BenQ FP767

We recommended the feature-laden BenQ FP791 a few months ago (see issue 104, p78) when it impressed us with its TV-tuner option, digital picture frame ability, speakers and great styling. The FP767 represents a threadbare version without DVI or much of a semblance of styling. But has quality suffered in this cost-reducing effort?

The FP767 passed most tests with only two failures. Its main problems came when displaying extreme bright and dark greyscale tones, although its all-round blending performance and colour tonal range proved acceptable. Viewing angles were also relatively poor, but at this end of the market they should prove adequate for most users.

Although not the most technically proficient of panels, the FP767 performed admirably in the real-world tests. The simple action of pressing the auto-adjust iKey showed how the gap between analog and DVI performance has closed considerably, with a bright, sharp Desktop appearing before us. Even the small-lettered icon labels were perfectly focused and readable. The 16ms response time, which rivals CRTs, means games don't have any lag, although detail was lost in shadow areas. Watching the DVD highlighted no problems.

At £268, the BenQ is the cheapest 17in TFT we've tested and yet it's still up to most tasks. It offers only 1in less viewable diagonal than our A-Listed 19in CRT, the Iiyama Vision Master Pro 454 and costs only a few pounds more. We still recommend stretching to either the Sharp or ADi, but if this isn't an option the BenQ is worth considering.