Home > Consumer Reviews > NEC 1530V-BK 15" LCD Flat Panel Monitor

Finally, LCD monitors are not prohibitively expensive for those of us on a budget! Many people are wary when they hear 15 inches, but the viewable image size is the same as that of most 17" monitors. Unfortunately, with a LCD, you are stuck at 1024 x 768 resolution, whereas with a 17" CRT, you can change the resolution to whatever you like. The advantage of fixed pixels is that the image is extremely crisp and clear - absolutely no fuzziness or bluriness. However, if you use interpolation to change the resolution to something lower than the native 1024 x 768, the LCD has to use discrete pixels to compensate for partial pixels and the results is something extremely fuzzy and hard to look at. Thus, for many gamers, I do not recommend this display, as refresh times are inferior to CRTs, and resolution is limited to a single option. Another drawback to this LCD is that it is actually not very bright. One thing you lose when you buy a cheaper LCD is brigtness. While all LCD's are signifiicalty dimmer than CRTs, the 1530V-BK is not even as bright as its competitors. If your work environment is an office with few windows and not much light, you probably won't notice a problem. However, if you plan on working in an space where natural light can reflect off your screen, you will quickly find that your monitor becomes nearly unusable. What about color consistancy? Many have railed against LCDs for their poor color accuracy, but the truth is that unless you are a professional graphic designer - and anyone buying this ... monitor is probably not in the graphics design industry - colors look great and this argument is not an issue. Another nice thing about this monitor is that it runs very cool and quiet, and will save you a lot on your electricity bill and general fatigue. Personally, I am very fond of the black color, as it looks much more professional and less cheap and generic than some comparably-priced no-name beige LCDs. Viewing angle is acceptable, although more expensive LCDs and certainly any CRT is more impressive in this arena. Thus, if you plan on using your monitor to give presentations, you should probably look elsewhere. Text appears crisp and readable, as long as it is not too small, and the image is rock solid. Overall, a highly-recommended product for general use unless your needs fall into the categories I warned against in this review!

I wanted an LCD monitor to add to my SOHO business on a desk with very limited space. Since I am used to CRT monitors of 17in and above I was a bit hesitant to go for a 15in LCD monitor.

To my pleasant surprise I found that 15in LCD equals 17in CRT monitor in viewing size.

Now, comparing this to my other 17in CRT monitor (a Samsung SyncMaster 750s): * The screen size is approximately the same (the viewing area of this monitor is actually 15.1 in which is less than 1/2in smaller than the "17in" CRT. So it actually feels like a 17in !!) * The dot pitch in 0.3mm, slighly greater than my CRT monitor which is 0.24mm (H) and 0.14mm (V). However, there is no noticeable difference! (Unless you position your head less than 2ft from the screen). * There is a slight noise when you move any Window (I am running Windows2000) with this LCD monitor. This noise is absent in the CRT monitor. * The appearance, weight, footprint, and screen controls in the LCD monitor blow away my CRT monitor * The picture quality is in this LCD monitor crisper and the color saturation better than my CRT monitor

In summary, this monitor exceeded my expectations. I am very happy with it.

A very nice, cost-effective LCD monitor. After using a CRT of the highest quality, this LCD stuns one with its clarity and color saturation. It appears to have relatively low persistance time, as I have played any number of mpeg2 movies (but you *do* see the slightest noise in the picture that was masked with an analog monitor).

It is quite true that the 15.1 in LCD equals a 17 inch CRT - I measured them and they were only fractions of an inch different.

I have two reservations: Firstly, as text fonts change, especially to small sizes, the text becomes harder to read. Secondly, and maybe this is an illusion, the the image seems to bend inward (concave) to my eye...if I turn the monitor, I can see it is absolutely straight, but too my eye this flatness looks like it has a slight push inward.

What a handsome, stylish, black LCD. Feather-weight too--only 10 lbs!

Took us seconds to first situate our first LCD on our desk, then switch to 1024 x 768 setting, & wah-la, before your eyesappears a sharp-looking 15" monitor that display more like a 17" one. The control buttons are easy to operate, with its sturdy base(unlike other LCD's that I've tried my hands on) allowing screen-tilt-movement with just 2 fingers.

Definitely not going back to the conventional monitor!

This addition to our start-up business venture complements really well, as ours is a typical medical office with limited space.

We're now considering a second purchase for our SOHO. LCD is definitely the future that has arrived. Thanks, Amazon.

The NEC 1530V is an absolute winner. Price, image quality, footprint, ease-of-use, you name it. . . I use a Radeon 64MB DDR video card which allows me to set the monitor at the recommended resolution: 1024 x 768. Any lower resolution makes the image look pretty ugly and the monitor shows an annoying warning sign which keeps popping up saying you're not using the optimal resolution. The auto adjust function is excellent!!! Just press one button and the image fits automatically and perfectly within the screen. The on-screen menu is very intuitive and easy to use (I still haven't even touched the instructions manual).

One drawback: you can't regulate the monitor's height or swivel it. All you can do is regulate the angle or remove the arm and hang it on the wall.

Nevertheless, it's the best purchase I've done.

At this price, don't bother looking into other brands . . . Not worth the effort. You can't go wrong with this one.