I figured this would be the place to ask...
I bought a Viewsonic VP201s lcd monitor last week and found that it starts to buzz if I lower the backlight brightness from the maximum. Actually I have my second unit already, I sent the first one back for the same problem.
I found a review at PRAD.de (in German), mentioning the problem, and it was reported by several people on their discussion forum as well. It certainly seems to be a design flaw (and seems that VP171 models may have it too).
I tried asking in a usenet group and had a reply from someone claiming his VP201 is silent, but, considering that some people think it's normal for computers to sound like vacuum cleaners, I don't know how much I should trust that. Also tried e-mailing Viewsonic, but their reply only described the RMA procedure and didn't answer my questions at all.
I'm now trying to figure out whether I have hope of finding a good unit if I keep trying, and in case I do find one, will it stay silent... I can still return the monitor and have my money back, but I'd rather not as it's a nice screen otherwise, just the noise is too damn annoying.
(And always running it at 100% brightness is not a solution for me, it's too bright then and the blacks look gray, especially at night when the noise is most disturbing too.)
I guess one option is to hang on to my crt a bit longer and wait until the next generation hits the market. I heard Eizo is planning to release a flatscreen with led backlighting later this year, that ought to be perfectly silent.
Viewsonic VP201 buzzing
Moderators: NeilBlanchard, Ralf Hutter, sthayashi, Lawrence Lee
Juha,
I've got a relatively new VP201b, and it has a very, very slight hum if the brightness is set between roughly 20% - 80%. I had not noticed the hum until I read your message (thanks a lot...
), and I needed to put my ear within an inch of the panel to hear it. The hum was inaudible from my normal viewing distance.
FWIW, I would characterize the sound my monitor makes as a hum and not a buzz.
I've got a relatively new VP201b, and it has a very, very slight hum if the brightness is set between roughly 20% - 80%. I had not noticed the hum until I read your message (thanks a lot...
), and I needed to put my ear within an inch of the panel to hear it. The hum was inaudible from my normal viewing distance.FWIW, I would characterize the sound my monitor makes as a hum and not a buzz.
Well, it seems that they all buzz (or hum) slightly, but some are definitely louder than others. Maybe you got a good one (or simply have enough background noise to mask the sound).
My replacement arrived, and it's notably quieter than the one I returned, but in a quiet room I can still easily hear the buzzing at arm's length. I guess I could get used to that and not notice it any more, but unfortunately this new unit flickers when driven with DVI (as if it's losing the signal sometimes), AND they sent me a unit manufactured in September 2003, which I suspect is before they switched to the 16 ms panel (from the older 25 ms). Seems I'll have to send it back again, for my fourth(!) VP201.
When the new replacement arrives, I think I'll have to consider trying to return it to the store for a refund... Even if that unit turned out to be good, what if I have to send it in for repair later, how do I what I'll get back? I'm starting to lose my confidence in Viewsonic a bit and don't want to play this return-and-replace game very much longer.
(As a funny(?) side note, my very first unit now seems to have been a pretty good one, but I was worried about the very slight noise (best of the three so far) and horizontal stripes in some colors (which I now know are a normal feature of the LG-Philips panel) and asked Viewsonic about them. No it shouldn't make any noise, and there definitely shouldn't be any stripes, they said - send it back for a replacement. Which I did... oh well.)
Still, if I want to have a 1600x1200 screen, I think this is about the best there is at the moment. I'm rather demanding when it comes to choosing displays, and I'm just not sure if I want to spend this much on something I'm not completely happy with.
P.S. The horizontal stripes, which seem to be a problem with most 20" panels today, are discussed at [H]ardforum here (scroll to msg 32) and here (msg 31), and at PRAD here and (in German) here. Some claim not to notice them, and maybe they aren't always as visible, but with my panel I can see them unless I lean back more than one meter from the screen... very annoying.
P.P.S. Some more information about LED backlighting, which it seems will be the next bigger technology advance in flatscreens and should be taking over during 2005, at NEC, Eizo, and Lumileds (also here and here).
My replacement arrived, and it's notably quieter than the one I returned, but in a quiet room I can still easily hear the buzzing at arm's length. I guess I could get used to that and not notice it any more, but unfortunately this new unit flickers when driven with DVI (as if it's losing the signal sometimes), AND they sent me a unit manufactured in September 2003, which I suspect is before they switched to the 16 ms panel (from the older 25 ms). Seems I'll have to send it back again, for my fourth(!) VP201.
When the new replacement arrives, I think I'll have to consider trying to return it to the store for a refund... Even if that unit turned out to be good, what if I have to send it in for repair later, how do I what I'll get back? I'm starting to lose my confidence in Viewsonic a bit and don't want to play this return-and-replace game very much longer.
(As a funny(?) side note, my very first unit now seems to have been a pretty good one, but I was worried about the very slight noise (best of the three so far) and horizontal stripes in some colors (which I now know are a normal feature of the LG-Philips panel) and asked Viewsonic about them. No it shouldn't make any noise, and there definitely shouldn't be any stripes, they said - send it back for a replacement. Which I did... oh well.)
Still, if I want to have a 1600x1200 screen, I think this is about the best there is at the moment. I'm rather demanding when it comes to choosing displays, and I'm just not sure if I want to spend this much on something I'm not completely happy with.
P.S. The horizontal stripes, which seem to be a problem with most 20" panels today, are discussed at [H]ardforum here (scroll to msg 32) and here (msg 31), and at PRAD here and (in German) here. Some claim not to notice them, and maybe they aren't always as visible, but with my panel I can see them unless I lean back more than one meter from the screen... very annoying.
