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17-inch LCDs: continuing to improve their image; Excellent images are the norm, not the exception, for the latest standard-size LCD monitors. Price, however, in this market is king. The lowest priced unit tested was $339, almost half of what it cost a year agoLynn Greiner Anyone looking to put a 17-inch LCD monitor on his or her desktop must be smiling this year. Prices have plummeted to almost half of last year's levels, putting these desirable displays within range of the average corporate desktop, not just the executive suite.
That has prompted a shopping spree. According to Evans Research's Canadian Computer Display Market report for Q4 2004, unit volume for 17-inch LCDs grew by 103 per cent over 2003, and Evans forecasts continued growth in the segment through 2007.
Despite lower prices, the products continue to improve, with excellent images being the norm, not the exception.
We gathered nine monitors, most of which would be quite at home on a corporate desktop, and put them through their paces.
All were tested on a PC with an ATI Radeon 9600XT graphics adapter, at their native resolution of 1280 X 1024. There were no special adjustment rituals performed, aside from installing the provided driver and pushing the auto-adjust button, if there was one. We wanted to see what the average user would experience out of the box.
DisplayMate testing and calibration software (www.displaymate.com) provided structured evaluations, and general use in everything from word processing to watching video gave us a user's-eye view of performance.
CDN EDITOR'S CHOICE
BenQ FP71G+
* Power cons: 4
* Styling: 3.5
* Controls: 4
* Image: 4
* Value: 4
* Price: $399.99
* Contrast Ratio: 500:1
* Warranty: 3 years
* Average: 3.9
* Maximum Power Consumption: 40W
BenQ's minimalist design is pleasing to the eye as well as being functional. You can adjust the tilt of the screen, but not the height. There's a cable management loop on the back of the stand.
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The monitor is analogue only, and auto-adjusts when you turn it on. The driver CD contains a test pattern you can run; if you then press the auto-adjustment button (BenQ calls it the "iKey") it will refine the display. There is a perceptible difference in quality.
I also had to press the iKey during DisplayMate tests to eliminate timing issues.
Overall quality was very good, and colour saturation (as measured by DisplayMate) was excellent (almost too good--the reds were so bright in a Solitaire game that they were painful to look at). There was no ghosting.
Response time of 8 ms meant videos played smoothly, without blurring.
Hewlett Packard L1740
* Power cons: 2
* Styling: 3.5
* Controls: 4
* Image: 3.5
* Value: 4
* Price: $459
* Contrast Ratio: 500:1
* Maximum Power Consumption: 60W
* Warranty: 3 years
* Average: 3.4
The HP sits on a sturdy, almost crane-like stand with a substantial base. It tilts, it swivels, it moves up and down, and you can use the tray on the base to hold small objects. Controls are clearly marked in black on the silver bezel, and easily readable.
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The unit has both analogue and digital interfaces, but comes with an analogue cable only. Tucked away on the back you'll find two USB ports. The USB cable to connect to your PC is also in the box.
Like BenQ, HP provides a calibration pattern on its driver CD, and it, too, has an auto-adjust button that deals with any hiccups. Its colour saturation was excellent, and reds in particular were very bright. There was slight ghosting in one test, but that didn't affect normal use.
LG Flatron L1740P
* Power Cons: 4
* Styling: 4
* Controls: 3
* Image: 4
* Value: 4
* Price: $499
* Contrast Ratio: 550:1
* Warranty: 3 years
* Average: 3.8
* Maximum Power Consumption: 40W
This monitor was lovely to look at, and had an unusual power control. I barely ran my finger over what appeared to be the logical spot for an on/off button (the area was black, and you really couldn't see if there was a button), and the monitor powered on, also illuminating a blue wave below the power switch. The rest of the controls were on the right edge of the bezel: four black buttons on a black background. I had to resort to the documentation to figure them out. The display was solid, with excellent motion video and there were no issues with DisplayMate tests. It supports both analogue and digital inputs, and included both cables. The colour saturation was a tad lower than HP and BenQ's, but not enough to adversely affect images.
