19-inch LCDs
David Bayon
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Feb 26, 2007 10:57 AM
The 19" LCD fits now represents outstanding value for money, and is so much nicer to use than a 17" screen. We round up and test the best.
Although 17in is still the most popular size of LCD, the prices of 19in models are now falling low enough to be a realistic option for everyone to opt for a bigger display. If you currently squint at images in Photoshop or can’t cram enough of an Excel spreadsheet onto your existing monitor, you can breathe new life into your apps for as little as $306.
We’ve lined up seven of the latest 19in LCDs and put them through our usual rigorous obstacle course of tests. The results were more surprising than ever: even the cheapest LCDs offer perfectly acceptable image quality. However, quality isn’t the only factor to consider; there are features like interfaces, speakers, adjustable stands and warranties to factor in too.
In this roundup, you’ll find everything from budget models right up to high-end displays from manufacturers such as Eizo and a $1285 professional alternative from LaCie.
In terms of features, there are pivoting screens, adjustable stands and a decent variety of designs to choose from. For office use, there are plenty of matte-finish displays, but those wanting a display for games may prefer the glossy coatings of the Acer and NEC offerings or the widescreen BenQ. Others offer USB hubs and ambient light sensors for automatic brightness adjustments.
We also comprehensively test every onscreen display by pressing every button and trawling through each menu option. Ease of use varies widely, and this alone can be the deciding factor in whether an LCD wins an award or not. On the feature table, you’ll find the full details of each LCD’s specifications, including whether cables are bundled and the width of the side bezels for those who want to mount two monitors side-by-side. Whatever your needs and budget, you’ll find the ideal display here.
The Professional Alternative
We almost baulked at the Eizo’s $995 price, but for professional designers and photographers there are even better quality — and more expensive — options. The LaCie 319 (part code: 130732) costs a whopping $1285 from www.digitalyes.com.au, but comes with extra features that you simply won’t find in a standard sub-$1000 LCD.
For a start, it's bundled with a quick-release light-shielding hood. This allows a calibrator — such as the $325 LaCie blue eye pro — to optimise the colours onscreen without having to consider variable ambient lighting conditions throughout the day.
Then there's the S-IPS panel, which uses a 12-bit look-up table (LUT) for smooth gradations, meaning each primary colour has 4084 possible tones. Most monitors use an 8-bit LUT, which gives just 256 tones per colour, while the Eizo’s 10-bit LUT means each colour has a potential 1021 tones. Technically, then, the LaCie 319 is 16 times more precise than an 8-bit LCD.
The big question is whether this makes a difference to the naked eye, and the answer is an emphatic yes. The 600:1 contrast ratio can be tweaked by several increments in each percent (offering three times the granularity from most monitors), and the colour reproduction it produces is flawless. It gives a good compromise between a dark black and bright white (the brightness is rated at 270cd/m2), and our digital photos looked exactly as they should. Had we included the 319 in the Labs, it would have coasted through the technical tests with full marks.
The real-world tests would have brought it back to earth, as the 18ms response time isn’t conducive to gaming or videos, but no-one considering the 319 should be watching videos or playing games on it. The Eizo is a better-value alternative for most people and is a fine choice for editing photos, but if accurate colours are vital to your job it’s worth splashing out more on a professional LCD like the LaCie.
Plus, how we work out the ratings.
At the end of each review, you’ll find Image quality, Features & Design, Value for money and Overall ratings. These aren’t simply plucked out of the air; they’re calculated using a mixture of objective benchmarks and subjective scores.
Image quality
We begin by connecting each monitor to our eight-way IHSE DVI splitter for simultaneous side-by-side comparison. Using DisplayMate Multimedia Edition 2, we first use an ANSI setup screen so that eight dark and light shades of grey are visible at once, adjusting each monitor’s brightness and contrast until the optimum balance is found.
Then we display an obstacle course of technical images designed to highlight any potential problems or limitations of each LCD. These include checking for colour purity by displaying full-screen colours, and colour-tracking errors by looking for any colour tints on a series of progressively darker grey squares. Colour and greyscale ramps are examined for stepping — the fades should be completely smooth.
But we’re more interested in how the LCDs perform in the real world, and this is where the majority of the quality scores are awarded. We first look at the quality of the Windows Desktop and Microsoft Office applications, since these are the screens the majority of users will spend most of their time looking at. While most LCDs pass these tests without problems, some are truly outstanding, and others are merely acceptable. We check the Desktop for the clarity of text beneath icons (which over-bright screens often blow out), the evenness of white areas as well as any graininess, glare or reflections.
We also view a selection of digital photos, each one chosen to expose different attributes such as the shadow detail in a landscape image, highlight detail in an indoor shot with harsh backlighting, skin tones in a portrait photo, and the overall sharpness and colour realism in each image.
We then play a selection of DVDs and video clips, chosen for their high dynamic range (dark and bright scenes) and for fast movement. We check to see how well the panels reproduce the detail, whether they smear fast sequences and whether any artefacts are visible. Finally, we play a 3D game — Far Cry — since the fast movement can highlight response time issues or problems with internal electronics that appear as colour smearing, blurred edges or tearing.
Features & Design
The Features & Design rating is calculated by awarding points to items such as the video and audio interfaces and warranty cover. Some manufacturers offer three-year on-site swap-out, but some manufacturers only offer return-to-base cover. For stands, we give points for height, tilt and swivel adjustments, pivoting ability and the width of the bezel (with a view to tiling monitors). We also take into account the quality of any integrated speakers and the overall style of the monitor; a panel of judges decides on the ratings here.
We reward the range of video and audio inputs and outputs, penalising any captive cables. Onscreen displays that are simple to navigate and offer a full range of options gain extra points. We also reward sensible navigation buttons, which are well labelled and intuitive to use. Finally, we look at compliancy with environmental standards.
Value for money
The value for money rating is based on an average of the Image quality and Features & Design scores, weighted slightly towards the latter. We then factor in the price of each LCD (including delivery) to give a bang-per-buck result.
Overall
The Overall score is simply a straight average of Image quality, Features & Design and Value for money.
Ratings explained
The star ratings you’ll find at the bottom of each review are relative only to the products on test in any particular Labs. A one-out-of- six rating doesn’t mean the product is the worst of its type to be made, just the least impressive that month. Likewise, a six out of six score isn’t necessarily an indication of perfection.
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| We use a combination of technical (below left) and real-world (below right) images to give each LCD a thorough workout. |
This article appeared in the
March, 2007 issue of PC Authority.