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+--- Thread: Not happy with the quality of text on my new 17" Samsung LCD, Suggestions? (/showthread.php?tid=17203)
Not happy with the quality of text on my new 17" Samsung LCD, Suggestions? - Baby Tats - 08-18-2006
I recently bought a 17" Samsung 730B Synchmaster LCD that was available from Amazon for $80 shipped AR. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009CEL18/104-5389939-3815145?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance&n=172282 My understanding is that Samsung LCDs are pretty highly regarded. I have never owned an LCD before, but the quality of the onscreen text seems quite mediocre to me. I have played around with the settings quite a bit, and I can get the text clear on parts of the screen but then it seems to be worse on others. I have run through the usual calibration routines as well. I have the text smoothing set to medium and the smoothing off font size as low as it will go. The best way to describe the text is "fuzzy" as opposed to jagged. Or sometimes text seems to have a bit of a "shadow". I can find the camera and try to get pictures if it will help.
Details:
B&W G3 with G4 Zif upgrade
Stock graphics card (ATI Rage 128) via VGA(?) cable
X.4.6
Resolution is set correctly at 1280x 1024
I have to admit graphics look pretty good so is this just how text looks on an LCD? Would I see an improvement with a new video card and DVI? Is this a bum LCD? Any suggestions?
Thanks-
BT
Re: I'm not happy with the quality of the text on my new 17" Samsung LCD. - Grumpyguy - 08-18-2006
when I switched from a CRT to a Dell 19 inch LCD last year, I thought I had gone blind. The text looked fuzzy. I posted about the same thing as you and basically, everyone said give it a week or two.
Now the text looks just fine. It just takes time to adjust, like new glasses.
Of course, you can play with contrast, brightness,etc, that might help a bit.
Re: Not happy with the quality of text on my new 17" Samsung LCD, Suggestions? - Baby Tats - 08-18-2006
I have played with with all the settings for over an hour, including: contrast, brightness, sharpness, and some type of coarse and fine adjustment that moves the image in relation to the LCD. The monitor itself will auto-adjust this coarse and fine and for the most part I agree with what it picks. Sounds like I need to adapt. The problem is that right now I am moving back and forth between the LCD and the CRT so it is very noticable every time I sit down at the LCD. How do you know when it is worse than "normal"? Like I said, the graphics look pretty nice so I can't really suspect the monitor as much as I suspect my settings or my hardware.
BT
Re: Not happy with the quality of text on my new 17" Samsung LCD, Suggestions? - timg - 08-18-2006
By any chance did you change the Text smoothing setting in the control panel from CRT to LCD?
This might help a little.
Re: Not happy with the quality of text on my new 17" Samsung LCD, Suggestions? - papercup - 08-18-2006
I find exactly the opposite to be true of LCDs. Text looks overly sharp, images somewhat hazy.One of the reasons I still prefer CRTs for imaging.
Amazon is very good about exchanges. I would at least try one more on exchange before you "just get used to it".
Re: Not happy with the quality of text on my new 17" Samsung LCD, Suggestions? - tahoedrew - 08-18-2006
Sorry to say, that's how text looks on an LCD when you connect via VGA.
Honestly, I've never connected an LCD to a Mac via VGA, but all the PC's I've used have been via VGA, and they suck - do exactly what you're describing which is sharp in some areas and blurry in others.
Your best option would be to upgrade your video card (though I don't know of any PCI video cards with DVI other than the ATI radeon 9200 - which is still fairly pricey compared to a 2x or 4x AGP card like a GeForce 4MX which is probably $20-30 on ebay. Perhaps someone knows of another, cheaper, PCI with DVI card)
~A
EDIT: an ATI Radeon 7000 is what you need as it is PCI and has a DVI connection! Seriously, you'll see a total improvement with a DVI connection, it makes all the difference in the world!
Re: Not happy with the quality of text on my new 17" Samsung LCD, Suggestions? - Jerry® - 08-18-2006
[quote Baby Tats]I recently bought a 17" Samsung 730B Synchmaster LCD that was available from Amazon for $80 shipped AR. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009CEL18/104-5389939-3815145?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance&n=172282 My understanding is that Samsung LCDs are pretty highly regarded. I have never owned an LCD before, but the quality of the onscreen text seems quite mediocre to me. I have played around with the settings quite a bit, and I can get the text clear on parts of the screen but then it seems to be worse on others. I have run through the usual calibration routines as well. I have the text smoothing set to medium and the smoothing off font size as low as it will go. The best way to describe the text is "fuzzy" as opposed to jagged. Or sometimes text seems to have a bit of a "shadow". I can find the camera and try to get pictures if it will help.
Details:
B&W G3 with G4 Zif upgrade
Stock graphics card (ATI Rage 128) via VGA(?) cable
X.4.6
Resolution is set correctly at 1280x 1024
I have to admit graphics look pretty good so is this just how text looks on an LCD? Would I see an improvement with a new video card and DVI? Is this a bum LCD? Any suggestions?
Thanks-
BT
AHH!!! I had the same problem with my Viewsonic 19in LCD using it with my MacBook! The text looked fuzzy - and I found how to fix it: (if I can remember)
Turn off mirroring and use it as an extended desktop - then go into the arrangement and click and drag the menu bar part from your primary display to the LCD - then go back and turn ON mirroring.
Worked for me. I don't know why - but it worked.
Jerry
Re: Not happy with the quality of text on my new 17" Samsung LCD, Suggestions? - AlphaDog - 08-18-2006
[quote tahoedrew]Sorry to say, that's how text looks on an LCD when you connect via VGA.
Honestly, I've never connected an LCD to a Mac via VGA, but all the PC's I've used have been via VGA, and they suck - do exactly what you're describing which is sharp in some areas and blurry in others.
Your best option would be to upgrade your video card (though I don't know of any PCI video cards with DVI other than the ATI radeon 9200 - which is still fairly pricey compared to a 2x or 4x AGP card like a GeForce 4MX which is probably $20-30 on ebay. Perhaps someone knows of another, cheaper, PCI with DVI card)
~A
I agree about using an LCD with a VGA adapter. I had a 19" LCD connected to an almost identical B & W, and I wasn't impressed with anything beyond the real estate. When I connected the same monitor to my MDD, the difference was amazing, because the video card provided "real" digital output. I now use it as a second monitor with my 20" Intel iMac, and it's great on it, too. I doubt there's anything wrong with the monitor itself, so you just have to decide whether an $80 monitor is worth the price of a new video card for that computer. I love my B & W (I still use it as a server), but I wouldn't love it enough to start putting more into a video card than what the monitor cost.
Re: Not happy with the quality of text on my new 17" Samsung LCD, Suggestions? - Buzz - 08-18-2006
another vote for text smoothing setting, though I had a former 17" Samsung [don't recall model #] that a bit rough, and replaced it w/ a 171P that has been spot on for a few years. subsequently have had good success w/ dell ultrasharps, but as noted, there is an adjustment curve to one's first LCD... hopefully you will enjoy.
Re: Not happy with the quality of text on my new 17" Samsung LCD, Suggestions? - Baby Tats - 08-18-2006
I've tried every setting for the text smoothing from automatic to strong to no avail. The problem doesn't seem like "jaggedness" in rendering the shape of the letters as much as it seems like the text is smudged against the white background. I will be moving this display to my Gigabit Ethernet machine this weekend which has a 2X AGP slot AFAIK. I am willing to invest in a used AGP card with DVI if it is likely to help. Are they reasonable on eBay? Are there any recommendations for what I should look for in terms of manufacturer and model #? Anybody here have a card that they want to unload?
Thanks for all the help.
BT