If you've got this far, you've done well. This monitor is a real gem. It doesn't register very highly on the comparison sites or even ciao if you search for TFT.
I am not going to write a full length essay or a five act play, but intend to help and inform you in your purchase without going to the lengths some people expect.
The RRP is £155, but I got mine for £125 from ebay, which put it at the same price as a budget monitor from amazon or ebuyer. I think that at the full price it becomes a bit pricey because most 17" TFTs are somewhere in between. The TFT is made by Sharp, who are an established brand and without being influenced by advertising or their reputation, I can say that the monitor is of good quality. It is well designed visually. The thin edge (bezel) saves space and creates the clean look that continues with the stand that fans out. It is sturdy and not as 'plasticy' as the cheaper models. The back of the monitor is white, which makes it look as if it's styled by Apple. Unfortunately, you can't admire it from the front as it's hidden. The clean lines make an appealing and modern look.
The speakers are hidden underneath and are underpowered. The bass is noticeable weak, and I wouldn't like to play music on it because they massacre it! There isn't a mute button for the volume and the touch button to control it is quite sluggish. Having said that, I didn't buy a monitor to listen to!
The picture quality is excellent. The TFT monitor has 16ms response time, which is among the highest (within a reasonable price range). The image is also crisp and the pixels are much smaller than the old TFT I had before. The monitor will need some tweaking when you first get it (it is set far too bright), although generally the colours it produces are good.
My other objection is to the CD, which only gives you the files necessary to upgrade the monitor (instead of the default settings on Windows). It doesn't have a setup utility so people with limited experience may not be able to install them. The manual is very informative, though. It provides clear pictures and details to help people get the best out of the monitor. Some people might object to there being no DVI, but you can buy an adapter if you need to. I can't notice the difference between a DVI and a VGA connection - my old monitor had both.
In conclusion, it is a good quality TFT monitor both in terms of design and picture quality. It is difficult to pick faults with it and it performs well for basic tasks all the way up to gaming. It's difficult to choose between two TFTs. The styling of this gives it the edge.
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