Acer AL1732 Prestige

Examination:

Unpacking the AL1732, its weight was enormous for being a 17" LCD display; however, the Prestige models do use their fair share of metal construction, which is the leading contributor for this obesity. The AL1732 model weights in at 5.2 kg while the dimensions are 415 x 424.7 x 190.6 mm. The aesthetics of the LCD were certainly pleasing and was much more artistic than the Acer Value series. Starting with the AL1732 metal base, on the bottom are four pads for ensuring the unit will not slide around while towards the end of the base is the key for removing this portion of the monitor if it will be used with a VESA wall mount. Rather than being an oval base like the plastic Value LCDs, the metal extends in a semi-circular format. This base is strong enough to serve as a portable handle while transporting the unit. On the rear of this stand is the cable management feature. This feature allows the audio and video cables to be routed through a plastic flap in order to conceal the cables and lead to a much more organized design. This plastic flap also contains the model number, part number, manufacturing date, and serial number.

Rather than having the various monitor controls on the front of the unit, Acer engineers have now positioned them on the right hand side. These buttons are for power, menu, increase, decrease, and auto adjust. The control buttons are fairly large and sport a chrome finish. On the front of the display is a blue LED for signifying power reaching the display. On the lower portion of the Acer LCD are the dual 2W speakers. While these speakers are not capable of pushing out the amount of power as most independent speakers, they certainly should be satisfactory for the casual user but we shall find out more upon trying them out on our own. With the bottom portion of the monitor being occupied by the speakers, the remainder of the LCD's facade is covered in a very nice black finish, while the sides are accented in a metallic finish. As the pictures are able to demonstrate, the Acer AL1732 Prestige is certainly an attractive monitor in its two-tone finish.

Not only is the front attractive, but also the rear of the monitor -– and is certainly appreciated if the rear happens to be in the public view. At the rear, the main portion of the unit is coated in a metallic finish and is stamped with the manufacturer's name –- Acer. At the rear of the display are plenty of holes for ensuring more than enough air is able to cool the innards of the device. Moving onto the connections at the rear are the DC power input, VGA in, and audio in -- all of which connections are concealed by the LCD standard. Next to the stand, however, is a plastic cover and concealed behind that is the DVI digital input. When it comes to the physical adjustments for the screen, the viewing angle can be adjusted from -5° to 20°. However, no height, pivoting, or other like adjustments are possible with this unit.