The 2,400 x 4,800dpi Astra 6700 offers good core functionality without many special features.

The Umax MaxVision V7 is a budget model, with very little in the way of specifications to tempt, nor does it have the performance to whet your appetite. While most of its scores were on par with the CMV that we used as the yardstick, there were a few problems (namely with displaying truly black blacks) that made the real-world 3D test unpassable.

The Astra 4600 offers excellent performance for a low price. In the 1,200dpi class, it outscored all but the Mitsubishi DV1250U – which costs $70 more. It managed high scores in both colour and tonal resolution.

Auriga’s 17MLV-1 is not the best looking TFT we’ve ever seen, with a pretty big bezel and a chunky neck, but it has a wide degree of swivel and tilt flexibility. Plus there’s a feature unique to this monitor in the comprehensive roundup -- the 17MLV-1 came with a D-Sub RGB connection, plus Composite and S-Video. But furthermore, the TFT featured PiP (Picture in Picture) which meant you could have your PC as the main display, with the TV running in a corner, or vice versa. Via the OSD you could set where you wanted the PiP to appear, plus toggle the sources.

No matter how much we tell ourselves that we are rational, scientific human beings a Friday 13th still sends a tremor up some spines.