Read the statement by Michael Teeuw here.
Need to Get Started Help Asap...
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Hello everyone,
I know many of you start with choosing a suitable monitor first. It’s a task with so many criteria that might make one insane. Some prefer TN panels due to their superior contrast and black color. Some says the poorer viewing angles on TNs might expose a problem, especially when they are flipped and used vertically. That’s why some people recommend IPS panels because of their wider viewing angle; not to mention that they tend to be brighter.Controls and ports on the back, not at the sides. Easy to work with for taking off the enclosure. HDMI is not a must but nice to have. Built-in speakers might become handy if we ever play music or if we integrate Alexa or Google Assistant. Tough, I am not so sure about built-in speakers performance. Depending on where the speakers are facing, the sound might be to garbled to be useful.
Now, finding this monitor in desired size and within a certain budget is a very hard task.
I recently purchased a refurbished 22" Viewsonic VX2276-SMHD for a friend of mine, for normal desktop use. The cost was $99.
It is very slim, lightweight. HDMI and built-in speakers available. It says frameless design but actually it has very thin gray frames. I am thinking that I might use this monitor. Since it is very slim and lightweight, maybe I even don’t need to take the enclosure off. I might use it as is. Maybe I paint the gray frame to black and it might be good enough to get started.
As for the mirror; I decided not to use acrylic. I read too many times that it scratches easily, requires to be handled with extra care and not easy to work with.
I decided to spare budget for a real glass two way mirror. I spent some time on the twowaymirrors website. While their Smart Mirror is the best option, I was focusing on the Glass Two Way Mirror since it is more affordable. Till I realized that I can get the Smart Mirror option with the Glass Two Way Mirror price.
Here is the trick. They are offering some certain size (most common) Smart Mirrors at a discounted price. I guess they are pre-cut or something.
For example the 16"x20" Smart Mirror is for $100 and the 18"x24" is for $140. Smart Mirror for the Glass Two Way price; I really want to take advantage of this offer. But which size would be better for me?
The Viewsonic monitor has dimensions like 19.6 x 15.5 so a 16"x20" mirror should work. Maybe it will be a close call but then again, it should -barely- work. Then I remember most of the guides I have read (not all but most) they go with a larger size mirror so they have extra space underneath the monitor or at the side of the monitor to deal with the other components and cables.
If I go with the 16"x20" mirror then the only space I can use would be the back of the monitor itself. I might be forced to built a very deep frame just to have enough space for other components.
Another way to approach the choosing monitor issue is to get something that has been successfully and happily used by one or more active members of this community. That way I can take full advantage of your experiences 🙂
Any and all input is welcome,
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HDMI is good as you can control monitor sleep/wake up from stand-by from software.
If I were to rebuild my mirror I would have the glass not cover more than the monitor as the backlight creates a “frame” when the surrounding light is dark, so you can easily see where the screen is. But depending on screen, light and glass, this may be more or less visible.
Definitely go for real glass.
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@Pyaar
What size frame do you want ? I think the 15-16 inch mirror is very suitable for frames within 30 inches. IPS really much better.
