Planar PX191 (Black)
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CNET Editors' Review
The good: Highly adjustable; wide viewing angles; analog and digital inputs; solid image quality.
The bad: Expensive; no cable-feed system; no USB ports.
The bottom line: The Planar PX191's adjustability, solid picture quality, and impressive 700:1 contrast ratio make its steep price easier to stomach.
Pixel for pixel, Planar's PX191 costs more than many other 19-inch LCDs, but its adjustability and image quality are worth it. Comparably sized, cheaper flat screens are available; ... Expand full review
Pixel for pixel, Planar's PX191 costs more than many other 19-inch LCDs, but its adjustability and image quality are worth it. Comparably sized, cheaper flat screens are available; Dell's 1901FP is similarly adjustable, boasts four USB 2.0 ports, and costs about $100 less. But for users who want high quality and aren't afraid to pay for it, the PX191 is a good choice.
The PX191 rests securely on a black, oval base. Its cylindrical neck telescopes to give the panel an additional 4.3 inches of height. The display tilts 5 degrees forward and 35 degrees backward, and it swivels 45 degrees to either side. It pivots between Landscape and Portrait mode, making it possible to view more of Web pages and legal-size documents with less scrolling (Planar includes Portrait Displays' PivotPro software for rotating the image). The display can be mounted to a wall using an optional VESA kit, but you'll need a screwdriver to detach the neck and base first.
An equal-opportunity display, the PX191 accepts analog and digital signal inputs (Planar includes both cables), and it works with PCs and Macs. The panel's 170-degree vertical and horizontal viewing angles are about as good as they come, making for an extremely presentation-friendly display.
The PX191 lacks USB ports and a cable-feed system to manage dangling cables--minor flaws in an otherwise solid design. Five clearly labeled buttons span the center of the bezel's slim bottom edge, four for adjusting image settings, and one for power.
The PX191 delivers image quality to match its high price. With its 700:1 contrast ratio, it aced our grayscale test, producing subtle shades of blacks, grays, and whites. Despite minor fuzziness in text at smaller point sizes (6.8 and below), the panel's image was sharp overall and remained in focus from the center of the screen to the edges--a boon to number crunchers working with margin-hugging spreadsheets. The PX191 rendered colors well enough, though images weren't as vibrant as they were on Dell's 1901FP. The PX191's 28-millisecond pixel-response time is typical for 19-inch LCDs, but we noticed some jittery lines during our motion tests.
Planar provides a three-year warranty on parts, labor, and the backlight. Toll-free tech support is available 24/7. The display comes with good documentation, including a quick-start guide and an illustrated manual with helpful directions for the onscreen controls.
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CNET Labs DisplayMate tests (Longer bars indicate better performance) |
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Brightness in nits (Longer bars indicate better performance)
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User Reviews
See all user reviewsMost recent user reviews
Showing 3 of 15 reviews
"Very satisfied" By rgs1218
Pros: Crisp, clear, great color
Cons: Max resolution of 1280X1024
Summary: Very pleased with performance, very crisp, bright color.
"Excellent monitor, now I need a better graphics card!" By Tboom
Pros: Easy to read small text, swivels, rises up, good software
Cons: On the expensive side
Summary: I own a Compaq Presario X100 laptop with an ATI 128mb graphics card in it. Not great, but not too shabby either as far as laptops go. I decided to purchase a monitor for it because I actively trade stocks and the trading system I use has twelve small screens ... Expand full review
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