LCD Buying Guide, Part 4: Know your connectors!

A DVI Connector:

A VGA Connector:

Our standard CRT monitors have a VGA connector as shown in the picture. This is an analog connection. On the other hand, LCDs are digital, so it’s better to have a digital connection! This is where DVI comes in. The DVI connector is digital. It transmits digital signal from the graphics card to the monitor. Although the difference in quality between a VGA & DVI connection in an LCD has been dramatically reduced in the past couple of years, but still I prefer the DVI connection over the VGA. But to connect your LCD via DVI your computer’s graphics card must have a DVI output.

When you are looking to spend more on a high end LCD, you should check the connections of that monitor. Most high-end monitors have both VGA & DVI connectors. These monitors should be your pick. So you have the freedom of connecting whichever connection you like. & also use the other connection for another PC/TV/Other high-def multimedia purpose.
DVI comes in two different types: DVI-I & DVI-D. The detailed analysis of these two types will most definitely bore you! You may check ‘em out on the web.

LCD Buying Guide: Part 3: How fast is your response time?

In a LCD monitor, the pixels change color to simulate various colors/animation. So, the faster a pixel can change its color, the better the monitor will be! And this time required to change a pixel's color is known as "Response Time". It is usually measured in miliseconds (ms). If you're response time is high, you'll get a disturbing effect on the screen for fast moving objects. This disturbing effect is called "Ghosting". Here's a sample of Ghosting effect (notice the orange car):

It looks hazy, doesn't it? If you watch movies or play games on your computer, you'll definitely want to avoid the ghosting effect. So buy an LCD with the Faster response time that is, the smaller the value in miliseconds, the better. To avoid ghosting in many scenarios, you should pick an LCD with response time of less than 8ms.

Currently, the 15-inch models available in Dhaka has very high response times. So, don't buy 'em! Atleast pick a 17 inch model, preferably LG or ASUS. Bottom line is: whichever brand you pick, check the response time in miliseconds & get a monitor with RT of less than 8ms!

LCD monitor buying guide: Part 2: Brightness & Contrast

LCD monitors measure brightness in nits (cd/sq.m). Typically, the more this number is, the brighter your display will be. If it is too bright for you...you can turn down the brightness! but still you'd like to have the option of a bright display! :D
Brightness of above 300 nits is considered pretty good. I own a Samsung Syncmaster 206BW 20 inch widescreen display. It has 350 nits of brightness & I must say ...it's very very good! So go for a brightness count of more than 300 nits & you'll be alright.
Unlike traditional(!) CRT monitors, LCDs have a measure of color quality. It is known as contrast ratio. Contrast ratio is in fact the brightness difference between the brightest color(white) & the darkest color (black). So, the higher the contrast ratio is, the better the contrast & hence the image quality. Typical contrast ratios are 450:1, 500:1, 700:1 & so on. Remember, the higher the better.
An important point which should be noted here is a term called "Dynamic Contrast Ratio". If you are hunting a typical LCD in IDB, you'll come across various monitors having very high contrast ratios of 2000:1 or 3000:1. Don't be fooled though! These monitors have a technology which is better known as Dynamic Contrast Ratio. This is not the actual contrast ratio of the monitor. These types of high contrast ratios are achieved by software built into the monitor. This software very quickly reduces the brightness of the screen whenever most of the screen is black & quickly increases the brightness when most of the screen is bright! ...thus achieving a better contrast(!). So, this is not the actual contrast ratio of the monitor. Make sure you check the ACTUAL contrast ratio of the LCD before you buy it. Get anything around 600:1 & your eyes will thank you later.
A simple tip for you, first, hang around IDB for a LCD you like. After selecting a few models, come back home & check the manufacturer's websites for technical details of these monitors. Go for the ones with higher brightness and contrast ratio(actual contrast ratio...not the dynamic one!)

Checking for genuine MS PRO DUO using PSP

So, if you are hunting for a Memory Stick Pro Duo for your Sony product, chances are you will end up buying a fake memory stick. To help you purchase a genuine memory stick or knowing that you have already purchased a fake memery stick(!) ...a simple guideline is presented below:
1. check the packaging. It shouldn't have been opened, or have a "staple" somewhere!
2. check the text printed on the card. they should be "Perfect" on genuine cards. (this is your own judgement, so i can't help you much on this regard)
3. This is the important one for PSP(Playstation Portable) owners: Check whether the MS Duo Card supports MagicGate Feature. To check for MagicGate support:

• Insert memory stick duo into your PSP & format it from Settings->System Settings->Format Memory Stick
• Go to Music/Video & rest on "Memory stick". You'll see the available free space in the card.
• Press (triangle) on your PSP, then select "information" with the "Circle" button.If it says "MagicGate: Unknown"...you have a fake memory card.

In genuine cards, you will see "MagicGate: Supported".For other sony product owners, check your manual for how to check for magicgate support on a memory stick. If magicgate support is not available on your MS Duo/Pro...you have a fake memory stick in hand.

is "Fake" the Real way?? Counterfeit Sony Memory Stick terrorize Dhaka!

