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

I got one of these last week, and I'm extremely satisfied. I'm a serious gamer, and going from my old 17 inch NEC CRT monitor to this I was worried about the LCD latency problem. After using it for almost a week, I don't think I'll ever be going back to a CRT monitor. While the latency problem is there as with all LCDs, it only results in a very slight blurring around the edges of objects as they move onscreen, definitely not a big problem--and when you consider the low power consumption, low radiation, and incredible clarity of the monitor, this is a great purchase for anyone, gamers and casual users alike.

By the way, pair the black model of the 1530V with a pair of Monsoon MM-700 panel speakers by Songistix and you have one incredible looking--and sounding--desktop setup. =)

The moment I fired up this replacement monitor for my home system I swore that I would never purchase another CRT. Although being tied to the "optimum" resolution of 1024 X 768 is restrictive, everything looks so good that I don't mind. I've paired the unit with two high-end video adapters; 3Dfx VooDoo 5 5500 and NVidia GeForce3. In each case, the only quality degradation comes from blocky dark colors during DVD playback via WinDVD. The screen looks beautiful with Windows XP and quite attractive on Windows 2000. Video games look fantastic, but must be played at 1024 X 768 to not appear distorted.

I purchased this model primarily because of its price. The unit's design, size, and the inclusion of the power trasformer in the casing were all contributing factors. I'm also very pleased with the brightness of the diplay, even with ambient room light.

I would suggest downloading the INF and color correction files from NEC for the monitor from http://support.necmitsubishi.com/software.htm. This will replace "Plug and Play Monitor" with the monitor's actual name in the control panel in Windows 9x/Me/2000/XP. It will also limit the possible resolutions and refresh rates.

Five minutes after unpacking the NEC 1530V I was using the monitor as set up is very easy. The design is very striking and obviously quite sleek compared to a traditional monitor. The flat panel allowed me to reclaim my office desk area and the 15 inch flat panel seems to have as much viewing space as my 17 inch monitor (without the space requirements). Excellent color and I saw no visible shadows in text mode. I would recommend this product to anyone who is ready to venture into purchasing a flat panel monitor.

One of the nice differences over a CRT monitor is that the 1530V will auto size the screen to the edge of the frame - and I mean right to the edge - there is no wasted part of the screen that is not viewing area. I think this is possible because it is truely 100% flat - which eliminates any chance of distortion.

I have not used the controls on the monitor since it was purchased - it was just plug and play. And it is also a little brighter than even my Dell Inspiron portable display. I have no complaints and nothing but praise.

Think you still need to wait for those 17" LCD displays to fall in price? Think again. I have always loved my 15" SuperXGA+ LCD (1400 x 1050) display on my notebook because it gives me a "big" monitor feel in a small package, but this monitor is much brighter and just "feels" better on my eyes. Tack sharp text, amazing color saturation, small desktop footprint, and NEC quality make this display a real value. If you are in the market, this one deserves a look.