TFT-Monitors 19'' Test

Reviews on TFT-Monitors 19''

"HANNspree HT11 television review"

Published on: 6/2008

On test: HANNspree Europe HT11

Will this bring some quality and performance back into the bedroom? → More

"HANNspree XM-S New York"

Issue: 12/2007

On test: HANNspree Europe XM New York

Flat panel maker HANNspree has decided monitors are too boring. Its latest range is called XM, standing for 'Exquisite Measures', and includes the Boston, which comes in a woodgrain finish 'inspired by one of America's oldest cities'. We suspect the involvement of the Ferrero Rocher people. Anyway, the one we tested was the New York, inspired by another of America's oldest cities, somehow or other. → More

"Samsung SyncMaster 940UX USB Monitor"

Published on: 10/2007

On test: Samsung Syncmaster 940UX

I've been a technology journalist for a very long time, and I've seen a great many technological breakthrough during that time. But the problem with having many (maybe too many) years behind you, is that you become somewhat jaded and sceptical. So while manufacturers are evangelising about their latest product or technology, I often find myself sitting there wandering what all the fuss is about. But once in a while a new technology appears that really does make me sit up and take notice, and sometimes that technology really is a new breakthrough. → More

"NEC AccuSync LCD193WM 19in flat-panel monitor"

Published on: 9/2007

On test: NEC AccuSync LCD193WM

In recent months, flat-panel technology has moved with the speed of a finely honed cougar. Not so very long ago, a 19in screen seemed something of an extravagance. Now it's about as small as any self-respecting user dares to go – and, in truth, few can resist the allure of an expansive 20, 22 or even a 24in model. But for a long time 19in was more than enough for most users. Should you give in to the pull of the larger screens, or is there still mileage in buying a 19in model? → More

TFT-Monitors 19''

Most flat panel monitors used in computing are based on an improvement to LCD technology known as Thin Film Transistor (TFT). The prices of these monitors has been coming down and now TFT monitors are often the same price as a CRT equivalent. TFT monitors are now the most popular choice of monitor when buying a new PC and some companies, such as Sony, have announced that they are no longer developing CRT based displays and major retail chains like PC world no longer stock them. A standard 4:3 19” LCD panel has a native resolution of 1280 x 1024 pixels. This means that the display is made up of 1280 pixels on the horizontal plane and 1024 on the vertical. To resize the desktop or for playing games at a lower resolution the picture will have to either be cropped or zoomed in on. For example, if the resolution was halved to 640 x 480 pixels, four pixels of the display will go to make up each pixel of the image on screen. Another thing to look out for is the response time, this is often quoted as something like 8ms but can be quite misleading as manufacturers normally give the black to white response time rather than the more useful grey to grey. IF the response time is too low, the picture will appear to slide across the screen, like the trail superman leaves when he runs at super speed. Another important figure is the contrast ratio. This is the difference between the brightest and darkest part of the screen. A value above 400:1 is best but anything higher will improve the quality of DVD films or games. There are different ways to connect a flat panel screen to a computer. A DVI cable is the best as this is a digital connection between the computer and monitor, leaving no room for quality to be lost during the digital to analogue conversion. A connection like this will offer the best future proofing as most modern graphics cards usually come with one or two such connectors and to be used with an analogue device will require a converter. 19” TFT display panels are now priced at around 120 pounds but as demand for bigger screen sizes increases this may fall even lower.