I am probably never going to require full Adobe wide colour gamut either, sRGB is plenty for the limited web graphics I deal with. I would think any monitor should be fine with whites. BUT that is the problem I have with the Dell U2711. The U2711 CAN do fantastic whites because of the luminescence (brightness) and its contrast ratio, but its hamstrung due to the AG Coating. The AG removal mod was instigated by a photographer who bought the U2711 because of its small pixel pitch and wide colour gamut, but found that the AG Coating was ‘displaying noise’ in his images; hence the reason for the AG removal mod.

Personally, (baring the AG coating) I would love to have bought the U3011 because of its 16:10 screen size. But the distance I sit from my monitor is very close. So the U3011 would have been REALLY big on my desk. You may find http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum/129?g=178 helpful. Depending on the distance you sit, the pixel pitch on a 27″ will give you the same text size as a 30″ … the main benefit is the 16:10 screen size … plus, I think, the larger pixel size will result is slightly less haze from the same grade of AG Coating. But then again, I believe the HP uses a less aggressive AG Coating anyway.

I know a lot of people think the AG Coating thing is blown all out of proportion, but, I am looking at the U2711 it right now… and the haze on white backgrounds is giving me the SHITS…

I would recommend, with ANY monitor you are thinking of buying, to SEE IT FIRST HAND before paying the money. Same goes with a keyboard. Feel it First; With speakers, listen to them First.

Online shops are all good and well, but unless you know exactly what you are buying, you may be in for surprises when you finally open the box. I got a surprise with the U2711… Not very happy about it.

EDIT …

Yet another person surprised with the AG Coating on the U2711… This post is from the U2711 thread over at OverClockers.Com.Au.

I definitely will let you know about the monitor if I get it. If you want to hear some interesting thoughts about LCDs, glossy, matte etc., have a listen to http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=404064215 and skip to the part where they discuss the LCDs on the new Apple notebooks.

There are several degrees of AG Coating available to monitor manufacturers. And the Samsung SA850 I referred to has a very mild AG Coating (more smooth).. so I believe the HP would have a similar mild coating. I think dell have used the same AG coating on the U2711 as they have on the U3011 even though the dot pitch on the U3011 is larger.. But I’m not in a position to verify the net impact on image quality myself.

I would love a Tech website to do an in depth appraisal of the net effect different strength AG Coatings have on the different size dot pitches used in various IPS panels. It would make for good reading.

I think the slightly larger dot pitch will result in a less grainy image; but, I am not in position to verify this myself.

“RE: Anti-glare coat by mcklevin on Monday, June 28, 2010
I now have had this monitor for a week, and it has performed quite well, it is a very solid professional looking build. The anti-glare screen does not sparkle like the LG screen, and the black levels are better as well. Text looks much better than the LG too.”

So I think I am going to get the 30″ HP.

As far as removing the anti-glare coating, then you would have in effect a glossy monitor w/reflections. That is also pretty intolerable. I have a Sony XBR 4 52″ LCD TV which has a matte screen. Glossy if fine on a 10″ Ipad, but that’s about my limit.

To cut straight to the heart of the matter, many people are not overly fussed with the AG Coating. Problem for me was I got use to a 40 inch Samsung LCD TV which I used in place of a monitor on and off. So when it came time to finally bite the bullet and purchase I new monitor, I was looking for something equivalent to the gloss Samsung TV. Now, I new I couldn’t use the TV because I would be sitting only 50cm in front of it most of the time, not from across the living room like I was with the TV and a wireless keyboard, but I wanted to approximate the gloss TV experience.

I knew the Dell had an agressive AG coating. There are forums and complaints about it all over the net. BUT I wasn’t expecting the degree of graininess that I am noticing from the U2711. With a gloss LCD TV, white look fantastic; where as whites on AG Coated IPS are, to put it bluntly, SHlT.

The graininess is only due to the AG Coating, not the IPS panel its self. Gloss IPS panels have very little if any reported graininess. The only reason most manufacturers even use an AG coating is the glare or reflection of the user in an IPS panel is so considerable due to the distance people sit from their monitors.

IPS monitors are really multimedia monitors, meaning, that they are designed to display colours close to or exceeding sRGB. They do this very well, and, without researching to much, that is why they make excellent TV’s. Problem is the distance you sit from a monitor is a fraction of that of a standard LCD TV. You need an AG coating in order to stop the reflection of the user on the image, obviously. I have read forum posts of people loving the Apple Cinema display but complaining they cant see anything properly because of the reflection. Same goes with the Hazro (which I tossed up importing from then UK but decided against because of fear of having to make a warranty claim internationally and having to foot a huge shipping bill).

