When comparing LG 29UM68-P vs Planar Helium PCT2785, the Slant community recommends LG 29UM68-P for most people. In the question“What are the best monitors?” LG 29UM68-P is ranked 20th while Planar Helium PCT2785 is ranked 30th. The most important reason people chose LG 29UM68-P is:
Because of the wide aspect ratio, LG offers a built-in picture-in-picture mode (referred to as Split Screen) to display two inputs at once.
Specs
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Pros
Pro Picture-in-picture mode easily displays two inputs at once
Because of the wide aspect ratio, LG offers a built-in picture-in-picture mode (referred to as Split Screen) to display two inputs at once.
Pro Looks great from every angle
The LG 29UM68 uses has great viewing angles, both vertically and horizontally. Color shifting (distortion of colors when viewed at a wide angle) doesn't occur.
Pro No noticeable backlight bleeding
The monitor doesn't allow any light of the backlight to get through, which results in no noticeable backlight bleeding: that means dark areas remain dark as intended.
Pro Good value for the money
The LG 29UM68 is relatively inexpensive compared to other 21:9 displays and is a great budget choice if you're specifically looking for an ultra-wide display.
Pro Aspect ratio is ideal for movies, offers greater field of view in games
The LG 29UM68 is a display with a rather unique 21:9 aspect ratio, which is ultra-wide. The difference with a regular 16:9 display is that there are added pixels on both sides, which increases workspace. It's also ideal to watch movies as most recent movies are filmed in a widescreen aspect ratio. Some games also offer support for 21:9 monitors and will allow you to have a greater field of view.
Pro Provides great image quality and color reproduction
The IPS-panel used in LG's monitor offers great image quality, especially compared to the more common TN-panels. Contrast is great with a 1000:1 ratio (better blacks), luminosity is excellent, images are vibrant and the color reproduction is great as well. These attributes are all due to the fact that an IPS panel was used.
Pro Decent black levels, good contrast ratio
The black levels are respectively low at 0.16cd/m², which helps the contrast ratio achieve 1100:1 which is much lower than the advertised 5000:1, but still quite good.
Pro Pretty fast response times make the system feel quick
The response time is 12ms, which isn't lightning fast, but it's still quick enough to make the system feel more responsive than cheaper monitors. While not fast enough for high-level gaming, this monitor won't make your system feel slow or unresponsive.
Pro 'Massive tablet' design is unique, and versitile
It really does look like a massive tablet with a kickstand - but that's not a bad thing. There's no stand visible, leaving the front looking very clean. The stand can angle anywhere from 15-70 degrees which allows for flexible use, or it can be folded in and used flat on the desk or even mounted using the VESA mounting holes.
Pro Built-in speakers, webcam, and mic
This monitor has many peripherals built-in, and unless you use them heavily they will do the job just fine. Unless you feel the need for dedicated hardware, the built-in stereo speakers work well enough, and the webcam and mic are acceptable quality for occasional recreational use (for business calls or other uses where quality is important, you'll want to upgrade to dedicated hardware).
Cons
Con Refresh rate limited to 75Hz, not great for fast-paced action
The maximum supported refresh rate of this monitor is 75 Hz or 75 frames per second which is a tad faster than non-Freesync monitors, but is not as good as 120 or 144 Hz displays. Especially fast-paced games benefit from a higher refresh rate, as it offers a more fluid gaming experience.
Con Slow response time
The response time for the screen is limited at 5 ms, which is significantly slower than some other monitors. This makes the LG 29UM68 less ideal for gaming situations that require quick input.
Con Disappointing color accuracy
The MVA panel (multi-domain vertical alignment: in-between of TN and IPS technologies) doesn't reproduce colors very accurately. It scores just 82% of the sRGB color gamut, while other panels offer high 80s and even above 90%. This display's weakest points are with the green and cyan shades, while reds and blues appeared just fine.
Con Dim display
The display doesn't get very bright - at just 172cd/m² this panel is very dim. Many monitors can achieve 300cd/m² or higher brightnesses.
Con Takes much more power than similar monitors
Without using the ECO mode, this monitor requires about 50 watts to power it. This is double than other monitors. There are different levels of ECO modes, however these dim the display and barely get down to the power level of other monitors when they are all enabled.