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Sony SDMHS75PS
* Power Cons: 3.5
* Styling: 3
* Controls: 4
* Image: 3.5
* Value: 4
* Price: $549.99
* Contrast Ratio: 500:1
* Maximum Power Consumption: 45W
* Warranty: 3 years
* Average: 3.6
This brand-new unit doesn't have a stand as such. Instead, it is configured like an easel, and basically sits right on the desk. The users has limited ability to adjust the viewing angle. A snap-on back cover must be removed to connect the cables (both analogue and digital cables are included). Even with the CD in the drive, the installer went off to the Sony Web site to troll for drivers.
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The controls are under the front edge, and Sony has sensibly used very readable white lettering above each button. The power button is under the front edge, not on the front of the bezel.
The monitor did not auto-adjust when powered up. The default brightness setting is "Movie", which is way too bright for standard use; resetting it to "Auto" made it less painful to look at. An auto-luminescence system (a light sensor on the front) is supposed to adjust for ambient light, but I didn't see a difference on the unit I had.
Video quality was good, and DisplayMate reported good colour saturation.
NEC Multisync 1770NX
* Power Cons: 2.5
* Styling: 3
* Controls: 4
* Image: 3
* Value: 4
* Price: $509.99
* Contrast Ratio: 500:1
* Warranty: 3 years
* Average: 3.3
* Maximum Power Consumption: 55W
NEC's unit is analogue and digital, and both cables were in the box. The stand allows height and tilt adjustments. The controls hang off the bottom of the narrow tan bezel, looking rather orphaned; this allows optional speakers to be clipped onto the bottom of the display. The built-in USB hub places two ports on the side of the bezel, and two more on the back of the display. The display quality was pretty good, though text appeared thin and wispy. In DisplayMate tests, there was some ghosting, and colour shift in the grey scale tests (bars that were supposed to be various intensities of grey were pinkish or greenish). Colour saturation was very good.
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TTX 9176
* Power Cons: 3.5
* Styling: 3
* Controls: 4
* Image: 4
* Value: 4
* Price: $339
* Contrast ratio: 450:1
* Maximum Power Consumption: 45W
* Warranty: 3 years
* Average: 3.7
TTX's modestly priced unit is analogue only, and sits on a compact stand that is weighted to keep the unit stable.
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While very much a no-frills display, it takes care of the important things: The controls are readable and easy to use, and there's an auto adjustment. The driver comes on a floppy disk (that will have to change soon, now that floppies are becoming an endangered species on new systems).
Although the contrast ratio is lower that that of most of our other units, quality was quite acceptable. DisplayMate reported colour saturation was good, and there were no issues in its other tests.
Samsung Syncmaster 710MP
* Power Cons: 4
* Styling: 3
* Controls: 4
* Image: 4
* Value: 3
* Price: $789
* Contrast Ratio: 600:1
* Maximum Power Consumption: 43W
* Warranty: 3 years
* Average: 3.6n
Samsung went wild with this unit, as you can probably tell from the price; it's probably only fit for the executive suite. Not only do you get an analogue monitor, there are built-in two-inch wide speakers across the bottom, making for a very substantial unit. On the left side, you'll find an S-video connector, plus headphone and speaker jacks. And in the box, there's a remote control.
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Hold it--a remote? Yup. This monitor also boasts a TV tuner. Which means that the controls under the bottom of the bezel also include channel change and volume buttons.
The unit did not auto-adjust when it was powered on, and quality was not good. Fortunately, pressing the auto-adjust button corrected the situation and the display sharpened up immediately. Colours were bright, but not overly saturated and sound quality was very good. It passed DisplayMate's tests with no issues.
Viewsonic VP171B
* Power Cons: 5
* Styling: 3
* Controls: 3
* Image: 4
* Value: 4
* Price: $499
* Contrast Ratio: 500:1
* Warranty: 3 years
* Average: 3.8
* Maximum Power Consumption: 33W
ViewSonic's display sits on a V-shaped stand that lets you raise and lower the screen, tilt, and swivel. It can pivot to portrait orientation, and ViewSonic includes software to rotate the display. Its narrow bezel makes it look a bit like a leggy plant. Controls are black on black.
