Iiyama Prolite C480T

More of a home entertainment display than a standard monitor, the 19in Prolite C480T is Iiyama's first foray into the LCD TV market. The unit is rather minimalist in appearance, with all controls and ports hidden out of sight and a pair of 5w Nicam stereo speakers mounted one either side of the display area. These are detachable so the Prolite can easily be integrated into an existing home entertainment or PC system and the entire unit can be wall mounted.

Tucked away behind the top edge is a set of six control buttons for switching inputs, adjusting settings and navigating the OSM (on-screen menu). If fiddling around with so many concealed controls sounds like a lot of bother, you'll be pleased to hear that a remote control is included to make the whole process a lot easier. A headphone socket hides behind the right edge of the ultra-skinny bezel, while the left-hand side plays host to a TV antenna socket, Scart port and component audio and video sockets. DVI, power and PC audio inputs bring up the rear.

The screen has a maximum resolution of 1,280 x 1,024 pixels and in tests image quality was excellent. If the panel is to be used for TV or film viewing, wide viewing angles are essential and the Iiyama didn't disappoint with virtually no deterioration in picture quality or colour rendition even when viewed from the most taxing angles. Areas of tonal graduation were smoothly reproduced and screens of solid colour were uniform right into the corners of the screen. Whites were clean and, while blacks could have been a little richer, this is a minor criticism of an otherwise impressive monitor. The three-year on-site warranty is a bonus.

Contact: Iiyama 01438 745482
www.iiyama.co.uk

Specifications:

• 19in LCD MVA flat panel
• 1,280 x 1,024 pixel resolution
• DVI (VGA-to-DVI converter cable included)
• TV antenna
• Scart
• Component video and PC audio inputs
• 8.9kg
• 560 x 185 x 397mm (w x d x h)
• 430 cd/sq m
• 600:1 contrast ratio
• 170 degree horizontal and vertical viewing angles