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LG Flatron 2320A 23" LCD Media Station Reviewed

Julio writes "TechSpot has taken an in-depth look at LG's Flatron 2320A 23" LCD, you should know however that calling this a monitor would be an understatement, this is a multi-media workstation. The package consists of a 23" widescreen LCD color monitor, and a multi-media station that lets you connect its beautiful flat screen to your PC and a number of devices at the same time (X-Box, etc.). Feel yourself warned though, luxury does come at a cost."

31 of 132 comments (clear)

  1. Sigh by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    The review sucked and is not worth reading. This guy is obviously trying to just make money off of advertising to a slashdot-sized audience. Do a whois on techspot.com..


    Domain Name: TECHSPOT.COM

    Administrative Contact:
    Franco, Julio (ZBIODSWBEI) julio_francoh@hotmail.com
    Kennedy Norte Mz 806 V9
    Guayaquil, Guayas N/A
    EC
    593-4 680702

  2. and here's the competition... by mn3m05yn3 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Beats the heck out of this stuff

    Why has it taken so long to get decent pixel depth on LCD monitors when it's been available in laptops for some time now?

    1. Re:and here's the competition... by Jeff+DeMaagd · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Laptops have affordable 125 and 150 dpi screens now too. 125dpi has been available for two years now, 150dpi was just released a couple months now.

      The only desktop displays above 100dpi are IBM's and Viewsonic's 200dpi displays (I kid you not, 23" 4:3 displays with 4k x 3k pixels) running for over $6000 now.

      Unfortunately, the current limitation with a lot of software is that they don't scale with DPI so well, you increase the font size to compensate for the resolution increase, and the text doesn't fit boxes so well. I'd like to see a display that is as crisp as a laser printout, I figure 300dpi is a pretty good target.

    2. Re:and here's the competition... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

      The first step in setting up any workstation for any serious work, is informing the window manager of your DPI. In gnome I have done this and if I set a font to be 24pt, it is exactly the same size on screen as it is on the printed page. Just increasing the font size is bad, and not what you want.

      For example. I have an IBM Thinkpad with a 14" 1400x1050 screen (set at 104dpi). Most of my fonts are 10pt, and some are 8pt. Now most people would say 8pt is tiny. But that's only because almost noone correctly sets the DPI when switching to something over 72dpi (the usual default).

      Almost all apps (except a few poorly written ones) work just fine, rendering text at the same size, just using more pixels. Windows apps should do the same but there might be more exceptions with older apps because of less adherence to standards...

      At 108dpi text is very readable (thanks to gorgeous truetype antialiased rendering of Freetype). I even turned off sub-pixel AA because it actually looked better without it. 150dpi would be amazing, and 200... well I can't even imagine.

      But what I really want is a standalone, 17", 1600x1200 native resolution LCD Monitor... WHAT IS SO HARD? 15" laptops can do this. The smallest LCD that can run 1600x1200 is 18.1" and costs nearly $1,000. That's a load of crap.

      I WANT MY DPI!

  3. LMAO by ravenspear · · Score: 5, Funny

    You would think the guy would be smarter than to choose the handle "Julio" before pulling this.

  4. a $50 LCD would be more impressive by h00manist · · Score: 5, Insightful

    it's an awesome monitor. some people will buy it.

    having moved to brazil, the perspective for everything changed.

    i see from here a vast need for lower costing, not higher featured, everything.

    YMMV, my 2 cents, etc

    --
    Build your own energy sources from scratch. http://otherpower.com/
    1. Re:a $50 LCD would be more impressive by catwh0re · · Score: 2, Informative
      More features are usually just a mechanism to offset how expensive the main portion of the product is.
      The reality is, if you strip most products down to their bare-bones functionality they'll cost about the same price.

      Extra features allow the consumer to think that the price is the result of the combined total, when we all know quite well that the speakers and other features are probably crap.

      They also provide a point of competitive difference, this screen is quite poor quality for 23" inches, a 23" Apple display dwarfs it's quality. So some lame consumer can think that this screen is better because it features some speakers and other crap that you most likely already have separate products for.

