Viewsonic VA720 17" LCD Monitor

by ViewSonic

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 19.4 x 6.5 x 20.1 inches ; 13.7 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 18 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B000099SKU
• Item model number: VA720
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,349 in Computers & Accessories (See Top 100 in Computers & Accessories)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: April 18, 2003

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

The VA720 is a mix of performance and style. Sharp picture quality in a slim, stylish, design that turns your monitor into an entertainment centerpiece. You'll get lifelike images with the high 450:1 contrast ratio (typical), 250-nit brightness (typical) and a 1,280 x 1,024 native resolution. The ultra-thin 2.7-inch LCD saves desk space, while the elegant metallic-on-black look states your style. The ViewSonic VA720 will change the way you view your computer monitor.

Features:

• High brightness and contrast: With a high brightness of 250 nits (typical) and a high contrast ratio of 450:1 (typical), this display brings vivid, true-to-life color to your desktop
• Wide viewing angles: 140 degrees horizontally and 135 degrees vertically
• Full 17-inch viewable screen: Displays a full, flat 17-inch viewable area with crisp detail and fully saturated color
• 1,280 x 1,024 optimum resolution: Displays an optimum resolution of 1,280 x 1,024 for outstanding image detail; automatically scales lower resolutions to fill the screen
• Metallic-on-black design
• Slim 2.7 Profile (panel only)
• OSD/Power lock function: When activated, the user-controlled OSD/power-lock function prevents changes to monitor settings, maintaining an optimized image
• Fold-up base for wall mounting: The compact base folds up 90 degrees for VESA-compliant wall mounting, simplifying conversion between desktop and wall mount applications
• ViewSonic Wizard: This software provides user-friendly installation
• TCO '99 and ENERGY Star-certified
• PC and Mac compatible
• One-year limited warranty

What's in the Box
Monitor, stand, AC power supply and cord, 15-pin analog cable, instructions, warranty information

Product Description

VIEWSONIC VA720 -- You'll revel in bright color and fine detail with this slim, stylish monitor. The ultra-thin 2.7" LCD saves desk space, while the elegant metallic-on-black look makes a style statement that enhances any decor. Fold-up base for wall mounting ViewSonic Wizard provides user-friendly installation TCO'99 and ENERGY certified PC and Mac compatible Dimensions - 16.4H x 16.3W x 9.1D; weighs 13.6 pounds One year limited warranty on parts, labor & backlight Metallic on black finish

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pretty fantastic monitor, December 17, 2003

By 

A. Maroukian (Elmhurst, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Viewsonic VA720 17" LCD Monitor (Electronics)

This is a nice piece of hardware. I brought it about two weeks ago to replace a HP Pavilion 15 inch monitor and I can honestly say I will never go back to it again. It had no dead pixels, and the image was clear and bright. I had to lower the contrast and brightness a lot to make it comfortable. It helps to know the option is there though.

Installation was easy. Just plug it in and turn on the computer - the Auto Image Adjust feature centers and sizes picture to fit the screen. It's good to have a recent video card too, otherwise it probably wouldn't work to its fullest potential. Unfortunately it doesn't have a digital connection, but analog works perfectly fine. You don't have to install the drivers if you don't want to, but if you do, go to ViewSonic's website and get the most current ones. Something was wrong with the ones on the CD.

As with any other LCD, the native resolution of this 17" is 1280x1024. If you jump from 800x600 it's quite a leap for the eyes, but in about a week or so you won't have any problems.

Now, about the important stuff...how well do programs run? Everything works and looks fantastic on this monitor. I can't stop watching DVDs on it. The movies are sharp and the colors look much livelier than before. Games run exceptionally well on it. I was worried about that before I purchased it. But it can support up to 75Hz refresh rate at its native resolution, so games run without any problems.

The text is very sharp too, but unless you use ClearType in Windows XP, it might be a little harder to read.

I have a few small gripes though. Sometimes it's annoying not to be able to control the hight of the monitor. Once you put it on your desk, all you can do is tilt it back and forth, not up and down. It hasn't been an incovenience for me, but I can understand why someone would need to adjust height once in a while. Most LCD monitors allow that. On the other hand, it allows itself to be mounted on a wall, so it's really a matter of preference.

Another thing is that at really low resolutions, like 640x480 some of the picture gets cut off on top. The automatic image adjust feature should scale it to fit the screen. Nevertheless, it doesn't. It makes some games difficult to play. