Monitor Reviews

If your a hardcore graph-x designer and need a hassle free, well ventilated monitor that has excellent refresh rates, look no further than the XF-7t. This monitor is long and heavy, but hey your not designing monitor cases!! As far as quality, i couldn't find a better CRT with such a fine horizontal Dot pitch(.22mm!!). Your graph-x will kick ass!

After having a flat panel monitor LCD that I really liked and selling it, I was hesitant to buy a Flat CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) Monitor. However, after having it for about a week now, I can say it is the finest monitor I have ever owned. It is bright, vibrant and does not distort or anything around the end's. Oh, and about what the person wrote below about it being huge, well no kidding, its a CRT monitor with a flat glass screen, not an LCD screen. There is a difference, so if you are buying this, remember, its like the old monitors everyone owned, but has a flat glass screen to get rid of the distortions. I personally would recommend this monitor, as I love it now. Oh by the way, I use it for 3d animation and programming. It works great.

Remember, this monitor has a *flat* screen, not a *thin* screen. It is just as large as a normal CRT monitor.

That being said, the picture quality is excellent. I don't think you can expect any more for the price.

The picture was great and the on-screen control display managed to shape up what seemed to be a horribly distorted image. When I first turned on the monitor the image was so terribly warped that I flinched and figured I had to ship it back, but the on screen display appeared and after 5-10 minutes of adjustment, all was quite well. The image was sharp and bright for about 1.5 weeks. One evening I noticed everything was a little dark. After about 10-15 minutes, it looked as if I'd turned the contrast down to 0. In fact, I brought up the OSD and turned the contrast down to 0, and there was no difference in picture at that point. ...and then I replaced it. I bought its replacement, a KDS-XF9e at ...for $...including tax. This is another KDS Xtreme Flat 19" monitor, very similar to this one, and I've had it for a week or two and it has been performing well.

This seems to be a very nice montior for the price, so you might as well give it a try. I work in IT at a company that uses KDS monitors at our workstations, and approximately 1 out of 4 that we receive fails out of the box or shortly thereafter. I figure you have a 75% chance at a great monitor for a great price.

After using a 17" "old" monitor , this monitor surprised me @ how bright the images are , I can see images on my favorite websites that used to be just a blur . I really like this monitor . The overall depth is not much more than my old 17" monitor .

I have had this monitor for well over a year and without exception has performed very well. Colors, images, display are very easy for system usage.

This tv is perfect for the kind of person who doesn't watch a lot of tv but wants to watch dvds and/or play games in 480p (progressive scan). Out of the box the tv needs to be calibrated to look its best (everything is set too high). Once adjustments are made you have a crystal clear digital picture - you just won't believe how good it is for this price. With 2 sets of component video inputs you can easily hook up a digital cable receiver and set it to output in 480p and you've essentially got an hdtv for much less money. Excellent quality. I don't know about the speakers as I use my surround sound system for that. A word of caution though some tvs of this model have poor power supplies but most are fine. If you are getting a poor picture or flicker exchange it for the same model (I had to do this). If you are getting an unbelievable crystal clear picture you've got a good one, don't settle for one of the duds. There's a hidden service menu that lets you adjust the picture quality further and fix geometry.. accessing this menu is a must just search online and you'll find out how.

This has to be the best deal currently going on ED/HDTV. I've had this set for almost two months and I love it. Out of the box, you might be unhappy with it, but if you search online, you'll find a message board full of good instructions on how to make the proper adjustments from within the service menu -- including a few settings that give the TV video/audio abilities it's not advertised to have. Get a calibration disc such as Video Essentials to help you make the adjustments. The 480p image, straight up from DVDs or digitally enhanced over-the-air, is gorgeous, with incredible clarity for a non-HD picture.

Very good definition. A good alternative to the higher price HD offerings. If you need a TV now this is a good choice. I am going to wait until the dust settles to buy the HD or Plasma.

Be carefull-a VERY large number of these had capacitor problems.
The unit may work for a few hours-or weeks or even months, then will go bad, sometimes intermittantly, manifested by colored vertical lines on an otherwise blank white screen.
SONY at first denied the problem, then sent eveyone a REFURBISHED model.
BEWARE!
Some may try to sell you a unit that works only FOR THE MOMENT, thus cheating you or else the Post Office for "shipping damage".
Others will try to sell you a "Refurbished" Model NOT fixed by SONY.
When it works, this is a great monitor-and the convenience of built-in speakers is great convenience...

