THIS DREAM SCREEN IS SUPREME (Philips 170C4FS)

Member Name: stuleg

Product:	Philips 170C4FS
Date:	24/01/05 (1109 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Thin design, great looks, better for the eyes

Disadvantages: None of note

Ever since LCD monitors hit the market a few years back I have wanted one, but the high price coupled with the quality of the display always held me back. Finally though I decided that my old CRT monitor was not really up to the job, it is a monster of a display about the size of a small car taking up far too much desk space so it really did have to go. I did a great deal of research online to find out which was the best LCD monitor for my needs and was constantly finding myself reading good reports on the Philips 170C4FS 17” LCD Monitor (henceforth in this review to be known as the 170C4). I also noticed that it was sold by PC World which was another bonus as I wanted to see the monitor I bought working first, just to see if the colours and brightness were acceptable and exactly as I required.

A quick trip to PC World in Southend and I was faced with about half a dozen 17” LCD monitors all working and showing their capabilities to all who passed. The 170C4 was nestled comfortably amongst them and was, in my opinion, the best looking and had the clearest and brightest display. I spent a good ten minutes just watching the various monitors so that I could spot any weaknesses in the display, one or two seemed to stutter when the action on the screen (which was a Finding Nemo game) got too fast, but the 170C4 seemed to cope with anything the game could throw at it. My mind made up I told the nearest shop assistant which monitor I wanted to be told they didn’t have any of the 170C4 in stock, he then told me that the PC World in Lakeside Thurrock had seventeen so I had little alternative than to take a trip up the A13 to secure my monitor of choice. As it turns out I was glad I had to visit the Lakeside PC World as they had an even bigger display of LCD monitors for me to compare my chosen one against, and the 170C4 was still the best performing monitor in the collection. Ten minutes later I had the 170C4 in my car and was on my way home having parted with the £319.99 necessary to procure it.

One drive home and a cup of coffee later I was ready to set up the 170C4; the first thing that struck me when I pulled the display from the box was just how good looking it was. The monitor comes complete with a stand that is not dissimilar to a boomerang in look, it is fully manoeuvrable to enable the monitor to be tilted as required, it can also be used as a wall mounting simply by screwing four long screws into the available holes. Both the stand and the front of the 170C4 are silver as seems to be the fashion with appliances these days with the back of the monitor the more traditional cream colour. The front of the 170C4 is very sleek looking with all of the buttons positioned on the right hand side; they consist of the power button, four arrow buttons to adjust the on screen display, a brightness button and an OK button to access the on screen menu. The whole unit is little thicker than a good book and weighs a manageable 6.5 kg (14.3 Ibs). Also included in the box is a VGA signal cable which connects the 170C4 to your computer, a power cord and a Quick setup guide complete with a CD-ROM containing drivers and a setup program.

Setup is simplicity itself; plug in the 170C4 to your computer and connect it to the mains. The monitor does not have speakers attached (I did not require a monitor that did) so there is no wire to attach to the soundcard. With the connections made I powered up my PC and Windows XP found the monitor automatically, it was described as a plug and play monitor and Windows XP loaded one of its own drivers for it. I then browsed the enclosed CD-ROM to read the electric users manual and decided to load an application included called FPadjust. FPadjust is a small program that, when run, optimizes the settings and look of your new monitor to enable the user to get the very best from it. The program asks basic questions about your happiness with the colour, contrast and position of the picture. FPadjust then makes a series of recommendations depending on the answers given, I was informed that I would benefit more if I set my display size to 1280x1024 (the resolution) and 60 Hz (the refresh rate). I did this and the picture and over all look of the display did seem to improve. These changes can also be carried out by pressing the OK button on the side of the monitor which brings up the On Screen Menu, other useful information like Product Information and Language can also be accessed here as well as a button to reset the 170C4 to its original factory settings.

So, with the 170C4 all set up I was able to enjoy my new look monitor, and what a monitor it is. The screen is so sharp I was almost speechless, each pixel is displayed crisply and every colour is exactly how it should be. There is no screen flicker at all and although it could just be my imagination my eyes do not feel nearly as sore as they did after a long session looking at my old CRT monitor. Watching a DVD on this monitor is also a pleasure, the picture flows smoothly with no sign of ghosting (when the refresh rate of the pixels cannot keep up with the speed of the action on the display), again the colours were astounding. Word processing and graphic programs take on a whole new dimension, with colour palettes looking clear and the colours contained distinguishable from one another. Another problem I had heard about while researching which LCD monitor to buy was an issue known as “Dead Pixels”, this is when one or more of the pixels on your display fail to illuminate. It is worth noting that most LCD monitor manufacturers (Philips Included) will only replace an LCD monitor if it has four or more dead pixels and they are an inch or more away from each other, thankfully my 170C4 was dead pixel free which was a relief. I really cannot praise the 170C4 enough, it was on the expensive side but the improved quality of the display coupled with the space it saves on my desk makes it a complete joy to work with and to watch. If the 170C4 ever goes wrong it comes with a three year warranty against defective parts which gives me complete peace of mind. The full five stars from me.

Technical details:-

Screen size 17 inch /43.2 cm
Pixel Pitch 0.264 x 0.264mm
Effective viewing area 337.9 x 270.3mm
16.7 million Display colours
Vertical refresh rate 56 – 76 Hz
Contrast ratio 400
Maximum resolution 1280 x 1024 at 75Hz
Size (WxHxD) 399 x 398.2 x 197.2 mm
Tilt - 5° to 20°

Summary: