PRODUCT REVIEW: NEC MULTISYNC LCD1700V FLAT PANEL MONITOR

From the first sci-fi movies and TV shows that showed visions of the future where screens were flat like picture frames and could even hang on the wall I know that someday if I lived long enough I would be able to get one. That day finally came when I decided to buy an NEC Multisync LCD1700V flat panel monitior. Over the past year I've noticed the prices of Flat Panel LCD monitors dropping, and within the last month I've seen a pretty drastic reduction in some units. This monitor currently retails for 549.99 and comes with a manufacturers rebate at Circuit City at this time.

The NEC MultiSync LCD1700V is very light compared to my old 17" CRT, probably only weights about 12 lbs, maybe a little less. (For the Record my 17" CRT Weighs about 35-40 lbs) The actual viewable screen real estate is equivalent to a 19" CRT. The asthetics of the monitor match my SuperPC and is completely black with a metal mounting pivot frame on the back and a black base. You can cover the cord inputs with a plastic covering but I thought it looked cooler to have the thin metal frame supporting the flat panel without the cover. The monitor is very solid and stable not rickety and creaky like I've seen on some other models.

The NEC's viewing angle is tremendous. I've seen very few Flat Panel displays that show up at almost 170 Degrees of viewing angle, both horizontal and vertical. Color only slightly diminishes at 170 - 180 Degrees. WOW! All the colors are very true at the default settings. White looks white not grey. Black looks black not frosted. There were no dead pixels on the screen. I played games on this and they look absolutely stunning, as well as DVD video. The montior has a maximum resolution of 1280x1024 which is huge for me considering I mostly use my PC at 1024x768. The only time I ever increase the resolution beyond that value is when I'm working on large digital photographs. The old CRT (MAG Innovision) I had was blurry compared to this. The on screen menu is easy to use.

I compared the NEC to the Sony X82 18.1 inch flat panel monitor and I couldn't see much of a difference in image quality or even viewable screen real estate. The HP and Compaq flat panel displays didn't hold a candle to this at about $100 - $150 more in price.

I suppose it could be said that the screen doesn't have built in speakers, but really, any gamer or person who listens to music wouldn't use puny monitor speakers and I've never been a fan of putting speakers into a monitor, it's just a waste when you can get a great set with a subwoofer for about a hundred dollars.

Most manufacturers warranties give you up to a year on Parts and Labor, but the NEC came with triple that, a full 3 years, which is great considering the greater likelyhood of deterioration with LCD monitor over CRT. If the monitor makes 3 years I will be completely satisfied considering by that time larger flat panel displays will be cheaper and possible glass panel technology will be debuting.

NEC has truly done something great with this, and the price dropped below $500 for the 17" display which will likely get more people to buy flat panels. My old CRT was just plain antiquated compared to this and it truly shows. You've got to love technological improvement. If you want the best of 21st Century technology I would strongly recommend this product. I haven't found a flaw so far.

BACK TO VIDEO GAMER X