  5. Shopper.com prices by sometwo · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Here's a price comparison among different vendors, non of whom have it in stock http://shopper.cnet.com/LG_Flatron_L2320A_-_flat_p anel_display_-_TFT_-_23/4014-3174_9-30536226.html

    1. Re:Shopper.com prices by Kogase · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I think it's about time for anyone with a link in their sig to a pyramid scheme to get modded down without mercy.

  6. Re:Don't call it a monitor? by Nos. · · Score: 3, Interesting

    True, but the one thing I see here is the 60Hz refresh... isn't that a little high for most normal LCD monitors? A friend bought an LCD and he's a big gamer. He really regrets his purchase... its just not good for gaming since they're not as "fast" as a good old CRT. Isn't this true for most (all?) LCDs? Or am I just out to lunch?

  7. For 800$... by Phosphor3k · · Score: 5, Insightful

    You can get a 20" dell 2100FP that has 4 inputs with one button switching between them(1 DVI, 1 VGA, 1 s-video and 1 composite) AND it supports PIP. Seems like a better price/performance ratio to me. Though that thing that Julio is pimping is widescreen, still doesnt seem worth it.

    1. Re:For 800$... by Mattintosh · · Score: 2, Interesting

      For under $200, you can get a ViewSonic NextVision N6 box that works with any VGA monitor, does HDTV stuff, has PIP with audio selection, has VGA passthru and switching, S-Video, composite, component, and supports up to 1280x1024 resolution.

      It has a shitty remote, though.

      Linky.

  8. ok lets get this outta the way... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    1.) imagine a bewolf cluster of these...
    2.) mmmm life sized porn
    3.) Generally the problem is that the TV signal is not worth watching.
    4.2)Slashdot : Commercials for nerds, it's money that matters.
    8. Yes, I should probably learn to count.
    2.) Gamers, what about reviewers of *ahem* adult entertainment material?
    Laugh, your boss is behind you...

  9. Re:Don't call it a monitor? by realdpk · · Score: 5, Informative

    It's not the refresh rate, it's the pixel response time. Some LCDs are really bad for gaming (look at older laptops for good examples), while some are great. Look for ones with a rating of 20ms or lower and you should not see any blurring.

    Btw, most LCDs do run at "60Hz", but not every pixel needs to be toggled every cycle, so it's not exactly the best way to measure them. Other than ms, I'm not sure what they use now. Maybe we should have some sort of "number of pixel changes per second per pixel" or something. ;)

  10. For $1,299... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

    you can get a 20' mac screen
    or a 17' screen with a complete G5 included...
    http://store.apple.com/
    Seems like a better deal to me

    1. Re:For $1,299... by mrinella · · Score: 2, Informative

      The 23" is only single link. I have one and it worked fine with my old Geforce2MX before the G5 came. Apple's tech specs also show it as requiring only a full single link. Its the 30" that requires dual link.

  11. a $5 LCD would be extra impressive by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Having moved to Africa the perspective for everything changed

    Unlike Brazil where you could use a normal monitor that already costs less than $50 the lack of desk space in Africa makes a sub $10 LCD a necessity

  12. Low resolution by p3d0 · · Score: 2, Interesting
    ...the unit offers a max resolution of 1920 x 1200...
    That's all? My laptop screen does 1400x1050 and it's a 14-inch. From a 23-inch I would expect 2300x1725.
    --
    Patrick Doyle
    I mod down every jackass who puts his moderation policy in his sig. Oh, wait a sec....
  13. Re:Julio Franco by beerits · · Score: 2, Funny

    This guy is amazing. Not only can he hit .300 at 46 years old, he some how finds the time to edit a crappy tech website.

  14. Did I mention this monitor looks amazing? by mokolabs · · Score: 3, Funny

    Um, yeah, you did.

  15. It's really an Apple Cinema Display by moebiusloop8 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    LG is the OEM manufacturer for Apple's LCD displays, so this is the same as the 23 inch cinema display, just check the specs.

  16. Ugh... by moosesocks · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Agree with the other comments that the review isn't worth reading.

    I certainly believe that at this price point, LG is going to make an excellent display. They are a reputable company.

    However, the reviewer has no clue what he's talking about.

