LG D2342P-PN 23-Inch Widescreen Passive 3D LED LCD Monitor

by LG

• Enjoy amazing depth along with smoother, crisper images, and a clear picture from virtually any angle through lightweight and inexpensive glasses
• Full HD 1080p resolution (1920x1080) gives it superior picture quality over standard resolution
• TruMotion technology lets you see sports, video games and high-speed action with virtually no motion blur
• 5,000,000:1 contrast ratio ensures your content looks spectacular
• HDMI DVI and D-Sub inputs provide the connections you need

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 21.5 x 7 x 16 inches ; 7.5 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B004WK3R4U
• Item model number: D2342P
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,732 in Computers & Accessories (See Top 100 in Computers & Accessories)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: April 1, 2011

Product Description

Amazon.com

The virtual world of LG becomes your reality with LG's Cinema 3D technology and Full HD resolution. The astonishing effects will immediately grab your attention and bring your computer experience to the next dimension.

LG's next generation 3D technology.

Gamers want 3D effects like you get it in the movie theater? Lightweight glasses, wider viewing angles and with clear 3D images? LG's Cinema 3D experience can bring it right to your desktop Enjoy amazing depth along with smoother, crisper images, and great 3D effects.

Less complicated, more comfortable!

One set of lightweight Cinema 3D glasses and on set of clip on glasses included. Disclaimer: additional glasses required and sold separately.

You won't believe your eyes.

Tired of dark images or dull colors? LG's LED technology provides a slim profile and delivers amazing brightness, clarity and color detail, as well as greater energy efficiency compared to conventional monitors.

Full HD 1080p

This stunning picture is the reason you wanted HD in the first place. With almost double the pixel resolution, Full HD 1080p gives it superior picture quality over standard resolution. You'll see details and colors like never before.

HDMI

Make installation of any enabled device a snap. Get deeper colors and take advantage of a Full HD experience. HDMI connectivity lets you prepare yourself for tomorrow's technology today.

Energy Star Rated

Earning the ENERGY STAR means a product meets strict energy efficiency guidelines set by the US Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy. For Monitors, it means they save energy both in standby and active (when they're on) modes. ENERGY STAR qualified Monitors use about 25% less energy than standard units.

Disclaimer: For a small percentage of the population, the viewing of stereoscopic 3D video technology may cause discomfort such as headaches, dizziness or nausea. If you experience any symptoms, discontinue using the 3D functionality and contact your health care provider.

Product Description

The virtual world of LG becomes your reality with the 120Hz panel, Full HD resolution and the excitement of 3D technology. The astonishing effects will immediately grab your attention and bring your computer experience to the next dimension. One pair of lightweight glasses is included.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 45 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars First Impressions- Superb 3D Value, though mediocre 2D July 4, 2011

By E.A

Amazon Verified Purchase

I was almost ready to buy a GTX 460, a Nvidia 3D vision kit, and the Asus 23.6" 120HZ 3d monitor. This would have totaled to $640, ($490 if you have the proper card already). The Asus wasn't even back-lit LED.

Instead at the last minute I saw this, strangely without any reviews. I looked more into it, and apparently it was a new release, and some review on Newegg said the 3d looks impressive, so I took the risk and went ahead. Total cost $300 (the price seems to fluctuating up and down). The biggest con is there just isn't so much information about it online. The funny thing is, I still don't know some important details, which I will go into.

PROS:

Hands down, the cheapest way to get into 3d gaming, 3dwise the value doesn't get any better than this

The 3D Looks GOOD, no flickering

LED Backlit saves energy

1080p resolution, cinema aspect ratio (i.e. no bars on Hulu)

Comes with TRI-Def (3d conversion software for games and viewing photos/videos)

Cheap Polarized Lenses, and NOT tied to Nvidia Graphics Card to keep 3d

CONS:

2d wise, it is a typical run of the mill screen, blacks are disappointing, there is minor backlight bleeding, definitely doesn't have that WOW feel some displays have, did I mention the blacks were disappointing?

I can't find too much information about it. The 3d solution is TriDEF, (The same software AMD 3D uses) BUT, AMD does not list this as a compatible display. If you go to the downloads section on
Tri-Def, the LG is a separate download. I installed the "generic" TriDEF software and it did not work with the display. How much modification does TriDef do for the LG display? Is this a "standardized" 3d display that will continue to have updates? It's a mystery to me.

