Perhaps you've recently envied a co-worker when you spotted a nice, neat-looking, flat-panel monitor sitting snugly on their desk. Or perhaps you've gawked at the sharpness of a flat-panel monitor the last time you visited your neighborhood electronics store. However you may have come across a flat-panel monitor, you've probably joined the ranks of computer users that have become infatuated with owning one. I've been fortunate to review three such monitors and I must say that it'll be hard to ever go back to some huge, hulking monster of a monitor after this experience.
Flat-panel monitors are definitely the rage, and definitely will be the future of computer displays. When I say "flat-panel" monitor, I am distinguishing it from a monitor that simply uses "flat technology." "Flat-panels" are the very thin monitors with an attached base. A monitor using "flat technology" is the same size and has the same appearance as a regular monitor; it's just that it has a flattened display screen as opposed to the common curved screen. (The flat screen reduces glare.) Both types of monitors are sometimes referred to by the same names of "flatscreen" or "flat-panel."
The most alluring aspect of a "flat-panel" monitor is its smaller size, although many flat-panel monitors offer the option of displaying digital video signals in addition to analog signals. The older cathode ray tube (CRT) monitors were based on television technology, so the digital video signal from a computer had to be converted to an analog signal for proper viewing. Flat-panel monitors can interpret digital video signals, which can enhance your viewing pleasure. The only problem is that most computers in use today in offices do not output a digital video signal, so choosing between analog or digital won't be a problem for many reading this review. I note, however, that all three of the monitors that I review below will handle both analog and digital video signals.
On to the reviews ...
SONY SDM-M61
Sony has a very solid line of flat-panel displays, and is one of very few manufacturers that offer a 16-inch screen. The standard size of today's flat-panel is 15 inches, and from there you can skyrocket in price to 18, 19, or 21 inches. While it is curious that Sony has opted to provide an "odd" size monitor, the SDM-M61 works very well.
The first thing I noticed about Sony's SDM-M61 was its very clean bezel -- the plastic space that immediately surrounds the actual screen. "Two-tone gray" is the way Sony describes the color of the M61, but I mistakenly assumed it was beige. The control buttons for the monitor (to adjust brightness, contrast, etc.) are along the right side of the screen and I found them to be very intuitive and easy to use. The bottom of the monitor features two small integrated speakers. This is definitely the best feature of Sony's line of flat-panel displays and it saves a user from having to add a set of speakers to their already cluttered computer desk. While the speakers aren't "surround-sound" quality, they are plenty of speaker for Windows' sound effects or the occasional Internet radio listen.
The M61's base is subtle and one of the smallest, most compact flat-panel bases I have seen. However, my biggest complaint with the M61 stems from the lack of maneuverability of the actual screen. I had to dust off a couple of my big thick law books from the bookshelf and place them under the M61 to get it up to my eye-level. While one is certainly limited in the up-and-down capacity, I found the M61 to have the biggest "tilt" factor back and forth -- I could almost flatten it out into a tabletop.
I really liked the back of the M61. If you're looking to purchase a flat-panel, one of your reasons is probably because you like the compact look and feel of a flat-panel display. Sony does a good job of hiding the power cord and video cable under a plastic cover on the back of the unit. The M61 has a very clean look from the back.
As far as performance, the M61 looked a little fuzzy to me in 1024x768 resolution, and a little worse when I switched to 800x600. I usually work in 1024x768, however, and I was able to read text in Microsoft Word without a problem. When I upped the resolution to 1280x1024, the screen was great, although everything was just a little too small, even for me (I like things on my screen to be really small).
If you have a few extra bucks to spend, and really want to get something a little more than 15 inches in your flat-panel monitor, the Sony SDM-M61 is a fantastic choice. You will get the support of a higher resolution screen plus integrated speakers to boot. I used this Sony model for a few weeks and I really grew attached to it.
MANUFACTURER: Sony
MODEL: SDM-M61
AVAILABLE COLORS: Two-toned gray
WEB SITE: http://www.sonystyle.com/ vaio/displays/sdm_m61.htm
PRICE: Retails for $849.99, but I found it for $729.00 on PriceGrabber.com
PROS: 16-inch screen, integrated speakers, very compact back
CONS: Lack of height adjustment
IBM T545
One of the only places that IBM hasn't necessarily been known to be a leader is in the computer display arena, but they don't do a bad job. The "T Series" of flat-panel displays range in size from 15 to 22 inches and you get the benefit of having your purchase backed by Big Blue. The model I'm reviewing, the T545, is a 15-incher.
The best feature about the T545 is the incredible range of adjustable height. I was able to place the T545 on my desk, raise it up to a comfortable eye-level, and I still had room to go up higher. On the other hand, the T545 had the biggest "foot" at the bottom of the base of all the monitors I looked at. This isn't a total strike against the monitor, however, since the base does allow you swivel the screen up to 150 degrees in each direction -- which is a lot. In other words, the big base stabilizes the unit so that you can tilt or swivel your screen if you need to show something to a colleague or client.