    He's obviously never used an LCD panel before, as all he compares the monitor to is 'his old crt'. He notes that colors seem a bit faded compared to a CRT, which IMO, is simply the result of using the wrong ICC profile, though I will agree that the gamma / color range of an LCD panel is often not as good as that of a CRT (especially a high-end CRT, though those will cost you about as much as this beast would)

    That being said, it's cool, I like it, and if I were looking for the world's most expensive 23" TV and could actually afford it, I'd buy it. From the review, it looked like you could hook 3 PCs + a number of AV components to it. It's a nice substitute for a KVM for people like me who use a mac, but keep a PC hooked up for the few programs I run that aren't Mac-native.

    Still.... it's expensive... a point he doesn't really cover in the review. But, yes, I also believe that this product is probably the best in its class just by looking at the feature list.

    --
    -- If you try to fail and succeed, which have you done? - Uli's moose
  17. A better deal by Hao+Wu · · Score: 5, Informative

    For 3 inches less you can get one with a computer inside, and you save ~$500: iMac

    --
    I suggest you read Slashdot
  18. 23" Cinema Display - more style, less money by voisine · · Score: 4, Informative

    http://www.apple.com/displays/specs.html

    Exact same lcd panel in a much cooler case for a few hundred less.

  19. Re:Don't call it a monitor? by fred911 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    No. TV's have tuners. No tuner here.

    --
    09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B - D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0 45 5F E1 04 22 CA 29 C4 93 3F 95 05 2B 79 2A B2
  20. no function button! by Imazalil · · Score: 2, Funny

    Wow, it even has a 'no function' button on the remote, these guys thought of everything!

    (page 2 of the article, on the diagram of the remote)

  21. apple cinematic 23" + sony 23" by yow2000 · · Score: 4, Interesting
    Seems to be the same display technology as two existing displays:

    apple cinematic 23" $1,999
    Sony 23" LCD $2,429

    BTW: the resolution (1920x1200) is enough for HDTV.

    I'm using the Apple 23" to type this. The real estate is great, but I miss the viewing angle of a CRT - viewing angle begins to matter when the display is that wide.

  22. How in the Wide, Wide World of Sports..... by DLR · · Score: 5, Informative

    ....did this POS qualify for an article? I've seen more informative, less self-serving tripe lining the cat litter pan. I've submitted better to /. only to have it rejected and pop up 2 days later when someone else submitted it. Excuse me?

    --
    "Like fire and fusion, government is a dangerous servant and a terrible master."~RAH
  23. It even connects with ADC by sabi · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Well, actually, it seems to be the _old_ 23" Apple Cinema Display, connection-wise (it may use the same LCD panel as the newer one, or not; the two have different specifications). The power/data cable that connects the "media station" to the display is nothing else but the Apple Display Connector - you can see it at the top of the pictures; it looks like a DVI-I connector with six additional pins: two for power (DVI already provides power, just not enough), three for USB, and another (not sure whether Apple's "LED" or "Soft Power" = DVI's "Hot Plug Detect"). Apple's latest displays went back to using DVI directly, with separate USB/FireWire connections.

    Pretty cool that LG is reusing the stuff they developed for Apple, though.

  24. What I'm looking for... by killbill! · · Score: 3, Interesting

    ... is a 17" LCD with DVI-D and S-Video inputs, and =16 ms response time, for under 600 EUR.

    I'm a student and rarely stay more than a year at the same place. I'm considering ditching my PC laptop for a 12" Powerbook + PS2 combo (unless you can find a GTA:SA and a Gran Turismo 4 Mac port), but I've failed to find a suitable monitor for both the PB and the PS2.

    What I don't want:
    having to carry an extra TV set just for the PS2.
    having to bow to the TV licensing fee racket just to play a PS2 game.
    having to use a VGA adapter for the PS2 - unless you know one that does not suck.

    What I want:
    a 17" LCD. Size matters, especially in dorms and when you're moving often.
    a decent response time to play.
    DVI input.
    price tag in the 500-600 EUR range.

    I have found LCDs with an S-Video input, but no DVI-D input. And their response times sucked more often than not. Am I stuck to the PC? I bet the first manufacturer to solve this problem would attract a lot of students. ;)
    Or do you know about an alternative that I might have missed?

    1. Re:What I'm looking for... by carwyn · · Score: 2, Interesting

      What you need is an upscanner, this converts the interlaced picture you get from the PS2 into something your standard LCD/CRT can display.

      Take a look at these.

      The quality of most of the ones on there that I've seen generally beats the pants off most smallish TVs.