Monitor Reviews

The cliche "you get what you pay for" certainly applies here.

I got this monitor (...)in August 2002, and have been using it daily ever since. At the time of this review, my Envision monitor is not even 2 years old yet.

When I first bought this monitor, it was pretty clear and sharp. After about a year of use, the text started to get REALLY blurry and unreadable, especially when viewing websites with a white background, like Amazon.com.
However, on websites with a black or blue background, the text is still sharp. The most obvious explanation is that the monitor experiences too much distortion while switching from white to any other color.

This problem seems to be common among cheap CRT monitors. I have another 15" compaq monitor, and it uses the same "shadow mask" technology, and its sharpness has deteriorated over the years. My Sony Trinitron monitor, with "aperture grille" technology, still remains sharp and clear after 4 years. However, the Sony cost 4x as much as this monitor.

This monitor still remains useful for watching movies and playing games, where sharp detail is not really necessary. However, if you are going to be doing a lot of reading, stay away from this.

This monitor has been fine for me so far. It does 1024 x 768 at 85Hz (optimal for a 17-inch monitor); has good color, clarity and sharpness; and of course the flat screen. Having owned it only a short time I can't say about long-term reliability. I have had no problems. Recommended for the bargain range, unless you know of any reason against it.

I just bought one of these, and mine is working fine. It does 1024 x 768 at 85Hz; picture is clear and sharp; goes all the way to the edges; adjustments are intuitive and complete. It's quite new and I can't say how this model may hold up.

(...)

The real question is how the defect rate for one company compares with that of another company. For example, I used to be a network administrator, and found that (in a certain time period, 2000-01) Gateway 17-inch CRT's failed often, while Viewsonics were more consistently OK. That's a more representative report.

So what is the defect rate with Envision compared with other brands? I don't know. The point is, you can't tell by reading reviews like this, unless you read a lot of them in many different places. And even then, you have to keep in mind that the people who have bad experiences are more likely to write.

I have no affiliation with Envision - I'm just trying to be fair, and give it the benefit of the doubt. Mine was $140 and will be a bargain when a $60 rebate arrives. I hope it continues working well for a long time. BTW, www.envisionmonitor.com has FAQ solutions for problems like those described below.

Simply put, Exactly as the other say, zero support, complete lie in specification. even in this page it say once 650 brightness level, then you click to see complete specs and it say 750.
You figure it out...

If this is soo Bad then WHy is this screen one of the best selling screen in Amazon?

After reading the two negative reviews I felt that I had to respond in defense of the 42 inch Zenith Plasma Display. I have had mine almost a year and I am very pleased with it. Our decision to purchase a Plasma display was to remove the huge bulky tube TV (35" Toshiba Cinema Series) from the living room although we were satisfied with the picture quality and features. I chose the Zenith after viewing the competition in various stores and settled on it for the price vs. performance and features. Mine is set up with Directv, VHS, and DVD inputs and output the audio to a Denon sound system. I have not had a single problem with it so I can't comment about the service issue. The picture quality is very good for the specifications but depends on the input signal. Low bandwidth input will show some pixelization in the dark areas but a digital signal or even better DVD, is crisp and vibrant. While not true HDTV, it is EDTV but we didnt have HD available at the time. The glass has an anti reflective coating and you can view the picture from almost sideways as opposed to straight on. In summary I find the P42W22 to be a stylish, well performing plasma display at a very modest price. We enjoy it thouroughly just be sure to use the best quality signal source for the best display.

The sound is awful, but I trudged on...as I laid my plans for the purchase of a future network appliance with voicemail capabilities. Unfortunately, it's reliability matches it's quality and it locked up my phone line at least 4 times.

Replaced it with a cheap AT&T unit today.

The user interface is ridiculously complicated. When you entera password for the mailboxes, it announces each number loudly afteryou entered it, making it difficult to maintain any privacy--why havepasswords at all if everyone nearby can hear your password when youenter it? The sound quality on the recordings is terrible--the firsttime my mother heard my outgoing recording, she said "What'swrong with your answering machine? It sounds like you're speakingfrom Jupiter!" Also, after a few months, the screen beganflashing "lo", which means the backup battery neededreplacing. Replacing it involves unscrewing a compartment on theunderside of the machine with a mini-screwdriver (why on earth nothave it just pop off like most?). So I put a brand new battery in.Less than a month later, it's flashing "lo" again, eventhough there haven't been any power outages, so the battery shouldn'teven have been used!...

this is the worst sounding answering machine I've ever had or heard...no matter how many times I recorded my message, it sounds like absolute crap...it makes me want to go back to my tape machine...its amazing how poorly a digital machine can sound...i'm going to return this immediately. Don't buy this!

