Monitor Reviews

I have to be so near to this mike for it to broadcast over my computer's speakers that my breathing is picked up as well as my voice.

This mic lasted me only 10 months and I had bought it for $[a good price]. The sound quality is ok and you need to tune it through your audio wizard or sound can be very distorted. As someone else mentioned it was not a very good mic to use with speech recognition software but ok for conversations. Howerver, it just stopped working one day.

This thing sounds ok as a voice recording mic and for transmitting speech over the net to other humans, but for things like speech recognition and anything where the computer itself may have to understand you, this thing is aweful. It does not do a good job at all of filtering out background noise. If you want a good speech recognition mic, go find yourself a decent headset that specializes in speech.

I purchased this unit because I liked the features and the price was reasonable. It comes with a light that fits in the hot shoe, and a remote control. It has both digital and analog inputs/outputs, and USB & firewire interfaces. However, my experience has not been good. Thirty days after my purchase, I used it for the second time. I noticed a dead spot in the video. I contacted Panasonic Customer Service and they instructed me to send it to the Service Center for repair. Well, as of 4/3/02 they have had it for three weeks and they are still waiting for a part. Worse yet, they said that they are consolidating the Factory Service Centers and it will be 7-10 weeks before a technician is assigned to repair the unit. In my view that is ridiculous. They will not replace the unit. Panasonic seems to be completely comfortable with this absurd repair time. I WOULD STAY AWAY FROM THIS UNIT, and any other Panasonic product unless you can get the retailer to extend their return policy to 60-90 days -in writing.

I bought this camera because it earned Editors' Awards from ... extremely reliable on their reviews. Considering that comparable models from other makers...were priced well above [$], the sub-[$]price was also a significant plus.
I've owned this since March and it has delivered fully in every aspect. Very small yet not too small, it is very light and portable. It shoots great pictures, and contrary to other reviewers here, I haven't had any trouble at all using it in conjunction with my Windows XP PC for editing using Pinnacle Studio 7. Not one problem. In fact, I did some really heavy duty stuff with the PC and the camera delivered with aplomb.
For anyone with average/moderate video needs, I think this camera would be perfect. Highly recommended.

I was going on vacation and decided to get a videocam/still camera to record the festivities. After reading reviews from many different sites (epinion, various computer and video mag sites) I decided on the PVDV701. I have used it numerous times for still shots and video without a single glitch. The monitor is bright, the menu system easy to use, and the video quality is great. I have read some complaints about drivers and repairs. Maybe I've been lucky, but I also did things to prevent myself from getting in the same situation. I bought a 3rd party extended warranty which covers everything, including replacement of the unit, which anyone should do anyway for a 800 dollar investment. Also, I have experienced the same problem with the Windows XP drivers, but in foresight, I bought the Pyro Digital Video 1394DV card/software package at the same time. It included a firewire care and software for 69 dollars which is more than worth the investment. I get my video via Firewire and still shots via SD card and USB. Using USB to pull down video cannot be fast or good quality (this is just my opinion, considering the slow rate of USB data transfer). My videos come down at full speed, no dropped frames and highest quality audio that the camera will allow.
I've been to the Panasonic site and the have updated all but one of the drivers to XP compatability, which I have updated and have had no problems with them.
For the price and the features I think I got the best value for the money.

i have recieved my camera it does not work at all they stated that it was still wrapped in its plastic and even though it was it had been used enough to have the paint on the buttons wore off the battery is so used up it will not take a charge or the recharger does not work and the adapter does not work`this camera is junk and now i cannot get ahold of anybody to return it to!!!!!

Took nice pictures and I was very happy with it until the cassette door started to not work properly and other things started acting up. It is now 14 months old and off warranty and needs to have the cassette housing assembly replaced at a price not worth considering. We were told this was not caused by neglect or improper usage.

I bought mine at another store several years ago. I have only recently had any problems with it and that is the batteries. They do not charge anymore because of age and use, but other than that, this camera has not had any problems. I have never had trouble with the door. I love the effects. As soon as I can find a replacement battery, I will be back to videoing. I have taped a moving train, cats runing around and even a funeral on this baby. It is a great camera for as old as it is.

I also bought this monitor because of the attractive price.

The monitor no longer works after only 1.5 years of use. Completely dead. Sylvania no longer wanted anything to do with it because it was out of its 1 year warranty. I was willing to pay for servicing, but the most their tech support could offer was "find a local guy to fix it."

Flat panels are expected to last twice as long as CRTs, not half as long and certainly not only 1.5 years. My advice is to buy a flat panel with a 3 year warranty, stay away from the 1 year warranties and stay away from Sylvania.

