Robin Hoods Playground

I recently bought a samsung 22" 1680 x 1050 lcd computer monitor, mainly so that i could play video games with good visuals without having to buy an HDTV.

Got it hooked up, drivers downloaded, settings calibrated, running at 1280 x 1024 and it just does not look good.

The picture is not crisp at all and the colors are so ... bland. Maybe I am expecting too much, but it doesnt look HD at all. Im almost tempted to hook it back up to my old 20" CRT even a friend was honest enough to say it didnt look good

Ill keep fiddling with the settings, and waiting for 1680 x 1050 resolution from microsoft, but maybe you guys have some suggestions, something i could be doing wrong.

monitor:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6824001268" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Samsung should be a good monitor. I have a Dell 19 inch wide screener and it looks as good on that as my 32" HDTV. Not sure what to tell you other than I just connected the cable, chose my resolution in the dashboard and that was it.

how did you hook it up as i have pretty much the same monitor except mine is 5ms response rate and yours is better. i think it will look bad if you have a xbox connected from hdmi to a vga as it can only support upto 720p whereas if u connect hdmi to dvi then you can bring your 360 upto 1080p. mine runs at 1080p for both the ps3 and xbox360 and it looks truehd fied so yours should be the same and looks much much better than a crt tv.

either you are doing something wrong or the monitor is faulty.

360+ps3+dvi+vga+pc = truehd experience ( mayb not fully )

ryan6 wrote:I recently bought a samsung 22" 1680 x 1050 lcd computer monitor, mainly so that i could play video games with good visuals without having to buy an HDTV.

Got it hooked up, drivers downloaded, settings calibrated, running at 1280 x 1024 and it just does not look good.

The picture is not crisp at all and the colors are so ... bland. Maybe I am expecting too much, but it doesnt look HD at all. Im almost tempted to hook it back up to my old 20" CRT even a friend was honest enough to say it didnt look good

Ill keep fiddling with the settings, and waiting for 1680 x 1050 resolution from microsoft, but maybe you guys have some suggestions, something i could be doing wrong.

monitor:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6824001268" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

drivers etc. have no meaning for xbox / ps3 / hd output.. they are purley for the pc

Also : 1280x1024 is not a standard HD resolution! nor is it widescreen!!

1080i/p = 1920x1080
720p = 1280x720

etc. etc.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/720p#720p_versus_1080i" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

1st: of all you need to set it up up with the correct aspect ratio to reduce or prevent scaling/pixelation
2nd: if you do not find good enough results from using the vga connection then you should consider using a DVI cable

3rd: if none of these bring you good enough results then consider buying a RGB to HDMI adapter/converter like the HDFURY

MsK is right about the aspect ratio, but is what I meant by selecting the resolution in the dashboard settings. I use 1920x1080 on mine. I should have said that. Good info MsK!!

My xbox doesnt have hdmi, so im going from the VA or whatever it is to vga.

i know that 1280 x 1024 isnt HD or widescreen. but its the most pixels my monitor's resolution can support. Is this why it doesnt look so great? I figured it would still look atleast as good as 720p. Would it be worth waiting for 1680 x 1050 support (native resolution) or simply buying a 1920 x 1200 24" monitor and play at 1920 x 1080?

Sadalius: i thought you said you had a 19" dell. how are you running at 1920 x 1080?

Also, I might actually have a faulty monitor. There is something rattling inside. The replacement is on its way. But if i wait any longer for it, i wont be able to return my monitor to newegg if i should just get a 24" 1920x1200

thanks for all the help

yeh if you have the money then get 24" monitor but in this case it wont help as xbox is your biggest problem, you need to have a hdmi port in order for it to show best results on that monitor. using the av to vga will obviously give you bad graphics as i am pretty sure its a 470 or 540 resolution which will not look hd. its better to put on your crt as it will look much better than on a lcd using an av cable.

ryan6 wrote:My xbox doesnt have hdmi, so im going from the VA or whatever it is to vga.

i know that 1280 x 1024 isnt HD or widescreen. but its the most pixels my monitor's resolution can support. Is this why it doesnt look so great? I figured it would still look atleast as good as 720p. Would it be worth waiting for 1680 x 1050 support (native resolution) or simply buying a 1920 x 1200 24" monitor and play at 1920 x 1080?

Sadalius: i thought you said you had a 19" dell. how are you running at 1920 x 1080?

Also, I might actually have a faulty monitor. There is something rattling inside. The replacement is on its way. But if i wait any longer for it, i wont be able to return my monitor to newegg if i should just get a 24" 1920x1200

thanks for all the help

it sounds like you are confusing your pc's graphics card max output with you xbox - Forget about your pc for a second..

The specs on this model clearly show the monitor can go much higher

http://www.samsung.com/us/consumer/deta ... AQWJFV/XAA

Resolution 1680 x 1050

Adjust the system settings in your xbox to max resolution for this monitor to achieve best results.

it's ur resolution....or something.

720p = 1280x720


i think that's the one i use on my lcd an gears of war looks fantastic, along with all the rest.

anyone one know if the 360 is gonna support 1440x900 anytime soon ?

Yes. I have my resolution set to 1920x1080. The actual size of the screen has little to do with what resolutions that the monitor will support.