Samsung SyncMaster 570V

In the world of monitors, it's widely believed that the slim and sexy TFT display will eventually supplant the big and boxy CRT, but when this will happen is anyone's guess. The problem is price - a 15in TFT monitor costs as much as two high-quality 17in CRT ones. Still, prices are coming down, albeit slowly.

At £449, the SyncMaster 570V isn't exactly cheap, but a similar monitor would have set you back around £700 a year ago. As TFT monitors go, the 570V is a touch on the dull side, but at least the casing around the screen is narrow and the controls along the bottom edge add a curvy flourish.

The monitor has a standard VGA socket on the back, so you can connect any monitor lead to it, should you manage to break the one supplied. There's also a power socket to which the brick-like mains adapter connects.

The 15in screen on the 570V offers roughly the same viewing area as a 17in CRT monitor but in a considerably smaller and lighter package. The difference is that TFT monitors are designed to display one specific resolution - 1024 x 768, in this case. So if you've cranked up your 17in CRT to a resolution of 1280 x 960 to get some extra on-screen elbow room, you might feel claustrophobic with so much displayed with the 570V.

While it can't display higher resolutions, the 570V can display lower ones; but as with all TFTs, this doesn't look great.

The 570V's crisp, bright screen makes using it a pleasure, with even fewer electromagnetic rays to worry about than with a CRT monitor. The screen can be tilted, raised and lowered and niftily rotated through 90 degrees.

Software is supplied to rotate the image, giving you a portrait-mode PC.

Contact
Samsung: 0800 521652 www.samsungelectronics.co.uk

ALSO CONSIDER

ADI MICROSCAN MICROSCAN I610
A nice, power-saving alternative with built-in speakers for extra space-saving.
£411 ****
Reviewed in Computeractive, Issue 89

See also:

Hitachi CML181SXW

An LCD monitor with a wide viewing angle and built-in speakers.  28 May 2002

ADI Microscan i610 LCD monitor

TFT monitors get ever cheaper with the arrival of ADI's latest model.  26 Jul 2001

CTX EX710F

An optical illusion makes the screen look flat on this good budget-priced 17in monitor.  03 Apr 2001

Sharp LL-T1510A

A good-looking flat-screen monitor with a built-in USB hub.  09 Mar 2001

Philips 109B20 Monitor

A 19in monitor that uses LightFrame software for a brighter picture.  02 Dec 2000

NEC MultiSync FP1370

A CRT monitor that could pose a threat to Sony and Mitsubishi.  16 Nov 2000

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