Zalman ZM-M240W

[Thefunkymunky]

Hi I'm new to the forum ,

After trying out some gaming and watching films in anaglyph with the free IZ3D driver and stereoscopic player I have decided to buy a 3D monitor. I was nearly going to build a whole PC rig for an Nvidia 3D Vision setup when I came across the Zalman monitors and after reading everything I can find bout the two options I'm now looking to buy the ZM-M240W. It seems like the popularity of 3D vision and Nvidia's marketing has overshadowed passive solutions such as Zalman and it seems like there are hardly any reviews or information about the monitor anywhere.

Does anyone here have the same model or a previous Zalman 3D monitor or even just seen one? If so what do you think of it and would you recommend it?

[cybereality]

I don't have the 24" Zalman, I have the older 22" version. It is a fine piece of work. I paid over $700 for it when it first came out, and I think it was worth every penny. The quality of the monitor is nice. The 3D image looks good, and the ghosting is low (provided you are in the "sweet-spot"). Passive glasses are also easier on the eyes, just like in the movie theaters (in fact the same RealD glasses will work). Downside is that the viewing angles are really low, and that the resolution is effectively cut in half. However the image still looks good, its not as bad as some people think (although it may not be as sharp as some other displays). There is also the advantage of compatibility, it works with multiple 3D drivers and also video players (3D Blu-Ray), YouTube3D, etc. Its probably the best all around choice (all things considered) although its not without its faults. The Nvidia 3D Vision monitors have the advantage of being full 1080P per eye, so the overall image quality will be a little sharper. With Nvidia you can also run 2D at 120Hz, which you may want. However you are also locked into Nvidia. The Zalman monitor also works with AMD (although you obviously can't use the Nvidia driver if you go that route). Its a shame Zalman hasn't promoted the monitors more, they really are quite nice.

[Thefunkymunky]

Thanks for the quick reply cybereality. Yeah from what reviews I have read of the previous generation of Zalman monitors the 'sweet spot' is very strict and just moving your head a little can ruin the 3D illusion however neither of the two reviews of the newer ZM-M240W mention this so I'm hoping that maybe the larger screen size reduces this problem or that Zalman improved the design. The half resolution seems to be the biggest downside thats spoken about when compared to an active shutter display but to be honest this is not that big of a deal to me, I would rather watch a 3D movie or game in 3D with half the resolution than have full 1080p but strain my eyes and have headaches. I will most likely be buying this monitor in the next week, once its arrived I will post a review here if it would prove helpful to anyone.

[cybereality]

Ok, cool. Please come back and post a review if you get it.

[Thefunkymunky]

Looking around for reviews of Zalman monitors I found this one, I think it has probably been translated as you can kind of follow it until about half way through where it just starts to make no sense. Thought I would share it as it is quite funny to read . http://technology.ezinemark.com/zalman- ... c6079.html

[crim3]

I also have the 22" one and I recommend tne Zalman monitors to everyone. To me they are the best solution. The reasons already stated by cyber. And what I like the most is that I only have to wear a cheap, light and powerless plastic glasses. No batteries, no emitters, no USB connections... you just plug it like any regular monitor and enjoy.

[Thefunkymunky]

The monitor arrived today Heres a short review:

Firstly as a standard 2D monitor it is very nice with a good build quality and it really is quite large, upgrading to it from my previous 19" monitor it looks more like a TV which also has an effect on the 3D viewing but I will speak about that in a moment. At 1920 x 1080 the screen looks very nice for both the PC (DVI) and Xbox 360 (VGA) with good brightness, contrast and colours. It is also very handy being able to have both the PC and Xbox plugged in all the time and switch between them with the source button.

Now onto the 3D. As soon as I had got it out the box and set it up which is a simple case of clicking the monitor into the stand and connecting it up, I tried playing Guildwars in 3D with the IZ3D drivers and if I'm honest I was a little dissapointed at first with the depth and ghosting even after tweaking the convergence with the IZ3D. Trying this game in anaglyph 3D before on my old 19" monitor I was wondering why the Zalman almost looked worse so I tried sitting further away and then it all came together! I figured that with the increase in size sitting just over a metre away is where the 3D became really impressive. I found this again when playing Avatar in 3D with the stereoscopic player included on the CD, just by moving a bit further away from the screen the 3D looked much better. I know the previous Zalman monitors had a problem with a very narrow vertical viewing angle and the same problem is still there with this model however I have not seen a previous model to compare with, though after some quick adjusting of my seating position or by tilting the monitor I didn't have a problem of staying withing the zone its just another quick thing to configure before viewing in 3D.

The only downside with it that I can think of is the glossy screen. With the curtains closed and a dim room its no problem at all however in a bright room it can be quite annoying especially when watching something in 3D with a dark scene as your reflection can kind of mess up the 3D. In the right viewing conditions though this monitor is great and I would definitley recommend it to anyone as an alternative to a 120Hz active solution. If anyone wants any more info or thoughts about then feel free to ask

[cybereality]

Yeah, the Zalman does end up with ghosting if you aren't in the perfect angle. Once you get accustomed to it, its not so bad though. Well some games can be tough (especially really dark ones like Metro 2033). But in other games with more brightly colored scenes (like Crysis) there is very little ghosting at all. It really depends on the title. Adjusting the tilt of the screen and also moving back and forth or adjusting your chair up or down can also help.