TFT Monitors

While a few hardcore gamers have stuck with CRT monitors, most of us have now come to the conclusion that the future of displays is slimline. Faster response times are making ghosting and blurring things of the past, and brightness and contrast levels have reached levels at which TFTs can compete with CRTs on even ground.

In fact, modern TFTs are so good that it's even worth ditching a first-generation TFT - complete with ugly, thick bezel, poor contrast and slow 25ms or more response time - in favour of something faster, bigger, better or just more stylish.

There's never been a better time to convert or upgrade. High-spec 17in panels are now available for well under £200. They offer ample desktop space, thanks to their 1,280 x 1,024 resolution - perfect for games and desktop applications - and pixel-perfect precision. For between £200 and £400, you can even stretch to a 19in TFT with the same 1,280 x 1,024 resolution. Although there's no increase in resolution, and therefore no increase in detail, the larger size is easier on tired eyes, and games and movies take on a more cinematic quality. With a budget of £500 or more, you're in luxury territory. If you have the cutting-edge components to make it happen, then you can play Far Cry, Doom 3 or Battlefield 2 at 1,600 x 1,200 on a 20in screen. Forget the hype about PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360; this is high-definition gaming, right here, right now.

Meanwhile, the benefits for anyone interested in video editing, design or image processing are clear.

With this in mind, we've rounded up monitors in all three categories - 17in, 19in and 20in - so that whichever size of monitor you have in mind (or whatever price your budget allows for), you'll be able to make the right choice. There are several winners, a couple of mingers, and plenty of models somewhere in between.

There are numerous programs for testing monitors, along with a range of expensive technical devices that test for colour accuracy and brightness levels, but we feel the best way to review displays is through real-world use. As in previous monitor tests, we used DisplayMate (www.displaymate.com) to put our TFT panels through their paces, but we won't give you a detailed breakdown of the results. It's helpful to know that a display has problems separating low-saturation tints from white, or distinguishing between dark greys and black. It's also interesting to discover if a display bands together similar colour tones instead of reproducing the whole range. This is why we make individual comments in reviews, and provide an overall technical score. However, these are only background observations. What counts is how the TFT performs while you play games, watch DVD movies or just do regular everyday tasks: Web-browsing, email, writing dubious blogs, and viewing digital images and photos.

All of the tests were carried out using DisplayMate's basic contrast and brightness setup screens in order to optimise performance. Colour settings and specialist modes were set to the most appropriate options or left at defaults. For example, if there was a 'movie' mode, we used this for DVD playback (although we also experimented with other modes). All of the tests were carried out at the native resolution, with the colour depth set to 32-bit. The exception was 3D games tests on the 20in panels, in which we tested at both the native 1,600 x 1,200 resolution, and also 1,280 x 1,024 ,in order to achieve the high frame rates that might cause lesser panels to blur.

DVD MOVIES

Our test DVD, the Superbit version of 'Bad Boys 2', poses a tough challenge for any display. The film's constant, high-speed camera movement, and excess of texture and detail, will betray any signs of smearing. Scenes that switch between deliberately overexposed, bright high-speed chases and richly coloured, partly shadowed indoor gunfights are a great test of colour and contrast. For a film in which cars are literally thrown across the highway and entire locations are practically wrecked by gunfire, a TFT needs to work hard to keep up.

GAMES

While Far Cry has its bright tropical paradise, and Half-Life 2 beats it for scale and spectacle, Doom 3 is still the ultimate test for TFTs. You need plenty of contrast to fight monsters in the shadows, and the sudden shifts between bright light and gothic gloom stretched the monitors to their limits. We looked particularly closely for two things: how well the TFT picked out texture detail in dark conditions; and whether there was blurring during rapid turns or other fast movements.

EVERYDAY

As we aren't all professional photographers or designers, perfect colour fidelity and detailed colour tuning aren't our concern. What is our concern is ensuring that a monitor delivers the goods in standard everyday tasks - such as Internet use and basic applications - and that images are reproduced with clarity, a full range of colours, natural tones and good contrast. We checked for sharp text and a bright, comfortable desktop, and worked through a range of five megapixel digital photos in Photoshop to check whether our displays could deal with skin tones, architectural detail, atmospheric skies, and the usual sun, sea and sand.

We also compared viewing angles across the group, particularly vertical angles, where colours darken, or even invert, when viewed from too high or too low. These factors were combined to give a final everyday score.