So, the Dell it was. I wanted, again the key words there are “I wanted” a gloss image experience with the feature set of the Dell U2711. I wasn’t expecting the AG coating to be so noticable for me. Many people get use to it. I got use to a perfect image on a 40 inch LCD Samsung TV. The Dell does not provide an equivalent image in my opinion. As I have mentioned before, most of my work is on a white background, and this is the specific deficiency I was not expecting, or hadn’t prepared myself for when moving from a TV Grade image, to a Monitor Grade image.

The U2711 does video content and gaming superbly. It has a great contrast ratio, excellent brightness and a decent response time. But white a ruined with the haze from the AG Filter. You don’t notice the AG filter during video playback.

I would seriously recommend viewing a U2711 in person before purchasing. If I had, I wouldn’t have bought it. I would have gone with an Apple Cinema Display or took a gamble on importing a Gloss Hazro instead. There are reported problems with the quality control on the Hazro’s and people complaining of dust and dirt on the inside of the glass panel; not good…

The Dell U2711 has excellent features and great specs, but I don’t believe it is suited to office work of the type I use if for, being approx 20% full screen PDF’s, 60% word docs, and the remainder webpages, email etc.

The AG Coating annoys me, and my wife, to such an extent I am considering an AG removal mod… there are several threads on the net, one of which I am involved in at the moment. The all have their drawbacks but, as it stands, I am looking to try and do something about it.

Richard, If I had the chance again, I would hold out on a Dell and wait for the Samsung SA850. It looks very good, only a mild AG Coating and is a varient of IPS panel. BUT, it isn’t out in Oz for another 6 months. It is reported to be available in Hong Kong now, but I can’t track any down. Look into the Samsung SA850. It would be my specific choice if I had had the patience to wait.

DefBringer Limp Gawd, 9.4 Years

Status:
This is a no-brainer.

The Dell has an awful anti-glare coating that makes it completely worthless for anyone serious about color accuracy.

The lack of a scaler on the HP ZR30W is a bonus, not a drawback. People interested in playing Xbox or PS3 on a LCD monitor aren’t going to be buying a $1000+ 30″ LCD.

vs.

Originally Posted by PC_User
I think you’re over exaggerating the AG coating. It’s not quite as awful as you make it sound. And even with a scaler and 25ms of input lag, most “eyes” cannot discern that or notice any ghosting.
Agreed. the AG coating on this display is a freaking non issue. Looks perfectly fine to my eyes and im a sensitive prick.

I am very much interested in what you think.

On Amazon, the Dell U3011 got superlative user reviews (average 5 stars) http://www.amazon.com/Dell-UltraSharp-30-inch-Widescreen-PremierColor/dp/B0043GDIT2/ref=pd_rhf_shvl_1 and no complaints about the graininess. The HP got similarly stellar reviews – http://www.amazon.com/Smart-Buy-30IN-2560X1600-1000/product-reviews/B003RBNMJA/ref=cm_cr_dp_all_helpful?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending

I appreciate this analysis very much. My Samsung SyncMaster 305T monitor failed last week. It’s an S-PVA monitor w/the same resolution as the HP ZR30w and Dell U-3011. The latter two are IPS monitors, although they differ slightly in the type of IPS. HP is S-IPS/H2-IPS (CN401808T6 unknown manufacturer) whereas Dell is H-IPS. I work mostly w/MS Office documents. I am always working on a white background so your comments above re: the U2711 caused me concern, especially for the Dell U-3011 which uses the same described anti-reflective coating as the U2711.

I read all the reviews at Amazon for the 24″ version of the Dell Ultrasharp U-2411. Note the dot pitch is .27mm Most reviewers loved the monitor but one reviewer complained about the graininess http://www.amazon.com/Dell-UltraSharp-U2410-Performance-DisplayPort/product-reviews/B00302DNZ4/ref=cm_cr_pr_btm_link_next_2?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=0&pageNumber=2 – search for “graininess ”

The dot pitch on all three 30″ monitors is .25mm. The resultant text is quite small, but I have worked w/it for many years. I tried the 27″ Apple iMac and I found the screen impossible to deal w/ (it as glossy as well). Anandtech has reviewed both 30″ IPS monitors. You might find his comments very interesting in light of your review,

“I think this is an excellent opportunity to talk about IPS graininess, something we really haven’t discussed before. Of the IPS panels I’ve used to date, all of them have had some high frequency grain on the surface from a combination of coating and interference at the interface. Thankfully the U3011 has a combination antireflection coating and hard coating, and subjectively there seems to be less grain than I’ve seen on other displays.”

Some end-user reviewers have found the HP 30″ less objectionable than the Dell 30″. Given the paucity of S-PVA 30″ monitors (my Samsung is no longer available), do you have any recommendations on how I should proceed.

Thanks, Richard

I will be keeping my eye out to see how this works for you peter, keep up the good work and hope you achieve your goals.

simon