Monitor questions

[RichardLechner]

I have been thinking about buying a monitor to plug my new 17" MacBook Pro into. I work in a RGB color space with Photoshop and Lightroom. I plan to calibrate any monitor I buy.

Some monitors only work with sRGB color space so that will not work for me.

I have been looking at monitors with IPS panels however they are much more expensive then PVA or TN panels.

My question is;
If I calibrate the monitor on a regular basis can I get buy with a TN or PVA panel INSTEAD of IPS. I know the matte finish is not available on the TN & PVA panels but I might consider one anyway.

This is all new stuff for me. Trying to figure it all out... LOL... Any help or comments would be appreciated.

[NikoJorj]

Get an IPS if you want something really good, otherwise get a PVA (they do exist in matte).

Forget about the TN : hues and values vary so wildly with the angle, that at normal observation distance the top and bottom of the screen are way off the center, making any calibration meanningless.

The tradeoff with PVA is that the deeper blacks still change value with the angle, making it a bit harder to find the correct level of detail to put in the shadows... the other parts of the palette are more stable (there are still some hue shifts though, but generally not that relevant at normal position and observation distance).

The price of IPS screens is not necessarily very high : the dell U2410 eg is in the same price league as most of the PVA panels (but with some quality control issues maybe), and there are more and more affordable IPS panels with standard sRGB gamut (viewsonic vp2365wb, dell u2211h...).

And for wide gamut monitors... It's a blessing as long as you stay within color management area (PS, LR...).
It may become a curse outside (I don't know any ready-made video player that is color aware eg), so it's best to have at least an efficient sRGB preset if you don't use your screen only for photo editing.

There are some decent reviews (ie not too much gaming-oriented) on TFTcentral or prad.de.

[BobFisher]

Good information from NikoJorj.  Personally, I'd avoid Dell like the plague.  There are a couple HPs that may fit your budget if you're not willing to pony up the big dollars for an Eizo or NEC (wouldn't blame you).  The LP2475w and LP2275w get decent reviews and are reasonably priced.  This site has intensive reviews on monitors and a host of other good information.

[RichardLechner]

Thanks everyone for your comments and suggestions. I will stick with the IPS panels from all that I have read so far. I ran across FlatpanelsHD in my research. Great site.

I ran across the new HP ZR30w This unit looks REAL interesting. I must admit I like the idea of the 30" screen.

Let me know your thoughts on this new HP...