LCD Monitor choices with what is available today/Prepress

I did hours of searching and reading, and found one site that explains the

technology differences in todays monitors in the LCD 30 inch line up.

 

For the 2 BIG guys that are competeing , its Apple Cinema 30" and the Dell

3007wfp-hc.

 

I read someplace about the I-SPc(?) technology is better than the TN for color

correct LCD monitors.

 

Then I read that you shouldnt buy an LCD for prepress. So I am a bit

confused. I was in the market for a new monitor, but I dont want to spend over

$1500-2000 for something that doesnt calibrate and I wouldnt be able to do my

5000K prepress viewing with, as I want to inspect the color and send it to

magazine press.

 

I already have 4 monitors in front of me. The 2 main ones I use are the Sony

FW900 24 inch crt's. They are great, but the 30 inch gives me vertical space

that I alway scoll to see edges.

 

I understand that the Apple is more accurate than the Dell...but is it good for

prepress color checking?

 

Thanks,

Phil

By most reports, the LCDs out there now are pretty good, with the Eizos leading the pack. But I don't do pre-press; I just have semi-founded opinions and a keyboard.

FW900 was one of the best crts back then. If you need a lcd, go for EIZO, but it is very pricey

This is a very in-depth site about LCD monitors, including monitor types (TN no good for photo editing, ISP are the best, but $$)

http://textblog.anands.net/archives/11

 

Even more info is linked from the above

Are there any 30" NEC models...Also, is th e 30inch Apple a ISP 8bit pp screen?

 

I do know that pre2006 Apple 30 inch had some pink red warmth issues.

this is the one I see listed, NEC MultiSync LCD3000-BK Black 30" LCD Monitor.

350 contrast sounds low, and a 1 year warranty vs many 3 years.

 

at $2800 ouch....

how much more accurate is this from the Apple or even the Dell I dare ask?

 

Wondering if the Appl will even get 5000k color from a pC..I have a color meter to profile/calibrate.

btw...thanks for the feedback so far...Thanks for the link, It was one of the sites I came across and learned about the ISP vs Tn...I read about 10-15 links of info, but still have no one that might be prepress with experience on the Apple or Dell vs the Lacie nec...which Im sure are TOP, but how far off are they? is the Apple 30 a ISP? or Dell? I am critical with most jobs but is it the difference of a .3-5 Delta or one that might be off strongly?

 

 

I also found this thread for those listening in and want more info..

http://www.kenrockwell.com/apple/30-inch-cinema-display.htm

 

(interesting about the yellow/orange comaprison)

but...about the last link...the reviewer is into video color, and it is very differnt from prepress....so, keep that in mind

Samsung website is hard to even look for monitors by size. NEC caps out at 24inches. hmmm

NEC has a 26 (2690) that is reportedly very good. I don't know anything about their 30.

 

If you're calibrating for pre-press, do you really need more than 350:1? My sense is that when calibrating for print, having too much contrast makes it harder to be accurate.

Thanks for the reply Marshal, and you have a good question about the contrast, and I have no idea as I never had a LCD screen, so I have no idea what a 350:1 ratio vs a 800, 1000:1 ratio means related to image proofing. I just care to see the difference in my total ink blacks that are 290 vs those that are 300, since the press is going to expose that.....even less of a difference the press will reveal that....if more contrast ratio means you will more likely see this, than it would be worth something to me.

 

 

The truth is I have a Apple 30 inch Cinema display sitting on my desk that I can buy for $1300. it is a older mfg date of 2005, but bought in 2006. The monitor is clean, but has some TINY specs of stuck pixels. For the $500 less I might be able to look away...but will there be more pixel issues a year or 3 down the line?

 

I can either return this, and spend another few hundered and buy a new Apple display that is the recent screen design and so on, or if it was an option the Dell, but it looks like it might not be?

 

26 sounds nice, but from 24?.....not so nice....If I am going to spend a good chunk of money on a screen, I am going to want something substantially larger than what I have now.

All ACD's 20" and above are SWOP certified. You can't go wrong

with these displays. They all have the S-IPS panel.

ACD?

Apple Cinema Display?

Where can I see this Swop cert?

thanks Tim for this great bit of info

the question will be now....will I be able to drive it correctly with a PC and a monitor profile meter?

Anyone know how close these are to the Apple Cinema Display?

As Tim points out the AppleCD 30 inch is Swop certified.

 

Are any of these 3?

