Monitors - TFT vs flat screen TV

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chphoto

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Since starting a new job at a large electronics retailer, my first payday is in a couple of weeks. It will include the loose week or so from the previous period, plus a decent wedge of overtime.

In light of the imminent money rush (and tax rape...) I'm looking to buy a PS3 and a decent screen to replace my desktop monitor.

Both my computer and soon-to-be-PS3 have HDMI outputs, so the screen will ideally need dual HDMI inputs. My question is whether or not a flat screen TV will have the ability to be 'calibrated' for photo editing in the way a TFT screen can? I don't have 'proper' calibration equipment, I use the lagom test every now and again!

Also, could people recommend good monitors/TVs? The budget won't be enormous, a few hundred squids at the most I think :)
 
Congratulations on your new job :)

You can calibrate any TV for photo editing with one of the calibration systems as they alter the way the PC outputs colour to compensate for the TV. Depending on panel/system you will have a wider or smaller colour space to work with though. If yoiu go for a TV, I'd look for one that has a PC mode, as TV/DVD/BluRay output levels range from 16-235 and PC 0-255, and it may be that the TV is limiting it's allowed ranges to this (if it does, everything under 16 will be displayed as black, and everything over 235 will be displayed as white). As to technology, the one to aim for is some form of IPS panel. The cheaper (and far more common) TN panels don't have the ability to reproduce colours as well as the IPS panels. Unfortunately, they cost more and I'm not sure you can get them in TVs (where cost is the major driver).

Whilst you can calibrate quite well black/white levels by eye, getting gamma correct and putting RGB in the right "places" in the colour space (and hence getting good colour reproduction) is near on impossible without a calibration system.

So.. in summary, I can't help you on which one to get, but just give you some pointers and suggest you use google with some of the words/phrases I've mentioned above to find out more :)
 
arad85 said:
Congratulations on your new job :)

You can calibrate any TV for photo editing with one of the calibration systems as they alter the way the PC outputs colour to compensate for the TV. Depending on panel/system you will have a wider or smaller colour space to work with though. If yoiu go for a TV, I'd look for one that has a PC mode, as TV/DVD/BluRay output levels range from 16-235 and PC 0-255, and it may be that the TV is limiting it's allowed ranges to this (if it does, everything under 16 will be displayed as black, and everything over 235 will be displayed as white). As to technology, the one to aim for is some form of IPS panel. The cheaper (and far more common) TN panels don't have the ability to reproduce colours as well as the IPS panels. Unfortunately, they cost more and I'm not sure you can get them in TVs (where cost is the major driver).

Whilst you can calibrate quite well black/white levels by eye, getting gamma correct and putting RGB in the right "places" in the colour space (and hence getting good colour reproduction) is near on impossible without a calibration system.

So.. in summary, I can't help you on which one to get, but just give you some pointers and suggest you use google with some of the words/phrases I've mentioned above to find out more :)
Click to expand...

Is that what the whole 'contrast ratio' thing is about?

I have this TV connected to my PC via the PC's VGA output, i can run at 1080 (p or i not sure, as its VGA). It has a contrast ratio of 1400:1, dunno if thats good or bad.

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/5295889/c_1/1%7Ccategory_root%7CHome+entertainment+and+sat+nav%7C14419512/c_2/3%7Ccat_15701169%7CTelevisions%7C14419667.htm?_$ja=tsid:11527%7Ccc:%7Cprd:5295889%7Ccat:home+entertainment+%3E+televisions+%3E+lcd+tvs

It has 2 HDMi inputs, plus it appears to support PC's given that it has an added VGA input.
Would that suite OP?
 
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Adey said:
Is that what the whole 'contrast ratio' thing is about?
Click to expand...
Contrast ratio is the difference between blackest black and whitest white that is realistically displayable. TBH, it isn't that important, what is more important is the output at black - most LCDs (as they have a rear mounted light) are actually displaying grey when asked for black. This has got better recently with the OLED TVs which can selectively switch off the rear lighting.

As to "PC mode", that's normally a function of the TV menu system. I don't know about the TV you mention, but it is to do with the data values and how they display them. Cheaper TVs often mean you don't know what you are getting (it does depend though - a 3 year old Samsung 19" I have has a PC "colour space" mode so...)
 
My graphics card has 1x DVI and 1x HDMI output, which is why I can use a TV or PC screen with it.

The new LED TVs do look amazing, but I'm not sure I can justify the cost compared to a high quality LCD PC screen!
 
Well i think the sensible option is to look for a good monitor that can handle 16:9 then.

Per pixel a monitor is gonna be better quality anyway i would of thought, i.e if we had spent £400 on a monitor, it wouldn't of been any where near as big as 42". Being a tog i think just go with a monitor.
 
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