[uk lee]

Hi , I'm looking for some help from folks who are a bit more tech savvy than I am when it comes to monitors !

I'm in the market for a 27" monitor to replace the telly that im using and would prefer to spend around £200-300 . I'm hoping for a sharper picture , currently anything higher than 1360x768 looks blurred although the PS3 plays fine at 1080p. At the moment I'm using a Samsung LE23RD HDTV. I'm using the HDMI output from the PS3 console and the DVI output from my Desktop PC . The line out (2 channel stereo) from the PC is connected to the line in on the TV , the TV headphone jack is connected to my CreativeLabs amplifier & speakers. I can use the TV remote to switch between source signals and display either the PS3 or the PC Desktop on the telly , with the sound for either source coming through my amp & speakers.

I need to have this functionality from whatever monitor I buy , but I don't know nearly enough about modern monitors - will I be able to do it ? What should I be looking for ?
I often see that they have multiple inputs such as VGA, HDMI & DVI , but can you connect 2 different sources , and select between the two - like I'm doing with my TV ?
What about the sound ?


Any help , advice or recommendations would be really appreciated !

Thanks :-)

Lee

[EndlessWaves]

Originally Posted by uk lee

I often see that they have multiple inputs such as VGA, HDMI & DVI , but can you connect 2 different sources , and select between the two - like I'm doing with my TV ?

Yes, you can cycle through all the connected sources. Although it'll be through a button or through the monitors menu as they almost never have remotes.

Originally Posted by uk lee

What about the sound ?

You'd need to look specifically for a monitor with two inputs (HDMI/Line in) and a passthrough and not all will have it. It's certainly available generally, although 27" 1920x1080 isn't the most popular size of monitor.

Originally Posted by uk lee

I'm in the market for a 27" monitor to replace the telly that im using and would prefer to spend around £200-300 . I'm hoping for a sharper picture , currently anything higher than 1360x768 looks blurred although the PS3 plays fine at 1080p.

It appears to be a 1366x768 TV so that's not particularly surprising, although I am surprised the PS3 even lets you select 1920x1080, I wonder if it's actually outputting at 1366x768 (most PS3 games are actually running at or below that resolution and the 1080p option is just scaling).

LCDs are inherently blurry at non-native resolutions so without knowing how big the effect you're talking about it's hard to be certain but I think it's very possible you'll see an improvement from a 1920x1080 27" screen at resolutions between 1366x768 and 1920x1080, although 1366x768 signals specifically would be worse and 1280x720 signals aren't likely to be as good either.

There are a couple of low end 27" 2560x1440 screens just outside your budget (sub-£400) but I don't think they include the sound inputs you require.

[uk lee]

Thanks EW, that's a really comprehensive reply

So , when looking at monitors , if they specify multiple input ports - then there will be a method of switching between the ports ?

I could stretch the budget a bit if I'm going to get a significant gain in picture quality . if I went for a 27" with 2560 x 1440 ( I'm pretty sure my new HD6850 GPU could support it ) , how would the PS3 get on with it ?

My boys use the PS3 a fair bit and have recently been getting into online gaming more & more. I use the PC for photo and video / sound editing and office stuff , My old computer was starting to show its age - so have just finished custom building a new PC. I dont need a tuner or freeview & I'd like to upgrade to a decent monitor but it needs to fulfill this multi tasking role !

It seems like the sound side of things could be the limiting factor. There's no real need for it to go through the display ( they're never usually on at the same time ) , but I need a way off connecting both the PC and the PS3's sound output to my amp & speakers.

Lee

[EndlessWaves]

Originally Posted by uk lee

Thanks EW, that's a really comprehensive reply

So , when looking at monitors , if they specify multiple input ports - then there will be a method of switching between the ports ?

As far as I'm aware it's ubiquitous yes. I've never come across a monitor that doesn't do this.

Originally Posted by uk lee

but I need a way off connecting both the PC and the PS3's sound output to my amp & speakers.

Does your amp not have multiple inputs?

Originally Posted by uk lee

I could stretch the budget a bit if I'm going to get a significant gain in picture quality . if I went for a 27" with 2560 x 1440 ( I'm pretty sure my new HD6850 GPU could support it ) , how would the PS3 get on with it ?

Nevermind, I just checked the Hazro HZ27WC and it doesn't have HDCP or a scaler so it wouldn't work with the PS3. The other model I had in mind, the DGM IPS-2701WPH, is also listed as not having scalers and makes no mention of HDCP so that might not work either (although it's brand new so I don't know if anyone's tested it yet).

So you're probably looking at £500+ for a more rounded 2560x1440 screen that the PS3 could be connected to (e.g. Dell U2711 at ~£520) which is a long way past your budget.

[uk lee]

Thanks again EW

No , my amp is a fairly standard PC type , and takes a 3.5mm audio jack as its input. 2 speakers and a sub - not particularly fancy or expensive , but the sound quality really is excellent , and it meets my needs.

So it's either splash out £520 for a 2560x1440 Dell U2711 or spend a lot less than that and get a 27" 1920x1080 then

I reckon a crystal clear 1920x1080 would be an upgrade for me anyway - not to mention the increase in real estate allowing me to view 2 full A4 documents side by side - my trouble is now , which one to get ?

I know you said that 1920x1080 27" isnt the most popular size of monitor , but a quick look on amazon and ebay reveals literally dozens and dozens of them ! , from as little as £160 to over £500.

