Hewlett Packard W19b 19 inch LCD Monitor

We spend a lot of time at our computers so without a good monitor you won't enjoy. My old 17" CRT was due for replacement. Since I liked the possibility of two internet windows side by side, and spreadsheets that are spreadable I decided to go widescreen. Widescreen is also good for movies and soon will a standard for TV, there's space for taskbars at the right side, and favorites on the left.
I found it very difficult to compare monitors at any store. Their screen displays are moving too fast, the lighting is store lighting, the choice overwhelming, and you're standing up.
My first purchase was a 20" widescreen. But the native resolution (1680 x 1020) produces too small a font on a 20". Resetting a non-native resolution is not recommended for LCD's, but I did reset using 'control panel, display, settings" anyway. However every time I wanted to view pictures it had to be changed back and, as warned, the larger fonts were somewhat distorted. Too much trouble. I returned the 20."

My next choice was a Samsung 19" widescreen. The font size was great at the recommended resolution (1440 x 900) and the viewing angle (160x160) works better than the 20." But it has one flaw: eye strain. Maybe it's because I was used to a CRT but there's something about a matte non-glare finish that I found tiring.

I found a website that explained the difference between non-glare matte and a non-reflective glossy screens. I also noticed that my friends with upscale laptops had glossy finish LCD's. So I took the Samsung back and bought a glossy 19" widescreen.

At the present time there are not that many glossy 19" widescreens on the market. There was I remember a nice Apple over double the price, but you needed a Mac computer. I liked what I read about the HP 19" and bought it for the same price as the Samsung. ($239 at Circuit City, bless their souls).

The non-reflective glossy lets the light out of the screen to your eyes without tiring distortion. The price to pay is more room reflection. But at home you have much more control over the lighting and position of your screen, so it's not a problem. Font is clearer, movies phenomenal..

Other considerations. The viewing angle is equal or better than the other 19" monitor, viewing angles work differently with non-reflective monitor screens. The response time (a very fast 5ms) is not really slower than a 2ms since the eye apparently cannot adjust fast enough anyway. There is no ghosting in the movies or games I played. Power usage: very low at only 37 watts.

Minor considerations. The silvery bezel is easier on the eyes (less contrast) than a piano black finish although it may not show as well in the store. The standby LED light is happily…just perceptible. The speakers with ear jacks are basic as you would expect. The controls are also basic, which might be a blessing for simplicity, however a quick reset button for varying brightness would be useful, saving two or three pushes to do fine tuning when you want to watch movies vs. working with text. To read text I turn the brightness down to 15 out of 100. And, oh yes, this monitor did not give off toxic fumes for the first two days as did the others.
I've had this monitor 3 weeks now and highly recommend it.