Philips 109B43

Philips 109B43

Good controls (Color esp.: RGB, color temp slider for many gradients from 9300-5500K); Above Average software, controls, and documentation; Flat screen; Low cost; Reasonable refresh rates at high res.

Weaknesses: Missing some controls such as Pincusion and Moire; Lattice-style screen produces an aliasing effect and limits image acuity; Monitor physical depth is somewhat inconvenient.
Overall Evaluation: After my Dell M990 began to break down, I searched and finally decided on this monitor for home use. Overall I am satisified with it, and for most purposes the picture looks great. However, if you demand perfect visual acuity, its somewhat difficult to recommend this monitor. The PCWorld review is correct--it looks great all things considered--yet there is a fundamental issue with the display. I don't know the proper term, but if you peer very closely at the screen you see that there is a noticeable lattice arrangement of pixels-- a very thin diagonal crosshatch pattern between the active pixels. This produces a natural aliasing effect that is most noticeable on text and sharp lines, and increases at higher resolutions. At 1280x1024, lines become somewhat blurred, at 1600x1200 they shimmer; upon closer inspection it is easy to see that this natural lattice aliasing is the problem. Despite this major issue, the monitor is indeed a good value for a 19" monitor. Its color controls are very thorough, and despite the stated average dot pitch, the monitor is very flat. Overall I am satisfied. For comparison, the current Syncmaster 955DF is a valid rival to this mointor, though it suffers from slight washout unlike the 109B43. In sum: With all its advantages, the 109B43 is definitely at the high end of the budget monitor tier, but the lattice aliasing keeps it from being an exceptional value for a mid-, high-end crowd like the M990 or Syncmaster 950P were.