I do know that the Tri-Def software included is modified to the point that upon start-up it checks every time to make sure that the specific LG monitor is connected. If the monitor is not connected it will prompt you to enter a license key Not the biggest deal, though know that the included software ONLY works with the specific monitor.

The Tri-Def software does say that it does not support 3d Blu-Ray movies. If you hook up a 3d blu-ray player to this monitor, will it work in 3d? Third party sources say yes, though it can't be confirmed from LG's website. (Update- other people are confirming that it does work with 3d blue ray players)

Text is difficult to read in 3d mode (and in 2d mode with glasses on)

The Display is VERY bright (for 3d), though it's annoying to push it down every time you take off the glasses. (UPDATE- It is easier with Forte Manager, see bellow)

It's not REALLY 120hz, from my light understanding "tru-motion 120hz" is a technology that helps control motion blur you see on quick moving pictures.

Just like my old Samsung 226BW, it has a bright blinking blue light, fine for an office, but this is supposed to be a "cinema monitor". Why the distracting blue light? And when it's sleeping it starts blinking, so you have to turn it off if it's in your bedroom. (UPDATE- Install "Forte-Manager" [...] , you can actually turn off the power light in the settings (Note forte manager does not work via a VGA cable) Well played LG, (though if you turn it off, it will still blink when the monitor is off)

Conclusion:

I didn't really elebaroate in the Pros, but the 3d effect is pretty cool, and it does work well. This has the advantage over active technology of giving you two simultaneous images, (so no flicker effect), though it has the Con that in 3d mode you really aren't seeing 100% 1080p. I've only really tried it in WoW, and I have to say it's pretty cool. It does take some getting used to, and probably makes the game a bit harder, though as most describe it, the added depth you see into the screen is impressive.

Overall I'd say I'm quite happy of my purchase, though am admittedly a little concerned over future support. I really hope that AMD eventually lists this as a "compatible display". Just like the series of "Lost" I'm sure this review gave you more questions than it answered, though I'm sure in the next 30 days we will figure out the answers to these. You don't hear this very often, but shame on LG for lousy marketing. (Update- I've been told that it is a compatible display on AMD's website now)

35 of 40 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Beware: You can't buy more glasses... But it will work on a Mac. October 5, 2011

By W. Costa

UPDATE: I changed my review from 3 stars to 1 because after 1.5 years of fairly light usage, this monitor no longer functions. Now when it is turned on, it's own built-in logo and 'check cable' displays roll and flicker. Connecting a computer (any input) and displaying an image results in the same problem. At some point I'll take this apart and see if I can fix it but don't hold out much hope. Perhaps if I used it more it would have failed during the 1 year warranty.

This is a very long review, so let me bring an import issue up front. This monitor comes with 1 pair of glasses and 1 pair of clip-ons, and as of the date of this review (early Fall 2011) you cannot buy more of these same glasses, at least not from any major retailer like Amazon, nor as a replacement part from LG. When contacted about this, LG Customer Service has told me and other LG monitor owners to buy the replacement LG TV glasses instead. But they are not compatible with this monitor. More details about this below.

* Summary:

The LG D2342 is a competent 3D computer monitor that uses passive glasses technology to display stereographic images. With appropriately processed JPEG files, it is possible to display 3D still images on this monitor using a non-Windows computer (Mac, Linux, etc.) because specialized hardware driver software is not required. This monitor is also the perfect companion for use with the free StereoPhoto Maker application for editing and displaying 3D photographs that are encoded in virtually any common digital 3D photo format. It also gives the Fujifilm W1 & W3 camera owner a quick, convenient, and fun way to review and show off 3D photos and videos straight from the camera. Unfortunately 3D image quality is hobbled by being supplied with what are, at best, mediocre quality glasses. However even with the included glasses, this 3D monitor is usable and useful, and with better glasses, the potential image quality could be quite good.

* Introduction

The LG FLATRON D2342 CINEMA 3D MONITOR is a stereographic 23-inch class computer monitor with LED back-lighting. To enable the 3D effect, it uses passive (polarized) glasses rather than active (shutter) glasses. The pros and cons of these two different 3D viewing technologies has been fully explored by others although most often within the context of 3D TV sets rather than computer displays. This is because, initially at least, active 3D computer monitors and laptops have been more widely available than passive models. However what is rarely mentioned is that no special graphics card or hardware drivers are needed to view stereographic images on this passive 3D computer monitor. More on this later.