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There are two analogue inputs, and one digital, and there are cable management loops down the back of the stand to keep everything tidy.
Default display is very bright. DisplayMate reported lower than average colour saturation, but no problems.
Toshiba L17B101
* Power cons: N/A
* styling: 3.5
* controls: 3
* image: 3.5
* value: 4
* price: $499
* contrast ratio: 450:1
* maximum power consumption: 48W
* warranty: 3 years
* average: 3.5
Toshiba's offering sits on a compact stand with a circular base that keeps it stable without taking up too much space. It tilts, but does not swivel.
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It supports both analogue and digital inputs, and includes both cables. Twin speakers occupy the bottom left and right of the bezel.
Controls are--sigh--black buttons with black embossing on a black background.
There's a volume wheel and headset jack under the front edge.
The monitor auto-adjusted quite nicely, and needed no further attention. It passed all of DisplayMate's tests, although colour saturation wasn't as high as other units', and there was faint ghosting.
Still, it performed well, even when watching videos.
Scorecard Power Cons Styling Controls Image Value Average
BenQ 4 3.5 4 4 4 3.9
HP 2 3.5 4 3.5 4 3.4
LG 4 4 3 4 4 3.8
NEC 2.5 3 4 3 4 3.3
Samsung 4 3 4 4 3 3.6
Sony 3.5 3 4 3.5 4 3.6
Toshiba -- 3.5 3 3.5 4 3.5
TTX 3.5 3 4 4 4 3.7
Viewsonic 5 3 3 4 4 3.8
Pricing for each unit is the vendor quoted list price, and has been
converted to Canadian dollars.
Note: BenQ is the EDITOR'S CHOICE.
RELATED ARTICLE: The Bottom Line
One year ago, the least expensive 17-inch LCD in our roundup was $629. This year, the lowest price was $339, putting LCDs into budget range for most users.
We also saw that many of the image issues we saw last year have been addressed, and quality was uniformly good. Brisker response times (between 8 and 16 ms) meant much less blurring when viewing motion. LCDs still aren't as good for high-resolution graphics as CRTs, but they're getting there.
Designers also have this compulsion to render controls invisible by creating black buttons with black icons. They really need to sit down and actually use their designs; perhaps then they'd make them usable as well as attractive. Sony and NEC and TTX and HP have proven it is possible.
As you can see from the scores, you can't go far wrong with any of these units. There were no major display issues with any of them.
NEC lost points for its heavier power consumption and some image issues, but the USB hub is a plus.
HP's power-hungry ways cost it. I did like the readable controls, versatile (but hefty) stand and USB hub, and the 3 year onsite warranty is particularly useful in corporate environments.
Toshiba has created a nice, functional unit, albeit with the slowest response time, along with TTX, of 16 ms. The speakers cost quite a bit in power consumption, and those pesky black-on-black controls are a usability issue.
Samsung's display, despite the T.V. tuner, was relatively power-efficient-a major plus. Its high price and bulky desktop presence, although driven by extra functionality, made it impractical for most offices, though.
Less adjustable design
Sony's design is attractive, but it makes it considerably less adjustable than other units. I liked the readable controls; pity it didn't auto-adjust when powering up. The light sensor is a great idea, and the 8 ms response time makes videos perform well.
TTX makes an ideal display for the corporate desktop on a tight budget--modestly priced, though a bit more power-hungry and a bit slower than the others. It has a bit lower contrast ratio, but that shouldn't be an issue for most applications.
ViewSonic's power economy multiple inputs, 8 ms response time and versatile adjustment compensate for its minor shortcomings. Desktop publishers will appreciate the ability to swivel the display to portrait orientation.
LG's gorgeous styling, power economy and great display couldn't quite squeak it to the top either; it was hampered by its unusual controls. Its response time was also a hair slower than BenQ's, at 12 ms.
Top of the heap by a hair is BenQ, with good power economy, reasonable price, easy-to-use controls, 8 ms response time and great images. My only complaint about it was the extremely bright default colours.
COPYRIGHT 2005 Transcontinental Media IT Business Group
COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group
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