NEC pa271w anti-glare coating -- anyone bothered?

[andyadler]

I just took posession of a pa271w, and while I love the ease of calibration, color fidelty, etc -- I'm a bit put off by the anti-glare coating "speckle" effect on white and light grey backgrounds. Is this simply something one accepts in exchange for this display's considerable merits? Anyone else here with the same monitor share my concerns, or am I simply being too sensitive?

I haven't a properly calibrated display since my Sony Artisan died a year or more ago, and the pa271w seemed to be the best available (at "somewhat" affordable cost) panel around. I'm probably going to keep it, but wish the AG coating was a bit less agressive (I seem to remember that the Dell U2711 shares the basic panel, and has also drawn comments for its strong AG coating.

Perhaps I simply need to keep my primary text applications on another display (I'd been using a Samsung XL2370 LED-backlit TN panel). Any thought?


Thanks as always...A.

[Czornyj]

I just took posession of a pa271w, and while I love the ease of calibration, color fidelty, etc -- I'm a bit put off by the anti-glare coating "speckle" effect on white and light grey backgrounds. Is this simply something one accepts in exchange for this display's considerable merits? Anyone else here with the same monitor share my concerns, or am I simply being too sensitive?

IMHO NEC has the most gentle "speckle" effect among other anti-glare coated LCDs. Some people hate that effect (especially after switch from CRT), some don't even notice it. Try to get used to it - the only other option is to get glossy surface display like ACD 27".

[soberle]

To tell you the truth, I haven't even notice it.  What I do notice are the magnificent colors...

[Ken W]

I had not noticed this. I like the display.

[pherold]

The PA271 has what I would call a "light" coating of anti glare treatment, and if anything I would find it distracting because it lets too much of the reflection come through - not because there's too much coating.  Is that what you're describing?  Also the mere size of the screen might contribute to this too.  I know I am not used to such a big screen and while my head and shoulders are enough to block a lot of backlight from reflecting off a smaller display, there's so much more there with the 27 inch! 

[andyadler]

What I'm describing is a very fine speckled effect against white backgrounds, almost as if you want to clean the surface of the display. I am getting more used to it, however, as time goes on -- and the actual text is quite sharp. I'm assuming this isn't a matter of sample-to-sample variation, as the AG layer is applied the same way regardless of unit. In any case the colr rendition looks to be spot on -- and there's much I haven't explored yet beyond my initial calibration.

Best...A.

[dnmiller4]

I never noticed anything until I read your comment.   

I am sold on my PA271W

Cheers

David

[meikle]

For people considering which display to buy next, the pa271w with SpectraView is an excellent choice if you don't mind the anti-glare speckle. It is similar to adding a low level of noise to an image in Photoshop, and I find it quite noticeable in white or light areas. (I am also calibrated at 5000K. Don't know how 6500K fares. Please, no rants about color temperature in this thread.) My other display is an EIZO CG21 from 2004. It has an excellent non-glare screen, yet whites and lights are smooth as can be. In my experience with color calibrated displays, ranging all the way back to the Radius Pressview in the 90s, the EIZO display stands out on every measure. Including price unfortunately, in sticker shock way. So when I needed a newer, bigger display for a new Mac Pro, I acquired the pa271w SV. As andyadler notes, it is easy to setup and calibrate, and the calibration is impressively accurate. My research found a number of other displays on the market that cost less and can do as well, or nearly as well, but I judged the NEC SV displays to be the closest thing to an EIZO at a lower cost.

[Lloyd Mayeda]

My research found a number of other displays on the market that cost less and can do as well, or nearly as well

Could you provide info about some of the other displays that can be considered for photo editing that cost less?

Thank you.