17" LCD Part V: Four Panels Compared
Conclusion
| Name | PV 920Pro Dvi | LCD71VM | SyncMaster 172X | VP171b |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Hercules | Nec | Samsung | ViewSonic |
| Price US $ | $549 | $490 | $599 | $550 |
| Technology | TN + Film | TN + Film | TN + Film | TN + Film |
| Panel Manufacturer | HyDis | LG | Samsung | AU Optronics |
| Response time | 20 ms | 16 ms | 16 ms | 16 ms |
| Resolution | 1280 x 1024 | 1280 x 1024 | 1280 x 1024 | 1280 x 1024 |
| Contrast | 500 : 1 | 450 : 1 | 450 : 1 | 500 : 1 |
| Brightness | 230 cd/m² | 250 cd/m² | 250 cd/m² | 230 cd/m² |
| Viewing angle horizontal | 125° | 140° | 140° | 140° |
| Viewing angle vertical | 150° | 120° | 120° | 140° |
| Diagonal | 17 inch | 17 inch | 17 inch | 17 inch |
| Connectivity | DVI | D-Sub | D-Sub + DVI | D-Sub + DVI |
| Hub USB | No | No | No | No |
| Pivot function | No | No | No | Yes |
| Dead pixels allowed | 3 | 3 white, 3 black ou 6 coloured | 10 | 3 white, 3 black ou 7 coloured |
| Game | wwwww | wwww | ww | wwww |
| Colour | wwww | wwww | wwwww | www |
| Ergonomics | ww | ww | wwww | wwwww |
Before comparing monitors, this comparative study surveyed four panel makers: AU Optronics, HyDis, LG, and Samsung.
At the time of the Tom IV 17" Comparative, only AU and HyDis were on the screen. HyDis won.
The advent of two new challengers has changed nothing. HyDis is still the winner, despite its response time of only 20 ms compared to 16 ms for the others.
Once again, it's a landslide victory for the Hercules screen. This screen is even doubly attractive to look at: On the one hand, it has the best panel available, on the other hand its black metal casing is a model of elegance.
In conclusion, as we stressed heavily in the first pages of the article, do not rely on the response times claimed! Alluring features are not enough, you need to rely on the opinion of someone who has tested the screen - preferably your own opinion, if you are given the chance of testing the screen in the store. If you insist on testing the screen in the store, which is very important, you'll be able to check to see whether or not the screen contains dead pixels.
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