Using Dell 3007wfp as TV

[Proprioceptive]

Alright, so I will soon be building a new rig and I plan on getting the 3007wfp to use as my monitor. Now, I know I will be using it a LOT for movies and TV, but also for gaming. I could be perfectly fine with a 2407wfp for gaming, but the fact that I will be watching so much media on the monitor means I would like to have the biggest model I can get my hands on. I did read this forum text on this exact issue, but I'm not sure how serious to take the opinions and I'm hoping anyone out there might be able to help me figure this out. My main concern is preserving HD content such as 1080p with DVDs and TV, and I'm not sure if there is any kind of scaling problem since the native resolution is so much higher than 1080p.

 

[FelixDeCat]

Hmmm this is a toughie.

 

[Proprioceptive]

Originally posted by: FelixDeKat
Hmmm this is a toughie.

Haha... thanks for stating the ovbious

 

[krotchy]

Originally posted by: Proprioceptive

Originally posted by: FelixDeKat
Hmmm this is a toughie.

Haha... thanks for stating the ovbious

Well I have an alternative suggestion. I have a 3007WFP on my High Def station, and things look a little worse full screen(2560x1600) than they do at native 1920x1080. This is with uncompressed video, but compressed looks a little better. The only reason I went so big, is I wanted the ability to open the whole video in Premiere 2.0 or Avid Xpress, and still have my timeline and bins shown.

I would suggest finding a true 1080p TV with DVI input, and using them, that way High Def Movies will be shown at their native resolution, and will look great. Here are a good model worth looking at (37 inches):

http://www.pricegrabber.com/p__Westinghouse_LVM_37W3_37_LCD_Display,__18577153

Ive read alot of good things about this TV, and its near the same price as the 3007WFP. Pretty much you have the resolution of the 2407WFP, but a bigger size.

So right now your decision should factor, do I want native HD Video medium size(2407), big resolution and picture (3007), or native resolution and big picture (Westinghouse 37).

 

[Proprioceptive]

Well I have an alternative suggestion. I have a 3007WFP on my High Def station, and things look a little worse full screen(2560x1600) than they do at native 1920x1080. This is with uncompressed video, but compressed looks a little better. The only reason I went so big, is I wanted the ability to open the whole video in Premiere 2.0 or Avid Xpress, and still have my timeline and bins shown.

I would suggest finding a true 1080p TV with DVI input, and using them, that way High Def Movies will be shown at their native resolution, and will look great. Here are a good model worth looking at (37 inches):

http://www.pricegrabber.com/p__Westinghouse_LVM_37W3_37_LCD_Display,__18577153

Ive read alot of good things about this TV, and its near the same price as the 3007WFP. Pretty much you have the resolution of the 2407WFP, but a bigger size.

So right now your decision should factor, do I want native HD Video medium size(2407), big resolution and picture (3007), or native resolution and big picture (Westinghouse 37).

I appologize if I sound ignorant, but I'm not too knowledgable when it comes to the finer details of video compression and such. Obviously you're noticing a difference between compressed and uncompressed with the former being better, but is DVD playback and TV playback (via TV tuner, ideally theater 650 pro type) considered compressed or uncompressed?

 

[JAG87]

#1 I didnt notice you needed a new rig. Let me know what you can get better then you already have. and I mean better thats worth the cost.

#2 you wont have a problem with the 3007, as long as you have an nvidia 7 series graphics card, because those cards can rescale any signal to the panel to the resolution you set for your desktop. You just need to make sure you select graphic adapter scaling in the digital flat panel settings of the nvidia drivers.

 

[pkme2]

Verrrry interesting.

 

[Proprioceptive]

Originally posted by: JAG87
#1 I didnt notice you needed a new rig. Let me know what you can get better then you already have. and I mean better thats worth the cost.

#2 you wont have a problem with the 3007, as long as you have an nvidia 7 series graphics card, because those cards can rescale any signal to the panel to the resolution you set for your desktop. You just need to make sure you select graphic adapter scaling in the digital flat panel settings of the nvidia drivers.

1) I am selling my current rig to a friend who loves it, but doesn't want to deal with building it on his own.

2) I plan on throwing in two 7900GTXs, and as you say, they should be able to provide an undistorted picture quality at 1080p, but krotchy is saying that it does change the quality of the picture. Could this be because he's using a quadro? Do the quadros not provide the scaling support you mention? Thanks.

 

[krotchy]

Originally posted by: Proprioceptive
I appologize if I sound ignorant, but I'm not too knowledgable when it comes to the finer details of video compression and such. Obviously you're noticing a difference between compressed and uncompressed with the former being better, but is DVD playback and TV playback (via TV tuner, ideally theater 650 pro type) considered compressed or uncompressed?