Certainly not worth the money.

Don't worry about this monitor being blurry Ceaser (Technical Support Engineer). ANY LCD in non-native mode (in this case anything other than 1024x768) will be fuzzy. You see, all LCD's have a set resolution and have to fake everything else. I can't believe their customer support doesn't know this?! It's the no.1 complaint by users of LCD's who don't understand what native resolution is.

So, for example, when you set this monitor in 1024x768, it is crystal clear because it has exactly 1024 horizontal pixels and 768 vertical pixels. But, when you put it in say 800x600, it is not evenly divisible because there are now 1.25 pixels for every one interpolated which results in a slightly blurry image. Depending upon the monitor, results and clarity vary.

Some monitors have the option of just using only the 800x600 pixels and leaving the rest of the screen black. But this kind of defeats the purpose of having a 15" monitor! It's not really that big of a deal in games, but on the desktop, you'll definitely want to run at 1024x768 or the text is just to annoying. By the way, you can't run the monitor in a higher resolution either simply because there just aren't enough pixels!

So, take this into consideration when buying a LCD. Make sure you want to run it in its native resolution, perferably both games and desktop.

I own 3 LCD's and this one definitely scores the lowest in terms of quality and construction. My other two being a Sony M81 (18.1" - awesome!) and a Samsung 570s (almost as good as the Sony!). It's not bad though for the price. My kid's use this one, so that was greatly factored in.

Consider it practical. It's kind of like a Ford Taurus. It has style, but it's no Audi TT. It performs well, but it's no Porsche. You get my point. If you are a basic user who browses the Internet and plays games occasionally, then go for it. ... The whole Samsung and Viewsonic lines are much better.

So what's the difference? Well it seems to be a little less bright, although very clear. Its viewing angle isn't as good meaning it really starts to dim when you are off center. And it blurs a little more then my others in fast moving images such as games or DVD's. Also it's build construction looks a little cheap. But like the old adage, "You get what you pay for!"

Sorry so long, but I hope this helps!

As a professional web designer, I'm very concerned with how color translates on my monitor. I compared this model to several others in its class, as well as a higher-priced, 17", 0.26 dot pitch model from Princeton Graphics. Upon arriving at the store, my initial impulse was to go with the Princeton Graphics, but the Sylvania was tempting as a discounted floor model. On a whim I had the salesperson hook up both of the monitors up for a side-by-side comparison. I was surprised by how well the Sylvania matched up to the Princeton Graphics and for such a tempting price. I took it home and so far, I've found this monitor to work well with software and tasks ranging from Web surfing to video and high-end gaming. In addition, I'm very satisfied with the Sylvania's build quality. As I mentioned earlier, this unit was a floor model (at a high-traffic retailer) and it looks brand new.

It's important to point out to all potential purchasers of LCD monitors that each one will need to be calibrated in order to yield the most vivid and realistic resolution. You can learn plenty about calibration on the Internet. There are also some handy sites that will walk you through calibration wizards.

The concept and size of this item is just right. Unfortunately the sound quit working on our unit after just 2 road trips. We could not return to store (90 days had passed) and Audiovox was very unhelpful when contacted. I would not waste money on any Audiovox product again.

This item was great when we first bought it but now that it's been in use a few months it's gone on the fritzes. Not sure how to solve the issue because the target receipt expired. Guess I'll have to track down a fix through Audiovox; probably difficult to do. We did buy the bigger LCD expansion piece which we had to return once because the video died on it!

We bought this for a driving trip from Wisconsin to St. Louis for our daughter. We taped some of her favorite shows in previous days then brought the tapes. The player works well, it kept her quiet and occupied. Once tapes get old the screen on bottom has lines. Very good with movies bought from store, etc.

I had this monitor and it started to make a loud noise one night and I could smell a strong odor of copper wire burning eminating from it. The screen was black on the sides and white down the middle. When I hit the mouse to clear the screen and it started to make a shrill sound and I just pulled the plug. I had this for less than a year. If your kids have this in their room please take care. I'm the only one that used this.

I have had this monitor since 2000 and have never had a single problem with it. No humming sounds or smoke coming out and I have changed the resolution quite a few times. I highly recommend this item.

This monitor is everything I expected from a Compaq product. Excellent picture quality and sound. I have never found another manufacturer who can match Compaq for sound quality. Another nice feature of Compaq monitors are the microphones that are built into the monitor, so there is no need to buy a desk-cluttering external. The microphone also works great with voice recognition software. This monitor replaced a Compaq Presario 1410 monitor that I have used for the last six years (still has better sound and picture than most new monitors, just figured it was time to update!).

