems to be causing me fatigue. It's also a problem when playing Quake (fast-action first-person shooter game). The lag doesn't exist with my old Sony 19" CRT.
Before jumping to any conclusions that I'm insane, please look at this short video clip that clearly demonstrates the same problem. It's quite amazing to see. The video is linked from this page:
<http://weblogs.asp.net/ryanw/archive/2004/09/23/233681.aspx>
(You may have to save it to your desktop and then double-click it to see it.)
The guy hooked both an LCD and a CRT monitor to his machine and spanned a window across the boundary between the two. Then he videotaped what happens if you move the window up and down. You can see clearly that the LCD screen takes longer before it draws its half of the window. Ouch!! He compares using his LCD monitor to "swimming in molasses" (which later spawns an interesting discussion involving a hazmat worker and an overturned tanker of molasses), but I wouldn't go that far.
I ran the same experiment in the video and got the same results (and so did my dad, with his Powerbook Pismo, which is interesting because he never noticed the lag through normal, daily use of the computer). Then I took my Sony CRT to the Apple store and hooked it up next to a 23" Apple Cinema Display. I did the same experiment and there was no lag!! So unless someone has a solution for the Dell monitor, the $500 price difference might be the price I'll have to pay for Mac compatibility. I might wait as long as I can for the price to go down (the salesperson said the last price reduction was last November).
Very few people seem to experience this problem in general (or don't notice it), so I have no idea why it's affecting my system. It's basically a stock dual 2GHz G5, running Mac OS X 10.4.4, with 2.5GB RAM and stock graphics card which should more than handle this (ATI Radeon 9600 Pro, 64MB, AGP 8x). I'm using the digital monitor connection, as opposed to VGA. I'm running very few preference panes and kernel extensions. Dell tech support would have nothing to do with the issue because they don't support Macs, but after some finagling, I finally got the monitor returned with a full refund. My suspicion is that some sort of driver somewhere needs to be updated, but with no support from Dell (their web site doesn't even seem to have a support section for their own monitors), I'm not sure who to expect this from or when.
This problem is subtle and many find it unnoticeable, if they're even experiencing it. So I would like to know if anyone else has a Dell LCD and a regular CRT monitor both hooked up to their system and could try the experiment in the video to confirm "scientifically" that they don't experience this problem!
Scott
www.teresi.us
Power Mac G5 Mac OS X (10.4.4) Basically a stock system. Dual 2GHz, 2.5GB RAM, ATI Radeon 9600 Pro (64MB)

My post has started a more extensive discussion on this problem at an Ars Technica forum:
<http://episteme.arstechnica.com/groupee/forums?a=tpc&s=50009562&f=67909965&m=41 90936913&r=796009877731#796009877731>
It appears that the problem may be inherent in all PVA-based LCD's, which include the Dell 2405FPW. It's not noticeable by everyone but so far everyone I've seen who's taken the time to run an objective test has uncovered the lag. If you can run the test, please do! (See earlier in this thread, or see the Ars Technica thread for a better test involving a stopwatch program run on two monitors).
The good news is Apple's 23" Cinema Display is based on a SIPS LCD panel (as is a similar HP display, and I think a Sony display), and these don't suffer from the lag.
Scott

FrameMaker and LCD Monitors

Hello,
Just wanted to get your thoughts/opinion(s) as writers in using FrameMaker on LCD monitors. Specifically, I've used word processing and desktop publishing programs on CRT monitors for years. I've never had any problems whatsoever. Recently, my employer provided me with a 20 inch widescreen LCD monitor. I'm now having a difficult time with it because of the higher resolution (e.g., headaches and the like). As you all know, a lower resolution only distorts or stretches desk on LCD monitors (which is why I guess I've avoided these monitors for so long). Please note, I have bad eyesight and wanted to see if others may have ideas to address this issue. I've given the monitor two weeks and things haven't improved. I'm just concerned/frustrated because I know the world is going in the direction of LCD monitors.
For a solution, I've thought about a square like LCD monitor; maybe at 17 inches to address the problem. But I'm wondering if I'll still be at the mercy of the native resolution. Just to let you know, I've tried all the display scenarios to address the problem (i.e., appearance, settings, dpi) without success. Just miss the 800/600 resolution I had in the past due to my bad eyesight.
Any ideas or thoughts are most appreciated. Thank you very much for your time.
Paul

