lap0530's Full Review: SVA-USA VR 17S 17 inch LCD Monitor
Having debuted in the United States in 2000, SVA-USA is hardly a household name. However, retail partnerships with the likes of Office Depot, Costco, Tweeter, and RCWilley have allowed the mass distribution of SVA's televisions, LCD monitors, and DVD players. SVA Group USA, Inc. is the U.S. subsidiary of one of China's largest advanced technology and information technology companies. SVA has achieved both ISO 9001 certification for quality and ISO 14001 for environmental management.
We found the SVA VR-17S 17-inch flat panel monitor for $370 at Office Depot and were immediately attracted by both the low price and the bright display. Unfamiliar with the brand, we did the research that led to our conclusion that the SVA was a solid choice. We bought the unit immediately for a Christmas present and have not been disappointed.
The specs on the VR-17S are as follows:
Weight: 12.8 lb.
Display: 17.0" TFT Active Matrix LCD
View Angle: 150 /140 (H/V) Colors: 16.7 million
Resolution- max: 1280 x 1024
Pixel pitch: 0.264mm
Brightness: 250cd/m
Contrast Ratio: 400:1
Response time: 45ms
Size: 17.2"w x 17.8"h x 7.1"d
Warranty: 3 year
The monitor is silver with blue trim, and looks very attractive. It has serviceable built-in speakers, though with our own SoundBlaster surround-sound system we didn't need that feature. Initial installation of the monitor on Christmas day was truly uneventful–plug and play is definitely here to stay. The monitor appeared just as bright at home as it had in the store, and we were very pleased with our purchase and our frugality.
A few days later, we attempted to upgrade the video card in our computer, and the SVA along with Windows XP decided to revert to the lowest screen resolution. XP informed us that we could increase the resolution, but that facility was disabled. Neither would the SVA's own built-in adjustments work. A quick visit to the Windows Update web site allowed me to download the latest NVIDIA driver for the Geforce card, and the settings were now easy to reconfigure.
The VR-17S has a maximum display resolution of 1280 x 1024, and in our experience at that resolution produces a clean image that is extremely bright for an active-matrix monitor, rivaling the CRT monitor we were replacing. The VR-17S has an anti-glare coating, and produces excellent contrast. The .264mm pixel pitch produces sharp lines, and the color rendering is superb. We have noticed, however, that at the highest resolution certain areas of the screen appear slightly grainy when viewing small-font text.
A very nice feature of the VR-17S is its auto-adjust ability. Found through the onscreen menu, this facility forces the monitor to use the full screen at any set resolution, and at the maximum 1280 x 1024 uses every bit of available screen edge-to-edge. Minor tweaking can be accomplished through the manual adjustments, but we found the auto adjust to produce exceptional results.
Offers One Of The Brightest Images Of Any 17" Flat Panel Display On The Market Today. The Ideal Solution For Professionals Whose Work Space Is Limited...More at Target
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