Acer AL1715b 17" LCD Monitor

Examination:

After sorting through the contents, we were in awe at the sheer quality of both monitors.

The overall thickness of the displays is only a few centimeters, which can be partially attributed to the lack of on-board speakers, and to be frank, we really don't miss not having any speakers built onto the monitor since it generally increases the thickness and weight. In addition, on-board speakers are usually of poor quality, even to non-audiophiles. LCDs operate by manipulating liquid molecular structure, when combined with polarized light can either allow light to escape or not. This is unlike CRT monitors, which focuses a very high voltage (~24KV) electron beam onto tiny phosphor dots causing them to glow. Not only is an LCD physically thinner, but it saves a lot of energy.

At the top-left hand corner of the display is the "Acer" logo while on the top right hand side is the model number; AL1715.

At the bottom of the display, we see all of the OSD (On Screen Display) controls: auto, left (decrease), right (increase), menu, and power. The left and right buttons navigate through the menus and adjust the individual settings. All of the buttons are silver, but there is a green LED to indicate power. These buttons are far from being concealed, but their size is rather respectable so there shouldn't be any problems pushing the buttons.

When turning the display around, we get a better glance at the base. Unfortunately, the base doesn't allow for many adjustments. The only physical adjustment that can really be made is tilting the monitor. The monitor can be adjusted from -5° to 15°. No options are supported with this model to rotate the screen, adjust the height, or any of the other features generally found on more expensive LCD display solutions. The base doesn't take up much surface area on the desk, being an oval shape. The base doesn't need to be much larger since the lack of physical adjustments to the monitor shouldn't greatly affect the weight distribution. The AL1715b is capable of being detached from its stand and mounted on a VESA flat panel monitor arm. At the back of the unit, in the middle, are the power and analog video ports. Vent slots can also be found at the rear to assist in the cooling of the device.

Overall, the build quality is very extravagant and it will definitely be interesting to see how they perform. The monitor has an sleek black finish.