Following on from its triumphant 17in LCD, Philips continues its rich vein with the fantastic 190P7EB. We’ve seen it before and were impressed enough to recommend it then, but that was no guarantee of a second success against stiff competition in the Labs.

Hooking up our splitter to one of the two DVI-I ports with the bundled cable, we were pleased to note the pair of USB ports for peripherals. They sit at the bottom of the base and are easily accessed by pivoting the screen through 90 degrees. The stand is also height adjustable by a superb 130mm, and can swivel 45 degrees to either side and tilt back by 25 degrees, so you’re sure to find a position that suits. It’s reasonably stylish but, more import­antly, it’s sturdy and holds the screen firmly once adjustments have been made.

Brightness and contrast worked best set to 100 percent and 50 percent respectively, but we had to switch to User colour and reduce the Blue channel to warm the image slightly. Thanks to a contrast ratio of 1300:1, the 190P7EB treated our technical tests with disdain, steaming through them with 17 out of a possible 18 points. The only weakness was brightness, which couldn’t quite match the NEC and meant slightly duller whites by comparison.

In our real-world tests, the Windows Desktop was clear and sharp, and the Philips scored well in fast-moving video and games despite the 8ms quoted response time. Colour accuracy is good, beaten only by the Eizo, and no problems were evident when we examined our selection of digital photos. Detail in dark areas could have been a touch better, but the 190P7EB’s overall quality score of 40 out of 50 was enough to fend off everything else here.

Should anything go wrong, Philips covers the LCD with a three-year C&R warranty. A bonus for businesses is that the 190P7EB supports SmartManage, which allows the monitor to be controlled via a network and also renders it useless if stolen. The basic FPAdjust and SmartControl utilities come supplied with the LCD for onscreen calibration.

No other LCD here can match the combination of fantastic quality and features for the price. If you want to spend less, the BenQ is a fine choice, but the 190P7EB is worth the premium for its quality and extra features.