Philips Brilliance 107b

The 107b has a distinctive look about it, reminiscent of many Philips products in the consumer marketplace. It's unique in this test as a 'multimedia' display with built-in stereo audio and a microphone. Not surprisingly, audio output quality is barely acceptable, descending into distortion at very modest volume levels. This is made worse by the fact that the speakers are positioned in the sides of the case and facing slightly to the rear. The microphone is placed at the top of the tube bezel and would be sufficient for video-conferencing and voice modem use.

The 107b is rather low end in terms of performance; the overall impression is of a display that has been optimised for brightness in the manner of a television, at the expense of definition and sharpness. The result is a monitor that's rather soft and only just passes the horizontal resolution tests. The screen is too reflective as well, and consequently fails on the dark screen/anti-glare test. The only really impressive area was screen regulation which proved rock steady in the face of tests which had many of the other monitors putting in shaky performances.

The overall performance of the Philips is consistent in most areas, but it fails to excel in many tests, leading to an average score and an average display. It's also one of the few displays to exhibit any signs of white level shift. The moirÚ adjustment controls were good at reducing moirÚ, but made the monitor practically unusable in the process, introducing hideous vertical edge distortions and display jitter.

The four-button OSD is relatively straightforward and easy to use, but the weighty manual, covering 11 languages, wasn't much help since it details a different system to the one that our unit actually had. Brightness and contrast adjustment are catered for with standard analog knobs, as is the audio volume. A 3.5mm headphone socket also adorns the fascia, probably the best use for the audio capability of the unit. An ergonomic point in its favour is the excellent physical balance of the monitor on its stand, making tilt and swivel adjustments a one-handed operation.

Given the strength of its competition, the 107b looks pretty poor. Image quality is surpassed by many other displays costing considerably less. Its basic warranty is a mere one-year return-to-base agreement, making it a bad choice for business, since you'll be left stranded with no display if it ever goes wrong. Consequently, it's difficult to recommend the Philips.