Verdict: An excellent screen, but the wrong shape
People who watch films on their PCs will turn their noses up at the square shape of LG's L1960TR, as widescreen 16:9 or 16:10 displays are much better options for movies. Gamers, spoilt by a recent succession of well-priced, high-resolution widescreen panels, won't look too kindly on the LG having the same 1,280 x 1,024 resolution as that of a 17in TFT. It's the kind of resolution that makes World of Warcraft more about arranging fiddly icons than exploring a fantasy world and being able to level grind in peace.
So why would anyone want the LG L1960TR? The main technical spec that LG champions is the fact that it's capable of a 3000:1 contrast ratio; this is a big number, especially when you consider most TFTs are typically 700:1 or 800:1. Plus, at £180, it's a lot cheaper than our current Elite-listed 20.1in monitor, the £275 Belinea 10 20 35W.
Despite having the same resolution as that of a 17in screen, as it's a 19in model, it's stretched over a physically larger area, which means that videos and games make a bigger impact. It can also be watched from further away, although lower pixel density blunts perceived sharpness.
The LG is also a rather attractive piece of kit. Despite the appealing price tag, LG hasn't skimped on the styling. The simplicity of the screen's black frame is interrupted only by a Batman-esque V-shape towards the bottom right-hand side, which incorporates a touch-sensitive power button and power status light. The rest of the screen's controls are hidden along the right-hand side of the frame.
This neatness continues around the back of the screen. A large blanking plate ensures that cables or unsightly plugs will be neatly hidden from sight. However, the unit's small external power brick adds extra clutter to your desk. The LG has both a digital DVI and analogue D-SUB connection, and is refreshingly devoid of cheap and nasty built-in speakers.
Unless you're a hobbit or have a desk built for a BFG, the LG sits too low down on the desk. Unfortunately, the lack of height adjustment means that you'll either have to use a third-party stand (or a pile of old copies of CPC) to raise the monitor, or simply tilt the screen and look down on it, which is hardly ideal for your posture.
When we first switched on the LG, everything appeared to have a dirty, yellow tint. The pre-set modes in the screen's OSD were pretty shoddy as well. In 'Movie mode' the display's colours were more akin to an Andy Warhol portrait than real life, with too much saturation and contrast, while 'text' mode didn't quite bring out enough colour. Turning down the brightness and manually adjusting the RGB values dramatically improved the image quality. With custom settings, colours appeared both vibrant and clean, and both games and films looked stunning.
Need for Speed: Carbon is an especially difficult game to get looking good as it features dull, grey nocturnal cities and brown canyons. With the LG, the shadows felt deeper and moodier than usual, while the touches of neon and unfeasibly shiny cars glistened with brightness and electric colours. The gorgeous 'Paradise' level in Far Cry was similarly impressive, with the LG's rich colours adding punch to the saturated greens and azure blues of the tropical setting.
HD film trailers also looked good. The LG offered punchier, prettier colour than our Elite-listed 17in screen, the Asus PM17TE, while still managing to bring out more detail and subtlety in skin tones. Such deep colour and crisp contrast is all the more impressive considering that, unlike the Asus, the LG has a matt rather than reflective glossy finish. Matt screens usually play second fiddle to glossy screens when it comes to rich colour, but this isn't the case with the LG.
The LG isn't perfect, though, and our technical tests revealed more banding than we'd hoped to see in the greyscale tests, which suggests slightly ropey gamma correction. With high contrast levels, light colours, particularly yellow and pale shades of grey, became washed out too quickly. Add to this the slightly blockier image of a 19in panel compared with that of a 17in, and the LG probably won't satisfy those looking for accurate digital photo reproduction.
You also shouldn't be blinded by the spec list. The LG's 3000:1 contrast ratio sounds peerless but, in the special high-contrast mode that supposedly provides this, we thought that the screen looked garish. A 2ms response time sounds similarly fantastic, but then again, most contemporary TFTs can handle fast movement flawlessly, and the LG isn't unique in providing crisp action. The high 300cd/m2 brightness of the screen is perhaps the most promising spec, since we found that the LG looked better at lower brightness levels; as the backlight naturally dims over time, you'll be able to compensate for this by upping the brightness levels, thereby extending the monitor's useful life.
Conclusion
If this were a 20.1in widescreen panel, there'd be no doubt as to its attractiveness but, with its square shape and relatively low native resolution, a 19in panel isn't currently top of our wish list.
However, if you think that 17in panels look too small, but still want a cheap monitor to pair with a budget graphics card without forgoing image quality in games and films, then the LG L1960TR should be at the top of your list.
