After out intense batter of tests, we have more hope to communicate than kudos to give. The Samsung 20ms 19" is promising, but still doesn't have the response time of a TN panel. The Sony Black LCD technology has that inconvenient mirror effect which does it no good at all.

For games, the Hydis 20ms panel is still the one to beat. It's not yet perfect, but we know of no other that is faster (based on our tests, of course, and not manufacturers' specifications).

For a mix of uses, image retouching + video + games, the new Samsung panel now seems the most versatile. We're looking forward to the finished products, hoping they will have dealt with some of the little flaws we found in the prototype.

Once again, we must insist strongly that the manufacturers' specifications are not to be trusted.

Also, the issue of dead pixels often still rears its ugly head. Thus, when buying a monitor, make sure you can return it if you are not satisfied.

Monitors Lined Up For Our Next Review

Next time, we shall be going up in size and down in response time. We plan to review 14 ms and 12ms panels with TN + Film technology. There should also be two rival 12ms panels from AU Optronics and Samsung.