X-bit labs

19" LCD Monitors Roundup. Part VIII. (page 16)

Category: Other

by Aleksey Meyev

[ 10/11/2007 | 09:24 AM ]

LG Flatron L196WTQ

This is yet another widescreen monitor from LG, but it obviously belongs to a higher product class.

The LG Flatron L196WTQ features a response time of 2 milliseconds, being one of the few widescreen 19” monitors with Response Time Compensation.

Don’t be surprised at the specified contrast ratio of 3000:1. It is the dynamic contrast ratio, not the static one. The point of dynamic contrast technology is that the backlight brightness is being adjusted automatically depending on the predominance of lights or darks in the currently displayed picture. It is good for watching movies, but can hardly be of any use for other applications. The resulting dynamic contrast ratio is calculated by multiplying the ordinary static contrast by the brightness adjustment range. Unfortunately, LG does not declare the value of the static contrast ratio for its monitors with dynamic contrast technology.

The viewing angles are measured by the reduction of the contrast ratio to 5:1. In practice, the image on the screen of the LG L196WTQ gets faded when viewed from below or from a side just as it does on any other TN matrix.

The exterior design of this monitor is very questionable, but I guess it will leave no one indifferent. The case with a black glossy plastic front panel is supported by a black glossy plastic stand. The only thing in this sleek design your eye may be hooked on is the LED of the Power button (the button itself is small and placed under the LED – it is barely visible when viewed from the front). To me, this design looks as if combining parts from two different devices, but tastes differ. There exists an all-black version of the monitor, by the way, which looks stern and classic.

Besides the traditional adjustment of the tilt of the screen, the L196WTQ permits to be rotated around the vertical axis by means of a rotating circle built into the bottom of the stand.

The stand can be easily replaced with a VESA mount.

The monitor’s got an ordinary selection of connectors: analog and digital inputs and a mains connector for the integrated power adapter.

Here, LG’s designers managed to hide the control buttons quite successfully on the bottom edge of the case, to the left of the center. This solution doesn’t seem to differ much from the previous one, yet you hit a wrong button less often, also due to the neat labels on the front panel. The buttons are responsive and move softly and my only gripe about them is that they are placed in the left part of the case. Most people are right-handed, and for them, controlling the monitor with the right hand is more natural. Here, you have to stretch your right hand to the left or press the buttons with your left hand instead.