Trim And Terrific

Sydney Morning Herald

Saturday April 8, 2006

David Flynn

David Flynn reviews four slim screens that may edge that bulky thing off your desk.

Nothing dates a movie or a TV show like a computer attached to a large monitor. Everyone on all the cool shows has a fab-looking flat display on their desks - if they're not already using a laptop, that is.

Lawyers, forensic investigators, West Wing staffers - why these days even the bad guys get good screens.

Set decorators choose flat screens because they make high-tech look extra hip, especially if there's some whiz-bang image on the display. The rest of us, well, we've got more practical reasons.

First is the chunk of desktop real estate that an LCD monitor reclaims. Even a 43cm (17in) cathode-ray tube (CRT) display can overwhelm most desks due to the depth of these types of monitors, while a 43cm flat panel will leave plenty of space around it.

You also get more image for your money. CRT displays don't take the screen image right to the edges of the picture tube, whereas LCD panels can use every centimetre of their display.

And today's flat screens boast a lot of centimetres. Most shoppers start at 43cm but quickly step up to 48cm and beyond. Even a whopping 60cm LCD screen takes up surprisingly little space on your desk, and does so without taking too much from your bank account.

LCD panels also lack the electromagnetic radiation characteristics of CRT monitors, which have led to health concerns over working in front of this type of screen - it's similar to sticking your face right up against a TV set for eight hours a day.

That's not to say that CRT monitors are ready to join the dodo as an extinct species. Graphics artists and gamers prefer CRT monitors, while designers find they are more accurate at displaying true colour. Few flat screens can match a CRT when it comes to keeping up with the fast-paced action of extreme gaming, although that's changing with the latest (albeit more expensive) panels.

But for most home and business users, flat is where it's at. That's especially true if the flat screen is also a widescreen, because you can work with multiple windows at the one time (such as word processing, email, web browser and instant messaging) instead of having to switch between multiple windows.

Widescreens can also enhance a DVD movie, of course, but for action-packed films you'll want a monitor with a quick "response time", which is how fast each dot on the screen can change in order to keep up with the picture. Otherwise you will see car chases marred with streaks and blocky digital "blur" as the display struggles to keep pace with the action.

The larger a widescreen monitor, the higher the resolution it runs at; resolution being a measurement of the number of picture dots or pixels on the screen. A higher resolution allows you to fit even more on the screen, although LCD panels work best at what is termed their optimum or "native" resolution.

For the smallest of the bunch (the 48cm ViewSonic) this was 1440 x 900, for the largest (Dell's 60cm model) it was 1920 x 1200. Larger resolutions rely more on your PC having a fast graphics card to push all those pixels around

the screen.

For this round-up we tested widescreen monitors over a range of sizes and prices, although as you can see, even for $550 we were able to kick off with a 48cm display with a pair of low-power speakers. Larger and more expensive screens sport creature comforts such as extra USB ports and memory-card readers for loading images from a digital camera.

Dell 2407FPW, $1499, ****1/2, www.dell.com.au

This just-released upgrade to Dell's incredibly successful 2405FPW has the same massive 60cm screen and a base that's solid enough to use in self-defence. New is the zippier 6ms response time to match fast-moving games and action DVDs, plus a more elegant body and larger, better labelled controls. Appealing extras include a multiformat memory-card reader plus four USB ports: two on the left side and another two on the rear. There are no speakers, but the typical user of this display would be a gamer with their own extensive surround sound gear or a design professional who'll groove along with their own music system. The height peaks at 16cm above the desk and the screen swivels to vertical.

Four contenders

Samsung 215TW, $1099, ****, www.samsung.com.au

Samsung's stylish new 53cm LCD monitor is one of those panels you'd see on a TV set. Finished in chic black, it has the natty trick of flipping into "portrait" mode for working with vertical designs such as desktop publishing or pointing out some DNA curiosity in this week's murder suspect. In horizontal mode it rises up to 20cm above the desk and has enough tilt and swivel for the dance floor. We liked the clear controls, the front-mounted headphone socket and the built-in speakers with pleasing mid-range balance. But the lack of a USB port was a failing for an otherwise well-rounded package.

ViewSonic VA1912W, $549, ****, www.viewsonic.com.au

In the past many budget-minded displays have proved to be rough around the edges but we couldn't fault the crisp images of this 48cm screen for its low price tag. It's light on extras, apart from a pair of low-power speakers that pose no threat to a proper PC sound system. The screen height is fixed to sit 14cm above the desk, which fortunately puts it on eye-level with the average user.

Philips 200W6CS, $1099, ***1/2, www.phillips.com.au

As you step up the LCD ladder in screen size you see more features plus more attention to the overall product. This 51cm panel from Philips is a case in point. It has a solid base with a cable shroud to keep the rear of the monitor looking tidy. The speakers are more powerful, with dedicated volume controls and a headphone socket. There's also a USB port on one side, although this is barely worth the effort because you lose a USB jack on your PC in order to activate the monitor's plug. Height adjustment is limited to the screen sitting 15cm above the desk. If only the price tag sat a little lower.

The verdict

We were delighted at the vibrancy, depth and overall quality of each screen, and most of them would be a good match for almost any home or office user. After weighing what you get against what you pay, however, the Philips fell well behind the Samsung. The ViewSonic would please cost-conscious buyers seeking to ditch the CRT (or set up an external monitor for their notebook) and the Dell would suit those who demand the biggest and best.

© 2006 Sydney Morning Herald

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