I can guarantee the fact that, if you are a visitor of BDGadget, you definitely own at least one portable memory device, such as a pendrive or a memory card. Digital cameras, mobile phones & PDAs are becoming very popular these days. These devices (digital cameras, mobile phones, PDAs, handheld gaming consoles)use some sort of Memory Cards like SD/MMC/Memory Stick to contain valuable(!) data. But as I was hunting for a Sony Memory Stick Pro Duo myself, I found out that Dhaka city is flooded with not only flood water..but also fake memory cards! These fake memory cards such as Memory Stick DUO/PRO, SD, MMC, RS-MMC, Micro-SD - often come in such pretty packages that you can easily think of them as genuine. Some of the retailers often offer a so-called three~six month warranty on the counterfeit product!

This fake memory card problem will definitely strike you especially of you own a Sony product. As you know, Sony products use their own type of memory cards called "Memory Stick"(a.k.a MS). You cannot use MS cards on any other device which is not Sony. Moreover, Memory sticks are far more expensive than the same capacity SD/MMC or any other memcard. For this reason alone, fake Sony memory sticks are manufactured in lots! And these Fake memory sticks are the ONLY Memory Stick media you will get in Dhaka! (you may get a genuine 1 if you are lucky ...and oozin' money from your pockets!). This counterfeit problem does not affect other cards like SD/MMC/xD as much as it affecs Sony. I contacted RANGS (the importers of Sony products in Bangladesh). They assured(!) me that they do NOT import any sony memory stick & most of the MS/MS DUO available in the market are fake - which I found out the hard way by purchasing a fake Sony Memory Stick Pro Duo myself!

So, please be careful while purchasing memory cards (especially Sony Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo) from Dhaka.

Update - A few tips for identifying fake Sony Memory Stick Pro Duo will be posted soon.

LCD Buying Guide: Part I: Chosing the right size/resolution

LCDs come in various shapes & sizes! Widescreen monitors are gaining ground these days. You must decide for what purpose you wanna use the LCD for & pick your size accordingly. For example, if you wanna watch movies, or work on excel worksheets or any purpose other than gaming - then widescreen should be your choice of monitor. It will give you more columns on the screen & will let you watch movies without the upper/lower black bands. Widescreen monitors give you a wider desktop to work with where standard sized monitors have less room sideways!


But if you are a serious gamer, I seriously(!) doubt whether widescreen is the right choice for you. Most of the games do NOT support various widescreen resolutions. So most of your games will get stretched & slightly awkward on a widescreen display.



Standard .......................................... Widescreen

Unlike CRT monitors, LCDs have a native resolution. This is the resolution that the LCD loves to work with! You can use different resolutions other than the native one, but that will result in image quality loss. Resolution also depends on the size of the LCD. For example, a typical 17 inch standard LCD will have a native resolution of 1280*1024 pixels. So, when you buy a 17 inch standard LCD, you have to use this resolution. The various sizes of LCDs available in Dhaka & their typical corresponding resolutions are listed below:

15" Standard = 1024*768
17" Standard = 1280*1024
17" Wide = 1440*900
19" Standard = 1280*1024
19" Wide = 1440*900
20" Standard = 1400*1050
20" Wide = 1680*1050
22" Wide = 1680*1050
...and so on!

As you may have noticed from the list above...15-inch LCDs have a pretty low resolution. The 17" & 19" models have a decent but IDENTICIAL resolutions. And so does the 20" & 22" versions. So remember this point, for example, if you buy a 22" wide LCD, you will get the same resolution as a 20" LCD. Same goes for the 19 & 17 inchers. So, if you really dont need the bigger size, go for a 17" or a 20" model. Because the 17" will give you the same resolution as the 19 inch. For the same reason, you may pick a 20" monitor over a 22". These are available in plenty in IDB market in Dhaka.

(to be continued)
Up Next: LCD Specifications: Brightness, Contrast, Connectors..etc
...stay tuned!

Instant messaging anywhere: is "meebo" the ultimate solution?

Consider the scenario...you are bored to death in your graphics programming lab....sorry... at your office desk. You can't even sign in using MSN/Yahoo! cuz your "Big Brother" employer has denied your right to chat over IM! But do not worry my fellow citizens! Meebo.com is here for our rescue. If you want to stay connected to MSN, Yahoo, AIM or Google Instant Messenger, all you have to do is visit http://www.meebo.com/. It is a web service that can keep you linked with your favorite IM client. I have tested Three free web based IM services - Meebo, RadiusIM & eBuddy - to see whether any of these deliver the performance we expect from our beloved desktop softwares. With meebo, you can log into multiple clients at once. The response time of the service is pretty good & it has a very nice user interface. You are free to check out the other sites but to me Meebo.com is your answer for web based IM.

P.S. - meebo.com does not Require you to register to use IM service.

Looking for an LCD monitor??

Stay tuned! Coming soon this week to bdgadgets.....my battle for purchasing a decent LCD monitor from IDB & the "research" I had to do on LCDs before that. You think buying an LCD without expert opinion is easy?? Think again! ...

Introduction

Dear Reader, this blog site is dedicated for technical review of various electronic gadgets you may buy from Bangladesh. I myself am a big fan of gadgets & own a lot of 'em! Staring from the mid of august 2007, this site will contain reviews of various items like computers, laptops, digital camera's, gaming consoles, PDA's, monitors & many more! (even computer problems may be included as posts...! who knows..maybe you'll check my site for a solution everytime your computer hiccups! :D)
All constructive comments are welcome. Thanks for your support.