Monitor Reviews

The idea of a high quality remote wireless screen seems like a luxury, but soon becomes indispensable. In about 15 seconds from the moment you turn it on, you can see and control your office computer from home (provided of course you have broadband). The screen is full size, and has a built in stand which props it up at various convenient tilts. Viewing angle and fidelity are not up to desktop standards, but better than your average laptop. Even the stereo sound is not too bad. The wireless keyboard/touchpad works well, and functions as a screen protector when the unit is off (very clever).

However, my main gripe was with the handwriting capability. Being Windows CE based, the software recognition was only Pocket PC (Transcriber) in quality, as opposed to the better Windows XP (Office) variety. But that still makes it useable for a mix of print/cursive with no training. The real problem is with the touchscreen. The engineers were smart enough to use close-dot spacing in the digitizer to prevent one's hand from triggering a response (called "palm rejection"), a fatal flaw in the Viewsonic models. But they chose a pressure threshold far too high for writing, making the stylus marks skip (e.g. 'n' becomes 'r'). Although you can use very firm and steady pressure to compensate, it becomes tiring for any length of time. Not a problem though with the on-screen (or regular) keyboard. Maybe the next version will fix this.

One big plus: a dedicated toll-free support line goes straight into technical support for this particular unit.

By the way, don't be put off that this is not a real computer, and only a display. The startup and maintenance costs are negligible, making the total cost (and hassle) of ownership far lower more than with a Tablet PC. You'll have more time for work or play instead of fiddling with it.

I just purchased this monitor to replace my Compaq 2025. I liked the integrated speakers and the TV tuner, picture in picture and so forth. The picture quality however is good but not as good as the Compaq and less than I expected after spending [this amount of money]. I like the 2025 better than this (and it's half the price). Maybe the combo idea is not that great after all and it's best to get a good LCD and a good TV (separate).

Well, this is my first LCD monitor. It's a great improvement from a 15" CRT that was almost 7 years old.

Physically it is well built, it seems pretty sturdy, it has a nice design (compare to a viewsonic lcd monitor, they are ugly), the colors are bright and beautiful, but, but, but, this is the problem: when black text is displayed on white background, a "shadow" appears under the text making it blurry. If you are reading text, it becomes very eye-straining after a while.

Pictures, movies and games, however, look great.

Great monitor at 1280x1024, but distorts like crazy at lower resolutions.

This product is a 3-channel intercom system, but you can NOT purchase an extra unit for the 3rd channel. If you want to use the 3rd channel, you have to purchase 2 extra units!

I bought the MP100 (AUD$24) because they were cheap, because I have faith in TDK as a brand and they looked pretty decent. I also have a pair of Sennheiser HD320's (supra-aural design), and used these for reference.

The MP100's are a closed back design, DJ style without all the fancy features of your standard DJ fare (HD25, etc). They're a simple pair of cans and I was hoping to use them as a secondary pair at work - purely for music, not games or watching DVDs.

I am not an audiophile, nor a sound engineer, although I have studied audio engineering for a year or so. I'm a musician as well as a music lover and would like to think I have discerning ears!

The HD320's are a pair of headphones I have had for some years now, and I've grown accustomed to their light weight, comfort and very natural sound. They were great value when I bought them at AUD$120. I can listen to them all day without fatigue and because they sit on gently on my ears as opposed to gripping tightly, they are very comfortable. The flipside is that they fall off rather easily!

The Sennheiser design seems to be of a generally higher standard than the TDK - quality plastics, cord, connector, 1/4" adaptor, etc. You would expect this at 5 times the price.

The TDK's are firmer on the head, with a nice cushion underneath the headband. They grip quite firmly without being too tight, although if you have large ears you might find that your ears don't fit perfectly.

Sonically, how do they compare? Well the Sennheiser's are definitely the winner and that's what I expected. BUT, the TDK are far from being ....

The TDK's are more trebly and tend to have a slightly more EQ'd nasal and brittle sound. I don't listen to these at high volume for hours because they are fatiguing. The mid range on the Sennheiser's is far more natural and vocals sound more forward and defined.

The Sennheiser's also have a warmer and solid bottom end, whereas the TDK appears a bit thinner.