I purchased this monitor specifically for the editing and display of stereographic photographs (captured with my Fujifilm W1 and W3 3D cameras) using my oldish 17 inch Apple MacBook Pro laptop. Because of this, my review will focus primarily on aspects of this monitor's performance within that context. Other common and popular uses for 3D computer monitors includes 3D gaming and watching 3D movies. Since I have no practical experience using this monitor with either, I'll apologize now for not discussing this monitor's specific strengths and weaknesses for such use. And finally, since I did not install the supplied TriDef software and drivers this review will be mute on that subject as well.

* So What'cha Got in the Box?

For documentation and software, this monitor comes with a 20 page owner's manual in PDF format on a CD, and a quick setup guide. A second CD containing TriDef 3D software and drivers for Microsoft Windows, and its companion quick installation guide, is provided as well. Unfortunately the manual does not go into much technical depth about the monitor's underlying technology or features.

Also in the box are an analog D-SUB monitor cable, digital DVI-D monitor cable, power cord and, most importantly, the 3D glasses you'll need for seeing your stereographic images. Many retail sites selling this monitor say that it comes with only one pair of glasses. In point of fact a pair of conventional style glasses are supplied as well as a pair of clip-ons. The glasses come in a kit with the accessory number FPG-2000 which includes a soft drawstring bag for each pair of glasses and a microfiber cleaning cloth. (That accessory number is an important bit of information as we'll see later.) Not included is a 1.4 compliant HDMI cable which would be needed to connect the monitor to a 3D camera or 3D Blu-ray player.

Besides the analog D-SUB (not tested here), DVI-D, and HDMI ports, the monitor also has a standard mini-stereo headphone jack. While the monitor itself does not have built-in speakers, it will output any audio received via the HDMI connection to this analog audio port. Virtually any set of self-powered external computer speakers, or a home entertainment system, could be attached to add sound capability to the monitor itself. (This feature is particularly important for Fujifilm W3 camera owners displaying video, since the camera's own speakers are muted when the mini-HDMI connector is attached to the camera.)

The monitor panel itself has a matte finish surrounded by a shiny black narrow frame that is a fingerprint magnet. The model number and brand name on the frame are a very tastefully subdued gray. The monitor setup buttons have no labels at all. Pressing any button brings up an on-screen menu positioned over the buttons. A nice touch.

When turned on, the round power button in the lower right is a brightly backlit blue. It looks 'cool' but is a bit distracting. The button annoyingly blinks when the monitor is in standby mode. (Both problems can be easily solved with a small bit of black tape!)

* Some 3D Theory and Mechanics

In this section we examine how the LG D2342 accomplishes its 3D magic. If you only care about how well the LG performs at displaying images, you may want to skip to the next section.

A Digression... Taking two or more channels of information, combining them into a single signal that is then later decoded by the receiver back into discrete channels, is called "multiplexing". FM stereo radio is a common example of everyday use of this technique. Any stereographic display technique that combines the left and right images of a 3D pair into a single image is using multiplexing. 3D movies, 3D TVs (both active and passive), and auto-stereoscopic displays, found on some handheld devices (Fuji W3, Nintendo 3DS, 3D phones) all use the idea of multiplexing. Multiplexing introduces its own set of problems such as crosstalk between channels (in stereography this is seen as ghosting) and signal degradation. It is difficult to create a multiplexed system that works as well as discrete channels transmitted over the same medium.

- A stereographic photograph requires a pair of left and right images that need to be transmitted somehow to the viewer's left and right eyes. Ideally the left eye should see none of the right image, and vice versa.

- With active shutter glasses, the left and right images are rapidly alternated on the monitor display. The shutter glasses, which contain electronics, receives a timing signal from the display and in synchronization with the display turns the left glasses lens opaque when the right image is displayed, then turns the right glasses lens opaque when the left image is displayed. While each eye sees the entire corresponding image, for a very brief moment, the alternate eye sees nothing at all. For some people this can be perceived as a subtle flicker.

- The LG D2342 takes a different approach. The image sent to the monitor's display is arranged in such a way that the every other horizontal scan line of the left image, is combined with alternate scan lines of the right image. Thus in the vertical dimension, half of the left image is combined with a corresponding half of the right to provide a full screen image. In the case of the LG D2342, this is a total of 1080 scan lines (540 from the left, and 540 from the right). The technical term for this approach is called "interlaced".

