Philips Brilliance 190P6EB

Philips' 190P6EB is an impressive 19" TFT panel replete with dual inputs, adjustable stand, and top-notch image quality.

The slate grey screen itself weighs in at a touch over 8kg and measures 43 x 21 x 43cm. It ships with an adjustable stand that features great ergonomics, with the ability to adjust the height, tilt and rotate into portrait mode. A VESA mount is also present on the rear of the screen in case you'd like to mount the display to an arm or wall. Both VGA and DVI inputs can be found on the rear panel of the 8ms display. The panel runs at a native resolution of 1280 x 1024 pixels and is clear and bright, with no signs of moire or other distortion visible during testing.

The unit features a thin silver line below the screen that separates the panel from a set of small speakers and provides space to fit a row of buttons. The selection is quite complete, featuring auto tune, volume up and down, brightness up and down, and 'ok' keys to drive access to most of the screen's settings. There's also a Philips LightFrame switch, which is designed to make quick adjustments to screen properties for different types of image (Internet, text and graphics are the default options). Each setting subtly changes the brightness, contrast and colour temperature settings to enhance the display.

The auto tune function works quite effectively. It left the colours a little over saturated, but this was easily adjusted, and quick access to the brightness setting is a bonus, as it allows you to fine-tune the backlight to avoid eyestrain. It's especially useful if you work in an office lit with natural light that varies during the day, as you can tweak the brightness as the sun moves. If the manual adjustments don't appeal, a SmartManage feature automatically adjusts the screen settings based on ambient light.

Four USB ports can be found on the left hand panel, just behind the screen. While their presence is handy, they're grouped together tightly, so you can't use more than two memory keys (or other large USB devices) at once.

At $949, the 190P6EB ships with a three-year warranty, includes an impressive ergonomic stand, USB hub, dual inputs, and some elegant features like automatic brightness adjustment.