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After slashing the price of 15-inch LCDs nearly in half--many are below $500--monitor makers are now attempting to bring 17-inch models to the mainstream by pushing their prices well below $1000. Two attractively priced 17-inchers now shipping from Samsung and ViewSonic make persuasive arguments for moving up to a generously sized, crystal-clear LCD.

Although the overall image quality of both models is very high when compared with an average CRT, Samsung's SyncMaster 760v TFT really won me over. It combines superior-looking text in Word documents with great color fidelity on photos and illustrations. Its swiveling base is a thoughtful design touch, and the $799 price is pretty sweet, too.

ViewSonic's $899 ViewPanel VE170m is the SyncMaster's equal at rendering clear, detailed photos and true, saturated colors. In fact, it did a little better than the 760V TFT at showing subtle differences in shades. But the ViewPanel's on-screen icons sometimes looked murky, and lettering in Word documents lacked density. On the other hand, small letters in Excel documents and on Web pages looked sharp, and for the most part text was as clear and legible as you could expect.

The ViewPanel has two 1.5-watt speakers built into its bezel--they're necessarily small, and the sound that comes from them is tinny and thin. If you have the desk space for stand-alone speakers, consider the speakerless ViewPanel VE170, which is priced $60 to $100 less.

Color Consistency

The SyncMaster does the best job I've seen so far of displaying consistent brightness across the entire length and width of the screen. All LCD monitors look different depending on the angle from which you view them, but the difference from top to bottom can be especially noticeable on big flat panels, even when you're viewing them straight on. The ViewSonic's brightness changed somewhat with even a small change in viewing orientation, but the difference was subtle enough not to be distracting during normal use.

Ghosting of moving images is another problem with LCD displays; the technology makes all flat-panel monitors slower than CRTs at refreshing image changes. I noticed some ghosting when I dragged the cursor across the ViewSonic's screen; to a lesser degree the Samsung showed the same thing.

The recommended (native) resolution for both monitors is 1280 by 1024 pixels, enough for excellent detail and a ton of screen real estate. Each model indicated its recommended resolution prominently: the Samsung with a sticker on the bezel and the ViewSonic with a splash screen at power-up. Because setting a flat panel to a resolution other than its native one can result in blurry text, moiré patterns, and other undesirable screen effects, it's important to know what a monitor's native resolution is.

By putting the native resolution information in a prominent spot, both ViewSonic and Samsung have made it a little easier for users to set up their monitors for the best results. Both come with Colorific color-calibration software and drivers on CD. (E-Color's Colorific matches up the color you see on your monitor to the output from your printer, scanner, or digital camera, by presenting a series of color gauges for you to adjust.)

ViewSonic's CD includes a driver-installation wizard, plus the manual, which is not provided in hard copy. There's also a quick-start booklet that consists of safety precautions in 14 languages and 3 steps of illustration-only setup instructions. These setup diagrams were baffling, and if I had to rely on them to figure out how to install the monitor, I would have been lost. Fortunately, installation is no more complex than for any other monitor.

The one quibble I have with the SyncMaster 760V TFT is with its controls: The on-screen display is small, and it's not easy to figure out how to cycle through the menu choices. The hard-copy manual explains that you have to use the Exit button when navigating the on-screen menus, but that is counterintuitive, and I couldn't figure it out until I consulted the manual.

Upshot: Samsung and ViewSonic both have fielded high-quality products in these models, and neither would be a bad choice, if you can spend up to $900 (plus tax and shipping) on a monitor. But when it comes down to details, the SyncMaster 760V TFT has the edge.

SUMMARY

ViewSonic: ViewPanel VE170m (800) 688-6688

SUMMARY

Samsung's SyncMaster 760V TFT (800) 726-7864

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