The whole case of the T545 seemed to be a little bulky to me -- the plastic bezel around the screen was fairly wide, but the look was overall very clean and efficient. Besides a large IBM logo at the top, the only other items on the front of the monitor are the controls, which are incorporated as a nondescript squiggly design. I found the on-screen controls on this monitor to be slightly confusing, although a quick glance at the accompanying user guide was enough to explain all that I needed to know.
The back of the monitor was also a little bulky -- it is the thickest flat-panel that I reviewed. IBM has a slanted design to the back of their monitors that I don't particularly like too much. However, out of all the monitors I reviewed, I think IBM does the best job with the power cord and video cable. The cords are nicely hidden on one side of the back of the monitor and never get in the way when you swivel or tilt the monitor. I believe that the cable and cord come pre-installed by IBM so you don't have to worry about accessing the back panel at all.
The IBM looked better than the Sony at the 1024x768 resolution. When I went down to the 800x600 resolution, I felt that everything got ever-so-slightly blurry, but I was still comfortable working in that environment.
All around, this IBM monitor was great and I would definitely recommend it to someone looking for a good all-around flat-panel display.
MANUFACTURER: IBM
MODEL: T545
AVAILABLE COLORS: Pearl white and stealth black
WEB SITE: http://www.pc.ibm.com/us/ accessories/monitors/tseries.html
PRICE: Retails for $529.00 but found it for $512.38 on PriceGrabber.com
PROS: Great height adjustability, easy swivel
CONS: Bulky casing, slightly confusing controls
PHILIPS 150P2
Philips has certainly made a few inroads into the consumer computer arena and they have created several winners with their flat-panel displays. The model I received for review was the Brilliance 150P2 in Stealth Black. This was my favorite product of the three monitors, even though it costs just a bit more than other 15-inch flat-panel monitors on the market.
The first thing to discuss about the 150P2 is the unique feature of switching between "portrait" and "landscape" mode. You may be familiar with these terms from your word processing program when you decide the orientation of your document. The screen of the 150P2 can be physically turned 90 degrees from a "landscape" view to a "portrait" view. This is an excellent feature that allows you to see your documents, Web pages, or anything else in a "full-page" view. You won't have to scroll down a page as much, and you can actually see a whole page of your document just like you were holding it in your hand.
The 150P2 is great in the looks department. I found the plastic bezel around the screen to be the smallest of all three monitors and the whole unit was very compact. The front of the monitor has a big PHILIPS logo down at the bottom, and the on-screen controls are directly below it. The controls are easy to use. I especially like the "Auto Adjustment" button that, when pressed, makes the monitor automatically set several viewing options. For the most part, after allowing the monitor to make my adjustments, I didn't have to change anything else on the screen.
The base of the 150P2 is great as well. It is small in size and provides height adjustment and swivel capabilities. There is not as much "height" as there is in the IBM T545, but you get the same swivel action with the Philips in a smaller foot of a base. My major complaint with the Philips 150P2 is the way they handled the power cord and video cable. The cords are not as hidden as they are in the other two monitors and just kind of plug into the bottom of the back of the monitor and are strung through the stand. Apart from that, the total thickness of the 150P2 is less than many 15-inch flat-panel displays and takes up very little space.
Along with a smaller base, however, I think Philips had to compromise a little bit on the stability of the physical monitor. When I use my finger or thumb to press the controls on the monitor, the whole screen would do a little "shimmy-shammy" -- not too much that I'm fearful the monitor will fall to pieces, but it just seems a little unstable.
The 150P2 is perfect at a resolution of 1024x768 -- it was crisper and sharper than the other flat-panels I reviewed. I did get a little fuzziness when I switched to 800x600, and I felt the display was a slightly blurry when I changed to the "portrait" mode. In order to switch to portrait, you'll have to purchase additional software. I used Pivot Pro from Portrait Displays which is a very user-friendly application and will allow you to switch between landscape and portrait by either right-clicking on your desktop, or via the icon in your taskbar. When I went into portrait mode, I felt that some text in my word processing program became a little stretched, but overall I really liked computing with a longer screen. I was able to see complete pages at a time, and I could read my news stories on the Internet without scrolling down forever (it's amazing how much space is wasted on the right side of our screens on some Web sites).
I can wholeheartedly recommend this monitor to someone that wants a 15-inch flat-panel that can "do just a little more." The 150P2's compact size and additional few features set it in front of its competition.
MANUFACTURER: Philips
MODEL: 150P2
AVAILABLE COLORS: Mist white and stealth black
WEB SITE: http://www.pcstuff.philips.com
PRICE: I found it for as low as $473.95
PROS: Very sharp and clear resolution, portrait and landscape positions, good height adjustment and swivel capabilities
CONS: Cords not hidden as much
Brett Burney lives and works near Akron, Ohio. He can be reached at bburney@bburney.net.
This article orginally appeared on September 17, 2001.