Where do i start ? , I've learnt that DVI and HDMI inputs are a must , as is one with HDCP for the PS3. What isn't clear from the brief specifications that they give you is on the "audio" side of things . There's a multitude of manufacturers , many of which I'm not familiar with , but I've learnt in the past that ££££ doesn't always equal quality , and some lesser known brands can offer fantastic value for money.

So , how do i weed out those that arent suitable ? , the ones from BenQ seem to have decent reviews ? Any tips / recommendations please ?

Lee

[EndlessWaves]

Originally Posted by uk lee

I know you said that 1920x1080 27" isnt the most popular size of monitor , but a quick look on amazon and ebay reveals literally dozens and dozens of them ! , from as little as £160 to over £500.

There has been rather an explosion lately, I think there were about three of them two years ago.

Still, I can't imagine there being much more than two dozen that meet your criteria, a lot will be discounted for being out of your budget, not having the sound connections you want or for having features you don't need.

Originally Posted by uk lee

Where do i start ?

Personally I'd find as many manufacturers doing 27" panels as you can and then start listing all of the ones that are suitable. For example looking on the BenQ site they seem to do three models that are on sale and have two audio inputs and one output:

EW2730 & EW2730V (the latter has component input)
GW2750HM
GL2750HM

The first two are VA panels which have more consistent colours, better contrast and better viewing angles than the more common TN panels but don't handle motion as well and suffer from a 'black crush' effect that causes dark areas to all blend together. These effects are all pretty subtle and neither technology is likely to cause any big problems for your use.

Once I'd thrown out all the ones that don't do what I wanted I'd start looking at value for money and reviews.


There's not generally much difference in image quality between brands. Probably the biggest difference is in the type of LCD (TN/VA/IPS), and for the latter two how well they've been implemented in a particular screen (as they've only gotton cheap enough in the last couple of years to appear in sub-£300 screens).

Despite what some unscrupulous manufacturers will tell you *coughsamsungcough* LED backlighting makes no difference to contrast (that only applies to screens using direct backlighting LEDs and local dimming, which is only some televisions at the moment). The only clear advantages of LED backlighting is slimmer screens (edge-lit models) and mercury free disposal when it breaks down.

Wide gamut is often another thing that is mis-advertised. It can't be turned off so unless all your content supports it all of the time it'll just lead to incorrect colours (neon green grass is common) so should generally be considered a bad thing for most people.

120hz on TN screens is a feature that can be worth having and does improve the fluidity of movement. Although it should make everything on the PC side feel slightly smoother the two most common areas where it's deemed nice to have are PC gaming and 24fps movie playback. 24fps multiplies into 120hz as a nice round number unlike 60hz which means every frame is displayed for the same amount of time. While the PS3 definitely can't take advantage of it for games (they don't run fast enough) I'm not sure if it can output 120hz for movies. It will definitely be compatible, I'm just not sure if it'll offer any improvement on the PS3 side if you use that for movies.

[LJx]

I would stay cheap and cheerful for 27 1920x1080 resolution and get something like this Samsung T27A300 27 inch Widescreen LED Monitor with Digital TV Tuner (Full HD 1080P, Dolby Digital Surround, 2xHDMI) - Gloss Black: Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories

[uk lee]

Thanks for some great help & advice EW

I listed all my must haves / nice to haves / not bothered etc , did a lot of research and much reading of reviews and went and bought myself a monitor !

In the end i went for a 27" BenQ EW2730V from Amazon . Out of the box , the display is way too bright and It took a bit of setting up using some online benchmarking sites for calibration info , but its all done now.

I am SUPER pleased with it ! , It's brilliant for the PS3 - the picture is pin sharp with great colour definition , i havent noticed any ghosting at all. For the PC the 27" widescreen display is a massive step up over my old Samsung 23" telly , and the 1920x1080 resolution is perfect for me. I'm glad i didn't fork out twice the price for a Dell to get the extra resolution - i really wouldn't have used it.

I can flick between the two inputs with the little remote and the sound pass though works a treat.

Thanks again

Lee

[EndlessWaves]

Glad to hear my advice was helpful and you ended up with a monitor that suits you.

[CAS FAN]

Originally Posted by uk lee

Thanks for some great help & advice EW

I listed all my must haves / nice to haves / not bothered etc , did a lot of research and much reading of reviews and went and bought myself a monitor !

In the end i went for a 27" BenQ EW2730V from Amazon . Out of the box , the display is way too bright and It took a bit of setting up using some online benchmarking sites for calibration info , but its all done now.

I am SUPER pleased with it ! , It's brilliant for the PS3 - the picture is pin sharp with great colour definition , i havent noticed any ghosting at all. For the PC the 27" widescreen display is a massive step up over my old Samsung 23" telly , and the 1920x1080 resolution is perfect for me. I'm glad i didn't fork out twice the price for a Dell to get the extra resolution - i really wouldn't have used it.

I can flick between the two inputs with the little remote and the sound pass though works a treat.

Thanks again

Lee

Quite tempted by one of these. I was going for a 24" but as the main use would be for gaming I may as well consider a bigger screen. I also run my pc via a projector at 1080p so wouldn't have to mess about with resolution changes as game settings either.

I notice that BHS Direct have it for £248, seems a good price for a 27" monitor.