Need new monitor advice

I've had a 24" consumer Samsung monitor for the past few years, and for the most part I'm happy with it, but since getting a Canon DSLR and Lightroom, I've been thinking about getting another that will show me the full color gamut of the camera. I was almost decided on the Asus PB278Q, which is supposed to show the full sRGB gamut but only 78% AdobeRGB. I don't know much about gamuts, but I had read a while ago that it was better to set the camera to Adobe RGB since it provides a larger color gamut and gives better prints, so I started doing that.
So I'm thinking that if I'm going to spend so much money on a professional monitor, I'd rather step it up a little and get one that allows me to see the full Adobe RGB gamut, for which this Asus model wouldn't work. One that does have AdobeRGB is the ASUS PA246Q, but the review on Anandtech says the black levels are not that great, so I'm looking at other monitors that provide AdobeRGB and good black levels. So I read about the NEC PA271W, but besides being very expensive I also read that its anti-glare coating makes highlights look grainy, so I wouldn't get that.
While I'm not a professional photographer yet, I'm advancing in that area and some day soon I would like to become one, so I would like to invest in a decent monitor that will show me the full color gamut. However I would like to ask from more experienced photographers, is the difference between sRGB and AdobeRGB that big a deal? I mean, if I put my camera on a tripod and take the same exact picture, one in sRGB and the other in AdobeRGB, with a monitor that displays 100% AdobeRGB, would I be able to tell the difference? I know I can't tell the difference in my current monitor, but it's a low end consumer monitor, even though the photos look beautiful. I'm just wondering if I buy the Asus PB278Q, which is full sRGB and only 78% of AdobeRGB, will I really tell the difference with a 100% AdobeRGB monitor.
So basically I would like to know, for professional photographers, how important it is to have a 100% AdobeRGB monitor?

Thanks for your reply. I'm 41 and I don't have cataracts, so that's not an issue. Here's what I'm trying to get at. I'm a wedding videographer, and I constantly see photographers carrying around Canon 5D Mark IIs and IIIs with lens sets that are more expensive than the camera itself all together. I saw the same thing recently when I went to a local outdoor tourist attraction and it was 70 degrees and perfectly sunny, so there were about 20 different portrait photographers, each with their clients going around this place trying to find the best location for their shoot. All of them also had 5D Mark IIs and IIIs with very expensive lenses and so on.
I have a Canon 60D with the 18-200mm kit lens, as well as two other lenses, a 28mm and a 50mm, with a circular polarizer for those two, and a Speedlite 430EXII flash. Recently I spent a few hours with a friend and her family doing their portraits, and many of them turning out amazing, and even better once I tweaked them in Lightroom. This is not only on my 24" monitor, but also when displayed on a 46" TV set at full screen.
What I gather from this is that you don't need the most expensive equipment to achieve something great if you know how to use your equipment well, as long as your equipment meets the standards of what you're trying to do. I know that my photos wouldn't have turned out so great with a P&S, even if I would have shot them exactly from the same position.
Now, what I'm trying to ask is, does this reasoning apply to the monitor as well? I'm almost decided on the Asus PB278Q, even though the PA246Q has full Adobe RGB coverage, but it's 24" and I can really use all that extra space the 27" provides.

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PowerMac 8600 Needs New Monitor

I have an 8600 that needs a monitor. Exactly what type of adapter do I need to hookup a monitor (crt) to it?
Thanks

The signals involved:
Red intensity and its ground
Green intensity and its ground
Blue intensity and its ground
Horizontal Sync -- indicates start and end of one row of dots across the screen
Vertical Sync -- Indicates start and end of one screenful of rows of dots
... can only be transposed from the typical
"VGA-style" three-row 15 pin Male (with pins) connector on the cable-end to the
Apple "two-row" 15 pin Female (with holes) connector on the Mac Display Card
... in one way that will work.
The poorly-documented "feature" that will trip you up is that the Macs of that era expect a code on pins 4, 7, and 10 that tells the Mac what kind of display is attached. If no signals are asserted, grounded, or cross-connected with wires or diodes on those pins, the default of "No display attached" gives no picture.
You need an adapter specific to the broad class of displays you intend to connect. There are over 17 different legitimate codes for Mac displays, but frankly, most of them are for obsolete displays. The most common still used are for VGA Display (640 by 480 and Super VGA 640 by 800) and Multiple-Sync display (640 by 480 and 832 by 624 and 1024 by 768 and possibly 1152 by 870) switchable on the fly. And it needs to be specific to older Macs and have the pins and holes on the correct sides. There are other adapters for a different problem that have the pins and holes reversed.

