Monitor features and connectivity options

CNET's editorial experts tell you everything you need know to get the best picture for the best price.

Digital (DVI) vs. analog (VGA)

Most LCDs provide support for digital (DVI) and analog (VGA) signals, but less expensive LCDs may offer only analog. The advantage of digital signals for LCDs is of much less importance now than it was a few years ago. Analog signal processing has improved to the point where only the most discerning eye can notice any difference. Most LCDs that support digital signals also support analog signals, so you won't need a special graphics adapter to use a DVI display.

Digital input

Analog input

To take advantage of the digital connection, you'll need a graphics adapter that has a DVI-I or DVI-D connector, and you may also need a DVI cable (many LCD monitors come with only an analog cable). DVI-D refers to a digital-only connection, and DVI-I means that the connector can carry either digital or analog signals.

Extra features

Adjustability: Most LCDs offer some degree of screen tilt, usually 30 degrees back and 5 degrees forward. Some include a swivel feature, many offer height adjustability, and some panels can also pivot between portrait and landscape modes, making legal-size documents and Web pages easier to view. LCDs can be attached to VESA-compatible mounts, which connect to third-party wall mounts or swinging arms.

Antireflective screen coatings: These glossy screen coatings, offered by certain manufacturers (Sony, Gateway, Acer), are supposed to reduce glare and ambient light reflection and provide a brighter, more vivid picture.

Audio: Some monitors offer audio functions, either as standard items or as optional accessories. These may include a headset jack, a volume control, or embedded speakers. In general, these speakers are of limited quality, and an inexpensive $30 speaker set from an office-supply or computer store will often provide much better sound.

Cable-feed systems: Many LCDs have some mechanism to manage signal and power cords.


HDCP: If you plan to watch high-definition, copyright-protected content via an HD DVD or Blu-ray player or through an HDTV signal on your LCD, you'll want to make sure it's an HDCP-compatible display. HDCP is an encryption system that protects HD content sent across HDMI or DVI connections. If your display doesn't support HDCP, then you'll either be staring at a blank screen or--if you use analog connections like VGA—-the best you'll get is a downsampled picture at a 960x450 resolution.

Memory card readers: A few monitors have media card readers built into the bezels. This is a handy addition for digital photo enthusiasts who want to see their pictures without a PC.


USB: Many displays have USB ports. Typically, they are not powered hubs, but simply convenient ports to connect a keyboard or a mouse, thereby reducing the tangle of cables that run back to the computer.


Video/TV: As work and entertainment products continue to converge, many monitors now have features designed to take advantage of television and movie content. Some include TV tuners and connectors for video signals from cable television systems or antennas. Some have connectors that accept composite or S-Video input signals from entertainment devices. Many multifunction monitor/TVs are able to display HDTV content.


Wide-screen format: Some CRTs and LCDs come in wide-screen formats designed to display more information and show HDTV and movies in their full width without letterboxing (blacking out the top and the bottom of the screen), as would be the case with normally proportioned displays.

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