Refine search for Displays

  Leave a comment      Email this to a friend TrustedReviews Newsletters

Click to Enlarge
Click to Enlarge
Click to Enlarge
Click to Enlarge

Also like the NEC MultiSync LCD2070NX, the 1970GX uses the same OSD layout and four button controls with that little four-way directional stick that makes menu navigation a doddle. Furthermore, the menu options are also pretty much identical, including the six colour presets consisting of a non-adjustable native one, an sRGB mode, plus four defined colour temperatures where you can fine tune the RGB levels independently. The Dynamic Visual or DV mode also exists which boosts the picture’s vibrancy for working with pictures or viewing movies. The only differences seem to be that NEC has dropped the Sharpness and Expansion Mode settings.

As you’d expect for a display billed as a multimedia one, NEC sent the 1970GX with the Soundbar 70 – a detachable set of stereo speakers with volume control, audio-in, and headphone socket for use with the new 70-series range of monitors. Disappointingly, I later found out that this is an optional extra that retails for around the £50 mark. Nevertheless, I gave it a whirl and found that the speakers are more powerful and definitively clearer than many LCDs that come with integrated ones. However, I‘m sure many gamers will have their own independent speaker setups and the Soundbar 70 isn’t really a substitute for those. In a quiet room they’re fine, but the almost non-existant lower frequency bass response will makes those rumbling explosions and heavy bass lines practically disappear.

As for image performance, I’ve already pointed out the almost CRT-like quality of the LCD1970GX but no monitor can escape the closer scrutiny that DisplayMate and some real world testing can provide.

I have to say that during gaming and High Definition movie sequences the 1970GX looked splendid, and motions smearing was difficult to detect. However, with that stated 8ms response time I had to take a closer look. For this I fired up our Windows 98SE machine and DisplayMate’s motion test script and compared it to a 20ms LCD. For this I used the test screen where coloured text is overlaid onto various coloured backgrounds and the whole screen is moved at two speeds both across the diagonal and horizontally. That way I’m not just comparing the motion smearing that occurs during transitions from black to white and vice-versa. In the 20ms monitor I could clearly see motion smearing streaks trailing behind each individual letter of the text, but with the 1970GX these trails were much shorter indicating that the response time was quicker.

This as well as the vibrant colours, will be a welcomed result for gamers and for those who like to watch DVDs on their computer displays. That said, it’s not all a bed of roses and there were some other issues that arose during testing. First up, were the very narrow viewing angles, especially in the vertical plane where a distinct drop in illumination and a colour shift were observed from as little as 40 degrees from centre. From the sides this is a little wider at approximately 60 degrees from centre.

As for the greyscale and colour ramps these were smoothly stepped and there were no perceived changes in tint as they faded uniformly up until the deepest lowlights and strongest highlights where some compression occurred. This compression was confirmed in the low saturation colour tests where the extremes were blended into colours that differed in saturation by up to two to four per cent.

Nonetheless, I have to bear in mind the 1970GX’s target audience. These are not users where fine colour critical work and a non-reflective screen are paramount, but rather for those that are willing to trade off these factors for a screen that’s impressively punchy and has an excellent response time.

Verdict

At £378.49 this looks like a reasonably priced 19in LCD monitor intended for those that enjoy playing video games or watching movies in a darkened room. The 8ms response time helps keep motion smearing to a minimum too. A difficult monitor to rate because it largely depends on your use. For office work, and professional image editing there are better alternatives, but if your profile fits the one described in the first sentence then the NEC MultiSync LCD1970GX is a good choice.

Would you a like chance to win this monitor? Click here to enter our competition. (Closing date 1 July 2005).

Add your comment