Prices for LCD monitors continue to drop, and you can now buy a 17-inch display at a price that would only have bought you a 15-inch display six months ago. Offering the same screen size as a 19-inch CRT monitor but taking up far less desk space, the 17-inch flat panel is seen by many as the ideal size for general home and office use.

Looking quite stylish in silver and black, the PV-720A from CTX is a no frills, analogue-only (i.e. there's no direct digital input for suitably-equipped graphics cards) 17-inch flat panel with a 1,280 x 1,024 pixel native resolution. It does have some extra features that lift it above its bargain-priced competitors. Not only does it have integrated audio but it also features a pivoting screen, allowing you to use it either in landscape or portrait mode. There's also a fairly generous three year warranty.

But it's not all good news; the screen has limited horizontal (120 degrees) and vertical (115 degrees) viewing angles, while there's no height adjustment or swivel capability. It does tilt however; 5 degrees forward and 20 degrees back.

Despite its low price, the screen quality is excellent. Images are sharp and bright - especially text - and colours are rich with a good range. Configuring the display is straightforward, even without an auto-sync button. The OSD controls are placed on the right-hand side of the bezel, a much better solution than the normal bottom edge solution, and the controls are easy to navigate.

The audio module has to be fitted to the bottom of the display, but the output quality leaves much to be desired. Fortunately CTX has included a headphone port for those who prefer not to annoy their work colleagues or the rest of the family. The OSD buttons also double as volume controls, although a better solution would be a normal volume knob.

CTX bundles a copy of Pivot Pro software with the PV-720A, which once installed adds an icon in the system tray giving you the option to rotate the screen through 90, 180 and 270 degrees. The chances are that few users will take advantage of this feature, but it may be useful for people working with A4 page layouts, as it helps to see the entire page on the screen.

Despite being a low cost LCD, the image quality of the CTX PV-720A is very high and it has some features that are usually only found in more expensive displays. It would suit a home or small business user well, and may also be suitable for some production desks too.