LG Flatron M203WA user reviews

Simon Pitt 14 January 2007

Good: DVI-HDCP input, hi-res display for extending my iMac desktop, very well-built and looks good

Bad: No component input (CNet review incorrect), so no HD from my Sony HDR-HC1

Comment: Jan 2007 sales, UK.
It was a toss up between this and a 19" Samsung. The LG had the extra inch (1680x1050 compared to 1440x990 - an extra £50) which perfectly matches the native resolution of my 20" intel iMac, so I went with it for the desktop extention. The Samsung did have component input, which meant I could have watched HD video direct from my Sony camcorder, but on balance the LG was best for me.

HD performance from an upscaling DVD player and Telewest TVDrive (watching BBC HD) is excellent. As a computer monitor you sit much closer to this screen than you would do with a 32" TV; as a result, the advantages of HD really shine. The supplied remote looks nice, but it would have been good to have a dedicated aspect-ratio change button rather than having to wade into the menu system - although the auto-aspect-ratio-change function works 90% of the time - it's dependant on the broadcaster sending the switch signal in any case. Telewest seem quite good at that.

The big question at this point is whether the DVI input is HDCP compliant. I won't know until Filmflex broadcast a protected movie I want to watch or until I buy a proper HD DVD player and attempt to play an HD disk on it. The LG website says that M203WAs manufactured after May 06 should be HDCP compliant. Mine is Dec 06. We shall see.

Conclusion.
I needed a 20" monitor to provide an extended desktop for the iMac. Everything else was just gravy. It seems incredible to me that it is possible to buy something this functional and well built for so little money (comparatively). As a computer monitor, this thing is great. It might also make a perfect widescreen HD TV for a bedsit - not all of us have a living room that can cope with a 42" HD TV.

At the current UK sales price, it's a steal.