Need new monitor.

Gave my son my old 2008 dual quad core Mac Pro with an ATI 5770 graphics card. He hooked it up to an old Vizio monitor/ tv, and the image looks horrible! It looked terrific on my 23" HP. Tried DVI to VGA, DVI to HDMI, both look really bad especially the the text. Is there a decent cheap monitor I can get him with a straight through DVI connection? After just spending over $7000.00 on my new Mac Pro, I would like to keep the price around $150.00. Thanks. Still have not had time to hook up my new Mac. Hope all is well with it.

Well, I haven't ever used X-Plane, but based on the system requirements your system should be able to handle version 7 easily. However, version 8 would be borderline since the minimum is 32MB of VRAM.
My advice to you is to try it first, and then decide if the upgrade is worth the money. Also, I recommend maxing out your RAM as that's an easy and fairly cheap upgrade. One can never have too much memory!
Good luck!

Hardware neophyte needs ingest/monitoring advice

I should preface this with the fact that I've been editing on FCP for 3 to 4 years and have an intermediate understanding of the program on in it's own, but know very little about hardware.
So I'm setting up my personal studio and am looking to spend about $1-2k on hardware for the purposes of ingestion and monitoring for color correction. I only plan to digitize SD footage, though I could see myself working on HD projects captured elsewhere.
I thought about a DVCAM deck like a DSR-11, but realized this would only output analog SD. With bang for the buck in mind, I then thought why not get an HDV camera with component video out for around the same price? I'll lose DVCAM support, but will gain the scalibility when it comes to color correcting both SD and HD, and have an "HD" production camera to boot.
Assuming I'm correct in my assumption that any HDV camera with component out should play back FCP's content to a broadcast monitor, would that analog output be limited to HDVs lessor color space? What other factors should I consider?
Forgive my potentially huge hardware ignorance as well as the lengthy post. I'd really appreciate the help as well as any other recommendations you might have. Thanks!
cheers,
adam

thanks for the response shane. i did read the link, maybe not meticulously enough.
i think my confusion stems from the fact that while i understand HDV doesn't work like DV with it's long GOP compression and all that, I was under the impression that true HD was very simmilar to DV, albeit requiring far more bandwith.
if anyone is patient enough, i would love to understand why (not to be read that i disagree with) the idea that "HDV doesn't pass thru a signal like DV does, so that won't work". just so i understand the technology - what does that mean exactly? no picture will show up? the gamma will be off? artifacting won't be accurate? no video sync? all of the above?
anyway, i never said HDV is cheap, or that i think it is/isn't a pro format. side note (not directed towards shane but to these discussions in general): why are so many editors so touchy when HDV is brought up? sure, it may be a pain in the *** to deal with in post, but it's not just wannabee videographers who are picking these things up. the Z1U has been used in recent hollywood blockbusters. the XHA1 looks better than the "true" HD of an HVX200, and Canon's recently released HV10 for under $1k is an HDV camera that you can basically stick in your pocket which has better SD than cameras 5 times it's size and twice the price.
sure, many of HDV's stigmas are warranted, but it's by no means a useless format used by just wealthy hobbiests.
cheers

Need advice for a new monitor for Mac Centris 610

I have a Mac Centris 610. The Apple monitor(display unit) that originally came with it finally died. Would this old Mac be able to use a new flat-screen computer monitor? How can I find out what newer monitors wouldbe compatible with this old "war horse" computer. I use it for one application only, but it still works great for this. Many thanks to anyone who can rescue me from my predicament!

