AOC 29-inch IPS Q2963PM (21:9) LED Monitor..
Special Price AOC 29-inch IPS Q2963PM (21:9) LED Monitor By AOCMost helpful customer reviews
76 of 76 people found the following review helpful.
An exceptional performer, even amongst IPS
By Mr. A. J. Simmons
At first I was a bit unsure as to what to make about the physical dimensions of the product. The screen is wider than a 30" 16:10 monitor but only as tall as a 23" model. It didn't take long before these doubts evaporated. Whilst you don't get the same vertical real-estate that's useful for desktop use as you would on a 2560 x 1440 model, you do get some useful extra width over 1920 x 1080. Where this monitor really shines is for games and movies. The panoramic view and 21:9 aspect ratio gives you a wider FOV horizontally without affecting vertical FOV on most game titles and makes for a truly engaging and immersive experience. Most movies nowadays are filmed in aspect ratios that will fit the monitor very nicely - and although Blu-rays are limited to 1920 x 1080 they upscale beautifully without any obvious loss of detail or sharpness.
Of course there is more to a monitor than just its size. This monitor is also an exceptional performer, even for an IPS panel (I have used many - I review them). Static contrast sits at around 1100:1 after the very small amount of tweaking you have to do to get a perfect 2.2 gamma and 6500K white point. The screen surface is semi-glossy (light matte) and not grainy like older IPS panels. The colour gamut is roughly sRGB, a bit higher but not wide gamut which gives things a vivid but still very natural and appropriately saturated look. This is a true 8-bit IPS panel which combines with a generous (but not wide) colour gamut and light matte screen surface to really do its large size justice. So in summary; everything is vibrant and beautifully varied.
Responsiveness is also strong with no 60Hz monitor (even TN panel ones) offering a significant advantage here. It has well implemented pixel overdrive and around 2ms (if that) of input lag which is really nothing at all.
Obviously dead pixels and whatnot can occur with any mainstream monitor, even those considerably more expensive than this one. Take advantage of Amazon's fantastic returns policy if you need it - this really is a good monitor for all-round use with a particular focus on games and movies.
43 of 45 people found the following review helpful.
Awesome monitor, awesome tech support. Use a high bandwidth, true Dual-Link Cable if Connecting via DVI.
By Derek Van Choice
First, let me say this is a fantastic monitor. Second, I want to commend the tech support at AOC for their superb communication and help with one issue I had (on my end). This monitor is being used entirely for video editing, replacing dual Viewsonic VA912b's, which were connected via DVI cables to an nVidia 9800GT (no HDMI out).
Initially, I connected the AOC with one of the basic DVI cables I had been using for years. When set to 2560x1080, the text was choppy and barely readable and the image unflattering. 1920x1080 was better, but stretched. I emailed AOC tech support and had a reply within an hour, recommending that I connect via DisplayPort/HDMI which, of course, I can't, not having an HDMI out on the card. However, I swapped video cards with my other PC that had HDMI, albeit a slower card, and the AOC worked perfectly, and looked stunning.
A second tech also emailed me within the hour and suggested that I replace my existing DVI cable with a high-bandwidth, true Dual-Link, which I did, via the Tripp Lite P560-006 I purchased here on Amazon. That just arrived and completely solved the problem. I am able to keep using my 9800GT with the AOC at full 2560x1080 res, and it is fantastic.
I must underscore how inspiring it was to have two separate AOC techs reply almost immediately, both with 2 accurate solutions to the problem, which was on my end. Huge props, guys, and thanks for the great monitor, at a killer price!
Update Jan 14, 2014: 5-1/2 Months with this monitor and I love it every bit as much as the day I bought it. Zero issues, and it has had a lot of use. I would buy another in a second.
33 of 34 people found the following review helpful.
Some limitations, but what a beautiful picture, extremely versatile monitor (4.5 stars)
By Mad Max
UPDATE: October 29 2013: After owning & using this monitor for several months, I'm loving it more & more. I'm usually on my laptop, and can't wait to get home & plug into my AOC 29". My productivity goes up, and it's so much easier on the eyes.
I still haven't installed the driver (didn't see the need). And, it continues to perform flawlessly (no dead pixels, pretty durable even with young children pounding on it, etc). It was even dropped once, and I can't even find a scratch.
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Ok, there were a couple complaints about dead pixels - first off, I had none. Perfect right out of the box.
I will add that I still can't believe how thin this monitor is. Under 1" thick, and the front bezel is almost non-existent - like 1/2" on the sides, and almost nothing on top. This is *all* screen. And while it isn't exactly feather-weight, it is remarkably light weight compared to similar sized HDTVs I've lifted or had to move.
For vibrancy, color depth, & size, it gets an easy 5-stars. This monitor does way more than even the box says (for example, daisy-chaining). This is by far the best, most versatile monitor I've ever owned. But it has some limitations and setup issues, which is the only reason I marked it down a bit. Here are some of the limitations:
I wanted the 21:9 AOC basically for 2 reasons: First, for the MHL split-screen feature (watching movies & other tasks from phone to monitor, while working on the other half of the screen). This is simple & works great (make sure your smartphone supports this).
Second, for multi-tasking. Sure I watch movies on the computer, and a few other applications (no gaming though), but I was mostly interested in the PBP (picture-by-picture), the PIP (picture-in-picture), and having 3 windows or documents side-by-side.
On the PIP, you are limited to 1 frame, and the settings are somewhat restrictive (can't move it around like a window). This seems strange to me - I should be able to add 2 or 3 additional picture boxes. The screen is certainly large enough LOL.
Also, the PBP will auto-split your screen in half, for example to view 2 different sources. But you can only input 2 sources at once (can't do 3, like one of the pictures in the ad seems to imply), and the input options are limited. There is only 1 VGA input and only 1 HDMI input - so make sure in advance this will work with your configuration.
After using the monitor a bit, it makes sense why the PHP only splits the screen in half (not thirds) - you can get 3 full documents to fit on the page side-by-side, but only 2 web pages will fit comfortably side-by-side (without tweaking or shrinking). I know it might sound like a waste to some people to use this monitor for document editing LOL, but often times I like to have my spreadsheet, my word processor, and then a small browser window open all at once. This is absolutely ideal for that kind of work.
Here are a few other notes & minor complaints:
The speakers are only 3 watt. They do pump out an impressive sound quality for being basically invisible, and keep in mind this is a monitor not a TV. Our family of 4 can hear the sound just fine when I'm playing a movie....but if your primary use is streaming &/or gaming, you won't be happy with these. A bit canny.
Also the onboard menu & CD setup is a little tedious, especially if you're looking to do something specific. The onboard buttons (real buttons, on the side of the monitor) are super small, and the sub-menus are just a lot of clicking around to get where you need.
Finally, there is no HDMI cable included, and no manual or paperwork at all. You have to use the enclosed CD-Rom for instructions or setup. This is basically a plug-and-play device (I don't mean to scare you LOL), but if you're looking to do something specific, then you have to dig through the CD-Rom.
If you want some help setting it up, or would just like a closer look at it before you buy, NewEgg has loaded an unboxing video on You-Tube, about 6 minutes long. Just do a search for "Newegg AOC Q2963PM". Hope this helps!
See all 84 customer reviews...More...
Excellent with a few disappointments
Good as a Stand Up Holder, Not So Good for Reading