I bought one worked for 5 hours. Returned it for another. That worked for a day or so. Crappy, crappy, crappy.

failed after a few months use with my toshiba centrino laptop. targus would not honor warranty because they claimed that the power adapter was not meant to be used with my particular model. can't think of a a more bogus explanation for poor quality.

do yourself a favor and avoid this pricey paperweight. stick with oem equipment

I was taking a flight one day from Los Angeles to D.C. when I noticed that a person in front of me seemed to have 'plugged in' his laptop while on the plane. I asked him how he did that and he pointed out to me that most planes have a power adapter under most seats (usually the first half of the plane only though) and that he had purchased a Targus Auto/Air Power Adapter.

As soon as I landed I went to my local computer store and indeed found this product. I purchased it immediately (I admit I paid more than what Amazon is selling for, though) and used it on my flight back from DC. It was so nice to be able to watch two full length DVDs versus getting through only 90% of one DVD before the battery went dead. Best of all, I don't have to hunt around the airport anymore for an AC plug because as I watch my DVDs on the plane the Targus Auto/Air power adapter charges my laptop for me.

I have a son that was born in July of 2003 (around a year old at the time of this writing) and so the only DVDs I watch anymore are when I go on business trips. It is actually pretty relaxing to fly now that I have this power adapter. I just plug in my laptop, put on my headphones and I am in my own little world (until the flight attendant finally comes by to 'put my seat in the full and upright position').

Thanks Targus for such a simple but useful product.

I bought one worked for 5 hours. Returned it for another. That worked for a day or so. Crappy, crappy, crappy.

failed after a few months use with my toshiba centrino laptop. targus would not honor warranty because they claimed that the power adapter was not meant to be used with my particular model. can't think of a a more bogus explanation for poor quality.

do yourself a favor and avoid this pricey paperweight. stick with oem equipment

I was taking a flight one day from Los Angeles to D.C. when I noticed that a person in front of me seemed to have 'plugged in' his laptop while on the plane. I asked him how he did that and he pointed out to me that most planes have a power adapter under most seats (usually the first half of the plane only though) and that he had purchased a Targus Auto/Air Power Adapter.

As soon as I landed I went to my local computer store and indeed found this product. I purchased it immediately (I admit I paid more than what Amazon is selling for, though) and used it on my flight back from DC. It was so nice to be able to watch two full length DVDs versus getting through only 90% of one DVD before the battery went dead. Best of all, I don't have to hunt around the airport anymore for an AC plug because as I watch my DVDs on the plane the Targus Auto/Air power adapter charges my laptop for me.

I have a son that was born in July of 2003 (around a year old at the time of this writing) and so the only DVDs I watch anymore are when I go on business trips. It is actually pretty relaxing to fly now that I have this power adapter. I just plug in my laptop, put on my headphones and I am in my own little world (until the flight attendant finally comes by to 'put my seat in the full and upright position').

Thanks Targus for such a simple but useful product.

I highly recommend that you do not buy this monitor. First of all it is too pricey for what you are getting. It has no specs that you can look at to even give you a clue whether you are buying a good product or not. There are too many great products out there to waste so much money on this monitor. I would recommend getting a Sony 23 in LCD Flat Panel monitor for $5000 less than this one. Not worth it at all for the price you are paying.

I saw the original research model of this monitor a few years ago, let me tell you, nothing else compares. Not even today. Hopefully the price on this technology comes down in the next few years (the original price was $22k). 200 pixels per inch is pretty amazing. If you don't need it, chances are it is too much money. :)

http://www.research.ibm.com/resources/news/20010627_display.shtml

To my great disappointment this gadget is a real hassle to use -- it frequently "resets" itself and the alarm is not well designed for any practical use in an emergency. Not recommended!

I totally agree with a previous reviewer - it counts movements when there are none, continually, and keeps resetting the total, over and over. I bought this one for the safety cord because I kept dropping the Sportline 360 which I love otherwise but I have broken (3) and lost (1).

Needless to say, the cord is useless because I no longer bother to use it at all. A huge disappointment.

