HP Pavilion M50 > Reviews > Sturdy Little Monitor

Author's product rating:   

Advantages:	Still going strong after four years; superb resolution
Disadvantages:	It's not a flat screen

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

I am sooooo not technical and I wrote the accompanying HP Pavilion PC review to this product in a "non-teccie" style that seemed to appeal to most people who left a comment on it. Given that review's success in style and accessiblilty of information, I am happy to do the same for this relating product. (Which is good because you're dealing with someone who has to get his wife to set up the Playstation if I need to move it from the bedroom to the back-room).

WHAT'S THIS THEN?
It's not a television or a microwave. It's a monitor - the device you're using at the moment to read this review on. The M50 as a product is about six years old and I picked mine up in March 2000 because it was bundled in with HP Pavilion 6712 (see previous review). So as far as the M50 goes I had no choice in the matter, but sometimes having no choice is a great thing when it comes to choosing PC accessories like a monitor because, certainly in my case, I'll inevitably choose a turkey.

WHAT DO THE MANUFACTURERS SAY?
"The best way to see the true power of the HP Pavilion PC is with a high-impact, high-resolution HP Pavilion display.

Not only are they designed to look great and to work better with HP Pavilion PCs, but these technically advanced displays are super-easy to use and super-easy to customize based on your application needs and personal viewing style.

You can choose from three budget-fitting models, so buy an HP Pavilion display to complement your HP Pavilion PC.

You'll see the view is great. HP Pavillon M50, the one-touch display, tunes automatically and delivers the perfect picture on the15-inch display, the built-in speaker mounts give you a full-blown multimedia experience."

AESTHETICS
Let's face it, a monitor's a monitor. The bulky, sqaureish, not flatscreen, models are ten a penny these days and you can pick one up for stupid prices at fairs and sales. Back when I bought this in the era before flatscreens, I was knocked over at how it looked: not the picture on-screen but the actual aesthetics and ergonomics of it. I adore the look and feel of this monitor. It's black and grey (sounds boring, but isn't) finish compliments my Pavilion 6712 perfectly and, as with the accompanying PC, I like the smooth and curvey edges rather than the rigid oldfashioned style. OK it's no Apple Mac, but you get the idea.

WHAT ARE THOSE FUNNY BUTTONS AT THE FRONT?
I have no idea, but that's because I've never had to use them and THAT'S because the factory settings on this monitor are so perfectly preset. For reference, I can take you through them, but bear in mind that I've never had to use them!

-contrast
-brightness
-vertical hold
-horizontal hold
-menu

Now, I've looked at the menu. I'm not a teccie person but I can understand the various settings it features. However, I didn't want to change any of the current settings but can report that the following are adequately catered for:

-colour
-language
-auto configure*
-v and h hold again**
-brightness and contrast again**
-analog output***

*didn't fancy pressing this in case the screen went blank.

**presumably the main button options were "at a glance"

***?????????????????

WHAT COMES WITH IT?
Not a great deal. You speaker mounts to attach the speakers included with the Pavilion 6710 to the side. There are two downsides of this. Firstly they look like ears, secondly the quality of the speakers is pretty poor. I like to play a lot of music and films on my PC and for this reason the tinny output does not serve my needs well. However, this is a speaker quibble and nothing to do with the monitor.

VERDICT
In a word, great. Why? Because:

-it's four and half years old and still accepts daily use
-I've never had to alter the original factory settings or "auto configure"
-picture quality has always been first rate
-it's a Hewlett Packard - a brand I am now beginning to trust

I am unsure whether the M50 is still being manufactured (probably not given the advent of the flatscreen), but I would suggest that those in the market for a sturdy, reliable little monitor check out anything by Hewlett Packard.

Thanks for reading!