You can't use a new flat-screen display, because they have a widescreen aspect ratio (16:9) and that isn't supported by the Centris' onboard graphics. The Centris doesn't have PCI slots, so that eliminates that option. You could check thrift stores or computer recyclers in your area for an older display. You might have success using a Mac-to-VGA adapter having a set of adjustable DIP switches. It plugs into the Mac DB-15 display port on the back of the Centris and enables you to connect an older, multi-sync CRT display (4:3 aspect ratio) having a PC-style VGA connector.
From the specs posted at EveryMac.com for the Centris 610:
"By default, the Macintosh Centris 610 only supports a single display, but a second one can be supported with the addition of a compatible PDS or NuBus video card. With the standard VRAM, the system is capable of supporting 512x384 at 16-bit color and 640x480, 800x600 and 832x624 at 8-bit color. With 1 MB of VRAM installed, it can support 640x480, 800x600 and 832x624 at 16-bit color and 832x624, 1024x768 and 1152x870 at 8-bit color."

Need New Inexpensive Monitor for My PM G5

I have inherited a Power mac G5. I think it is worth keeping but it needs a new monitor. Can anyone tell me which brand I might have the least amount of compatability issues with? I bought a new 20" HP today, but the driver software self install would not run on the Mac and as it turns out the HP is defective anyway, no DVI input signal(won't work with my PC either). I will return it.
Any Advice for me on a safe bet brand? Thanks in Advance
Ali

I have actually found some adapters to get from DVI to VGA for less than $5 on ebay.
I was wondering about the opposite way.
I have seen some monitors that have both DVI AND VGA inputs on them. I am wondering if BOTH ports can be utilized at the same time for this.
http://cgi.ebay.com/SOYO-22-Inch-WIDESCREEN-VGA-DVI-TFT-LCD-MONITORW0QQitemZ280305959636QQcmdZViewItemQQptZComputer_Monitors?hash=item280305959636& _trksid=p3286.c0.m14&trkparms=66%3A2|65%3A1|39%3A1|240%3A1318
This would be a much slicker solution to my needs, especially if this particular monitor was worth anything.

Hi, I need help and advice. Basically me and my ex partner both had iphones and synced it with the same computer under the same ID. We split i have a new laptop and now it keeps asking for the old ID or it'll erase my apps bought on theold account.

Hi, I need help and advice. Basically me and my ex partner both had iphones and synced it with the same computer under the same ID. We split up and now im trying to get all my apps and info onto my new laptop with a new account but it keeps asking me for the old apple ID which she is still using and she changed the password. i tried backing it up but still nohing. When i try to back up purchased items being apps etc its keeps asking for the old one. help

See Recover your iTunes library from your iPod or iOS device. But you'll still need the password.
Once you have the computer authorized to use the account she could change the password again to stop you buying apps on her card (assuming it's not on yours!). It would lock you out of upgrading them too but they should work unless she uses the deathorize all feature.
It depends on how amicable the split is...
tt2

HT3014 my mac has the VGA port and I need a newer monitor for it. what do I use that will connect it. I had a new dell monitor and none of the things that dell said worked. so I am going to get a mac monitor for a second unit.

my mac has the VGA port and I need a newer monitor for it. what do I use that will connect it. I had a new dell monitor and none of the things that dell said worked. so I am going to get a mac monitor for a second unit.
my laptop is a 2008 model

Hmmm... 2008 MBP has...
Video (Monitor): 1 (DVI)
Details: Supports external display in dual display and mirroring modes. VGA output provided by included Apple DVI-to-VGA adapter, S-video output provided by optional adapter (sold separately).
http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/macbook_pro/specs/macbook-pro-core-2-duo-2 .5-15-early-2008-penryn-specs.html

I need a new monitor

Can anyone give me some advice on buying a new monitor? My Apple 17" has sadly died and looking for a 19" screen. I have been advised to go for a Samson but with so many brands Im a bit confused about which way to go... Also do I go for a VGA or DVI input? My graphics card is a a radeon 9600 pro-hope some one can help