P.P.S. Some more information about LED backlighting, which it seems will be the next bigger technology advance in flatscreens and should be taking over during 2005, at NEC, Eizo, and Lumileds (also here and here).
Juha,
Perhaps I've just been extremely lucky with my VP201b, as I don't hear a hum/buzz from my normal sitting distance of 2-3'. The only noise source in the room with the VP201b is the computer, and although it isn't silent, it is quiet thanks to the knowledge posted in this forum.
I do not have DVI-D or analog input flicker; the picture is rock solid.
I haven't noticed horizontal stripes, either. I do see a slight pattern -- or darkening as described in one of the linked articles -- on the display, but I believe that it's the anti-glare coating.
I've been looking at TFT LCD panels for about 8 years now I'd guess, and the VP201b is by far the best I've ever had the pleasure of looking at. I don't think this is an issue of my being unobservant, as I've certainly flagged a number of issues with other displays I've used.
Please don't think I'm a ViewSonic champion -- I'm not, and have my own set of issues with ViewSonic. In fact, this is my second VP201b -- the first they sent me was clearly used (scratched, dusty, 2003 build date, missing manual, etc.). My replacement unit, sent quickly and without undue hassle, was in pristine condition and has a May 2004 build date.
It certainly does sound like ViewSonic quality control is lacking based upon our collective experiences. Sadly, I haven't been able to find a monitor vendor that provides as much bang-for-the-buck. Any suggestions for a better manufacturer?
Good luck in finally getting a quality monitor!
PS: Thanks for providing the links to the backlight information and other background material!
Perhaps I've just been extremely lucky with my VP201b, as I don't hear a hum/buzz from my normal sitting distance of 2-3'. The only noise source in the room with the VP201b is the computer, and although it isn't silent, it is quiet thanks to the knowledge posted in this forum.
I do not have DVI-D or analog input flicker; the picture is rock solid.
I haven't noticed horizontal stripes, either. I do see a slight pattern -- or darkening as described in one of the linked articles -- on the display, but I believe that it's the anti-glare coating.
I've been looking at TFT LCD panels for about 8 years now I'd guess, and the VP201b is by far the best I've ever had the pleasure of looking at. I don't think this is an issue of my being unobservant, as I've certainly flagged a number of issues with other displays I've used.
Please don't think I'm a ViewSonic champion -- I'm not, and have my own set of issues with ViewSonic. In fact, this is my second VP201b -- the first they sent me was clearly used (scratched, dusty, 2003 build date, missing manual, etc.). My replacement unit, sent quickly and without undue hassle, was in pristine condition and has a May 2004 build date.
It certainly does sound like ViewSonic quality control is lacking based upon our collective experiences. Sadly, I haven't been able to find a monitor vendor that provides as much bang-for-the-buck. Any suggestions for a better manufacturer?
Good luck in finally getting a quality monitor!
PS: Thanks for providing the links to the backlight information and other background material!
Well, I don't mean to say that it would be a bad monitor - even though colors aren't quite as good as on a crt, I'd be perfectly happy if it weren't for the noise (which is not that bad - often I don't even notice it, but sometimes it's getting on my nerves) or the stripes. The stripes, too, may be less of a problem with newer units, judging by what I've read on other forums - so if I can get the 2003 model they sent me replaced with something more recent, maybe they will be fixed.
I don't know if you've been very lucky with your monitor; I'd rather think I've had unusually bad luck getting two faulty units. It may well be that most VP201's out there are fine, or at least you're not the only one reporting none of the problems. But there definitely seem to be some quality control issues, so it's a bit of a gamble what you get...
As for alternatives - well, the same panel is used in most of the 20" TFT's available today, including models from NEC, Dell, Iiyama, LG and Philips (I think only Eizo uses something different), so any of these should have more or less the same image quality, though driving electronics, color profiles etc. may vary. But like you said, Viewsonic is the least expensive.
I particularly like the NEC 2080UX+ (same panel, better ergonomics, and I haven't heard of any problems except for the stripes which may still be there). It costs a couple of hundred more, which I might gladly pay, but unfortunately it doesn't seem to be available at any dealers over here.
By the way NEC should be introducing some new models at Photokina end of this month (including a LED-backlit wide-gamut model if I'm not mistaken) - I kind of feel like waiting to see what they have to offer then, but I guess any new models will be expensive at first and may not be really available until a couple of months later (plus it takes some more time before there are any reviews or user opinions out there to know if it's a good buy).
I don't know if you've been very lucky with your monitor; I'd rather think I've had unusually bad luck getting two faulty units. It may well be that most VP201's out there are fine, or at least you're not the only one reporting none of the problems. But there definitely seem to be some quality control issues, so it's a bit of a gamble what you get...
As for alternatives - well, the same panel is used in most of the 20" TFT's available today, including models from NEC, Dell, Iiyama, LG and Philips (I think only Eizo uses something different), so any of these should have more or less the same image quality, though driving electronics, color profiles etc. may vary. But like you said, Viewsonic is the least expensive.
I particularly like the NEC 2080UX+ (same panel, better ergonomics, and I haven't heard of any problems except for the stripes which may still be there). It costs a couple of hundred more, which I might gladly pay, but unfortunately it doesn't seem to be available at any dealers over here.
By the way NEC should be introducing some new models at Photokina end of this month (including a LED-backlit wide-gamut model if I'm not mistaken) - I kind of feel like waiting to see what they have to offer then, but I guess any new models will be expensive at first and may not be really available until a couple of months later (plus it takes some more time before there are any reviews or user opinions out there to know if it's a good buy).