Rating: Summary: I'll never use a CRT again after buying this LCD monitor Review: This was not my first choice in computer monitors. I originally bought a Viewsonic CRT monitor because I wanted true colors for my photography. LCD's have always scared me off, as people say they have unreliable color. After two defective CRT monitors, I thought it was time to embrace the new technology.I did a side-by-side comparison of all the popular LCD monitors. Two brands really stand out: Sony and NEC. I chose this NEC because of bright backlighting, engineered specifically for photo editing. And, it really is bright. Unlike a CRT, it doesn't buzz, flicker, or wobble. It's rock steady. The colors are vibrant and make photographs look three dimensional. True to the disadvantages of CRT's, viewing from angle makes the colors look a little warm. Viewing from an elevated angle makes part of the screen look a little darker. As the saying goes, "Just don't do that." If you tweak your colors and keep your monitor pointed straight-on, this beauty will out-perform any CRT I've used. The stand is fully adjustable and, unlike a CRT, you don't need a fork lift to adjust the viewing angle. The stand was a bit stiff and it took me a little courage to snap it into place. Odd for a high performance monitor, this one is analog rather than digital. My video card can drive both. Again, I was not disappointed. Although there are the usual tweaks, size adjustments, offset adjustments, etc - there is button on the side which does all the tweaks for you. This is wonderful. What once took me fifteen minutes for each video mode now take a few seconds.. click / done. Wow. The monitor is so compact and light, that I I did have one minor difficulty when I picked it up at the store. They couldn't find it! I guess they weren't expecting this compact 13lb box with its own carrying handle. I was impressed again. Not a dead pixel to be found, rock solid, bright BRIGHT colors, razor sharp images and text, and zero flicker at 60hz. I'll never go back to CRT's again.
Rating: Summary: Excellent Review: When I go to the computer store to look at LCD monitors, they all seem to fall into one of two categories - those that look good and those that look great. This one is definitely one of the latter. I chose it mainly because of the acrylic covering that protects the screen. In our house, it is impossible to prevent small fingers from touching the screen. I was also waiting for a monitor that could display video and action games without too much ghosting. This NEC unit did not disappoint. Don't be put off by the location of the hard-to see control buttons (on the side of the bezel). A little fooling around orients you to NEC's scheme, and once it's set, you can forget it. Criticisms: 1. The stand folds for travel, but is really, really stiff. You can't raise the unit more than a couple of inches off the desk. 2. No digital interface. Only of concern because I intend to keep this monitor for many years, and who knows for how long new video cards will continue to support analog? It doesn't matter for now - the picture is rock-solid. 3. The warranty is only for a year. I expect one-year warranties from second tier vendors, but not from NEC. This thing is built like a tank. 4. I am getting a bit tired of silver and black color schemes, especially on bezels. Sony used to make a glossy black unit with an acrylic screen. A real stunner. Conclusion: For the price, you can't beat this value.
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