High def video is heavily compressed, so you may not have too many issues jumping the resolution up, however things almost always look better at native resolution than when they are interpolated to bigger sizes. This depends on how discerning your eye is for things like this. My suggestion would be to buy a 1080p LCD if you plan on watchin lots of movies. However the 3007 is a fantastic monitor. Since they are the same price, I would personally go with the TV, since it is bigger and native resolution. Plus gaming at 2560x1600 might be too much for 2 7900 GTX's, but it will likely run smoother at 1920x1080. Also note, it will definitely not look bad to watch a 1080p movie at 2560x1600, but it might not be quite as clear due to interpolation.

Again both are good choices, just alot of things to consider.

 

[w00t]

well the 3007WFP has a higher res than full HDTV if you want the best get a monitor that supports 1920x1080 than you shouldn't have any problems with HD.

 

[Proprioceptive]

Originally posted by: krotchy

Originally posted by: Proprioceptive
I appologize if I sound ignorant, but I'm not too knowledgable when it comes to the finer details of video compression and such. Obviously you're noticing a difference between compressed and uncompressed with the former being better, but is DVD playback and TV playback (via TV tuner, ideally theater 650 pro type) considered compressed or uncompressed?

High def video is heavily compressed, so you may not have too many issues jumping the resolution up, however things almost always look better at native resolution than when they are interpolated to bigger sizes. This depends on how discerning your eye is for things like this. My suggestion would be to buy a 1080p LCD if you plan on watchin lots of movies. However the 3007 is a fantastic monitor. Since they are the same price, I would personally go with the TV, since it is bigger and native resolution. Plus gaming at 2560x1600 might be too much for 2 7900 GTX's, but it will likely run smoother at 1920x1080. Also note, it will definitely not look bad to watch a 1080p movie at 2560x1600, but it might not be quite as clear due to interpolation.

Again both are good choices, just alot of things to consider.

So right... this is definitely a hard decision. I am also still waiting to see if any new graphics options pop up in the next couple months. Preferably HDCP capable cards. I know the 7600 series has some HDCP cards, but they're just not fast enough. No one really knows where this HDCP controversy is leading for sure, but I like to be safe. I'd also go quad GPU, but it's just way too buggy right now. I really want to have the larger monitor, though. I'm more concerned with desktop space using an actual HDTV. I do a lot of GIS work, and the space is definitely a plus... I guess some serious compromises will have to be thought about for this one...

 

[JAG87]

you can also choose 1:1, so the video card will display a 1080 signal centered with black borders. Actually dont believe those people that tell you to buy a 30 inch 1080p and that it will look better because its native resolution.

If you pause and think with your own brain for a second, you would figure that 1080 panels for PC come in 24 inch, 0.27 pixel pitch. 2560x1600 panels come in 30 inch, 0.25 pitch. both these panels have roughly the same pixel pitch therefore providing the same image quality. a 30 inch (or 37 like someone else suggested) panel at 1920x1080 MUST have greater pixel pitch than 24 inch at 1080p. therefore an interpolated 1080p image at 2560x1600 will look better, because it will be displayed on a monitor with far smaller pixel pitch making the image look crisper. The quality loss is non-existent because the scaler unit in the 7 series is excellent, and it operates at the digital state of the signal, but even if we take into account some quality loss due to interpolation, this loss is well repaid for with the smaller pixel pitch.

I hope you understand what I am saying.

 

[uclaChris]

Originally posted by: JAG87
you can also choose 1:1, so the video card will display a 1080 signal centered with black borders.

Its true this sounds really good in theory but keep in mind running a 1080 signal at its native 1:1 pixel ratio on a 30in 2560x1600 monitor actually shows up very small. Ive actually played around with this to compare this first hand. It comes out to about 1/3 or so of the entire screen being used for the video.

Ive been able to watch numerous 1080/720p HD movies on my apple 30in and I think it still looks very nice at full screen, the difference in quality is really small. The glossy LCD/plasma TVs look even better of course but I dont think the dell/apple 30in are too far behind in scaled picture quality.

Here's a quick snapshot i just took of star wars in 1:1 on the 30in. Click

Hope this helps!

 

[Proprioceptive]

Originally posted by: uclaChris

Originally posted by: JAG87
you can also choose 1:1, so the video card will display a 1080 signal centered with black borders.

Its true this sounds really good in theory but keep in mind running a 1080 signal at its native 1:1 pixel ratio on a 30in 2560x1600 monitor actually shows up very small. Ive actually played around with this to compare this first hand. It comes out to about 1/3 or so of the entire screen being used for the video.

Ive been able to watch numerous 1080/720p HD movies on my apple 30in and I think it still looks very nice at full screen, the difference in quality is really small. The glossy LCD/plasma TVs look even better of course but I dont think the dell/apple 30in are too far behind in scaled picture quality.

Here's a quick snapshot i just took of star wars in 1:1 on the 30in. Click

Hope this helps!

Wow... thanks a lot for all the info, guys. I'm certainly being educated. Just got back from seeing Cars at the theatre... geez, wish I could have a screen THAT size. Anyways, at the moment it looks as though I may go for the Dell 30 inch... mainly because what I'm seeing and reading leads me to believe that the loss in quality of the picture, if any at all, seems minute compared to the fact that I'll retain all that desktop space I really could use for my GIS work. I'm still all ears for more suggestions, though, but thanks a ton for all the info/help. It's much appreciated.

