I'm in for a new monitor now and do some research. After 1 hour of doing it I'm ready to give up.

Reading reviews and tests of various models leave me puzzled which hardware features are better than others.

For example the question if LED back lighting is actually better than LCD?

I don't care too much for the energy "savings" but an optimal performance in terms of back lighting.

Are LED and LCD panels always built differently, depending on model or manufacturer or is it always the same pattern of the light placement?

What's your observation?

I'm not getting anything fancy (below $200).

Thanks in advance.

LEDs replace the Fluorescent bulb in a typical (older) LCD screen.  So technically it is still an LCD, but just backlit by groups of LEDs rather than one big Fluorescent bulb.  In the price range you are talking I don't think you are going to see much difference other than lower power, but that is benefit enough for me if there are no other disadvantages...  I'd compare the contrast and brightness numbers to be sure.

Thanks for your insight.

I've read that many people complain about the placement of the LED bulbs along the border of the screen which sometimes (often) leads to bleeding or light leaks.

Is this still a big issue with LCDs?

Should I expect more problems with blacks on a LED over a LCD screen?

I bought a monitor with LED backlighting and it was way too bright - it dimmed okay, but the flicker (LED's can only dim by turning on or off) gave me instant headaches. The color was also impossible to get accurate. I bought an NEC IPS panel and it's been great - http://www.necdisplay.com/p/desktop%20-monitors/ea231wmi-bk?type=support

IPS panels are a bit more $$, but so much easier for me to look at for long periods. They often don't have LED backlighting.

My .02

I've bought HP ZR24W LED display about a year ago. It's much better than my previous LCD screen from LG LCD. Black is much "blacker" but still plenty details in shadows, I don't have to look at display in right angle, no darker corners, much better visibility in daylight. I did all the tests available and it's almost as good as Mac Display for fraction of price. Some reviewers say black isn't that great but when I reduce brightness I can hardly imagine it could be significantly better. But I didn't compare it to Eizo displays.

Quote from: jm on July 11, 2012, 13:56

I've bought HP ZR24W LED display about a year ago. It's much better than my previous LCD screen from LG LCD. Black is much "blacker" but still plenty details in shadows, I don't have to look at display in right angle, no darker corners, much better visibility in daylight. I did all the tests available and it's almost as good as Mac Display for fraction of price. Some reviewers say black isn't that great but when I reduce brightness I can hardly imagine it could be significantly better. But I didn't compare it to Eizo displays.

Is your HP a $500 monitor? If so, I can't afford that and probably have to deal with the light leaks and whatnot, but thanks for the info!

You might try smaller HP ZR2240w. It's from 227 USD at Amazon. Not that good but still great value for money.