My audio source is just my PC, running through a Creative Sound Blaster - no fancy stereo components here. It's a good test I guess because many people out there buying the TDK's would be on a tight budget.

Here's the verdict - the TDK's are decent. They will be fine for casual/general listening - look good and sound alright to boot. They won't please an audiophile or a serious muso/engineer, yet you wouldn't expect them to at this price.

They are definitely better sounding than some Sony's I have used at double the price and FAR more comfortable too.

Well done TDK, I look forward to more of your products in the future!

It's cheap, it's 19". Looks pretty good. Nowhere near the 21" Sony I had at work. Text is not perfectly sharp and it doesn't do 1280x1024@85.

I was initially intrigued by this technology, and eagerly awaited shipping products. But I was dismayed when I saw the prices. For not much more than the $800 of this 10.4" display, you can get a low-end laptop with a 14" screen and WiFi that suffers from none of the limitations of a Smart Display:
- Sync with desktop? Accessing files and printers is what's most important; it's plenty easy to share stuff from your desktop PC and access it wirelessly.
- Surf the web just as easily
- Watch full-motion video
- Enter text with a regular keyboard, not hunting and pecking on the screen
- Read and write CD-ROMs

Do a search in google and you'll find tons of unhappy people stuck with these. If you are one of those people here's the fix for it http://www.ticon.net/~n9ewo/m51.html It does work I just fixed a friends.

Just purchased this 15" LCG monitor and love it. I replaced a Sony CRT 17" and found the viewable area to be equal to the CRT. Colors are brilliant and text sharp. Plug and play, with no need to utilize any additional software. At 9# and slim depth my Desktop looks like a desk again. Set at 1024x768 32bit true color. I could'nt be more pleased

I upgraded just about everything on my computer, but this monitor was without a doubt my best purchase. Gone is the enormous 17" CRT that dominated my desk. Now I have a beautiful thin, space saving LCD screen and all kinds of free desk space. The image is outstanding. I'm driving the monitor with a Radeon 7500, and my 3D games look great. Text is crisp and clear and easy to read. I don't see any screen imperfections at all. Let me say again, best computer purchase I have ever made. I could not be happier.

After reading others reviews, I am somewhat comforted to know I am not the only one disappointed with this monitor. The screen cannot be adjusted to correct "bowing" and other distortions. Customer service was no help whatsoever, and based on others experiences, I am glad I decided to just hang on to it despite its annoying defects. On the plus side, the colors and picture are okay. But this particular model is inherently dysfunctional based on all these similar complaints. A true lemon to avoid.

Although this monitor does have a very crisp picture, and great size -- there is a noticable "bowing" effect towards the top of the screen, right out of the box after I hooked it up properly and installed the drivers. Although the horizontal curvature is slight, and only appears to be on the upper 1/3 of the screen, it *is* noticeable, and can get annoying after a while when you discover that it cannot be fixed with the controls. (No amount of tweaking could fix it, so I had to return it.)

If you like STRAIGHT horizontal lines on your webpages, word docs, etc/, trust me -- don't get this monitor. It's easy to tweak the vertical lines, but the horizontals cannot be altered. No monitor has a "perfect" display, but with this one I'd say there's a pretty good chance you'll get some horizontal "bowing" that you can't correct with the adjustments. If not, consider yourself lucky -- or maybe not -- because it'll probably crap out in 6 months regardless.

That being said, I used to have a Viewsonic A70 and never had one problem with it. However, if you're looking for a reliable 19" monitor with nice, correctly drawn graphics and text, I'd look elsewhere than this one. This is definitely not a "flat screen" monitor (literally and figuratively) -- something Viewsonic convieniently fails to mention.

This monitor went blurry after 18 months of use. I have had 3 replacements sent, each having its own unique set of problems.
I've given up. The last monitor they sent I will keep, even though the left side is blueish as compared to the right side.

For those who payed for shipping of their poorly manufactured monitor, next time DEMAND that Viewsonic send you a waybill as I did.

Overall, I'm dissatisfied and disappointed with Viewsonic customer service, technical support, and its products. This was my first Viewsonic monitor and my last.