Product Reviews

Its DVI input and superb image quality put the Philips Brilliance 150P2 straight onto our A List. It then swept away the competition in our 15in TFTs Labs (see Labs, issue 85) and has remained on our A List ever since. But times have changed - superb 17in TFTs like the Eizo FlexScan L565 (see Reviews, issue 93, p118) now cost £549, so a £399 15in TFT needs to offer something special.

Luckily, the 150P3A does precisely that. It's incredibly bright: even at half its maximum settings it produces a brilliant, pure white. The only slight disappointment is the vertical viewing angles if you tilt the screen, but it's fine face-on and horizontally.

Brightness is the only instantly accessible control; you have to press your way through the

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OSD to change the contrast. Otherwise, the OSD is easy to navigate, although default colour temperatures were slightly suspect. Instead of reproducing pure and bright colours, the 9,300K setting had a dull and blue-tinged image. The original panel colour default settings produced spot-on results.

The 150P3A also held its own in the DisplayMate Multimedia Edition tests, with sharp horizontal and vertical resolution, even through the analog input. We were amazed at the results: not a hint of electrical interference on the moire montage patterns, and we didn't even have to adjust the phase and clock settings. The image quality is even better on DVI, although no DVI cable is supplied. The colour fading and blending tests were handled admirably and showed an even colour spread, although there was noticeable stepping, particularly in greyscales.

The 'A' in 150P3A refers to the integrated speakers, neatly controlled by a stand-mounted volume control. The 150P3E model comes without speakers and is available in black or beige. The more important feature is the stand, which can mount the panel in both portrait and landscape and comes with full Pivot software. All that's lacking is a USB hub. Combine these features with an embedded power supply, non-captive digital and analog inputs plus superb image quality and it's a winner.