AG Neovo S-17 review

By far the most rugged of this month's competitors, the stylish S-17 is the only panel to have a protective cover. AG Neovo calls this the NeoV Crystal Optic Filter (NCOF) and it's designed to enhance colour definition and image sharpness while being easier on the eye. It also offers scratch protection, but becomes highly reflective when darker colours are displayed.

Test results were wildly mixed. While it performed admirably in our real-world tests, those of a more technical nature flummoxed it. This hit-and-miss nature was most noticeable in the ramp tests, where it produced a sublime range of colour tones and then the worst greyscale tonal range on show. The latter saw either white or black extremes being chopped off far too soon depending on how the brightness was adjusted. Also, the spectrum test saw blue transitions appearing as harsh bands.

However, the NCOF made the DVD look great and helped produce a very bright and crisp Desktop. Unfortunately, its limited tonal range means people will find themselves regularly adjusting the brightness if, for example, a game environment appears too bright or too dark.

AG sensibly bundles a DVI cable to accompany the DVI interface, but despite this the overall image quality is merely average. The S-Video input could prove useful, but there's no picture-in-picture function and no speakers - and the optional TV tuner adds £53 to the price. In the end, it costs too much for not enough quality.