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I’ve just got back from watching Crystal Palace win at home against Fulham and after viewing a high proportion of the game on the club’s giant screen, I now find myself viewing a much smaller one in the shape of Relisys’ 19inch TL966B. In fact, I have just swapped my trusty old 17in TFT monitor with this unit and the first differences I notice are the larger fonts and icons that appear on my desktop. Of course, my actual desktop area remains the same as my old monitor at 1,280 x 1,024 pixels, so the only real gain I have made from jumping an extra two inches along the diagonal is one of visual size.

Now for those who prefer bigger characters that are somewhat easier on the eye this may make sense. However, one of the big issues with 19in monitors is whether this is actually worth paying for, when you can opt for a 17in with the same resolution and usually a lower price tag.

That of course depends on the cost of the 19in unit, which in this case is a highly competitive £334.97 (inc VAT), but make sure you shop around as the price seems to vary greatly between shops and more strangley between the two available colours (black or white). Furthermore, do not confuse it with the TL966AB which is newer but only comes with an analogue D-SUB port as opposed to the TL966B’s dual connectivity provided by both a DVI-D and a D-SUB port. Relysis also scores plus points for providing a DVI cable, so there’s no need to fork out extra for that before you can enjoy a typically crisper, cleaner picture via the digital interface.

The unit, obvious from our pictures, is an all-black affair (hence the B in the model name) with a relatively narrow bezel that runs along the three upper sides. These and the black colour offset the picture very effectively, especially when editing images. The lower part of the bezel is thicker, but has to be so that Relisys can squeeze in a set of stereo speakers, which despite their 1W per channel rating are the loudest speakers I’ve come across for some time.

Granted, at the upper end of the volume scale distortion is clearly audible but by tweaking the ‘old school’ volume dial mounted vertically to the right of the power button, you should be able to find a clear level adequate for playing music while you work. If you want more privacy, a headphone socket can be found in a position that mirrors the volume dial. However, this will only work if the supplied audio cable has been hooked up between your PC’s audio-out and the audio-in jack located at the back of the monitor.

Now at this price, and the fact that the TL966B is multimedia ready and DVI enabled, some compromises must have been made. In this case it would appear to be the stand rather than the general quality of the panel, which I’ll discuss in a moment. This is a tilt-only monitor, so if you're after a monitor with a swivelling base, height adjustment, and a pivoting screen, then the TL966B is not for you. Personally, I found that it sat too low on my desk so you may find that a couple of books or a monitor shelf will raise the screen to a more comfortable eye level.

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