LG L1980U LCD: The New 19" Panel on the Block

Introduction

Almost a year to the date, we introduced a Sharp 19” LCD that was one of the first of its kind to run a 16ms response time on a 19” panel.   While the display performed well in fast motion games, certain “gotchas” plagued the display, including an abnormally poor viewing angle and a lackluster DSP.   The fact that the panel manufacturers, LG.Philips LCD, opted for a 6-bit TN display over an 8-bit SIPS display only seemed to make matters worse.   Recently, we were approached by LG (not the same company as LG.Philips LCD) to take a look at their newest 19” display based on the next generation LG.Philips LCD panel.

LG Electronics (LGE) has produced some of the more interesting PC products that we’ve seen recently.   The Tri-format GSA series DVD recorders are still extremely popular, and older displays like the L2323T still impress us whenever we see them.   In the past, LGE has done a great job of marrying new technology with tried and true design. LG.Philips LCD, the panel manufacturer for the Flatron L1980U display that we are reviewing today, continues to dominate the high end display sector.   The Dell 2005FPW, Dell 2001FP, Apple Cinema 30” and HP L2335 displays all use LG.Philips LCD panels, although those displays are all 8-bit SIPS instead of the 6-bit TN panel featured in the L1980U.  

We have mentioned our misgivings with 6-bit panels in the past; color depth (among other things) is sacrificed for response time to appeal to the gaming audience.   We’ve seen 6-bit 19” displays before, and none of them particularly won us over due to lower visual quality. With all of the difficult compromises considered for this display, LG has a bit of work cut out for them with the Flatron L1980U display.   Dell’s 1905FP continues to pummel just about any new competitor in the 19” LCD sector when it comes to price and performance, but maybe this new display from LG can unseat the champ.