The LG Flatron M1917A is a 19" LCD TV I bought about 2 years ago for around £200. I have been using it as a secondary monitor alongside another LG flat screen but as it is a TV as well, I have been able to hook it up to my DVD player via the composite and phono (composite video and audio) and to my Humax Freeview recorder via SCART to watch Freeview programming on it. It has a reasonable number of connection options but lacks DVI, which isn't a problem but would have been a nice alternative to VGA.
THE BUILD AND DESIGN
The unit is matte black and feels very sturdy so the build quality seems very good. There's also an incomplete hoop around the back for cable management purposes, which is nice to have. The screen rotates on its base so you can turn it if required. I find this handy as I need to turn it facing another direction when I want to sit away from my desk to watch TV on it. The remote is very good quality and has
all the necessary buttons. The screen is not height adjustable, which is fine but tilts up and down. I would have liked for it to be able to tilt down a bit more, which I'll explain later.
THE PICTURE
The picture quality is acceptable but nothing to shout about. When using it as a TV, picture seems pretty average but doesn't quite compare with the sharpness and vibrancy of today's TVs although this only has an analogue tuner. However, when watching Freeview programming using my Humax Freeview box and DVD player, picture quality is a lot better but still not as sharp as an up-to-date TV. The picture quality when using it as a computer monitor is pretty good and perfectly acceptable, supporting a maximum resolution of 1280 x 1024, which is pretty standard for 17-19" screens. I've not noticed any problems with ghosting during fast action scenes in movies so the refresh rate is reasonable.
One thing that TFT and LCD screens can suffer from are stuck or dead pixels. These are dots that are defective and are either stuck on one colour or completely dead so show up black (unlit). I have one stuck pixel on my unit three quarters to the top of the screen. It's a red dot that only appears over a black (and dark) backgrounds but is a bit annoying to see especially when I first got it as that's the last thing someone would want to see on a brand new monitor. Most companies do not count this as a fault unless there were loads of them and would not replace the monitor.
The viewing angle is the second annoyance I have with this screen. The horizontal viewing angle is okay, although not great but I find the vertical viewing angle to be pretty poor. It is fine when looking at the display at eye level but I like to sit back or lay down on my bed when watching films and TV on it, it goes dark. I put mine on top of a desk hutch so is at eye level only when I'm sitting on my chair. Tilting the screen downwards is no good as it only goes down so much. The low viewing angle is due to it having a TN panel rather than the better ones such as MVA or IPS but it's hard to find this information as most specifications don't mention what they use.
SOUND
The sound this unit produces is tinny but is loud enough so watching TV and DVDS has always been enjoyable enough. The speakers are at the bottom, across the front of the unit so projects the sound well enough unless certain cheap monitors.
SUMMARY
PROS
- Good build quality - 19" is a good monitor size - Good quality remote - Has Composite and SCART inputs - Not widescreen so good for working with documents
CONS
- Viewing angle isn't very good - 1 dead pixel on mine - Only has an analogue tuner
VERDICT
It's good as a multipurpose screen but most of the more up-to-date flat screen TVs can do the same and probably provide a sharper and more vibrant picture so it would be better to go for a newer and more up-to-date TV as those would have Freeview built in. However, if you can find this model cheap (I've sold mine for £40) and just need it as a monitor and are happy to just plug a Freeview box or/and DVD player in to use it as a TV, then it's worth considering so long as you're not after superior picture quality with great viewing angles. Hopefully, you won't get a dead / stuck pixel like on mine but LG in general, are a very good brand for screens.
Thanks for reading!
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