John
I was using two large vga monitors for video editing cause I thought they mimic tv colour more closely.
two monitors has its advantages and disadvantages, I still use dual leds on my pc - great for when you have to compare documents and ultimately you get more "real estate" BUT an individual ap (or picture) can only be as large as one screen....
ok, you can set it so you stretch an app across two screens but thats really not kewl IMO.
So I got a 24in Acer for the Mac. It allows me to have FCP (or apps that have small characters) to use the whole screen
I got Acer model. X243w. Im my brief research, I thought this was the best bang for the buck and Im happy with it.
M/

Assistance needed with new monitor and printing from LR3

I just purchased a new IPS monitor. I have calibrated it using the HP Display assistant that came with it. It is an HP ZR 22w. I saved my calibration as a preset - however - this is not appearing as a profile when I try to select it in the print module. the checkbox for "include display profiles" is ticked. If I allow the printer to manage - the pictures are much warmer than on the IPS display. My printer is a canon mg6120 and I am running windows 7. I would appreciate any assistance that anyone can provide. Thank you

I think the "HP Display assistant" is a software tool, is that right?
Ideally with Lightroom, you should use a hardware calibration/profiling tool (Spyder, Eye One, Color Munki etc). In particular, you need a monitor profile that contains colour space information. I had a look through the HP Display Assistant user manual, and it appears the software does calibration but it probably doesn't put colour space info in the profile. It'll be better than nothing, but a hardware tool is better.
However:
I saved my calibration as a preset - however - this is not appearing as a profile when I try to select it in the print module. the checkbox for "include display profiles" is ticked. If I allow the printer to manage - the pictures are much warmer than on the IPS display. My printer is a canon mg6120 and I am running windows 7
This is not what you want to do! The profile that the HP Display Assistant creates is for the monitor, and only for the monitor. It gets the right white point and tone curve for the monitor. What you need in the profile drop-down in LR print module is a printer profile, not a monitor profile (except on very special circumstances).
I'm not familiar with the MG6120, but when I googled "profiles for canon mg6120" I got a lot of hits, so I assume profiles are available. It's quite likely that some came with the printer driver, and were installed with the printer software. When you select "profile" in LR print module (you may well have to go to "Other..." to see them all) then there should be profiles for the printer - possible lots of them - one or more for each paper type. If they're not there, see the Canon documentation (or google it) to find out how to load them.
If you can't find any profiles for the printer, then try using sRGB (or probably it's "sRGB IEC..."). Without colour management, your printer will probably expect sRGB images, so this should be roughly right, but a specific profile for the printer is better. This is one of those very special circumstances when something other than a printer profile (and sRGB isn't a printer profile) may be better than nothing.

Bought a new monitor.. wide screen 23"... Firefox is not filling the full window. IE works fine but I prefer Firefox. What do I need to do to fill entire window, not just the way it was with the old monitor?

Bought a new monitor.. wide screen 23"... Firefox is not filling the full window. IE works fine but I prefer Firefox. What do I need to do to fill entire window, not just the way it was with the old monitor? edit

Most pages are defined to be a certain size, regardless of how large or small your monitor is. You can use Firefox's zoom feature (View menu) to enlarge the text and images (or just the text, if you prefer) on a page.
In addition to making individual site adjustments, there are some add-ons that will default every site to a higher zoom level. For example, check out:
* [https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/6965/ Default FullZoom Level]
* [https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/2592/ NoSquint]
Does that help?

I need a new monitor - What do I buy?

I'm an animator and video editor working with a dual 1.25 G4 PowerMac, a nVidia Ti4600 display card with 128 MB RAM and a Viewsonic Pro Series CRT 17" monitor .
I badly need more monitor space. I thought of adding on a 20" Cinema Display but Adobe Premiere 6.5, which I use often (and was abandoned on the Mac platform), doesn't work properly with 2 monitors attached.
I have enough budget to purchase a 23" Cinema Display but I'm worried. This is my day job and down time (waiting for replacement parts) is a major headache. And it looks like there are major problems with the Apple 23" display.
I looked at the Dell 24" but it only has a .27 dot pitch (I need the finer .25 which the Apple 23" does have).
I gather the USB and FW ports on the Apple have problems so I've ruled out attaching anything through the monitor ports - so ports are not an issue in choosing a monitor.
I really don't know what to buy. Any good suggestions?

