[filmscanners] Re: CRTs vs LCDs

["Dave King" <kingphoto@mindspring.com>]

Julian

I'm assuming you researched the CRT situation before buying the Sony
GMD-F520.  Do you know if it has individually adjustable guns?  Is it a good
performance/price ratio?  Thanks, I'm taking notes for my next purchase.

The fact that it's a good cat bun warmer is important to me:)

Dave

----- Original Message -----
From: Julian Vrieslander <julianv@mindspring.com>
To: <kingphoto@mindspring.com>
Sent: Wednesday, January 16, 2002 10:18 PM
Subject: [filmscanners] CRTs vs LCDs (was: Re: Video card for imaging)


On 1/16/02 5:02 PM, Robert Meier <robert_meier_photo@yahoo.com>, wrote:

>--- Julian Vrieslander <julianv@mindspring.com> wrote:
>> BTW, I am not trying to argue that LCD's are better.  When we
>> upgraded our systems earlier this year, I went for the Sony CRT.  But I
have
>> to admit that the Apple LCD on the next desk is very nice indeed.  Each
>> has its advantages and disadvantages.
>
>Julian,
>
>would you still get the CRT rather then an LCD? What kind of work are
>you doing? In other words, is color reproduction very important in your
>work?

My background is in physics, scientific software and instrumentation.
Working as a consultant in recent years.  I've done some graphics
software for biomed applications, but my interest in digital imaging is
mostly a hobby: taking photos, scanning film, tweaking in PS6, making
prints on an Epson 1280 and web pages to share with friends and family.
As I learn more, I may add these skills to my consulting services.

As a recovering physicist, I am a bit obsessive about understanding the
principles and processes of color reproduction.  I am finicky about the
quality of my scans and prints.  So I study the technology carefully, but
I am not an expert or a professional in the field, and I have no
experience in the print/publishing industry.

Last August, I chose to go with the Sony GMD-F520 (CRT) for my own
workstation, and my partner chose the Apple Studio Display (LCD).  Both
monitors are very good, but if I had to do it over again now, I might
choose the ASD.  Here's how I see the pros and cons.

The Sony is described as a 21" screen, and the ASD is described as a 17".
 But the size difference is less than you would think from the numbers.
The diagonal size of the ASD's illuminated area is really 17", but the
Sony's is only 18.5".

The native resolution of the ASD is 1280x1024.  The Sony will go up to
1920x1440 at 75Hz, but you would not want to work at that setting.  Its
optimum setting is 1152x870 at 75Hz.  I usually do not notice refresh
flicker at 75Hz, but others are more sensitive to this.  Refresh flicker
is nonexistant on LCDs, but some people claim that the decay time of the
LCD elements can impair the performance of animated games.

Mac OS allows you to configure the ASD for alternate resolutions:
640x480, 800x600, 1024x768.  With all non-native resolutions you will see
aliasing effects, giving a muddy and fuzzy appearence.  That's a general
limitation of LCD technology.  The Sony can be set to 13 alternate
resolution settings, and although common text sizes will be hard to read
at the highest resolution settings, there are no aliasing effects.

For a CRT the Sony has good sharpness and low geometric distortion.  The
ASD is, however, obviously sharper, and has no distortion.

On the Sony I do not see any variation in color uniformity/purity across
the screen.  Nor do I see this on our ASD, but I have read that this can
be a problem on LCDs.

With a CRT, color balance does not change with viewing position.  The ASD
does show changes with viewing angle, and for critical color judgments
you need to watch your head position.  But with the ASD the effect is not
as significant as it is with laptops and some other desktop LCDs.

The ASD has a wider luminance (brightness) range than the Sony.  As I
mentioned in another message, this is nice if you must work in a room
with high ambient light levels.

I don't have hard data on how the color gamuts compare.  There are
probably differences in the saturation levels of certain colors.  But we
don't have the two devices calibrated to the same luminance and they are
not sitting side-by-side, so I hesitate to make subjective judgments.
With a high quality image like the PDI Target, both monitors reveal a lot
of information, and I cannot say that one is clearly superior or more
accurate than the other.

What about longevity and stability?  It is well known that CRT monitors
lose brightness as the electron guns and phosphors age.  Periodic
recalibration can correct the color balance.  Quality-critical users
expect to get about 3 years of usage on a CRT.  On an LCD, the
illuminator tubes and dyes are subject to aging.  I have not seen any
reports describing how the aging of LCD products compares to CRTs, or
whether it is cost effective to replace the aging parts.

The ASD takes up much less desk space than a 21" CRT.  It is much
lighter, easier to move and store.  It looks gorgeous.

The ASD is 50% cheaper than the Sony.

Here's another advantage for the Sony.  Our cat, Jasper, likes to sit on
top of it, warming his buns and supervising my work.  The ASD is too thin
for even a small kitten to perch on.  Fortunately Jasper is color neutral
(he's a standard 18% gray cat), so his presence does not distort my color
judgments.

One last reminder: anyone buying a monitor for critical use should be
wary of sample-to-sample variations.  Try before you buy, if possible.
At the very least, be sure that your vendor will allow you to return a
monitor that does not meet your own subjective requirements (even if the
monitor does meet minimal functional standards).

--
Julian Vrieslander <mailto:julianv@mindspring.com>

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