The iSTAR ID-17VSSBK is only the second desktop LCD monitor we've seen to feature a glass coating to help reduce glare and it certainly does this. This display is bright, sharp and clear and is housed in an attractive two tone glossy black and silver bezel which would match both the minimalist home or work environment.

Pitched at the business and professional market we can't help but feel it would better suit the home enthusiast market and make a great accomplice to a small form factor case or home theatre multimedia PC. By pitching to the professional market, iSTAR hasn't gone with an ultra responsive 12, 16 or even 20ms LCD panels, instead going with the slower 25ms response display, although it feels faster. Its high 450:1 contrast ratio and reasonably good brightness levels make this bright and clear to use. iSTAR are quoting 130 and 140 degrees respectively for viewing angles, meaning you won't need to be sitting dead on in front of the monitor to enjoy natural colours without distortion, instead it suits multiple watchers at even a short viewing distance. We fired up and played some Doom3 and watched movies in 4:3 and letterboxed 16:9 - the absence of tearing or major distortion makes this a nifty monitor for even first person gamers and frequent movie watchers.

Unfortunately the unit does come with only a D-sub connection, meaning you'll need a D-sub to DVI adaptor if you want to use it with the latest generation graphics cards such as NVIDIA 6800s or ATI X800XTs as they come equipped only for DVI. The build quality is solid, with a sturdy metal base and generous amounts of tilt, small consolation for the inability for the unit to swivel without moving the base from the desktop surface.

The integrated audio is reasonable for what it is, pumping out 6W across the pair of stereo speakers and providing OK audio for people with limited space. Unfortunately though they're really only a substitute for a cheap tinny set. Text is very readable even at small fonts without distortion and the easy to use on screen display gives plenty of customisation should you want to deviate from the auto-adjust mode.

For a business display, this is a rather flexible monitor, capable of gaming, productivity and everything in between. It looks to be cheaper than Shuttle's offering we previewed last month and only about $100 more than the average 17 inch LCD.