It depends on what your application is (gaming, photo editing, video work, or everyday Word/email/internet), but I think most people will agree that color reproduction, contrast, brightness, and response time are the main factors. All of these add up to image quality. Secondary things I would consider are features and production problems/defects.
I have the Dell 2405FPW and have never been more pleased with an LCD, and I've used/had many over the years. The Dell has better specs on paper compared to the Apple. But specs on paper are often exaggerated from any manufacturer. However, there are reviews out (I can't remember where, but maybe anandtech.com) that says Dell's specs are close to actual measured values, and are very good. On top of that, the Dell has tons of cool features (whether or not you'll use them is up to you), the most important being the ability to use DVI and VGA to connect to your computer. I think the Apple display is crippled by having DVI only, because DVI may have issues (there are a lot of problems posted in this forum), and because you can plug other computers into the display that are old, or plug more than one computer into the LCD instead of using a KVM switch. There are user reports of problems with the Dell regarding a high-pitched noise (from the backlight inverter I guess) and high brightness (which can be turned down by adjusting the brightness and contrast). However, the problems don't sound as prevalent as Apple's which have persisted for a year now, and Dell does go all out to make you satisfied so they can keep your money, and so their return/exchange services is excellent. This might be good for you if you can't stand any downtime.
Anyway, here's a a post of reasons why I think the Dell is a better display than the Apple: Phil Ta, "23" Cinema display poor color consistency" #314, 01:38pm Jul 25, 2005 CDT
I should also mention there are some other 23" widescreen LCDs that you may want to look into. HP has two models, one for home/office and one for business, that use the same LCD as Apple. Sony has one or two, but I've seen them in stores and they look awful as is their price tag. Either Sharp or NEC also has a 23" panel. As far as I know, all these 23" LCDs use an LCD panel made by LG, where as the Dell uses one made by Samsung which I find far superior. Samsung also uses their 24" panel in their own branded LCD, which looks very good and has even more features, including speakers and a built-in TV tuner I think.

Images look too light on new monitor

Hi,
I hope you can help me. I've been working in CS5.5 on two Dell desktops, using two Dell Ultrasharp monitors. The color was consistent on both. I created files on the newest of the two computers, viewing them on the Ultrasharp 2311 monitor. The files were used to produce both printed and digital books, and everything looked good. Note - I'm not a graphic designer. I never calibrated the monitors or made any adjustments to the settings, either in the system display or in PS.
I just retired the oldest computer and bought a new Dell computer, along with the Ultrasharp 2711 monitor, which has excellent reviews. The files that look fine on my two-year old computer/monitor are too washed out on the new monitor. Dell couldn't figure out the problem and sent me a new monitor, which didn't change anything. The technician at Adobe could see the problem and we played with the settings, but couldn't fix it. If I go to Proof Setup/Monitor RGB it gets closer, but it's still too light. I never made this adjustment on the older monitor.
I KNOW the files produced on the older monitor work, because I've seen the finished printed and digital books. Manipulating the file on the new system isn't the answer. There must be some setting that needs to be adjusted, but neither Dell nor Adobe can help me.
By the way, my older monitor looks fine connected to the new computer, so it's not a computer issue.
Can anyone point me in the right direction?
Thanks so much,
Chris

Thanks Peter & Sid. I appreciate the advice, but it doesn't match our experience over 12 years of designing web applications so I'm having trouble understanding what's different, can I ask for any more advice you might have?
If we calibrate the monitor using the recommended tools, will Photoshop images look 2-3 f-stops brighter (i.e. as they should look) and will images in all other apps (which look fine now, have always looked fine) look 2-3 f-stops too bright? Or would we be changing JUST the way Photoshop sees the images?
Through probably a dozen different previous CRT and LCD monitors, we've never calibrated anything. Even on our immediately-previous Samsung 213T monitor, images appear pretty much the same in Photoshop as they do in all other places. That includes published web sites viewed with several popular browsers and viewed on literally hundreds of different systems inside and outside of our office.
The previous monitor was being used with exactly the same software and hardware as the new one. The only thing that's changed is the monitor.
Peter asks about brightness or white point luminance. I haven't used any tool to determine that. The monitor is set to 50% brightness, for whatever that's worth, but I can tell you that it is substantially BRIGHTER on white than the previous monitor. The previous Samsung monitor is being run side-by-side with the new one, and it looks quite dull and yellow beside the new one (and we thought it was a great monitor!) The new 30" Samsung has MUCH whiter whites. Does that help even a little?
Thanks for any further advice.

