LG Electronics LG Flatron L1781Q

LG's attractive $499 Flatron L1781Q is the spitting image of its 19-inch sibling, the World Class Award-winning LG Flatron L1981Q. It boasts the same auto-pivot and auto-mirror functions, which adjust the screen to remain right-side up when pivoted or flipped.

With its graceful profile, blue LED, and shiny, silvery, ring-shaped stand, the L1781Q certainly turns heads. The bezel is smooth and flat on all sides, enabling it to line up with an adjacent monitor whether they're in portrait mode or in landscape mode.

I had trouble getting used to the L1981Q's heat-sensitive buttons. It felt unnatural that when I pressed the buttons, they worked without any mechanical movement. In fact, I often turned the monitor on and off by accidentally placing a hand too close to the power button when I pivoted the screen.

Luckily, I didn't have to use the buttons very much. The included ForteManager software--similar to the MagicTune software that ships with Samsung monitors-- lets you adjust screen settings with a mouse instead of with buttons. In addition to this, the innovative automatic pivot and automatic mirror functions lie in ForteManager software. With these functions enabled, the screen image automatically pivots or flips to match the orientation of the screen when you switch it to and from portrait or landscape mode, or even when you bend it backward on its stand

On PC World's tests at default settings, text looked crisp, but graphics were less pleasing. Our photo screen of a fruit tart seemed overexposed, as if the original photo were faded. On our group photo screen, skin tones appeared pale and cold. ForteManager makes it easy to tweak the color settings, which improves the image.

Upshot: LG's Flatron L1781Q is one of the few monitors with button-free image tuning, and it's the only current 17-incher with automatic pivot and automatic mirroring.

Laura Blackwell