I got mine last night, and was a little bit disappointed that it only came with an analog cable (RGB-DVI, the monitor needs the DVI connection). So I had to switch the monitor to analog, although I have a DVI out on my computer (ATI Radeon All-In-One Wonder).

So, you'll have to buy a DVI-DVI cable to be able to enjoy the full digital experience.

SDM-M51D is both analog or digital (includes a switch on the back of the monitor), the SDM-M51 is just analog (I think it comes in black or white).

...

This is a good overall monitor for the price. I bought mine at a reasonable discount, plus the manufacturer's rebate. The picture is good quality, brighter colors than some other monitors I looked at. You can use this monitor on either a regular VGA/RGA graphics card, or one of the newer DVI cards. I use mine four+ hours a day, good picture all around. I recommend this if you don't want to spend the money on one of the newer models.

I have had nothing but problems with this monitor. So far, the company (NEC) has sent me 2 DOA (dead on arrival) replacement monitors that are supposedly rebuilt. They are both worse than my original.

I think this model just wears out faster than the average CRT monitor. Mine died after 1 year.

This is a good intermediate quality monitor. The display is perfectly flat and has excellent sharpness and color saturation, and at 1280x1024x75Hz the display is very clear.

There are three things about this monitor that I don't like. First is the contrast. You have to turn the brightness and contrast up all the way to make whites appear white. Second is the image quality at higher resolutions. If you go higher than 1280x1024 the quality of text degrades noticeably, and at 1600x1200 you'll give yourself headaches trying to read anything.

The thing about this monitor that I liked the least were these two annoying lines across the upper and lower halves of the screen. At first I thought it was a defect, but the manual says they're supposed to be there (so if you buy this monitor, you too will have to live with these lines). The lines aren't that bad if you're reading text or surfing with a browser, but try to do image editing or graphic design with this; it drove my wife and I nuts.

While the monitor does have a sharp image and good color, the poor contrast and annoying lines were too much for me to accept for the price I paid, and today I returned the monitor.

Before buying it, and over a period of 6 weeks, I compared the Mitsubishi Diamond Pro 920 with almost all top monitor manufacturers, from Sony, Viewsonic, Samsung, Eizo, NEC, Hitachi, CTX, Sceptre, and KDS. My key metric was performance, followed by price. I needed a new monitor to replace my 17 inch Optiquest V775 which had lost its blue color after 5 years of use.

So why did I settle on the Mitsubishi Diamond Pro 920?

1. Very high resolutions and refresh rates: I am running it at 1600 x 1200 at 85 Hz (maximum PC resolution and fully flicker free). You can also run it at 1280 x 1024 at 85 Hz or lower.

2. A uniform 0.24 mm aperture grille (AG) pitch. This is in contrast to the latest Sony FD Trinitron tubes which have a variable 0.24 (center) -0.25 (corners) AG pitch.

3. Outstanding and uniform focus throughout the display area, regardless of resolution, and even at 1600 x 1200.

4. Excellent geometry: straight and parallel edges on all 4 corners, with only a very slight, almost unnoticeable bowing in of the video image on the top of the monitor.

5. Superb on screen display and controls - more than you will ever use. Full controls for size, angle, geometry, color purity (4 controls for 4 corners), horizontal and vertical alignment of blue, red, and green guns, ... you name it! All in a very intuitive and easy to use format.

6. A "fine picture mode", enabled via a single key in front of the monitor, that enhances the contrast for text based applications.

7. Light (for a 19 inch monitor) - less than 10 lbs more than my old 17 inch, at 51 lbs (23 kg).

8. Space saving - a short depth of only 18 inches - this is only 0.5 inches deeper than my old 17 inch monitor!

9. And finally, Mitsubishi quality which has made its monitors famous among graphic professionals and desktop publishers.

As for the price, this monitor is only ... more ... than the 17 inch Sony CPD-G200, with better quality and specs, and 2 inches more (diagonal) of space....

I highly recommend this monitor.

payman

I bought the Philips 17pf9936 because the slightly higher spec model (17pf9945) was no longer available. I use it for watching DVDs and as a game console screen (using the HDTV component video input) and as a computer monitor.

Overall, I'm happy with this TV. Picture quality is good, bright, and contrasty. My only complaint is that the backlighting seems strong -- blacks are never really 100% black, but always a little lighter. It's not very noticable, but once you do, it bugs you a bit.

As a computer monitor it is very good -- except I cannot figure out how to get it into WXGA mode (1280x768). Philips web site claimed it was possible, as does the spec sheet on Amazon, but the manual only lists 1024x768 (4:3), 1280x960 (4:3), or 1280x1024 (5:4) (which all work).