When I connected this device between my X box and Sansung 21" svga monitor, the display would occasionaly blink from a black screen to the normal display about once per second. After 30 minutes, the monitor stopped working and is currently being repaaired. The service man said the box most likely was outputing incorrect voltages and/or frequencies to the monitor.

Frankly, the adapter does what it says. I connected my PS2 to my 17 inch LCD monitor. The graphics felt ok .. nothing gr8 but I had to adjust my monitor settings. I don't have any problem with that (although I was disappointed since it meant changing the settings everytime you toggle between PC and PS2). Additionally, I would have liked longer cables. Thats fine too. The thing which really [ticked] me off is that when I connected my PC and monitor to the adapter, I was not able to get input from PS2. I tried but my monitor kept saying "no signal". Now this can be a problem with my monitor settings but it worked fine when I connected my PS2 separately. And the box said its just plug and play. Well I plugged and it didn't play. So its going back. I will have to pay restocking fee for this junk but atleast I will save 40 odd dollars. Also I was not too happy with the display quality.

This product is great! I hooked up the video / audio in in the right spots, yet the screen was flickering and wasn't clear. I think this is what may have happened to the previous reviewers and their bad responses.
ANYWAYS, i went and bought a connector for the PS2, that had the same connections EXCEPT it had an S-video input instead of the video plugs. Once I hooked it up this way, everything was great and I have never had a problem.

When you purchase a monitor, you want it to be your baby. Unlike almost any other piece of computer hardware, your monitor can last years and outlive any other piece of equipment. After 3 years, I can say this monitor monitor meets my expectations for high quality and was a good buy.

The color has remained vivid and the pixels are still bright even though the monitor has been on almost 9 hours a day for three years on full contrast. I have had no problems with the functionality and I love the button interface for adjustment.

My principle complaint with this monitor is its lack of a good refresh rate at 1280x1024 resolution. Also, it emitted a strange high-pitched noise for almost 6 months that mysteriously stopped, but this is common in many monitors.

I bought this monitor about 2 1/2 years ago and I still love it. My only complaint is the lack of a good refresh rate @ 1280X1024.

I have used a 19 and a 17" Sony Trinitron at work and I have to say I prefer this monitor over both.

Have had this monitor for 2 years with no problems. Good text and graphics. Heavy usage, no complaints.

Beware of Viewsonic Customer Service. I sent a LCD in for warranty repair, so far it's been 7 weeks with no repair/replacement in sight. Check out Planar LCD's if warranty service is important to you.

I bought this monitor because reviews I had read said it was the first flat panel that could display FPS games without ghosting or blurring. But it does both. Simply moving the cursor slowly across the screen will blur it, not to mention the background in games blurs badly during movement. As a text and static graphic-only monitor it is beautiful, but don't expect it to display games anywhere near as well as a CRT costing half as much.

I'm a gamer and always thought that CRT was the way to go for gaming, but after taking the jump up to the VP201b, it changed my way of thinking. The colors are bright and really stand out, there's no ghosting at all in gaming, and there's no dead pixels.

I highly recommend this monitor. The only problem that I have is the fact that I didn't realize that with it's aspect ratio, the monitor recommends that you use a 1600X1200 resolution and if you use anything else, the picture quality isn't as good while web browsing, however it's great for gaming. I'm getting used to browsing with it though.

We just bought this scale today and we thought we would love it because of the memory for up to 10 people but this is the problem with it the scale we could get it to work following the instructions. We did not have any problem with the weight or the body fat we tried them on different surfaces and it was around the same every time (we just had our weight & body fat done at our gyms so it was preety much the same) but when we tried to get the memory mode to work it did not store anything and we tried for a long time. We are going to see if is a defect or try another brand (right now we plan on returning this one)

I, too, was having a memory problem with my scale. I called the 1-800 number and discovered that there is a misprint in the manual as to how to recall items saved in memory. You should press the "on" button for two seconds rather than the "mode" button as printed in the manual. Problem solved!

My scale is very reliable. After multiple weighings, all readings were within 0.2 lbs of one another. If all directions regarding body fat analysis are followed (wet feet, not after exercising, etc.), I believe the B.F.A. reading to be accurate to within about 1%.

The memory mode on this product did not work for me. I was upset about that because of the cost. They really should have worked out the kinks.

The scale and the body fat analyzer are very good. You have to wet the bottom of your feet to get an accurate body fat measurement, but it is very accurate. They explain why you have to wet your feet in the instructions and it makes sense. Best thing for me is to use it right out of the shower.

So if you need the memory for multiple people, don't buy it. But if you are single and don't care about the memory mode, it is an excellent product and you will be happy. At least until you see you body fat percentage :)