Planar PE191M

Planar is another company that we have been following for a long time. Although not as successful as ViewSonic, Planar certainly has made waves in the past by taking some of the best performing designs and panels and rebranding them under the Planar label. We grabbed another entry level monitor for our roundup and we weren't disappointed.



Looks on this monitor were, again, very basic. The monitor comes with some adjustable functionality along the y-axis, but remains largely stationary. Specifications for the monitor are also mediocre.

 Planar PE191M
LCD 19" SXGA LCD (Active Matrix)
pixel pitch: 0.294mm
Anti-glare coating
Scanning Frequency Horizontal: 31-80kHz
Vertical: 56-76Hz
Response Time 25ms (Typical)
Contrast Ratio 600:1 (Typical)
Compatibility 1280 x 1024 (Native)
Brightness 250 cd/m2
Viewing Angle 170 / 170 (Horizontal / Vertical)
Warranty 3 years parts and labor
Interface DVI
15-pin D-sub

Unfortunately, our Planar came with a few stuck pixels. We tried to rub these pixels out with a Q-Tip, but unfortunately, to no avail. Past Planar LCDs that we have bought for the lab are of very good quality, and it seems that this unit was probably just a fluke.



Click to enlarge.


The PE191M adds to our roundup nicely with average response time, average luminance and average contrast ratios. Even the user interface was fairly average. Planar didn't get anything wrong in the OSD, but it didn't dazzle us.

NuTech L921G Samsung SyncMaster 193P
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  • KristopherKubicki - Tuesday, November 30, 2004 - link

    Interesting, let me look into this. My 2001FP is A00 as well and i've had mine for over a year now. (No problems though).

    Do you know how much of a delay there is?

    Kristopher
  • Cat - Tuesday, November 30, 2004 - link

    My boss's is A00. I'm assuming mine is as well, since I bought it a few days after he did. This was about a month and a half ago.
  • KristopherKubicki - Tuesday, November 30, 2004 - link

    Angry Kid: We couldnt get a VP912B in time for the roundup. I am working on doing an individual review on that one though.

    Cat: On the back of your monitor near the serial it should say the REV number, like A01 or A00. Can you tell me which number it says on all those monitors?

    Kristopher
  • blackmetalegg - Tuesday, November 30, 2004 - link

    And what's the color depth for the VP912b? It's not mentioned anywhere on Viewsonic's website and google didn't turn up anything. I'm torn between VP912b(supposed 8-bit panel) and FP937S(6-bit)...
  • KristopherKubicki - Tuesday, November 30, 2004 - link

    Ensign: Fixed.

    Kristopher
  • KingofFah - Tuesday, November 30, 2004 - link

    #19, I have no clue when it comes to LCDs, so thanks for giving me that information. How many images are drawn on an LCD in a second (if they even do that at a fixed rate, i dont know)?

    If there is no refresh rate given, I assume that the response time could be equated to the gaming performance of the monitor. In that case I'd want the fastest possible response times, and I do not think that the price would justify it. I think image quality, speed, and clarity go to a CRT. Size, power usage, and eye care seem to be the concern for LCDs. I've got plenty of space, don't use the computer that often, and don't care about power usage.
  • Araemo - Tuesday, November 30, 2004 - link

    Is the NuTech L921G an 8 bit or 6 bit panel? it doesn't say in the specs.

    How about the Planar PE191M? or the Samsung SyncMaster 193P?

    I'm not trying to nitpick guys, but I've been burnt by missing specs before ("Well, the review didn't mention it, so it must not be a problem..."), so I don't want to simply assume they're 8-bit when you didn't mention them(Since that wasn't stated in the intro)
  • Angry Kid - Tuesday, November 30, 2004 - link

    Agree with many of the others - why were none of the more recent, more high-end 19" LCDs tested?

    It would've been nice to see the ViewSonic VP912B FEATURED IN THE NOVEMBER GAMER BUYER'S GUIDE included.

    =/
  • garfieldonline - Tuesday, November 30, 2004 - link

    I have been working with order people, and I can say many of them prefer their resolution around 1024x768. I may be wrong, but as for LCD monitors, if they are not running at their optimal resolution, the screen tends to look a bit blur. This is not a problem with CRT monitor, things are sharp as long as the resolution is within the limit.
  • Araemo - Tuesday, November 30, 2004 - link

    "It's the same friggin reason why people buy a 50" TV instead of a small 20""

    I doubt it, since most people I know buy a 50" so they can sit 20 feet away and still pick out the super-model's pimples. But not many computer users sit 20 feet back from their monitors(Or even signifigantly further back with bigger screens)

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