LG L1980U LCD: The New 19" Panel on the Block
by Kristopher Kubicki on May 13, 2005 4:00 PM EST- Posted in
- Displays
Quantitative Analysis
For the duration of this review, we connected the LG Flatron L1980U to a Radeon X800 Pro with factory default settings on the DVI connection unless stated otherwise. Brightness has been set to maximum as well (with the exception of some of the application tests).Luminance
Brightness ranked as one of our most important display qualities. In a well lit environment, a bright display will actually offer less strain on your eyes than a dimly lit one. Below, you can see a comparison of the brightness for each of our LCD monitors.
Our Contrast Ratio
We will use the same observation from the 19" LCD Roundup several months ago. Using PreCal and our ColorVision Spyder, we will measure the luminance of a pure white image and a pure black image on the LCD monitor. The observed contrast ratio is simply the highest recorded luminance divided by the lowest. All measurements are in candela per meter squared, larger contrast ratios are more desirable.| Observed Contrast Ratio | |||
| Highest Recorded (white image) | Lowest Recorded (black image) | Observed Contrast Ratio | |
| BenQ FP931 | 256.4 | 3.6 | 71.2 |
| Dell 1905FP | 234.6 | 2.6 | 90.2 |
| LG L1980U | 254.6 | 2.8 | 91.0 |
| NuTech L921G | 278.2 | 2.6 | 107.0 |
| Planar PE191M | 234.0 | 3.0 | 78.0 |
| Samsung 193P | 230.4 | 2.2 | 104.7 |
| Samsung 910V | 219.8 | 2.6 | 84.5 |
| Sony SDM S94 | 233.8 | 3.0 | 77.9 |
| ViewSonic Q190MB | 261.8 | 2.6 | 100.7 |
LG doesn't win any awards with regard to their observed contrast ratio. In fact, our observed contrast ratio of 91.0 (we obtain this by dividing the brightest bright by the darkest dark) seems even a little high. On several occasions, a dark image would often "wash out" with almost all detail in the dark areas of the image undetected. This was not one of the finer moments for the LGE display, but is a typical problem for TN displays.
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nthexwn - Sunday, May 15, 2005 - link
I still like my Samsung 710T for gaming ;) Any word on 8ms displays?phaxmohdem - Sunday, May 15, 2005 - link
LOL Wish this article was published a day sooner. Not even 24 hours before this story went online, I walked out of my local Sams Club store toting two brand new Samsung 913V 19" LCD monitors. I paid around $350 ea for them.It was worth it though, these suckers have an 800:1 contrast ratio and are the durn purdiest monitors I have ever pwn3d. There is not much info online about this particular model, but I would recommend them to anyone in the 19" market. only down sides so far, is no DVI input and teh bases are not adjustable, just a tilt option. (and some ghosting on games which is to be expected from a 25ms monitor.)
BUBKA - Saturday, May 14, 2005 - link
wouldn't it be nice if somebody did a monitor review without a Matrix text complete with screenshot...g33k - Friday, May 13, 2005 - link
Thanks for the review. I enjoyed the read and as I am in the market for a new monitor, this will definitly help in my buying descisions.Spacecomber - Friday, May 13, 2005 - link
Sorry, one more comment. I believe the LG1930B uses a LG Philis S-IPS panel, though it is rated as only a 25ms panel. Still, this monitor might compare well against the Dell 1905FP, and NewEgg currently is selling it for $288 after a mail-in rebate. This might be another interesting 19" LCD monitor to take a look at.Ok, I think I'm done now.
Space
Spacecomber - Friday, May 13, 2005 - link
Thanks for this review. Trying to keep up with how these 19" monitors stack up against each other is important to me, since they do seem to be the sweet spot for recommending a LCD to someone these days (as you noted).I think some of these have been mentioned before, but an interesting comparison would be this monitor to the Hyundi L90D+, which uses a Samsung TN panel, and the Viewsonic VP912B, which I think uses the AUO panel. At the moment, I would think that the Hyundi L90D+ gets the nod for a fast gaming monitor, because of its cost, about $350.
I know you guys really like the Dell 1905FP, but its PVA panel is really too slow for games. In fact, I would like to see the 1905FP compared against the Samsung 910T. Although the 910T is rated as a 25ms panel and the Dell a 20ms panel, I didn't think there was much difference between them when it comes to games. The 5ms reported difference in response times is for black to white transitions, and this doesn't really reflect how the PVA monitor has so much trouble with black to grey transitions. The small 5 ms difference gets washed away by the high response times in these situations.
And, I personally liked the much more extensive control features available on the 910T, compared to the Dell. Currently the 910T is available for $349 at NewEgg after a $50 mail in rebate, and they even have the 193P for $392, after a $200 rebate. So, the market for LCDs using Samsung's PVA panels is actually fairly tight.
A couple of other monitors that I'd like to ask you to keep an eye out for, as they sound quite interesting, are the Samsung 193P plus and the Eizo L778. The 193P+ is suppose to be a 8ms PVA panel. I'm still skeptical if this will really make any difference in games, but inquiring minds want to know. The L778 is also a PVA panel, but Eizo claims that their "overdrive circuit" keeps the response times at a low level across the spectrum of black to grey transitions. If this is true, then this PVA panel might rival the S-IPS panels as coming close to being a good all-around LCD monitor.
Some links:
http://www.eizo.com/products/lcd/l778/index.asp
http://product.samsung.com/cgi-bin/nabc/product/b2...
Thanks again,
Space
ocyl - Friday, May 13, 2005 - link
Good poundings on the 6-bit panels, Kristopher! Keep them going :D !!!Samadhi - Friday, May 13, 2005 - link
1280x1024, it's about time someone produced a higher resolution 19" display.rqle - Friday, May 13, 2005 - link
I like these flatron monitor, burrow friend LCD to carry around. I would only pay 15% more then a dell though, so price is a bit high for me.xpose - Friday, May 13, 2005 - link
Nice review. I am glad my Dell is still the champ. hehee. Plus I paid 297.00 +tax shipping for the UltraSharp 1905FP just last week. With a price like that, this monitor doesnt stand a chance.