The ThinkVision L191p LCD monitor is one of IBM's Flat Panel Performance monitors. Built for general business and designed to match the company's range of desktop PCs and laptops, the 19in. monitor is available in black only and lacks many of the high-end multimedia features found in many competing products. Best suited for multiple-monitor applications, financial trading floors, complex spreadsheets, graphics and general business applications, the ThinkVision L191p is a solid - but pricey - display solution.

Pros: Thin bezel; easy use; carrying handle; solid build quality
Cons: Expensive; not very bright; basic features


The ThinkVision L191p desktop monitor is one of Lenovo's (once IBM's) performance display line, which means that it accepts digital and analogue inputs and its stand swivels, tilts (range of -4 degrees forward and 40 degrees backward) and telescopes (you can raise the bottom of the display as high as 127mm above the stand or as low as a mere 2.5mm).

The screen (441x237x467mm, 7.3kg) is built for business and does away with much of the cosmetic appeal and multimedia niceties of most modern flat panels. Indeed, the ThinkVision L191p's matte-black finish and large buttons look almost retro - a feature that may suit traditional businesses but will bore consumers. The only flair comes from the five menu buttons, which are arranged in a wavelike ripple, and from the colourful blue, green, and yellow icons above the buttons.

The screen doesn't exactly offer the best of features either, but its relatively narrow 15mm bezel for multi-monitor environments, response time of 20ms and one of the widest ranges of tilt in its class should be greatly appreciated by businesses and consumers alike. We also liked the big, stable square base with an embedded rotating circle that allows the monitor to swivel 135 degrees to the right or left - a useful feature for sharing an image with a co-worker.

Unfortunately, the rest of the screen's specifications are less impressive, such as its brightness of just 250cd/m², contrast ratio of 500:1 and native resolution of 1280x1024 pixels. The ThinkVision L191p is destined for corporate environments, rather than on the desks of graphics professionals or gamers.

Lenovo claims that with the ThinkVision L191p is has answered industry demand for a more flexible, intuitive and easy-to-use monitor. We actually believe it has succeeded. The flat panel monitor is easy to setup and its on-screen control system is relatively easy to use. The large buttons also mean you don't have to squint to see tiny icons either, and the multi-language menu system flows quickly and intuitively. The biggest issue is that the screen isn't competitively priced compared and there are more capable units available.

The benefit of the narrow 15mm monitor bezel is that you can use multiple monitor configurations for increased viewing areas. In a multi-monitor environment, the thin bezel minimises the distances between screen images, allowing for improved productivity and a reduction in errors for business professionals who need to work on multiple applications or tasks at once. In other words, those who work with large spreadsheets or multiple documents will appreciate the way your eye movement is reduced while browsing between two or more monitors.

When you first use the monitor using an analogue connection (DVI port also present), you must perform an Auto Image Setup. This procedure sets up the monitor to process the video signals from your computer without image discoloration or smearing. After you perform Auto Image Setup, the settings are stored and used each time you turn on the monitor. To optimise the displayed image, a set-up utility is provided on the CD.

Buttons on the front of the screen let you select switch between the video input source, enter the Image Setup menu, alter brightness levels, confirm selections (OSD Enter), and turn the monitor on or off. You use the Arrow buttons to move among the icons, select an icon and press the 'OSD Enter' button to access that function. If there is a sub-menu, you can move between options using the Arrow buttons, then press 'OSD Enter' to select that function. Other settings let you alter the screen's horizontal and vertical position, make clock and phase adjustments, as well as adjust the intensity of red, green and blue levels.

There's also an OSD Lock/Unlock. This feature allows you to secure the current control settings, while allowing you to adjust brightness and contrast levels, so that they cannot be inadvertently changed. You also can unlock the OSD controls at any time by using the same procedure by pushing and holding the 'OSD Enter' button for 10 seconds.

The ThinkVision L191p sports a 20ms pixel response time. While this isn't the fastest time available (there are now screens with a staggering 4ms response time), it is certainly fast enough for smooth text scrolling and video streaming. The relatively fast pixel response also helps to reduce ghosting and distortion often seen on LCD monitors with slower response times. A faster response time will be mostly appreciated by gamers and video buffs.

Less impressive is a brightness of 250cd/m², or candelas per meter squared, and a 500:1 contrast ratio. While automatic scaling of resolutions less than 1280x1024 pixels is supported, the image quality is inherently distorted. Running at the native resolution however, the image quality was reasonably crisp, although brightness and contrast levels were middling and text could have been sharper. Greyscale performance was above average and white balance levels were also good, but we did notice a slight reduction of image intensity towards the centre of the screen.

A carrying handle built into the back of the monitor offers easy portability for moving the monitor from office to office, or for easier attachment to mounting solutions in multi-monitor environments.

About our tests:
To test imaging devices BIOS uses DisplayMate Technologies' DisplayMate, a software utility for adjusting, setting up, calibrating, tuning, testing, evaluating and improving image and picture quality on displays. It's designed to help us achieve the highest possible image and picture quality on any type of computer monitor, projector, TV or HDTV, with support for analogue and digital CRT, LCD, DLP, LCoS and plasma technologies. BIOS uses the software to check every aspect of a display's performance, including sharpness and contrast, colour and greyscale accuracy, as well as screen geometry. Where possible, we always use a digital connection for image quality purposes.

BIOS, Jul 20, 05 | Print | Send | Comments (0) | Posted In LCD