Paul...
Here are some ramblingthoughts on your issue. They expand on the good advice you've already received, and thus do not dispute what others have said.
Make certain your drivers for the graphics card are the latest and greatest. This is the first step you should take. You probably have already done that. If not, go do it. But check the next paragraph first.
If your graphics card has a DVI output, by all means use it. If it doesn't, opt for a different graphics card, preferably one with two DVI outputs, known as a dual-head graphics card. I address this again below.
Life is too short to drink cheap wine. It's also too short to spend a professional career working with inadequate computing resources, especially when you consider the cost of the capital outlay versus the salaries and the wasted time fooling around trying to make things right. If your employer has artificial limits on spending, go make a business case for better gear.
You already seem to understand the concept of the monitor's native resolution. High resolution monitors are best for image processing, when programs like Photoshop are used to edit photographic images. For text-based work, they're the wrong way to go, as you've discovered. Part of the problem is that many web pages and all operating systems seem to be stuck with a one-size-fits-all set of icons, menus, page sizes and the like. With Windows, you get two choices of text size, but those choices don't apply to all text instances and only in the operating system, not in the applications that run on top of the application. So driving a high resolution monitor at its native resolution results in tiny text, icons and the like. I get some email messages that I cannot read because the very popular marketing company that creates them uses what must be 4 point typefaces.
I have dual 20.5" Samgung monitors with 1600x1200 native resolution on two of my workstations. They're beautiful monitors, but I would trade even-up for the same monitor with 1280x960 native resolution. One thing that's nice about LCDs, by the way, is this. If you get ones that pivot clock- or counter-clockwise, and many do, you can easily run them in portrait mode by rotating them and changing the settings for the driver. My FrameMaker workstation has one monitor set to landscape orientation and the other to portrait mode. Try setting a 17" CRT on its sidegood luck!
LCD monitors will ONLY look their best when the image is displayed at their native resolution, or perhaps in some cases, at a submultiple of the native resolution. For example, a 1600x1200 monitor might look OK when the graphics card is set to 800x600. In my case, that makes the icons and windows appear too large, though. Something in-between is best for me. I doubt, however, that you have a 840x525 choice, but if you do, try it.
Sheila asks about your video cable. An LCD monitor *should* be driven by a graphics card with a DVI (digital) output. Otherwise, the signal must be converted to analog (VGA) and back to digital for display purposes. Since the image is inherently digital to begin with, converting to analog video and then back to digital has its obvious drawbacks. I'm not sure if a modern graphics card can properly identify the connected monitor though a VGA cableit's been so long since I used a CRT and a VGA card that I've forgotten.
A CRT monitor also has a "native resolution" based on the pitch of the phosphor triads and the shadow mask in the tube. Because that was an analog interfaced world, and CRTs are relatively "soft" compared to LCDs, the effects of non-native scan rates and resolution settings were not as troublesome or as obvious as they are for LCD screens. Once you get the settings right on your LCD display, though, you will NEVER consider going back to a CRT display.
It's probably too late to lobby for this, but if I were you, I would strive to get a "dual-head" graphics card, one with two DVI outputs, and put two identical monitors side-by-side. Once you've experienced a dual-monitor setup, you will never be happy with just one screen.
Setting the graphics card resolution for a 16:10 aspect ratio in any other than the native resolution of the monitor will result in "aliasing" artifacts, which may be what you mean by "distortion." The simplistic way to describe the aliasing effect is that some elements of a character inevitably fall in the "cracks" between pixels. When the image resolution setting matches the native resolution, the video data from the card "lines up" perfectly with the pixels, giving the most accurate representation. The other type of distortion that you may be referring to is due to a mismatch of the aspect ration associated with an image resolution setting versus the aspect ratio of the screen. In such situations, a "truly" round circle would appear elliptical on the screen. This is what Winifred is describing. You cannot expect acceptable results with any graphics card setting whose resolution aspect ratio is , relative to the display, mismatched. You must use a setting that corresponds to the 16:10 ratio.
Another way to understand the artifacts associated with aliasing is to imagine viewing a checkerboard through a piece of wire fencing with a square pattern laid on top of it. When the size of the squares in the fencing material are the same as the checkboard squares, you can make things line up and see all of the checkerboard. If the screen wire is a different size, then there's no way to place the wire over the checkerboard without covering some of the squares with wirethat is, unless the pattern in the fence is twice the size of the square, ot four times, and so on.

