Let's be honest: These days, when $1,000 will buy you a powerful PC, spending four figures on a monitor is an indulgence. But if you have to splurge, there are worse choices than splurging on a luxury display -- one that's big, bright, and colorful enough to let you work in comfort even if you have to work overtime, even if your eyes aren't as young as they used to be. And if employees or clients are awed by your status-symbol screen, well, call it a fringe benefit.

On the other hand, there's a difference between splurging and spendthrift; only the most shameless execs can afford $2,500 or $5,000 or more for a 21- or 23-inch or larger LCD/HDTV tuner or exotic plasma panel. That's where the S-19 from AG Neovo comes in -- it's a 19-inch desktop LCD that looks like a million bucks, but at $1,299 (under $1,200 from online discounters) isn't really much more than its conventional, rectangle-on-a-pedestal rivals.

AG Neovo is a Taiwanese manufacturer that's had some success in Europe and is now wading into the U.S. market, distributing flat-panel displays mostly via Web sellers like Amazon.com and big-city electronics shops like J&R and Fry's. The S-19 defies the currently fashionable thin-bezel beige design in favor of an easel-like black slab on a base that tilts backward anywhere from 5 to 25 degrees. While most LCD monitors look skinny and small compared to the CRTs they replace, the AG Neovo initially resembles a big billboard -- but after a few minutes, especially in an averagely dim rather than brightly fluorescent-lit room, the black frame seems to fade into the background, letting you focus on a 1,280 by 1,024-pixel work area that seems to float in front of you.

Basic Black

Assuming your desktop's video card supports SXGA resolution, setting up the S-19 is a piece of cake: Lift the 18-pound, 17.2 by 16.8 by 8-inch monitor out of the box; plug the notebook-PC-style external power brick or AC adapter into the jack at the rear and an AC outlet (it draws 48 watts, far less than a big-screen CRT); and connect your PC -- both analog VGA and digital DVI-D ports and cables are provided, as is an S-Video port and cable for direct connection to video equipment such as a TV tuner or VCR. The S-19 has no audio speakers or USB hub and doesn't pivot between portrait and landscape modes.

We usually left the base tilted as far forward as it goes (i.e., 5 degrees backward); straightening the screen after tilting it back, or turning its locking dial to fold it flat for packing, is a stiff, two-handed job. The black bezel around the 19-inch viewable area, gorgeous when polished, is a glossy magnet for smudges and fingerprints when not.

Top Store Offers:   Buy It Here Starting Price     CompuVest $984.87   Amazon Marketplace $771.60 Compare all matches: AG Neovo AGSX19A 19 inch LCD Monitor 2 Store Offers from $772-$985