NEC MultiSync LCD3090WQXi 30in Monitor

Thank You very much for finally writing a review for this exciting monitor, i've been waiting for one for a long time, as well as for TrustedReviews opinion about the not very new Dell 3008wfp. There is only couple of things that I need clarity for: NEC official specification sheet about this MultiSync LCD3090WQXi says, that Screen refresh rate at full reslution of 2560x1600 (and some others) is only 30Hz. Doesn't that mean that we could atually see only 30 images per second, no matter what we do - zoom in/out or move a 3D image, move a window from one side of the screen to the other, watch a movie, or even play a game? That would mean, no matter what FPS the graphics card would provide, we could only see up to 30? And second, what is the scaling sharpness and aspect ratio, when using lower resolutions and non-native aspect resolutions like 1600x1200, for example? is the image still sharp and is the correct aspect ratio (4x3) maintained, or is it stretched over the whole 16:10 screen? I would really appreciate to get answers to these questions, to e-mail or here in comments directly, Thank You in advance.

Will there every be a 24 inch or 26 inch in a 4 x 3 sreen.
As a standerd drawing is AO, A1, A2, A3, are all 4x3.
I have a samsung SyncMaster 214T. Which replaced a Sony CTR.
I HAVE MADE ALL MY RECENT PURCHASES ON YOUR (RECOMMENDED).
Thank You in advance.

Dear Ryad: You do not mention a very useful and important resolution. The resolution 1.280 x 800 is exactly equivalent to half of the native resolution of 2.560 x 1.600 pixels and is not interpolated. Is this resolution displayed in a complete and precise sharp manner, almost the same or similar to the original 2.560 x 1.600 pixels resolution.

Riyad said on 10th June 2008:
I'm not sure where you read that the NEC 3090WQXi can only manage 30Hz at 2560 x 1600, because the spec sheet on the NEC website clearly says 60Hz. Also, I'm looking at the screen right now and it's definitely running at 60Hz.

Thank You for your answer. I am very happy to hear about this recent change, cause I still have the earlier version of this Spec Sheet, that I downloaded along with a pack of hi-res pictures, before the monitor had actually hit the first stores, and that clarly says:
Resolutions supported: ANALOG/DIGITAL
1920 x 1440 @ 30 Hz
2560 x 1600 @ 30 Hz

I just checked the online available version, and it indeed is different now:
1920 x 1440 @ 30-60Hz****
2560 x 1600 @ 30-60 Hz****,
where **** indicates that 30 Hz available on ANALOG mode only.

This (firmware?) update is most welcome, because it would be such a shame, if a monitor as brilliant as this could only manage to run on 30 Hz at its maximum resolution, which is where it is so much different than 99% other monitors.

Dear Riyad, Could you confirm that there is no perceivable ghosting or smearing when gaming with this monitor?
I ask because I'm currently sat in front of a Samsung XL30 LCD screen with an apparent 6ms response time (grey to grey), however ghosting and smearing is appalling when playing any game on this particular unit. (I'm therefore treading carefully before choosing a replacement!)
Many Thanks.

Riyad, just got my new LCD3090Wqxi and X-Rite eye-one display 2. Right away I was trying to do a self-calibration (Self, 2.2 Gamma, 200 luminance). I then printed one of my photos on Epson 2200 and it come out much darker then on screen. Should I reduce the Luminance to 120? Did you set any other features or settings on the LCD menu besides doung self-calibration?
Thanks in advance for your help and expertize.
Lenny.

Riyad, could you tell something about the anti-glare coating of the NEC LCD3090Wqxi? 30-inch S-IPS panels on the market seem to have a very coarse "grainy" coating, that earned the technology the nickname "Sandpaper-IPS". Is the new NEC 30-inch the same in that respect?

And I wondered whether 30-inch S-PVA panels, like the two recent Eizo models (FlexScan SX3031W and CG301W) have a more subtle anti-reflection coating.

My 30-inch Apple Cinema Display (= a S-IPS panel) also has this coarse, grainy anti-glare coating and it is not ideal for judging the finer details and textures of pictures while editing them in for example Photoshop.

The coarse texture might be fine for viewing movies from a larger distance. But for typical computer work - where you view the display at short range - it is a hindrance. So I wonder if there is any progress in making these large panels with a finer grain coating.

Has any one consider the samsung 305T...it does not have the color control as the Nec but it's a good comparisons when it comes to quality. I own the 305T and I have a friend With the NEC30 Multisync. We both pay hALO and WOW on them with no ghosting or any sort of texture. The only thing is the NEC is easy to calibrate. The 305T takes a couple of times and you need to be someone who knows what they are doing.

I only mention it because the 305T is cheaper...but in truth if NEC had delivered their 30" displayed earlier this year when it was originally planned i would have gotten the NEC. But the 305T is a good cheaper one to consider if you are on a tight budget.

I have just bought a NEC 3090WQXi, but have found my old video card lacking! the images on my limping video card are spectacular, but I can only display about 60% of full resolution.

I have decided to cobble together a new computer. What video card will I need to view DICOM images on this beast? is there a good reasonably priced card out there?

Any ideas would be gratefully received

Mark

Well first let me commend you on a great review. After reading other reviews on this site (some of which I own) I bought the NEC LCD3090WQXi. I cannot stress enough that if a review site loses it's credibility it becomes worthless. There are less than 5 tech sites who's opinions I trust along with some very VERY professional individual reviewers. This will be my first NEC product and I am keen to see how things will work out.

Well I have had the monitor a few days now, you have to be a little sceptical as well as excited when a reviewer says "and eclipses every other 30in monitor I have seen". Guess what? This is the best 30" monitor I have ever seen. If it didn't have the grainyness typical of IPS panels I would in fact say it's the best LCD monitor I have ever seen. The tonal range is stunning, lifelike rendering of photographs extraordinary and build quailty first class. The first NEC product I have ever owned and certainly won't be the last, well done. I have looked hard for dead pixels, found none. My unit has some slight backlight bleeding top right but it's so menial that I'm not going to return it. This monitor actually made me fall in love with photography again. 2560x1600 is a BIG space, for over 8 years I have used dual 19" Sony 400ps units, calibrated. I thought I might run one along side the NEC but don't feel I need to. Lovely, great review, great monitor, thanks NEC.

The specs say DVI-d with HDCP. When you select HDCP to watch blu-ray movies, the monitor only allows a screen resolution of up to 1280 by 720. I feel that the manufacturer and reviewers should make this obvious.

Me again. The HDCP problem gets worse. You need to reboot the PC after you select HDPC for it to take effect. When you finish watching your Blu-ray move at a lower resolution than HDTV you then need to reboot your PC to turn HDCP off. Unless of course you are happy to run at 1280 by 720. IS this the worst implementation of HDCP you have seen?

Patrick,

What OS?
The purpose of HDCP is to allow full 1920 display of HD. 720p should only happen if there is no HDCP. Since you are limited to 720p and you have HDCP turned on, then something is either broken or configured wrong.

Ryker,

Vista 64bit ultimate is the OS. The other stuff in the chain is as follows
Asus Blu-ray drive, X38 board, ATI HD4870X2 and on through the DVI-D cable that came with the monitor. Using DVI-A input from the same equipment I can run the monitor at 1920 * 1200 screen resolution and play HDCP content. Using the DVI-D input with the monitor set to allow HDCP I am only offered resolutions upto 1280 * 720. With HDCP not set I am offered 2560 * 1600. If you are confident that I have a monitor problem I will contact NEC. It looks to me though, that this is the way the monitor is designed. Is it possible to have 1080 or better over dual link DVI-D?