17" LCD Part I: Six Sexy Panels

Philips 170B2M

As usual, the Philips screen is a surprise, due to its intelligent foot design, in which everything is brilliantly installed. We particularly appreciated the ease at which the screen pivots to the vertical position, as well as the swivel on which the foot is built. This makes it easy to rotate the screen for viewing by a third person. There is even a knob in the foot for adjusting the sound level. Just in front of it, there is a microphone socket. On the side there is a socket for headphones and another for microphone. It's very well thought out!

The screen is all the more surprising because the defects of the 170B2B, its little brother, have been corrected. The screen is easy to manipulate, the automatic adjustment function for the images does not result in truncation and the display no longer disappears each time the screen is flipped. On the other hand, they share other features that have been retained, but this time on the installed IPS Acer panel. The colors displayed are bright, numerous and attractive, but the response time is inadequate, significantly lower than those of other screens that are actually sold for less. Yet there's nothing surprising about this. The IPS is not a response monster.

The images displayed in DVD are attractive, but the brightness and contrast levels need increasing.

The response time is rather slow. The wake remains noticeable when playing games, but this defect is compensated for by the quality of the colors.

Thus, having been unable to find an outstanding panel, Philips successfully concentrates on comfort and ease of use of the monitor. We were particularly appreciative of the fact that the defects of the previous model have been corrected. Conclusion: the 170B2M will be just as useful in the office as at home.