 

Dell 3007-HC = $1499

HP 30" = $1639 + 3 DVI Ports (Even greater value)

Samsung 305T 30" = $1581

Apple CD 30 $1799

 

I have read the specs on the 4 monitors and in cases better than Apple specs (for what they might be worth)

NEC has a 26" IPS model, the LCD2690WUXi; it costs about US$1700 including the SpectraView calibration hardware and software which calibrates through the monitor LUT, not the video card LUT, so all 8bits per color from the video card remain available. It's one of the two monitors on my short list, the other being the NEC LCD1990SXi, a 19" IPS model.

26...sounds good, but not big enough. I want 30. I am using a Apple CD now that I have borrowed, and it is dammmsweet. It has over 30 or so tiny tiny tiny pixels lit stuck, and 2 pixels that are verrry small but not as small as the others that are lit stuck.

 

I someone owned a Samsung 305T and a spectrometer, I would love to know how the display works with color settings for prepress.

 

I also read that there is a Syncmaster XL30 from Samsung with LED lighting for the back, and this is being marketed for color pro use.

 

I wish NEC had a 30 with the spectrameter :-)

As for SWOP certified I can only speculate as to what makes it so

by examining my 20" 2004 G5 iMac which has a very unique

looking backlight in reqards to neutrality compared to nonApple

displays.

 

It's gamut plot is a bit larger than sRGB mainly in the blues, but

the native color temp is the most neutral looking I've ever seen in

a display compared to CRT's like my 21" Samsung 1100p which

comes across kind of inky looking where 6500K always has a

slightly saturated cyanish blue appearance next to my GE

Sunshine 5000K flotubes.

 

My iMac is dead neutral from black to white and doesn't cause

adaptive color tint neutrality shifts next to my GE flotubes that my

eye's experience using my CRT. I can't make out any color tint on

the iMac. And this from using the Apple supplied eyeball

calibrator.

 

The Dell 2007wfp's native color temp I recently calibrated with

the Spyder2Pro on a WinXP system had a noticeable bright and

bluish cast same as the CRT even though it measured 6500K. It

has an S-IPS panel like the Apple Cinema Displays.

That is odd...for SWOP and with the Spyder you need to go Press Standard Measured 80/.30 5000K.

 

I have a 17" Samsung that is darn good on one of the PC running Win 2K. My G5 and4 Im not worried about. But the system with the 30 that is going to take place of the 2 24 Inch CRT's...(Idealy I would like to keep one 24 inch and a 30 inch side by side, but this looks like a problem as the one computer using a DVI cannot have another monitor plugged in with the Apple CD30...Is this the case with all 30 inch screens?

 

That is getting a bit off subject, but ...Anyway , you mention Dell. I don't think I would get a Dell. I have seen many of the screens and it is a hit or miss on the quality control. I am thinking Apple 30 or Samsung 305T...and now looking at Samsung XL30 /led.

I also read someplace that the Apple CD 30 is no longer Swop cert as of 2006 on Swop website.?? whats up with that?

>NEC has a 26 (2690) that is reportedly very good

 

Just got one, just started testing but I like it. For the size, the purity seems quite good. The

software is nice, nothing special but easy to use. Its not going to replace my Artisan (which is

setting next to it) but for the size and cost, its quite nice.

Thanks Andrew,

 

It looks like I might have to wait for the XL30 release this month. I read about it and it sounds like thee screen to get if in the market and can wait for it. Right now I was using the Apple 30 and compared to my Sony 24 Crt...I think it is just great! I have lots of blacks in my work and to be able to see it clear on screen from a 295 to a 300 sum, That is great. I was almost certain that it would perform lower(maybe color accuracy is a bit different?) than the CRT Sony FW900...Huh!

<p>Wanted to update this thread. I have the Samsubg XL30 at my desk and I have had a smile ear to ear using this for the past few months. It is hardware LUT calibrated with an Eye1 spectro, and the colors are dead on with the contract proofs. You can store the profile on the monitor and switch from Adobe RGB to SRGB and Calibrate mode, etc. It was almost 3x the price of the others, but it is not in the same ball park. I didnt even know that LCD has flicker until you look at a static LED screen. As colors shift and brightness degrade over time on LCD displays, LED will not, and will outlast my other screens with perfect color. I would only say if people have an issue with angle views, blacks do shift at extreme angles. Ironically this is actually helpful for the work I do as it trouble shoots differences in black areas...odd, but true. It is a very slight difference, but it is the panel technology. You do have to move way left or right, but I thnk some people might want to know. I think this is a must have for any pro prepress / photographer.</p>