Video Seven 17" TFT Flat Panel Monitor with TV Tuner

Pros:

Low price
Connectivity - PC, TV, SCART, S-Video and Composite
1280x1024 resolution
Graphic equaliser
Placed order on Sunday night, Super Saver delivery on Tuesday
Response time is good enough for games

Cons:

Failed pixel out of the box
Mediocre Picture quality
Poor speakers
Screen is clipped on PC unless you use native resolution
Interference when you don't use 60 Hz

If you want a good value PC/TV combo buy this one!

Firstly the LTV 17D comes with all cables except the scart lead. A remote control + batteries and a rather brief manual are also included. The design of the display does border on nice, mostly black in colour with silver panels at the bottom of the display frame. The stand is sturdy and well made, and provides adequate adjustment, perhaps something to do with being made in Denmark!

This is a 17inch model so you are immediatlely impressed by the display size, especially on TV mode. The quality in TV/SCART mode is OK, but you must not expect a stunning picture or you will be disappointed. That said from a normal viewing distance the picture is more than satisfactory. DVD playback is resonable too, although you can see blurring/blocked images on occasions. This display also has teletext and NICAM Stereo which work very well! I found the sound quality better than I expected, yes it is tinny but I have heard far worse.

I also tested the PC/Monitor option, and I have to say that although again the picture is not fantastic I still did not have any real issues with the quality, it was a little bright and was prown to produce tiny vertical lines but it would be satisfactory as a back-up monitor. Buy a dedicated display if PC connectivity is the main reason for the purchase.

Overall I am very pleased with the LTV 17D, it pleased more than it dissapointed. For the money it is excellent value! This unit is not a £1000 worth of equipment sold for a few hundred pounds, bear this in mind and I'm sure you will be suprised by it as I was.

Once unpacked, the V7 monitor was very easy to set up with enough inputs to take my PC, Xbox, external aerial and Sky box. Turning it on, I noticed that the power button was a little flimsy and not up to the standards of build quality of LG etc. The speakers were also very tinny and distorted easily. Several anomalies are also present in volume control as 2% is bearly audible (as one would expect) but 3% is loud enough to watch TV in bed. 8% doesn't even exist as a volume setting either.

Setting up channels was a cinch due to using Sky via Scart, but the channels also set up very easily via the external aerial socket. Unfortunately the initial setting appears to be excessively saturated so I would recommend turning this setting down to a manageable level. Picture quality was slightly blurred, but at the price the item is being offered for, it is not much of a worry. Switching between devices is straight forward either via the remote or via the set itself. The only niggling problem I had when using the remote was a lack of a timer function on the TV. This is usually standard on even the most basic 14" portable TV's so was an irritation when it seemed to be absent.

All in all, it is a good package for the money but be aware that you are getting a lot in terms of a monitor and LCD TV for the price of something like a 15" Bush LCD TV, so be realistic about possible quality. The only definite recommendation is that you wire your PC/Sky Box/games console via an external amp as the internal speakers really will not cope with a DVD at anything above a low level of volume.

Recommend it for the price, but be very aware that the audio is poor and the lack of a timer makes it useless for watching in bed. Whilst the review does seem critical, it is value for the just above £300 price tag, so I give it 4 stars.