HN Explorer

Ask YC: Comfortable Monitors

10 points by Prrometheus ↗ HN
I recently splurged a few hundred bucks on a nice 21" widescreen monitor. The problem is, it hurts my eyes. I can't tell whether the problem occurs because the screen is glossy, the screen is unusually bright, or if it's something inherent in the widescreen itself. I have never had problems with monitors before, even very low-end ones.

My question is: have you discovered that certain monitors are comfortable or uncomfortable for your eyes? What characteristics cause the difference for you? Is there any monitor that you would particularly recommend?

22 comments

[ 2.5 ms ] story [ 54.3 ms ] thread
dkokelley
The glossy ones are a lot of hype with very little substance. I have a glossy screen for my laptop, but if I had the chance to do it again I would opt for the regular one. The glossy screens reflect a lot of ambient light. If you're in an office environment, near a window, or even in a light area, your eyes might have to strain to make out the information through the reflection. If this is the case then it could certainly explain the hurting eyes.

If your monitor supports this, try dimming the screen's brightness and see if that helps. The reflection/glare will be intensified, but it won't be as bright. This way you can test to see if it's one or the other. If your eyes hurt more, it's probably the glare. If they hurt less, or just the same, it could be the brightness.

In either case, try a non-glossy screen so that you can really compare the differences and see which one is easier on your eyes.

As for the wide screen, I don't think it will bother you any more or less.

euccastro
The glossy ones are a lot of hype with very little substance.

What surprises me in this sentence is that glossiness is even marketed as a feature? I reckon it's been a while since I last shopped for a monitor or a laptop, but this leaves me perplexed. What are the supposed benefits?

The only explanation I can find is that it's a matter of fashion, started by OS X GUI theme and continued by Vista?

elai
Colors are more vibrant, they have better contrast in glossy screens. It's kind of like simulating better dynamic range by making the extremes bigger when there isn't any.
wanorris
In the controlled lighting of a store, glossy screens look awesome. Especially for watching movies and things like that. I wasn't with my wife when she got a replacement laptop for one that crapped out under a Best Buy warranty, and she totally fell in love with a laptop with a glossy screen. Until she got it home. She always uses it near a window (except when she goes outside to sit on the front steps to use it, which is worse), and it's way harder to see. Oops. Live and learn.
dkokelley
Glossiness increases the contrast between lights and darks so that movies and other things look crisper. You find it mostly on media-centered systems. On a lot of laptops it is either the only option or available for about $25 more.

I don't think OSX and Vista have too much to do with it. My brother's Macbook doesn't have a glossy screen and I'm not sure they even offer it. I'm not sure about the other models though. Vista is only software, since MSFT doesn't make the hardware on PCs, so I don't see how that contributes to glossy screens.

The reason I would give for it is that it is a way to add a feature to a product that differentiates it from other products. It doesn't matter that the glossy screens have enough negative effects to counter the 1 advantage. Company A came out with it to sell more computers, so companies B, C, and D all had to develop their own version to compete. Consumers can be silly that way. I was.

silencio
Actually, MacBooks only come with glossy displays, you have no choice over it. The MacBook Pros come with glossy or matte, you choose.
dkokelley
I think Apple might have a different process for making their screens, because my brother's macbook doesn't look reflective at all. They probably just do a better job with their glossy screens.
vlad
From what I understand, the matte screen is a glossy screen before it's coated with an anti-reflective material. Supposedly, some consumers saw "unfinished" displays at a computer show and liked them, and manufacturers noticed that customers were more apt to purchase shiny laptops. Given the difference in reflectivity between such displays in different laptops, I deduce that glossy screens do have some anti-reflective coating, just not as much as matte.
vlad
I got a laptop with a glossy screen because it makes things much more interesting when you show other people, but connect it to a matte display for development.
bbb
I discovered that newer LCDs hurt my eyes due to their intense brightness. I causes me to squint, and if I do that for a whole day I get intense headaches.

My solution:

1) turn down the brightness

2) change your editor to a black background

Especially step 2 did wonders for me.

vikram
Definitely black background.
iamelgringo
Have you had your vision checked recently? You might need glasses.

Another issue is that you need frequent breaks from looking at a screen. At least every 5-15 minutes, you should take a break and look at something further away and let your eyes focus on it.

I also have an Ergotron adjustable stand for my central monitor. That way, I can move the monitor backwards and forwards every so often to let my eyes adjust to different focal lengths throughout the day. And, I can change position in my chair.

mechanical_fish
+1, Ergotron. Much more useful than you would actually think. You can change the monitor's position and angle to anything you want, multiple times per day.
pibefision
i'm developing using and iMac 20", it's great, and I've added another monitor where I run consoles and log viewers all the time (20").

The iMac LCD is amazing.

ojbyrne
I'll chime in with "Turn down the brightness." Monitors seem to come with it turned up too high by default - probably because it looks better on display in a store.
mrtron
It could be the brightness.

I am going to go with a random guess here: You have large pupils. I have large pupils myself and it was actually a slight risk for laser eye surgery and my night vision is a bit blurred (not from the laser eye, from the large pupils). I find most new LCDs too bright and it hurts my eyes. I am forced to turn down my new HDTV to 50% brightness!

So, turn down the brightness and be careful with laser eye to ensure the equipment is suitable for large pupils (most newer lasers do a much larger radius than the first ones).

Or, I am way off and its something else :)

ivank
Non-glossy, non-TN (MVA/PVA/S-IPS only), low brightness, no buzzing/high-pitched noises. Then adjust monitor distance from your head. Check hardforum's Displays section - good widescreen monitors start at $700 (since most of the 21-22" panels are TN)
miroux
You probably got a TN panel.
volida
how can we have an opinion if we don't experience looking at your monitor?
sayhello
Characteristics that make a difference, in no particular order: a) Diagonal length & resolution b) Sharpness c) Brightness

I do not game much, if you do, response time may be a sticking point. I recommend reading up on TFT-LCD technologies: http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/articles/panel_technologies.htm

This article may be of interest as well: http://www.pureoverclock.com/article641.html

I own a 20" Viewsonic Vx2025wm hooked up to my desktop linux and sometimes windows machine and a 24" BenQ FP241VW running in tandem with my MacbookPro.

I recommend the BenQ monitor.