Ben's Bargains

Ben · Joined: 11 Jul 2006 Posts: 18938

PC Connection has the Hanns-g 19" HC-194D Digital LCD Monitor Black for $220 - $120 rebate [Exp 9/30] = $100 with free shipping after coupon code 921689316. [BizRate]

1280 x 1024 Resolution, 250 nits Brightness, 700:1 Contrast Ratio
16.2 million colors, 150/135 degrees Viewing Angle, 1W x 2 Speakers

Click Here

mc · Joined: 23 Jul 2006 Posts: 229

I bought this last week and received it yesterday. Very good video quality. The speakers are awful. Tax was another $15 in OH. Still a great deal! My daughter in CA bought one. Ben - you're about a week late on this one!

xsidx · Joined: 27 Jul 2006 Posts: 20

i got this deal a month and a half ago (ok, + 10 bucks) and that deal had been going on for at least a couple of weeks before that already. all in all a great screen - i wonder what kind of stock they are trying to get rid of there...

johnnylately · Joined: 22 Jul 2006 Posts: 701

FYI - Ben posted it last week also.

dizzum · Joined: 18 Sep 2006 Posts: 797

I agree with #3!

jolly · Joined: 03 Aug 2006 Posts: 60

Got one last week after Ben posted it. Wish I'd had the free shipping code then, though. Monitor seems to work really well. Uses generic monitor driver in Windows....CD only has the instruction manual on it in PDF format.

peas · Joined: 22 Jul 2006 Posts: 579

wtf.. they charge tax in TX Sad

Vimm · Joined: 20 Sep 2006 Posts: 80

Wow, this deal sounds incredible. How does it do on dark images? I have a 17" with a dead pixel which has some significant ghosting when the screen is dark or near black and has been on for a few minutes. It's extremely noticeable on stuff like Doom 3, and even the default Windows XP screen saver leaves an imprint as the logo pops around. I've been thinking of replacing it and this looks like a significant upgrade on paper.

truxhope · Joined: 06 Sep 2006 Posts: 25

the rebate coupon listed is for $20, not $120

Vimm · Joined: 20 Sep 2006 Posts: 80

Truxhope: That's what I thought at first too, but there's also a $100 rebate on the site for a total of $120. I've just ordered one myself.

CWO4 · Joined: 18 Sep 2006 Posts: 5

Yes, 2 rebate forms, but this item no longer appears in their catalog, sold out I guess. Too bad.

dave_c · Joined: 22 Jul 2006 Posts: 7517

This is (or was, if they don't restock) a great deal for $100 but there are a few limitations. I've seen plenty of 19" but the only one of that size I could put side-by-side for extensive comparison was a 19" BenQ FP91G+. The drawbacks of the HC-194D compared to it (and others I've seen but did not so closely, directly compare side-by-side) include:

- Quite significant light bleedthrough along both sides, ok for daytime use but unacceptible for movies at night.

- Dithering to get more colors from this 6-bit panel, poor- you will see bands in gradual color gradient areas, significantly moreso than on some other 6 bit panels. In other words, 6 bits alone (versus 8 ) isn't necessarily so bad, if it's dithered well. This one doesn't dither well at all.

- DVI works great (as DVI, but the monitor still has the other mentioned limitations), analog is fuzzier and has slight ghosting (comparing directly to the FP91G+, using same system and cable swapped between the two at native res., 60/70/75Hz refresh and all modes of sharpening and all other menu tweaks didn't resolve. I tried a better cable, it did not help. Same cable manages to transmit at least 1600x1200 analog without this problem at all on the FP91G+, it isn't the cable.

- Odd sort of scanline-like artifacting on moire-like patterns displayed on screen. On some uses you may not notice but the moment you get an image up that causes it, you will hate that it does it.

- Colors not as vibrant, the 700:1 contrast ratio is not really as high as the 550:1 spec'd for the FP91G+. I'd call the ratio closer to 430:1

- Base (stand) doesn't snap fully into the back support, I pushed and wiggled and was afraid if I pushed any harder it might be very bad on the monitor, but the plastic locking tabs, didn't (lock in to slots in base). Not a big deal "maybe", it is stable enough in use on a desk but if you accidentally forgot this an grabbed it by the base at less than horizontal orientation of whole thing, your monitor might slip out and fall.

dave_c · Joined: 22 Jul 2006 Posts: 7517

(continued)

- Speakers hardly worth anything, they might as well have pocketed the $1 saved by not including them and made the bezel sleeker by not putting those moldings across it and having it thinner to match the top and sides. This is true on many monitors but maybe even moreso on this one.

- Cheap generic looking casing, a fault some other monitors have but even a minimalistic stylings of matte plain frame would have been better, and a different base shape.

- More limited tilt adjustment than some, it doesn't tilt forward at all and not back very far. Granted most won't need forward tilt but those who do (Or those who need more backwards than the average user, beware. I forgot to measure in degrees, sorry.

- Limited space to plug in power cord, DVI Or analog cables. It's not a big deal to get them in but it was a senseless oversight on their part when the designed the case.

- Cable retention clip on back of stand is very flimsy, would struggle to hold 3 decent quality (thick) power/DVI/analog cables.

dave_c · Joined: 22 Jul 2006 Posts: 7517

EVEN with all these detractions, for $100 (but not for $150 or more, AR) I think it beats $100 worth of CRT mostly for the DVI per-pixel precision crispness factor (any DVI LCD would) and is usable as a secondary monitor for 2D windowed work but no movies or picture editing/imaging related work.

The response time surprisingly didn't result in much ghosting, it did better in gaming than I expected. The menu was fiddly to navigate and the shipping box not as sturdy as some.

I would easily pay more for a primary monitor, for my main-use system it's limitations are definitely, not just barely, unacceptible (but recall the more significant improvement going to DVI with this one, DVI is highly recommended with it), but I still think for what it can do (and being 19") it is a good deal at $100 AR. It was shipped quickly now time will tell about the lifespan and the rebate.

nhkhan22 · Joined: 23 Sep 2006 Posts: 166

I have bought one last week and got a quick shipment. However when i tried to get the rebate form, i could not not find it on PC connection site. The PC connection has shown a rebate form but it expired on 8/31. When i tried the on-rebate site, it will not let me fill with sept date.Did anyone else has similiar problem?
Does anyone has a copy of $100 reabte which shows sept as expiry?