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I just bought a new Gateway HD2200 monitor, and I've noticed that the screen brightness is noticeably darker at the top and lighter at the bottom, when viewed head-on. Since I want to use the monitor for photo editing, I find this somewhat disconcerting. Is this a problem anyone else has experienced with this model, or with LCDs in general, and is there any way to fix it? (This is my first LCD.) Thanks.

Unfortunately what you are seeing is the effects of poor viewing angles inherent to all LCD panels produced using twisted nematic (TN) technology. What's worse, TN panels are only able to display 18-bit colour leaving you with a max of 262,144 possible colours sans dithering.

What you should be looking for in a photo editing monitor is something with a *VA or S-IPS type panel. Besides specialized high end Eizo, NEC, LaCie or Apple Cinema displays there are precious few of these left, especially in the <24" market. Dell's 2007WFP was one of the cheaper models available, although Dell liked to mix panel types, with some units featuring PVA type panels rather than the preferred S-IPS. The Dell 2407WFP-HC and 2408WFP seem to be quite well regarded when it comes to image quality. If you really want accurate colour, you might want to look into a colorimeter for monitor calibration as well.

Moved to Visual Haven from General Hardware.

Kevin

Thanks for the comments. The appearance of the screen (i.e., somewhat darker at the top) isn't due to "poor viewing angle", such as if I were to view it from the side or from above; this gradation is apparent when I'm looking exactly perpendicular to the center of the screen. So is this problem inherent to TN technology, or is it perhaps due to some other reason?

Your comments on color fidelity are appreciated. I'm actually more than satisfied with the color quality the HD2200 provides, at least for my photo purposes, although I realize that publication-quality usage may require something better.

brucejg wrote:

The appearance of the screen (i.e., somewhat darker at the top) isn't due to "poor viewing angle", such as if I were to view it from the side or from above; this gradation is apparent when I'm looking exactly perpendicular to the center of the screen. So is this problem inherent to TN technology, or is it perhaps due to some other reason?

Vertical viewing angles on TN panels are generally pretty bad. This particularly shows up on the larger models like the 22" and 24" TN abominations that are coming out. Maybe your monitor is abnormally bad Or maybe an inconsistent backlight is aggravating the problem. Take a look at this viewing angle test.

brucejg wrote:

Thanks for the comments. The appearance of the screen (i.e., somewhat darker at the top) isn't due to "poor viewing angle", such as if I were to view it from the side or from above; this gradation is apparent when I'm looking exactly perpendicular to the center of the screen. So is this problem inherent to TN technology, or is it perhaps due to some other reason?

Your comments on color fidelity are appreciated. I'm actually more than satisfied with the color quality the HD2200 provides, at least for my photo purposes, although I realize that publication-quality usage may require something better.

When you're looking "dead on" at a large screen, only a small part of the screen is actually perpendicular to you. The edges of the screen will be at an angle to you.

It could also be that you have uneven backlighting, though.

But I agree with the other posters that a TN film panel is a poor choice for photo editing in any situation. Sell the 22" panel and get a decent 24" SPVA or S-IPS panel instead. Once you go 8-bit, you won't be able to go back.