Product Reviews

The moment we unwrapped Phillips' 190S5FS 19in flat-panel display, we wanted to like it. Clad in sophisticated shades of silver and grey, it's so good-looking, it has that effect on you.

What impressed us less was the stand. Many flat panels allow you to adjust the display's angle and height: the Philips 190S5FS has only a hinge, which lets you adjust the screen's angle.

Compensation came when we inspected the Philips 190S's setup menu. It was clear, easy to use, and made changing settings very easy, though very little tweaking was required. After we connected the Philips to our standard test PC, we pressed the display's Auto setup button and, within a few seconds the screen was adjusted to our liking.

But monitors are all about picture quality, and no design can make up for a screen that doesn't cut the mustard. So, how does the 190S5FS measure up?

When we looked around the back of the monitor,

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our hopes flagged. The Philips only has an analogue signal input, rather than the digital DVI connectors you'll find even on cheaper screens. An analogue input requires the graphics card to convert the image from its original digital form into analogue to pass down the monitor cable. The monitor then has to convert the analogue back into digital, which degrades picture quality.

In spite of this limitation, the Philips produces a decent image. In our greyscale test, a test card moving from pure white to black via shades of grey, the 190S5FS performed very well. The progression from black to white was smooth and free of fuzziness - as it should be.

Next we assessed the machine's colour performance. Colours were bright and well saturated. It also managed to differentiate well between very subtly different shades.

Close inspection revealed the panel had no dead pixels. As a class II monitor, you could return it if it had three or more.

Finally, we assessed the display's ability to cope with fast-moving video. Again we were impressed, as the Philips coped well, keeping everything fluid and smooth. The Philips 190S5FS also has a wide viewing angle, allowing a group of people to sit around the screen, and enjoy a decent view.

Despite the lack of a DVI connector, and an average stand, the Philips 190S5FS is an excellent monitor. Its image quality is fine and, for a 19in panel, £250 (inc VAT) is really quite reasonable. All this makes the Philips 190S an excellent buy.