Three things keep me from giving it a full five star rating: Not having got it to work in WXGA mode yet, the not-quite-black-blacks, and the quality of the remote control, which feels cheap and is confusing.

This is an excellent LCD Tv with HDTV. Its amazing how many inputs the TV has and all tucked nicely behind the speakers. Has inputs for componet, VGA, s video and FM. Any combination of connections are easliy possible for input and out put. The reamote is very easy to use. I had seen only one pixel defict dot .Its very sleek and goes well on kitchen counter top or for bedroom or bathroom. I connected to Sony HD receiver with directv and pictures are awesome. Awaiting for a model similar to this in little bigger size 23-26 inches in prize range of 1500-2000. I have always been fan of sony and have all my sytems in sony and Bose. However this Tv was an exception and deserves five starts truely

First and foremost; To quote the words of Chandler Bing (of FRIENDS fame), Amazon.com - "You're swell...". Outstanding service, awesome pricing (saved 2 Benjamins), and complimentary delivery upgrades, sets you guys apart from the rest(worlds apart!).

Now to the review of this state-of-the-art LCD TV from Philips. One word can describe this piece of work, GREAT... Here's my positives.

1. Packed to withstand the rigors of traveling over 5,000 miles (From Kentucky to Hawaii) with UPS Ground and Air. Not a scratch.

2. Well written documentation, with 3 manuals and hookup diagrams for 3 different langauges (overkill maybe).

3. Connectivity and hookup - self explanatory (labelled ports and plugins, easy, simple, alot. A monkey can hook this thing up, blind folded, with one arm tied behind its back.

4. Operation - easy, many options on remote.

5. Picture and Sound - Clear ans ambient sound, crisp picture - TV and PC. Widescreen, awesome. Wish I had an HD receiver.

6. Price - Will never buy major electronic purchases from the local businesses again. They mark up everything. Then mark up mark up prices.

In summary, if your looking for a Philips 17PF9936 17" Widescreen Flat Panel HD Ready LCD TV by Philips, buy this Philips 17PF9936 17" Widescreen Flat Panel HD Ready LCD TV by Philips. You will be making a wise purchase. Thank you.

Note: I am not being paid for this endorsement.

I got my Samsung 17" 700IFT for about 3 months and have been using it since. The reason I bought this monitor was the price and the performance. I needed a big enough monitor with hi resolution and good refresh rate for working with AutoCAD and 3d studio. A .20mm dot pitch, resolution up to 2,045 x 1,536 flat 17" for $...(shipping included)was too good of a price for performance(& it was).

The monitor shown above here on amazon[.com] is a little different from what I got. The ajustment button is not cover as shown above. That was a minor problem mainly Amazon[.com]'s fault. Now the problem with the monitor itself. You'll get what you pay for is perfect for describing this moniter. It's too bright even with a UV filter. It's hard to adjust. When you adjust it lower it would turn too dark. Adusting the display area to align with the screen is impossible. The left side is curve and not straight. I had tried every possible adjustment and still not straight. This monitor does not look like a .20mm monitor. A regular 2 yr old 17" CRT at work looks clearer than this one. Also you can NEVER set the resolution pass 1280x1024@85MHZ because anything higher and you will see some major flickering and by lowering the refresh rated to 75mhz at this resoluton and the whole screen would flicker. Even at 1280x1024@85MHZ you notice some minor flicker on the upper right corner.

One word "AVOID" I wanted to believe in the Samsung's product quality but after this one I would have to think twice or never think about buying their product again

I wanted a 17" monitor not too expensive(like LCD) and not too cheap(like no name brand) to replace my existing Komodo 17" monitor(AVIOD THIS BRAND) which is becoming not too easy on my eyes. I pick this over all other mainly of it perfermance. No other monitor in this price range even come close to having. .2mm and 1,280 x 1,024 resolution at 85 Hz. I got the monitor in 3 days. The monitor is same as the one in the photo show on Amazon except mine has the color adjust button on the monitors facde and not like the one in the photo which sticks out. The quality and material is OK. The screen need some adjusting time to fix the corner. When I had it on 60Hz it just like the Komodo but once I had it on 85Hz my eyes feel much more comfortable. Overall it a OK monitor. Still not as good as a regular 17" DIGITAL CRT monitor I use in my office for more than 2 years

I just got my monitor yesterday and I absolutely love it! I was worried being that I have a small computer cart that I wouldn't have a lot of space with a 17-inch monitor. It doesn't take up much more space then my old 15-inch monitor did. This monitor is very sleek and takes up minimal space. I love the scoop design in the back it makes it look very stylish and not just like a plain looking monitor.