How to connect macintosh LC to LCD monitor?

Hello,
I'm trying to connect a Macintosh LC to a VGA LCD monitor. I'm not sure if that is possible, if so, what is the name of the adaptor that I need to get for it? Ebay has tons of such adaptors when I tried looking for them, but I didnt know which one to chose. Thanks very much!

With an old Mac like the LC, your problem is more complicated than finding a hardware interface adapter. The original LC and LC II had a maximum VRAM of 512 KB, which was adequate to support the old Apple 12" or 13" RGB displays, but not the multi-sync displays that followed. The LC III had a little more VRAM, maxing out at 768 KB, but still has the same limitation as its predecessors. A modern 19" LCD display typically has a widescreen aspect ratio (16:9) and an optimal resolution of 1440x900 @ 60 Hz. The LCs don't support this resolution, because it didn't exist back in 1990. Even in newer (old) Macs with PCI slots, there are early graphics cards that can't support widescreen displays, because they weren't programmed for it. If you want to use the LC, you should look for an older Apple RGB display, but because they had the Sony Trinitron CRT, they're very heavy and not feasible to buy from an eBay seller, when you factor in the cost of shipping. If there are any thrift stores or computer recyclers in your area, you might want to check them out.

External LCD monitors with DVI PowerBook: Banding Issues

I have a DVI PB and would like to attach an external LCD monitor. I've looked at both Samsung 20 inch and ViewSonic 19 inch versions but whenever I attach them, I get "banding" around the edges of the external monitor. Tonight, I went to CompUSA to look at the Samsung 204B 20 inch. Taking my PB with me, I hooked up and set the resolution to 1600 x 1200 and the Samsung had huge, fat black banding all around the monitor. If you don't know - banding looks like a large, black border going around the screen. The sales guy pushed some auto-set buttons (which is said always work to remove the banding) but it didn't fix the issue. Any suggestions? Is there some secret that I'm not aware of on how to attach and use an external LCD monitor with the PB? One note: I did set the resolution down to 1280 x 1024, which worked fine to remove the banding but it monitor looked horrible. Not the best resolution for a large monitor.
Thanks,
B. Rose
TiBook 800 & iBook SE Mac OS X (10.4.6)

Hi, Bill. I can't speak to whatever happened with the Viewsonic monitor, since you didn't tell us about that, but it sounds as though the Samsung was in display mirroring mode rather than extended-desktop mode. The F7 key on your Powerbook's keyboard toggles an external monitor between the two modes. In mirror mode, the external monitor displays exactly the same thing as the built-in display. In extended-desktop mode, it functions as a separate portion of your desktop, and you can drag things (windows, icons) from one monitor onto the other. If you're going to use both displays, extended-desktop mode is probably what you'll want: why keep two copies of the same thing in front of you?
In mirrored mode, the fact that your Powerbook's display has a maximum resolution of 1280 x 854 means that only 1280 x 854 pixels of the external monitor can be used — leaving wide black borders of untapped pixels around the copy of your PB's display that's centered on the external monitor. In extended-desktop mode, the external display's native resolution of 1600 x 1200 can all be used, provided that your 32MB of VRAM is sufficient to drive the total of (1280 x 854) + (1600 x 1200) = 3,013,120 pixels, at the bit depth you've selected. (You might have to use the extended-desktop mode in Thousands of colors, rather than Millions.)
Another issue that comes into play with display mirroring is that the 4:3 aspect ratio of the 1600 x 1200 Samsung is different from the 3:2 aspect ratio of the Powerbook's display. If you set the Samsung's resolution to 1280 x 1024 to match the pixel width of the PB display, the top and bottom of the Samsung will be black bands, because the PB isn't manufacturing any pixels to fill those bands. And it will be blurry, because the Samsung has to interpolate to make 1600 pixels look (sort of) like 1280 pixels. Unlike a CRT display, the actual number of pixels in an LCD is fixed. When you change resolution settings on an LCD from its native (maximum) resolution to anything less, the image is always blurred. Only the native resolution can be really sharp.