LCD Monitor Advice?

My trusty, old 20" Apple AV CRT monitor has recently developed the "flickers" after 3 years of faithful service. So I'm in the market for a new monitor, and I've looked around for a replacement (Google, eBay, etc.).
I'd like to get an LCD, but the problem seems to be that some are not Mac compatible. So I need some advice about the best way to go. Is there somewhere a list of Mac compatible LCD monitors?
I'm currently running a B&W G3/400 Rev. B with an ATI Radeon 7000 card.

So at least with CRTs, a monitor is not just a monitor.
Those adapters swap around the signals from Mac two-row to VGA three-row, but they also provide a code that the Mac reads at startup. Give it the wrong code, it assumes the wrong monitor, and sets the frequency too high or too low, resulting in no picture.
I expect all the Macs you tried, all the monitors you tried, and all the adapters you tried all work perfectly well. But unless you get an adapter that promises the right monitor is attached, you get no picture.
There is only one way to wire up Red, Green, Blue, H-Sync, and V-Sync that works. All the adapters have that part wired the same. It's the pins that provide the monitor code that are different, and are so very frustrating.
But you are beyond all that now! Your Mac has a standard VGA connector -- use whatever monitor you please, except one. A fellow posted here a few weeks ago that he had been given a spiffy pivoting monitor, and sure enough, the manufacturer did not supply software to re-draw the screen sideways on a Mac.

DULL colors only on Adobe photoshop CS2 after buying a new monitor

Hi,
I'm hoping someone can help me!
Recently I bought a new widescreen LG monitor L206WTQ - which I had plugged in and installed the drivers etc etc! The screen works fine.
I decided to open up my Adobe photoshop CS2 for the first time, to do some photoshopping (also to see what adobe would look like on my new monitor) ...and when I opened the my adobe, a error message popped up saying something like "your monitor 'LG monitor L206WTQ' is defected ... ..." - Now because I wasnt too sure what the message mean't, I just closed the message window and continued to work on adobe - which actually seemed to be running fine - only untill i relized that I could not get the true color WHITE on my color palete!
I searched google for the problem and to my amazement ... I found a forum that answered my question. The forum told me to go to CONTROL PANEL > DISPLAY > COLOR MANAGEMENT > and then once I was here, click ADD to add the AdobeRGB1998.icc file and set it as the default color profile.
I accepted these settings and opened up my Adobe to find that it WORKED ... I could get the true color white again.
BUT! ... now I have found another problem and this is where I need your help. I was searching for photographs on my computer to photoshop on Adobe and when i opened up an image on adobe ... I noticed that the color of the photo is SLIGHTLY DULL compared to the original - Almost as though Adobe made the image a little less brighter. I double clicked on the photo in my MY DOCUMENTS FOLDER, so that i could compare the image to the one on adobe and I was right ... the image did look a bit more dull on Adobe. I thought maybe it was that particular image but every photo I open up on a Adobe now, becomes slightly dull.
Strangely enough ... when I edit a photo in Adobe and save it under these "dull" conditions ... and open the edited image in my MY DOCUMENTS folder, the images color is back to normal!
Why do all my images get this 'dull' condition only when I view / open them up in adobe???
I can't find a forum that has an answer to my question and I'm just hoping one of you experts can help me out, thanks in advance!!

Dale,
Photoshop is colour managed. This means when sending RGB to the monitor it uses a profile that describes the monitor's behaviour.
In order to display colours properly it has to change the RGB values sent to that specific monitor. The device profile is a set of offset values that is typical for that one monitor.
Your current profile probably belongs to your previous monitor. Recalibrate an profile your monitor.
Read this:
http://www.computer-darkroom.com
Rob

Need new monitor advice

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