It was easy to adjust the settings. So far I just have my resolution set on 1152 x 864. I was used to 1024 x 768 before, but I am sure I will gradually increase the resolution after adjusting to it more. I love all the choices it gives you to change your resolution to. I checked out a lot of other 17-inch monitors and I did not see any that was able to match this ones ability to go up to 2048 x 1536.

I am very happy with the quality of this monitor. I am glad I made the decision to spend a little more for a high quality monitor. I debated over and over with this monitor and the cheaper monitors which had fewer features. I do freelance webdesign and this monitor is perfect for it. Graphics and text look amazing. It was very easy to set up and took only a matter of minutes. This is definately a monitor for everyone from beginners to the professionals.

Get this monitor you will love it as much as I do :)

I bought a Samsung 172N six months ago and will now be on my third unit. The first one lasted less than two weeks before permanent vertical lines began appearing. Fortunately it was within the retailer's return period so they gave me a new unit. The second one lasted until recently, when it instantly and irrevocably started displaying bands of vertical lines, and became super-bright with severe lagging and ghosting. There was no apparent cause for either problem. Most unfortunate of all, Samsung treats warranty/customer service requests as a game. I have been without a usable unit for two weeks, and still have no idea when the refurbished replacement unit will be shipped. Repair is not a good option since they only do repairs at one facility in the entire U.S., and can give no estimate whatsoever as to how long the repair will take. In my multiple conversations with them not one employee has expressed any degree of surprise that two brand new LCD displays have had these kinds of problems.

This is a brilliant 17" monitor...as good as any in it's class. The only CRT I've seen looks as good (as this monitor's native resolution) is a Trinitron based montior. The others look dull by comparison...including Samsung's 17" and 19". There might a few advantages for a CRT, but this technology is simply the best in my opinion.

This thing is awesome. I use a Samsung 171v at work. When my home monitor started to die, I thought a 171v would be nice. I started looking at all the models Samsung makes so a visit to there website was in order. This helped explain the letter part of the model number. 'N' is for narrow. 'V' is vesa compliant wall mount, which they all appear to be. S is slim and T is thin. These last two are essentially the same except one is VGA input only, the other is VGA/DVI.

I would recommend any Samsung LCD display, but I especially like the 'N' due to the narrow frame around the display.

I bought my 191T+ to relieve eye strain. The quality of the picture and the effect on my eyes is a huge improvement over the 17" CRT I had been using before. It does not seem any brighter than my Apple Studio display at home (although it is supposed to be), but it certainly does the job on that point.

My main complaint is that there is a dead subpixel on mine right in the middle of the screen. While I knew that Samsung had an 8-pixel policy, I had hoped that they would make an exception for a pixel positioned so inconveniently. No dice. So I am stuck looking at a red spot right in the middle of my document. It's distracting.

My other complaint is that the monitor only swings one way, and in my office that is away from CPU and power outlet. The result is that I need to have a lot of slack in the cords on my desk if I want to swing to portrait mode, which is both ugly and annoying.

This is an a good monitor. The image quality is very good. I have 2 in a multi-monitor configuration with a Sony SDM-S91/B in the middle. The 191tplus makes the image on the Sony monitor look dirty! The white on the Sony monitor actually looks brown when compared to the white on the 191tplus.

I've had the Sony for about six months and I just got the Samsungs to increase my screen real estate. After comparing the image of these monitors I have decided to sell off the Sony and get another 191tplus.

After doing a lot of research, I decided on this monitor because its loaded with features e.g pivot/tilt etc. However I haven't been able to get the monitors to swivel but I don't care that much about that feature.

There are a lot of good deals on the internet so I suggest that buyers shop carefully before making a purchase.

this is a very nice monitor, huge size and great resolution
Really nice monitor

For the price, this is a good item. When readings were compared to a more expensive brand and the gym equipment it was accurate. Only drawback is, you will get an error reading if you are in the midst of strenuous activity that prevents you from being still enough for it to register, but still a good buy for under $50.

I looked at numerous devices before settling on this one because it seemed easy to use (and I don't need another watch). I calibrated it against manually reading my pulse and found it to be accurate. To use, place your first finger on the sensor, stay calm (!), then click the button. Wiggling will destroy the reading.

The 6102 works well for getting my resting heart rate first thing in the morning. The display is large enough to read without reading glasses, too. I have not tried using it during exercise, as I already have a Polar HRM.