PowerMac G4 (AGP) and HD LCD Monitor

I gave my daughter a few years ago my old G4 PowerMac (AGP Graphics) which has a VGA port and is connected to a huge Apple 17" CRT Studio Display. I'd like to give her a modern LCD display. The HP 2009M HD LCD Monitor states that it comes with a standard analog VGA input. Is there any reason this monitor would not work with the G4 PowerMac?

I looked at the HP site and it didn't mention anything about being able to use this display w/ Mac computers. It Looks like this LCD panel is Windows XP/Vista only.
Not sure why it wouldn't be Mac-compatible, though.
You could just do a search for Mac-compatible LCD panels or monitors and see what comes up.
There are plenty of non-Apple LCD panels that work fine with Macs.
I had my girlfriend purchase an LCD flat panel monitor that was, relatively, cheap. It was labeled only worked with Windows. We bought it and it's connected up to a Radeon 7000 video card via DVI in a old beige G3 box upgraded to G4 status and it works fine.
With using the VGA connections, I can't see why the HP wouldn't work.
Personally, I have found that most LCD displays are not platform-specific, anyway.
The HP should work fine.

Which LCD monitor to get? Dell or Apple?

Hello everyone!
Well, I have decided to make the jump from CRT to LCD. I see that Dell has one similar to the Apple Cinema Display which is 20 inches. I am somewhat confused as to what monitor I should get since to me the Dell looks just as good as the Apple?
Can someone recommend for me a nice 20 inch LCD monitor similar or comparable to the Apple Cinema Display 20 inch?
Thanks,

Hi Nadav,
MacWorld reviews:
http://www.macworld.com/products/displays.html
You decide what is important to you in each review. ie. some displays have a "poor" viewing angle, but if that's not important, or privacy is important, then you can ignore it.
Or the UK MacUser labs tests:
http://www.macuser.co.uk/labs/23:9/19in-widescreen-tfts/products.html
Again, filter what is important to you.
Something that was important to me was pitch size, I'm used to 96dpi now (but 72dpi when I had CRT). 12pt fonts look the same size on every monitor I work on. When I have used a Dell "19in" TFT, it was smaller than my 17in Studio Display. It also had some insane native resolution, which made 12pt fonts tiny and unreadable - annoying if you're proofing PDF documents. When I reduced resolution, it looked awful, and was still unreadable.
Oh yes, TFTs can be awful below their native resolution, while CRTs usually manage quite well. There is a technical reason for this - can't find the link just now - something to do with the phosphor in CRTs, maybe.
Still, this might not be important to you, or TFT monitors with insane native resolutions may be a lot better now. Just something to check, 96dpi is good.