I gave this 4 stars just because it's my first pedometer so not a lot of experience with them - it had clear instructions which allowed me to set my stride length and weight to calculate distance and calories burned. It also allows you to set its sensitivity so that it only counts your walking steps. I found that it doesn't reset itself unless you press the reset button - if you find yourself doing that, switch it to the cal/distance settings - then only the timer (it has a start/stop timer feature!) is affected - distance, calories and steps aren't reset.

I have gone through 3 Sony SDM-S81 monitors and still can't get one that will work more than a month or two. I am trying now to get a replacement model from Sony - they have sent 3 rebuilt units that all end up doing the same thing. Screen has green-glittery haze and contoured lines moving around screen. Very disappointed with Sony for this junk of a monitor. Paid 800.00 for mis-engineered Sony mistake apparently.

I've had the same problems with this monitor. This first year is was fine and then it started to go. I called SONY and they send me a rebuilt and that one did the same this after a week. I am now on to my third monitor and just today it started to go bad. So it looks like I'll be calling SONY again. I very disappointed I've got a SONY TV that is 30 years old. I guess they just don't built things like they used to.

I'm not sure what the problem is with the previous 2 reviewers. We've got a large number of these monitors installed in my office, and there have been no problems whatsoever. Both text and images are quite clear with excellent color balance, brightness, and contrast, with excellent and simple controls via the buttons on the front of the bezel. The screen is viewable from a wide angle (an advantage in an office setting when others need to see what's on the screen, of course).

There's an easily-lifted panel on the back which conceals the power connector and the video cable connector, and the user needs to make sure the cables are flat in order to properly shut the panel; but that hasn't been an issue.

I recommend this monitor.

Very frustrating, plastic stand for the camera. No picture in less than daylight, sound is ok. Instant on doesn't work unless on batteries, so it's useless while plugged in. EVERYTHING interferes with the picture. CAVEAT EMPTOR

I,m upset I have had the product one day and my volume doesnt work.. I had no Idea that I would not be able to see my daughter at night.. Plus you pay more here than if you go straight to aiptek web site... I cant return it to a store I have to pay to put back in the mail...

I bought this monitor for my five month old. I am not sure why I even bothered.. you can't see anything at night unless the overhead light is on. Do you want to sleep with the light on? Neither does my son! Otherwise it is very easy to set up and you can see pretty clearly when the lights are on.

I had to write in and share my displeasure at this product as well. Like the other reviewers, I also received my watch with a dead battery and had to pay an additional $5 dollars to get the thing to even work. Additionally, changing the battery is a wicked chore since you have to take the entire watch almost completely apart. The instruction manual is VERY difficult to understand! I'm currently shopping for a heart rate monitor for my wife and this time I must say that I will definately choose the POLAR product instead.

This HRM is a complete waste of money... well, unless you're educated in deciphering hieroglyphics and don't mind buying previously opened products. The instruction manual is a joke (hence the comment), the included batteries are dead (another $5 purchase just to get it to work), and getting everything set up requires the intuitive guile of MacGyver- not to mention tools found only at a watch repair shop (you need to remove the wrist bands to get to the battery).
Right now Amazon is having a special on the Polar M71ti- which has a few less features and a more advanced fitness purpose, but comes from a more respected company. Think about it this way, a Yugo and a Mercedes are both cars, but which one would you rather go the distance with?
And now the Mercedes is now on sale for roughly the same price as that iniquitous econobox (about $10 more because of CA sales tax); not to mention that this Oregon Scientific model resembles something out of a Yugoslavian industrial design center.
Go with the Polar, and as a bonus, it looks great- just like you will after a few months of using it.

The name of this item SHOULD give it's purpose away. It TRAINS you to lower and RAISE your heart rate artificially by such means as modern "must haves" like a HRM. that just don't work well. And come with lousy instructions. And battery with no shelf life
By the way, DESPITE it's shortcomings, this item is very accurate. The lady next door pointed out to me when she saw my Oregon Scientific HR318 Trainer Pro Heart Rate Monitor on my wrist that when the screen goes blank, you have actually EXPIRED. At least the paramedics pointed that out to be the case with her husband who had a major coronary. I'm just pointing out the accuracy of the item not a cause and effect.
I'm no M'cedes owner but doesn't the 500 series come with a HRM's for the whole family as standard equipment?
I can't believe how fickled this audience is. I have reported the same problems as other reported and it seems I'm being chastised for it.