The Final Word on Flat Panels

May 1st, 2007

There’s one more consideration worth noting, and that’s whether the monitor has analog inputs or digital ones. (Usually if it does have digital it has analog, too.) At least in theory, using a digital video input–the geek term is DVI–gives you a better picture. But to get that picture, your video card has to have a digital output, and many of them don’t. The good news is that today’s analog monitors are quite good.

Which, alas, triggers a rant from Steve: Adjust that monitor! You’ve got brightness and contrast settings as well as some settings for color and alignment. It’s usually a lot easier to adjust a flat panel than a tube, but you do need to go in there and do the job. And some monitors have a single auto-adjust button that helps clear a lot of things up in a jiffy.

Angela, in an unaccountably enabling mood, triggers another outburst with a comment about screen resolution. If there’s one thing Steve claims to see time and time again with flat panels, it’s that people run them at the wrong resolution. Flat panels are designed to run at their native pixel count: 1280 by 1024 or whatever. Whenever you run them at some other resolution, they look awful. So make sure that you figure out what the native resolution is for yours–it should be on the box or in the manual–then go into the Control Panel and pick the resolution that matches the monitor from the choices in the Display section. (This might happen automatically, but often it does not.)

This, notes Angela, is one downside of flat panels. Once in a while you’ll run into an older program, most likely a game, that wants to run at a specific screen resolution, usually a lower one. The game won’t look very good on a flat panel, and this is one instance in which a tube monitor may be better.

And if you’re a gamer and you’re looking for a flat panel, you probably want to check the specs for what’s known as response time, which is how fast the screen can change the image. The fewer milliseconds, the better–but if you don’t play fast-moving games, you’ll probably never notice.

When you get your monitor home, counsels Angela, look at lots of images, documents, and Web pages. Be sure to check out images that are mostly black and images that are mostly white. What you’re looking for are what are known as “stuck pixels”–always green, always red, always blue. Always the same color even if they shouldn’t be. Manufacturers differ on their policies regarding stuck pixels, but if your unit has them, try to exchange it. This is one problem that won’t go away.

One more thing: Since many people choose to hold on to a favorite monitor even when they upgrade the computer itself, try to buy a unit that comes with a decent warranty–at least three years if possible. Your LCD should last a lot longer than that, and the manufacturer should be willing to stand behind it at least that far. But take the flat-panel plunge, say the Duo: Overall, dumping one of those overweight CRT units is a quick way to trim 30 pounds of ugly fat from your desk.

Entry Filed under: How-To