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Flat screens, sharp picture
LCD monitors look better as prices drop
BY ERIC GRIFFITH
Crisper text and images, more room on your desk, lower electricity consumption and less electromagnetic emission—these are the benefits of a flat-screen LCD monitor. Use one for a while and you'll be ready to toss your clunky monitor.
The downside to LCD flat-panel displays is price. Until recently, you'd be hard-pressed to find a quality screen for less than $1,000. But prices have been falling. We found six 15-inch LCD monitors—which provide the same viewing space as a 17-inch CRT monitor—priced below $850.
We tested these LCDs on the same computer, using DisplayMate software that shows how well a display handles shapes, colors and other elements you see onscreen. We tested each monitor at its maximum resolution (always 1024x768).
All of these monitors connect to a computer using the standard analog VGA connector. Each has an onscreen menu for adjusting brightness, contrast, positioning and so on.
The monitors we tested work with both Windows and Macintosh computers, but you may need a special adapter to connect some of them to Macs.
After testing and working with these monitors, we have two favorites.
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First is Envision Peripherals' AOC LM-500 ($699; 800-775-1262). Besides its nice price, the picture is great—despite having the worst contrast ratio of the bunch (150-to-1). Contrast ratio is an important factor in rating LCDs—flat screens have a hard time delivering a true black because they are backlit. In general, the higher the contrast ratio (the standard is 200-to-1) the better, but in the LM-500's case, it didn't matter; the picture looked great in all our test patterns and in everyday use. It's also easy to set up. |
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Our other top choice is the Samsung SyncMaster 570s TFT ($799; 800-726-7864). The SyncMaster can swivel from horizontal landscape mode into the upright portrait mode, which is especially great for reading Web pages and word processing. The SyncMaster is an inexpensive LCD with a great picture and software that makes sure your screen displays color accurately (believe us, it helps). Keep in mind, at 15.5 pounds it's the heaviest monitor we tested. |
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The NEC-Mitsubishi MultiSync LCD 1530V ($799; 888-632-6487) has a very sharp, clear picture. Unfortunately, NEC makes setting it up for use with a Windows computer more complex by having you download the driver software, instead of including a disc. At least you get the most up-to-date driver. |
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ViewSonic's ViewPanel VG150b ($799; 800-888-8583) doesn't have the display quality to keep up with the rest, despite having the highest contrast ratio (350-to-1). The screen's soft focus is hard to adjust, and the DisplayMate color intensity test showed it to be uneven, which is terrible for viewing digital photos. Also, the setup is a pain. |
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The iiyama Pro Lite 38g ($807; 800-394-4335) is the most expensive monitor we tested, and the screen, while adequate, didn't make up for the price. |
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The KDS Radius S-3F ($659; 800-237-9988) proves you sometimes get what you pay for—the cheapest monitor has the worst display. The lightweight(10.5 pounds) S-3F tries to make up for the poor picture by integrating a set of speakers into the base, but they sound as tinny and inadequate as the screen looks. |
BOTTOM LINE: These displays are the first to fall below the $850 price line, and they may be cheaper at retail stores. It's a good time to look into the benefits of a flat screen.
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DisplayMate
www.displaymate.com
Envision Peripherals
www.epius.com
Samsung
www.samsungusa.com
NEC-Mitsubishi
www.necmitsubishi.com
ViewSonic
www.viewsonic.com
iiyama
www.iiyama.com