I decided to splurge and buy a large 19" monitor for my new HP 8785C. For a while I was hot swapping the monitor cable of my old 17" monitor between my old and new computer as I transferred files. I did not do any damage, but I figured this was not the safest thing to do and might eventually damage the connectors at the back of the machines. I also wanted to move the old computer to another room with its own monitor. HP monitors I have seen have a noticeable flicker. Viewsonic monitors have always been highly rated in the computer magazines so I checked out their models at the computer store.

Comparing a less expensive Viewsonic "curved" monitor to this "PerfectFlat" monitor was impressive. There really is a big difference. With a regular curved monitor, I could see the glare from eight overhead lights at the store. With the PF790, I could only see one or two lights, which were only barely visible and without any glare. At home, I know that I have to turn off or carefully position the room lights to avoid glare on my old 17" monitor. The PF790 also had a sharp picture, great contrast and brightness, and minimal or no flicker.

Getting this baby home was no small challenge. The monitor and its box are very large. There are cut out handles at the heaviest (front) end of the box, so I could lift it even with my bad back. But fitting it into the front seat of my little two door coupe was like trying to deliver a 10 pound baby (i.e. very tight). Once home, the directions on the box describe the upside down, cut open, and roll over method for removing the monitor. This is definitely better for your back, but what if you need to return the monitor and the box is destroyed? You would probably have to pay a restocking fee.

As I set this monitor up, I noticed how large and deep it was. The manual recommends an 18" stand off distance (and I agree) between the screen and your eyes. This means you will need a fairly deep desk top for comfortable viewing. If your desk space is limited, go for a 17" monitor instead.

The picture quality (at first impression) was amazing. It was as large as a good sized TV set, yet much sharper. It was also refreshing to have a monitor powerful and bright enough that I did not have to max out the brightness and contrast controls. I have the brightness set to only 20% and the contrast to 65% and the screen is plenty bright. It also does not need any "warm up" period to reach full brightness as did my old 17" monitor. I would recommend setting your brightness to the lowest comfortable level for lower energy consumption and longer monitor life. Because of the large viewing area, it suddenly made more sense to watch DVD movies on a computer screen. But later I came across two annoying traits of this monitor, only one of which was correctable.

The first annoying feature were two thin horizontal lines, one a quarter from the top and the other a quarter from the bottom of the screen. These are most visible when there is a white background when reading text. I also notice this when playing NHL hockey games (the ice is white). I later found out this is an inherent artifact of flat screen technology and have seen this on other flat screen brands as well (i.e. Trinitron). This did not go away with new monitor drivers or changing settings. I will just have to get used to it. I am a radiologist, so I am very sensitive to subtle lines; you may not be bothered by this at all. If you try this monitor at the store, ask to see it with a plain white display; most screen demos are dark or colorful and will hide this artifact.

The second annoying feature was a green tinge to the lower right corner of the screen. This was especially annoying when watching DVD movies or reading text with a white back ground. I found out that moving the computer away from the monitor diminished but did not eliminate the green tinge. I think there is a shielding defect. By the third day, I was just about ready to pack up and return this monitor until I read the manual. The manual revealed that there are actually three "pages" of on screen options (I thought there was only one page). One of these options is for Purity, which lets you adjust for tinge at the corners. This did fix the problem. Shame on me for not reading the manual before plugging it in, but shame on Viewsonic for not setting the Purity correctly at the factory. I still think there is a shielding defect. Am I supposed to keep my computer 10 feet from the monitor with a 4 foot cable?

In retrospect, I think I should have bought the curved screen model Viewsonic instead. I would have saved $200 and not have to put up with the horizontal line artifact. I paid $499 with a $20 rebate.



Recommended: No

Amount Paid (US$): 479
Operating System: Windows