- Covering the LG's LCD display panel is a special polarization filter which has narrow horizontal regions that precisely correspond to the row of pixels in each scan line of the display. The orientation of the polarization alternates with each line in such a way that, when the correct 3D polarized glasses are used, the left eye sees the left scan lines, and the right... Well by now you get the idea.
An important consequence of the interlaced method used in the LG monitor is that each eye is seeing only half of the vertical resolution of the display. For a 3D photographer interested in image quality, learning this will probably ring alarm bells. While this does have an impact on image quality, the effect may not be as bad as you might think. Read on.

With the LG, how and when the interlacing of the left and right images happens depends upon the input selected. Using the HDMI input, the LG can understand 3D images transmitted in 3 different formats; side by side, top & bottom, and line interlaced. The LG converts the input, as necessary, to the required interlaced pattern. In contrast, when the computer inputs (analog or digital) are used, it is the computer's responsibility to perform the interlacing of the L/R images. Thus with HDMI input, the entire screen is used to display the 3D image. But under computer control, it is possible that only a portion of the screen, say an image window, is displayed in 3D while the remainder of the display remains in 2D.

There is another consequence of the LG acting as a 'dumb' display when under computer control. Read more ›

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Bright monitor with some ghosting in 3D July 11, 2011

By John Clement

This monitor has a very bright screen with what I would judge are pleasing color renditions. Other reviewers have rated it average for rendition, but compared to my old monitor it was good. I bought the monitor primarily because it was an inexpensive way to get 3D, and as such it certainly is one of the least expensive 3D options. It works just fine with my AMD processor and built in GeForce 9100 video processor.

I tried both the included 3D glasses and ReadlD 3D glasses and both appeared to work. But the RealD glasses produced much more ghosting. The 3D essentially reduces the vertical resolution from 1080 to 540 pixels. This produces obvious black lines when viewing with 3D glasses. In addition very small 2D text is not very readable. Non 3D text on the icons looks indistinct and hazy. It is possible to sit back far enough to get rid of the black lines, but then you may be too far to use the keyboard easily. The black lines and low resolution were not visible to my spouse, so it would depend on the viewer's sharpness of vision. I have 20/10 vision with my glasses, but even with them off I notice the black lines. The resolution reduction does not seem to be a problem with 3D pictures or movies, but mainly shows up with 2D small text.

I have a large number of Realist 3D slides that I have scanned, and they look very good but there is some ghosting. I first bought this monitor and found the ghosting to be unacceptable so I returned it. But when my regular monitor died I bought it again and this time with the LG included glasses the ghosting was usually unobvious. But very bright objects against a dark background such as ceiling lights tend to produce ghosting. I also have a number of pictures taken by the Fuji W3 and they look better, but that is because they tend to put the nearby objects at the same depth as the frame. To have minimal ghosting it is necessary to sit at the proper distance and height. It also helps to have pictures with little variation between bright and dark. The correct height can only vary by just a few degrees or the picture deteriorates.

Formats are not well standardized so I was not able to properly play the native Fuji movie AVI format. When played through TriDef it was only 2D, and when played through 3D Movie Maker the picture was in 3D, but I had no sound. The sound problem however seemed to be specific to just one movie. Slides in either side by side or the native Fuji MPO formal could be played adequately. The updated version of TriDef can simulate 3D from 2D movies.

So while the monitor certainly does provide 3D reproduction at a very modest price, the downside is the reproduction with some ghosting. My spouse did not seem to mind the ghosting as much as I did, so this problem may be tolerable to many users. I would recommend buying it with satisfaction guaranteed return privileges. Since it works without a special graphics board, and the glasses are lightweight as well as inexpensive, some users may be willing to tolerate the defects. But apparently all of the 3D home systems suffer from some ghosting. The Samsung passive monitor is due to be released in 2012 and it promises full resolution. It may be well to wait for that monitor, but since the technology is more complicated it will probably be higher priced. But it will still have the advantages of the lightweight glasses without the need for an expensive add on graphics board. I find that my old Realist slides still give the best 3D reproduction compared to the LG monitor. Not only is the depth superb, but figures have natural rounding and do not look flat unlike the digital reproduction.

This review has been modified from the original review because my second LG monitor seemed to work better than the first one. This could be due to operator error, or perhaps some improvement in manufacturing. I find it to be satisfactory for 3D, but far from excellent.