chris
10-14-2004, 07:23 AM
I've been using for a while now another monitor, an LG F700P, and it is quite a good 17" monitor, especially for the low price.
I also traditionally use Sony Trinitron Multiscan 17" monitors, so it provides an opportunity to compare them. My Sony E230 is now quite a few years old, and it was purchased brand new when it had just been introduced to the market for the very first time. It has provided trouble free and faithful service, and is certainly living up to Sony's reputation here of high quality with the Trinitron monitors. I certainly hope I won't need to replace it any time soon, since it is a very, very good CRT display, and I doubt I'll find another quite as good. So that describes the Sony quickly.
The LG seems to match up quite well in the feature set, and will run at 1920x1440 resolution if you wish to put up with irritating 60hz flicker (Sony E230 1600x1200 at 60hz). 1280x1024 is achieved at a flicker free resolution of 85hz (Sony E230 - 1280x1024 at 75hz).
The LG also features a handy USB hub on the rear panel - proving quite useful for connecting USB devices with stupidly short cables to a distant computer. Rather a pain setting this device up, since the drivers on the CD refused to work requiring new ones to be downloaded from LG's website.
The F700P takes on a reasonably compact form, with a tapered back, and appears to be finished quite well, and it does have reasonable aesthetics. However, the OSD navigation doesn't appear to be quite as intuitive as Sony's brilliantly simple one, and the front panel is cluttered with controls, versus Sony's one button for selection, and mini-joystick style controls for navigation arrangements.
The picture quality is quite a surprise with the LG, since it isn't too bad. Text appears quite crisp, and sharpness seems quite good.
The only real worry I found with it is that it seems to run extremely warm in comparison with the cool operating Sony. I don't know if it would be a potential problem, since I don't use this monitor all the time.
Another problem I noticed was changes in brightness/intensity with windows being maximised for instance, something I didn't expect, and something not noticeable on the Sony. Depending on your use for the monitor, this could be an issue for you.
Colour quality doesn't seem quite so good as the Sony, but given the price difference (relative of course to the purchase dates naturally) you could quite easily excuse that.
Another difference between the two is the lack of the fine 1/3 and 2/3 line across the screen as traditionally found with a Trinitron type display.
However, if you needed a good monitor, and were on a stringent budget, this one would seem quite a good one.
Which do I prefer?
I like the overall quality of the Sony to be honest, but the LG isn't bad, especially for its now cheaper price, and it does seem quite good value.
Sadly for those who loved the Sony Trinitron displays, Sony seems to be concentrating only on those little trendy LCD panels, and only appears to offer the top of the range 21" Trinitron screen aimed at the business market. :(
The LCD's are good, but I haven't found one yet that is quite as good as a very good CRT. And I also haven't found a CRT yet to match the near flawless Trinitron CRT based displays (sold not just by Sony, but under various other brands, such as IBM for instance). So if you have one still serving you well, you might be wise to keep it.
Overall, I give the LG a 7/10.
Pros:
- High resolution/refresh rates
- compact design
- text clarity
- appealing price
Cons:
- variable intensity/brightness
- runs very warm
I also traditionally use Sony Trinitron Multiscan 17" monitors, so it provides an opportunity to compare them. My Sony E230 is now quite a few years old, and it was purchased brand new when it had just been introduced to the market for the very first time. It has provided trouble free and faithful service, and is certainly living up to Sony's reputation here of high quality with the Trinitron monitors. I certainly hope I won't need to replace it any time soon, since it is a very, very good CRT display, and I doubt I'll find another quite as good. So that describes the Sony quickly.
The LG seems to match up quite well in the feature set, and will run at 1920x1440 resolution if you wish to put up with irritating 60hz flicker (Sony E230 1600x1200 at 60hz). 1280x1024 is achieved at a flicker free resolution of 85hz (Sony E230 - 1280x1024 at 75hz).
The LG also features a handy USB hub on the rear panel - proving quite useful for connecting USB devices with stupidly short cables to a distant computer. Rather a pain setting this device up, since the drivers on the CD refused to work requiring new ones to be downloaded from LG's website.
The F700P takes on a reasonably compact form, with a tapered back, and appears to be finished quite well, and it does have reasonable aesthetics. However, the OSD navigation doesn't appear to be quite as intuitive as Sony's brilliantly simple one, and the front panel is cluttered with controls, versus Sony's one button for selection, and mini-joystick style controls for navigation arrangements.
The picture quality is quite a surprise with the LG, since it isn't too bad. Text appears quite crisp, and sharpness seems quite good.
The only real worry I found with it is that it seems to run extremely warm in comparison with the cool operating Sony. I don't know if it would be a potential problem, since I don't use this monitor all the time.
Another problem I noticed was changes in brightness/intensity with windows being maximised for instance, something I didn't expect, and something not noticeable on the Sony. Depending on your use for the monitor, this could be an issue for you.
Colour quality doesn't seem quite so good as the Sony, but given the price difference (relative of course to the purchase dates naturally) you could quite easily excuse that.
Another difference between the two is the lack of the fine 1/3 and 2/3 line across the screen as traditionally found with a Trinitron type display.
However, if you needed a good monitor, and were on a stringent budget, this one would seem quite a good one.
Which do I prefer?
I like the overall quality of the Sony to be honest, but the LG isn't bad, especially for its now cheaper price, and it does seem quite good value.
Sadly for those who loved the Sony Trinitron displays, Sony seems to be concentrating only on those little trendy LCD panels, and only appears to offer the top of the range 21" Trinitron screen aimed at the business market. :(
The LCD's are good, but I haven't found one yet that is quite as good as a very good CRT. And I also haven't found a CRT yet to match the near flawless Trinitron CRT based displays (sold not just by Sony, but under various other brands, such as IBM for instance). So if you have one still serving you well, you might be wise to keep it.
Overall, I give the LG a 7/10.
Pros:
- High resolution/refresh rates
- compact design
- text clarity
- appealing price
Cons:
- variable intensity/brightness
- runs very warm