LG Electronics LG L1930B 19 Silver LCD Dvi-d 25ms 250cd/m2 500:1 176o TCO 03 H Height Adjustable

Most monitors have messy, input-laden backs that are best turned to the wall, but the LG Electronics Flatron L1930B would look completely appropriate on a conference table or interview desk. The curved back cover conceals cords and inputs, and its grooved design echoes that of the silvery stand. The unit's lazy Susan-style base swivels, which is useful for sharing information with someone across a desk or table. That said, we wish it swiveled more easily. Operating the buttons--which are located on the underside of the bezel and are clearly labeled on the front--was easier and more comfortable than working with the tiny buttons and tiny labels of many models.

The L1930B's crisp text--especially at small font sizes--earned the monitor a rating of Very Good on that measure. Despite a slight, correctable ruddiness and some lack of detail in dark areas of our photo of people, the the L1930 captured a Very Good rating for graphics as well.

Like some other monitor makers, LG offers color and brightness presets for specific tasks, along with clarity controls. This is the first model we've seen that uses LG's F-Engine settings technology. The L1930B comes with LightSurf's Colorific color adjusting software, too, for fine-tuning the image quality. Though the Asian version of this model includes two USB 1.1 ports, the American release has none.

Upshot: LG's elegant Flatron L1930 would work well in situations where the back of the monitor faces some users.

Laura Blackwell