 

[imported_fx]

You could get 7950GX2 w/ 3007WFP will look awesome on gaming..

 

[Proprioceptive]

Originally posted by: fx
You could get 7950GX2 w/ 3007WFP will look awesome on gaming..

I don't know about you, but 7900GTX in SLI would kick the crap out of a 7950gx2. If they manufactured the 7950 with the capability for SLI, then hell yeah, it'd rock, but unfortunately they kind of left that detail out.

 

[krotchy]

Originally posted by: Proprioceptive
Wow... thanks a lot for all the info, guys. I'm certainly being educated. Just got back from seeing Cars at the theatre... geez, wish I could have a screen THAT size. Anyways, at the moment it looks as though I may go for the Dell 30 inch... mainly because what I'm seeing and reading leads me to believe that the loss in quality of the picture, if any at all, seems minute compared to the fact that I'll retain all that desktop space I really could use for my GIS work. I'm still all ears for more suggestions, though, but thanks a ton for all the info/help. It's much appreciated.

If your doing lots of arcGIS work or anything that needs tons of desktop space, go 3007 WFP. Plus I assume your not goign to be sitting 2-3 feet from this monitor when your watchin a movie. As you get further away, interpolation problems become much less noticeable to 100% negligable. Plus if this is going on a professional station, the 3007 WFP is definitely going to own everything.

So yeah, go 3007 WFP, since this isnt just for video watching. I wasnt 100% sure what you were asking to begin with.

 

[imported_fx]

7950GX2 (DUAL GPU; 1GB VRAM) is cheaper than 7900GTX SLI (DUAL VIDEO CARDS; 512MB VRAM)

7950GX2 is king of video card nowadays.

 

[Proprioceptive]

Originally posted by: krotchy

Originally posted by: Proprioceptive
Wow... thanks a lot for all the info, guys. I'm certainly being educated. Just got back from seeing Cars at the theatre... geez, wish I could have a screen THAT size. Anyways, at the moment it looks as though I may go for the Dell 30 inch... mainly because what I'm seeing and reading leads me to believe that the loss in quality of the picture, if any at all, seems minute compared to the fact that I'll retain all that desktop space I really could use for my GIS work. I'm still all ears for more suggestions, though, but thanks a ton for all the info/help. It's much appreciated.

If your doing lots of arcGIS work or anything that needs tons of desktop space, go 3007 WFP. Plus I assume your not goign to be sitting 2-3 feet from this monitor when your watchin a movie. As you get further away, interpolation problems become much less noticeable to 100% negligable. Plus if this is going on a professional station, the 3007 WFP is definitely going to own everything.

So yeah, go 3007 WFP, since this isnt just for video watching. I wasnt 100% sure what you were asking to begin with.

YEah, I should have mentioned the ArcGIS work... my bad. However, I really appreciate all of your input. It's good to hear from a fellow desktop whore Oh, and I definitely will be sitting further than 3 feet from the monitor for movies. I have a nice surround system set up in the room... I love to have the friends over and show off the speakers... hehe.... It's sounding like the 3007 will definitely be my best bet. Thanks a ton.

 

[krotchy]

Originally posted by: Proprioceptive
YEah, I should have mentioned the ArcGIS work... my bad. However, I really appreciate all of your input. It's good to hear from a fellow desktop whore Oh, and I definitely will be sitting further than 3 feet from the monitor for movies. I have a nice surround system set up in the room... I love to have the friends over and show off the speakers... hehe.... It's sounding like the 3007 will definitely be my best bet. Thanks a ton.

I may have to keep you in mind for arcGIS help in the future perhaps, lol. I havent actually begun working with it, but one of my bosses wants me to find ways to bring cad drawings into an arcGIS plugin he wrote. I would have started already, but I have like 4 bosses, and have been sidetracked on a completely seperate project since I was asked to begin the arcGIS work. I did see what he did in arcGIS and I can see how a huge huge desktop would make things lovely.

P.S. When you pull the 30 inch out for the first time, prepare to be amazed. The 2560x1600 resolution and size of it are awe inspiring, lol.

 

[Proprioceptive]

I may have to keep you in mind for arcGIS help in the future perhaps, lol. I havent actually begun working with it, but one of my bosses wants me to find ways to bring cad drawings into an arcGIS plugin he wrote. I would have started already, but I have like 4 bosses, and have been sidetracked on a completely seperate project since I was asked to begin the arcGIS work. I did see what he did in arcGIS and I can see how a huge huge desktop would make things lovely.

P.S. When you pull the 30 inch out for the first time, prepare to be amazed. The 2560x1600 resolution and size of it are awe inspiring, lol.

I hate to say, but I'm pretty new with arcGIS myself. So, any help I could offer would be pretty limited.

 

[Snipe3000]

Hey Proprioceptive, did you get the 3007? How is the movie and TV quality?