LCD Monitor Recommendations

As prices fall, I'd like to buy an LCD monitor and reclaim some desk space occupied by my Sony Trintron 19" CRT monitor these many years.
What are some of the better brands/models for editing (FCE)? I think a 20" or more would give me greater screen real estate, and what about brands? Some online research indicate the Dells are considered pretty good, and so are the Samsungs.
What are some brand and model preferences from this forum, and why?
Thanks,
and Happy New Year to all
Keith

Been using a pair of Dell 2408's for the last 6 months.
Stable color. I'm using a Spyder2Pro for calibration and they both show exactly the same colors.
Lots of connection possibilities. Work in portrait mode if you'd like.
Work with the MXO as a calibrated HD monitor.
Major complaint is I can't drive the monitors with DVI and have a HDMI picture within a picture. It has to be component. Otherwise - no complaints.
x

LCD Monitor Calibration Needed

I just purchased a 3rd party 19" LCD monitor, and noticed the the thing is freaking bright!
I need to calibrate this thing before it melts my eyes. I'm looking for either a tutorial on how to properly do this, or a program that will help me with this.
Any help is greatly appricated. Thanks!
--alan

if you've got the money for something worthwhile, the sypder2pro is an excellent monitor calibration tool. it calibrates crt's, lcd's and projectors. it actually allows me to use my 23" cinema display by removing most of the "pink" that the screen evolved to right after it went off of warranty, making it the most overpriced lemon i ever bought ($1799 before taxes).

LCD monitor and AirPort

my new LCD monitor seems to interfere wit airport. How can avoid such interferation in order to employ the monitor with mac mini?

Is the LCD (I would say LED if new as the backlight has changed to almost universally use LED).
located between the mini and the airport? I mean really close and able to stop the signals.. the LCD monitor.. is full of metal shielding.. and wifi will not get through. Move the mini or move the monitor or move the airport to a position where they are not blocked.. the wireless of the mini is on the plastic end with the ports as well as the underside plastic cover. (wireless doesn't get out of the metal). Ensure there is line of sight between the plastic area of the mini rear to the airport with nothing in the way.
Or does the monitor cause issues only when turned on.. ie if you turn off the monitor then the mini works ok.. hard to test that unless you have an old CRT monitor or something to test with.
Are you using USB3?
I doubt the monitor electronics is the problem.. (as opposed to its metallic nature) .. unless it has a USB3 hub in it. which is unlikely.
But USB3 happens to use a bus speed that is too close to the 2.4ghz band.
So one solution is to use 5ghz.
Another is to buy more heavily shielded cables for usb3 connections.
http://blog.macsales.com/15990-shielding-resolves-usb-3-0-conflict-with-bluetoot h
Could you be confusing USB3 problem for the Monitor causing wifi issues?
There is another more obscure problem that can happen though.. are you using DSL of any sort, adsl or vdsl or sdsl.. anything to do with phone lines??
Have you actually checked the link speed between the Mini and the airport when the LCD monitor is on or off? Does it change.. what if you move the monitor out of the way does the signal level change at all??

Satellite L - LCD monitor flashing black after desktop loads

My LCD monitor has started flashing black at startup. It doesn't do it if I log off and log back in, only on startup. I can log in, the desktop loads and everything looks normal then after about 7 seconds everything goes black, then the taskbar quickly appears then disappears and then the desktop becomes visible again momentarily but goes black again. It repeats this very fast two or three times then starts normally.
Everything seems to be working fine otherwise. I disabled my antivirus so it wouldn't startup but that didn't help. I've done some registry cleaning lately so I restored everything back to well before this started and that didn't help either. I've done a lot of installing and uninstalling of software lately but can't pinpoint anything that might have caused it. This computer is about 2 years old. I have Vista 32 bit, service pack 2.
Anyone ever seen this before or have any ideas what the culprit might be? Really appreciate any advice.

OK, I connected a CRT monitor from another computer and it basically did it too. As the laptop screen was flashing off and on, the CRT screen went black and then came back on when the laptop went back to normal.
I think my graphics card is Intel Display Driver 7.15.10.1502. Does that sound right? I checked for an update through the Device Manager and it said no update is available. The same version is the only one listed at the Toshiba Downloads page. It's included with my Toshiba Application Installer so I'm tempted to uninstall/reinstall, but I'm afraid if it doesn't automatically install at at startup I won't have a monitor. Any advice on this or anything else is appreciated.

CRT vs Lcd monitoring

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