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Large LCDs: When Image Matters

People with discriminating eyes and some extra cash should consider an 18- or 19-inch LCD. Along with size, such monitors often deliver better color and features than smaller models do.

Sean Captain

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Color Edge CG18 PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated: October 29, 2003

EIZO Nanao Color Edge CG18

18-inch screen, 1280 by 1024 standard resolution, Analog and digital inputs, 17.6 pounds, Five-year warranty (three years on backlight), Street price (9/24/03): $1640

Bottom Line: Pricey monitor for graphics pros displayed wonderfully rich and saturated colors. The bundled Color Navigator software allows the user to adjust settings via a USB connection. The software also works with hardware color-calibration equipment.

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18IN LCD COLOR MONITOR BLACK SXGA DUAL DVI-I 10-BIT GAMMA CORR (SHARP ELECTRONICS MONITORS-LLT1820B) PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated: October 29, 2003

Sharp 18IN LCD COLOR MONITOR BLACK SXGA DUAL DVI-I 10-BIT GAMMA CORR (SHARP ELECTRONICS MONITORS-LLT1820B)

18-inch screen, 1280 by 1024 standard resolution, Analog and digital inputs, 19.6 pounds, Three-year warranty (including backlight), Street price (9/24/03): $1099

Bottom Line: Using technology similar to that in Eizo's ColorEdge CG18, the Sharp LL-T1820B produced rich colors; however, we found screens to be somewhat dark, especially for text. Controls were easy to navigate.

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19in LCD 1280x1024 75Hz CT1904 Black/Silver Color 500:1 (PC/Mac) (Cornea Systems-CT1904) PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated: February 02, 2004

Cornea Systems 19in LCD 1280x1024 75Hz CT1904 Black/Silver Color 500:1 (PC/Mac) (Cornea Systems-CT1904)

19-inch screen, 1280 by 1024 standard resolution, Analog and digital inputs, 13.5 pounds, Three-year warranty (including backlight), Street price (9/24/03): $650

Bottom Line: Stellar graphics quality and a very wide measured viewing angle, combined with a low price, produce a compelling package. On the downside, the panel has minimal adjustability, and tech support is a bit limited.

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Ultrasharp 1901FP PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated: July 07, 2003

Dell Ultrasharp 1901FP

19-inch screen, 1280 by 1024 standard resolution, Analog and digital inputs, 16.5 pounds, Three-year warranty (including backlight), Street price (9/24/03): $584

Bottom Line: Fully--and very easily--adjustable LCD provided fine image quality. The optional speakers sounded exceptionally good compared with those on other monitors.

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19 LCD MON 1280x1024 0.294MM 300NITS 700/1 50000HR BKLIT SRGB (Sharp-LLT19D1H) PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated: February 02, 2004

Sharp 19 LCD MON 1280x1024 0.294MM 300NITS 700/1 50000HR BKLIT SRGB (Sharp-LLT19D1H)

19-inch screen, 1280 by 1024 standard resolution, Analog and digital inputs, 15.2 pounds, Three-year warranty (including backlight), Street price (9/24/03): $705

Bottom Line: No-frills LCD was a top performer for overall image quality in our tests, and is an economical alternative to Sharp's high-end 18-inch model. Available in black or white, it provides only limited, relatively clumsy height adjustment.

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SDM-X93B LCD Monitor (Sony-SDMX93B) PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated: February 02, 2004

Sony SDM-X93B LCD Monitor (Sony-SDMX93B)

19-inch screen, 1280 by 1024 standard resolution, Analog and digital inputs, 18.8 pounds, Three-year warranty (including backlight), Street price (9/24/03): $800

Bottom Line: Part of Sony's high-end LCD line, the SDM-X93 generated impressive color quality. It has intuitive controls and good adjustment options. Each digital input and analog input has a corresponding audio input to drive the relatively powerful integrated speakers.

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Twelve judges rate a monitor's text and graphics quality at the native resolution of 1024 by 768. We evaluate each unit on how well it displays typical business letters, spreadsheets, Web pages, and scanned photos. The overall rating is based on text and graphics quality (25 percent each), price (20 percent), features and ease of use (20 percent), and service and support (10 percent). The best possible overall rating is 100. Data based on tests designed and conducted by the PC World Test Center. All rights reserved.

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