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tracheopterix · Apr 29, 2003, 02:55 PM

I'm buying a new system soon, probably the dual 1.25 powermac, and I'm trying to decide between getting a the 17" studio display or the 20" cinema display. I want the big one, my justification is that I do a lot of work with FCP and also lots of Graphic Design. I can still acomplish any task on the smaller display, allthough I know how nice a larger display is. This is a subjective matter but I'd appreciate any thoughts. I want to make sure I dont spend more money than I should (sadly money is an important issue here) unless its really justified. Thanks.
(((tracheopterix)))

EnVoy · Apr 29, 2003, 06:26 PM

You already know the answer, you said it yourself. The bigger one! More realistate for palattes is going to drive you less crazy than a smaller monitor will....

dampeoples · Apr 29, 2003, 06:30 PM

Even at an amateur-just for fun level, I'd love to have a larger monitor.

Adam Betts · Apr 29, 2003, 07:39 PM

I own a 22 inch CRT monitor and I couldn't imagine going back to 19 inch or below. The extra space is extremely important to me.

I use Photoshop, Illustrator, Dreamweaver and Final Cut Pro

keywest · Apr 29, 2003, 08:45 PM

My preferences is and has been for a long time 2 monitors. I just set up a dual 867 with a 17 Studio Monitor and then purchased a 17" generic monitor for $20 from a local sale. For a fraction of the price of a larger monitor, I have twice the real estate. I set up Photoshop using the "workspace" menu item and have several defaults, depending on what I am doing. All my palettes on the right hand monitor, no palettes showing, just tools on the left and all color palettes on the right, you get the idea. I can switch them on the fly and always keep my primary 17" clean at all times displaying on the document I am working on. I often have two documents open, one on each screen. Works for all programs with a glut of menus and palettes.

DeathMan · Apr 30, 2003, 03:52 AM

All I know is that in Final Cut Pro at 1024X768, you can only see about 2 video tracks and 2 audio tracks at the same time. This gets annoying really quickly. I'd spring for the 20 incher. I might even look at the Formac 20 incher that gives you a little more real estate than the Apple one. Though not as cool of an aspect ratio.

kulverse · Apr 30, 2003, 07:29 AM

I personally have issues working with less than this:

(21", 17",15" LCD)

Though at work we only have 2 monitors.

:haripu: · Apr 30, 2003, 01:52 PM

it's not the size that matters, but how you use it. (sorry, somebody had to make the obious old joke. so better get over with it

)

but having said that I really prefer my 22 inch cinema display over everything I have tried before. I couldn't image going back.

tracheopterix · Apr 30, 2003, 03:16 PM

thanks for all the info. I agree that the larger screen size (or multiple screens) is very helpfull, and I'm going to go big I've decided. Now I'm thinking about color accuracy too. I've read a bit about LCD being less accurate than CRT and one person told me it just needs to be calibrated more often, so I'm looking into other moniters around 20 inches. I think two would be an option but I have the feeling one would be enough for now, leaving room for another down the road. How do you all feel about the apple displays and print color accuracy and do you have any links or reference material I could look at, or techniques for calibration?
((tracheopterix)))

chris.p · May 2, 2003, 06:51 PM

I think you should buy the display depending on what your end users will view on- i.e. if its mainly print and web- get CRT- because of better colour accuracy for the print side, and most (depending on the market you are designing for) end users still have CRT's (does depend on the market though). If you are going video, I would recommend getting a CRT (as big as you can afford) and a small television (and the connecting cards/boxes) -its incredible how much difference in colour, sharpness, saturation and viewing area you get in a TV compared to a monitor- it will give you the best results by far. Ideally you would want all three- but dont we all

godzookie2k · May 2, 2003, 08:45 PM

Two monitors are always better than one. Especially for pallet heavy programs like FCP, Illustrator and Pshop. With two you can have your document on one, and your pallets on the other. You can't even imagine what a dream this is until you have it. That being said, CRT's are more accurate for color, and if you are doing FCP work you will want to be testing your stuff on an NTSC monitor anyway. So, CRT is the way to go for graphics work. LCD's aren't so hot for color because the colors will shift on you depending on the angle of your head, and the monitor tends to be a bit more contrasty anyway.

Colonel_Panic · May 2, 2003, 11:55 PM

Yeah I find multimonitor setups far better than one big ass monitor. Although I seen a 23inch and a 22 inch dual monitor setup and the apple store today.. All I have to say is christ. Now that is just to much I can`t even imagine filling that space up during a real work session

P.S. I do web design, programming and whatnot so I usually have a lot of windows/pallets open. - Dual monitor has my vote over one big monitor.

Kyle Dreaden · May 15, 2003, 10:13 AM

I honestly couldn't do without my dual 19" crt. I am heading off to college soon and two HUGE monitors sitting on the desk in that small room will most definatly not work, so when the time comes, I'm goign to sell the two monitors (19" sony trinitron flat) and put it towards a single 20" or 23" cinema display.