iMac & Cinema Displays

[Anonymous]

I am going to switch from Windows to Mac, I already have a MacBook, but am undecided between an iMac and a Mac Pro, the Mac Pro seems like overkill to me but I am uneasy about an all in one system.

The thing I am most curious about is, is there any difference between the quality of the screens on the iMac and the Cinema displays, also I have read that there have been some problems with colour shifts on the 23" model which Apple has not been keen to rectify, has anybody experienced this.

The nearest Apple shop is about 600 miles away so I can't wander in and look.

If I go for the Mac Pro should I go for a Cinema display either the 20" or 23" which are quite elderly in specification terms or am I better to go for an Eizo or some other up market model with a more current spec.

Thanks

Chris Dennehy

[Anonymous]

One of the deciding factors in going Mac was the introduction of Vista, it's requirements are enormous Gb wise and it does not have drivers for most of my equipment so on the theory that HP etc are not really interested in writing drivers for old equipment and would rather sell new stuff I gave it the thumbs down.

The second factor occured when I was routing around in my PC's midi tower to install more memory and noticed that the heat sink on the northbridge had a 3 point attachment instead of the required 4, it was held in place by little hooks and one of these had gone awol sometime, they were held in place by tiny soldered dots, I think push pins are a better solution.

The real estate on this 24" screen is wonderful there is actually someplace left for the project, but I have had to turn the brightness way down, even at that it still is much brighter than my 20" CRT, you can see the pixels as sort of haze on the iMac but I can't see them on the CRT

Slice of life howareya, I'm sitting writing this sopping wet from the thighs down, made a surprise inspection on a job due to be finished Friday (not a hope) and got caught in one of the vicious squalls coming in off the atlantic.

Regards

Chris Dennehy

[Anonymous]

I have been using this 24" iMac for about a day now and I'm disappointed with the screen,

plus points it's big and I have no problems with reflections,

minus points,

1) with the brightness level turned down as far it will go it's about half a stop (in photographic terms) brighter on the left side than the right, not quite as much difference with brightness full on, not having had a TFT screen before I don't know if this is normal or not. I measured it with a photoelectric exposure meter held against the screen in a dark room.

2) drawing any diagonal line you get the steps of stairs effect whether this is an inherent defect in this type of screen or if its due to the pixel size 0.258, it did not occur on my CRT with 0.22 pixel size.

3) I tried a movie and it seems blurred to me at any time there's movement, I suppose this is the response time.

Any thoughts.

Regards

Chris Dennehy

[Thomas Holm]

1) All screens have unevenness, some less (Eizo) some more. Forget the exposure meter, it's your eye that counts. A half stop sounds within reason, it's right on the limit to what the eye can see, if I remember correctly. I've heard of no such complaints one the 24" iMac, but yours may be an exception. You have to compare it to others to know.

2) A TFT is sharp, a CRT is not. That's why you didn't see the stepped lines on the CRT.

3) I haven't heard about that either, but a TFT is slower than a CRT. You'll have to compare it to others.