The CTX S730 is one of only two displays in our 17-inch LCD roundup that sell for less than $500. In fact, it's the cheapest model reviewed here, just edging out the Sharp LL-T17A3. But that doesn't mean it's a bargain. The CTX unit offers helpful documentation and an attractive bezel, but its performance is painfully poor. It had the lowest peak brightness and the second-lowest contrast ratios among the 17-inch LCDs we reviewed.

The S730 handles ordinary office apps well, but it isn't suited to much else. It showed heavy contrast reversal, botching about 10 percent of the shades at the dark end of the gray scale, and any adjustments we made to the brightness settings did little to help. Contrast reversal was also evident when we studied digital photographs; viewed head-on, details were often lost in the shadows, and when we looked from sharp angles, these details suddenly popped out.

Moreover, skin tones in photographs carried a bluish tint, and the unit's score on our pixel phase test was only good. A change in settings helped eliminate the jitter, but this was the one of the unit's few saving graces. Though the price is tempting for a 17-inch display, we suggest you look elsewhere.