Philips Brilliant! (Philips Brilliance 150B)

Member Name: 137699

Product:	Philips Brilliance 150B
Date:	17/12/02 (725 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: LCD Flat-screen technology, Unsurpassed picture quality, True 15" Display

Disadvantages: No multimedia speakers, Cream colour not the most ultra-high tech

My trusty mitac monitor finally gave up the ghost on me last year, so I decided that this time I'd get an LCD monitor, rather than a conventional one.

The reasoning for this was that as a computer worker, I had noticed that the glare and flicker that a conventional monitor give out, were non existant when working on my laptop with its TFT LCD screen, leading to fewer headaches and tired eyes after a hard days work!

Also, the LCD screens are much thinner than a conventional monitor, have superior sharp picture, and take up less space on your desk!

So, I trawled through ebay (I don't buy from shops unless I have to!) and got this Philips 150B screen for a paltry £150, and I have to say it is money very well spent.

It has the usual array of picture control settings, and can accept resolutions up to 1024x768 pixels. It needs no special hardware, it simply plugs into your standard VGA port, and has a transformer which takes standard kettle-plug type leads for power.

The picture is pin sharp, and should never blur like a conventional screen, and there is no flicker, which was a joy to my girlfriend as she spend many hours on the PC working through her university dissertation, during which time she did not suffer from any eye fatigue.

The other great thing about this (and other) LCD screens, is that when you buy a 15" screen, you actually get 15" of picture! A standard 15" monitor only usually gives 13" of picture, as you lose some of the tube behind the plastic framework, and then, you probably won't display the image right to the edge of the screen, as this is typically where you lose a little focus, and get a slightly blurred image. As the LCD screen of the philips does not suffer from any of these problems, you can get a picture off the 15" screen which is the same size as what you'd get from a 17" standard monitor. Suddenly the price premium for LCD screens isn't so
much after all....

All in all, the LCD screens are a far better buy than the conventional monitors. The Phillips is no better, or no worse than the competition. I bought this one as it was cheap, and it certainly does the job. It lacks the multi-media built-in speakers of the more expensive models, and perhaps the cream plastic case isn't as high-tech looking as the black/metallic blue designs available in other models, but for me this screen does exactly what I want it to do, and for the price I paid, I cannot be happier!

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