Hi all. I just wanted to get some opinions on widescreen monitors. Well, you know what they say about "opinions"..... But be that as it may............ I've had CRT monitors for years and no problems. But, I have an ATI video card that's able to have a dual-monitor setup, and I wanted to get a flat panel widescreen monitor to watch DVD movies on using my DVD ROM drive, and also to play certain games on. I'm looking at 19 inch widescreens. 5ms or lower response time. And isn't it with Contrast Ratio the higher the number the better? For instance: isn't 700 to 1 better than 500 to 1? The "opinions" I would like to hear about involve "brand names". I realize it's a matter of preference, but what should I lean towards? ViewSonic? Samsung? Sony? Envision? Thanks for any input. Pez

700:1 is better than 500:1. I am partial to Samsung. Verify your ATI card can support the LCD. The age of the card determines to an extent what version of catalyst drivers can be used. Also when buying and comparing be aware that if the display supports both digital and analog, both cables may not be supplied, resulting in a higher cost if you need them both.

Hi OtheHill; thanks for the response. You know, in my browsing of display monitors, there have been some Samsung's that have caught my eye! And my ATI card is a fairly recent one; it's an ATI All-in-Wonder X800 XT, 256MB video RAM. On the card, it has BOTH a VGA connector and a DVI-I connector. It comes with an adapter that if you want, you can connect two VGA monitors. Or, like I want to do, a flat panel LCD widescreen monitor (DVI-I) *AND* a CRT monitor (VGA). That sounds kind of weird what you mentioned about the cables. If a flat panel LCD (widescreen) monitor is best viewed through a DVI-I connector, then why WOULDN'T the company include it in the box? Monitors come with connector cables, so one would naturally think the best cable connector would be included in the box. Just in case, though, my ATI hardware cables included an adapter piece/ plug that will take a VGA cable and convert it to DVI-I. Pez

The cable cost money and they are selling on price point. Sounds like you will be good to go. If you want to get up to speed on the LCD specs I suggest you compare the specs of multiple displays and look at the prices. There are other specs that have an impact on performance. Viewing angle is one that I personally don't worry about that much because I assume I will be viewing straight one. I suppose there are situations where it would matter. Brightness is another. Check out the warranties and the replacment policy for dead pixels.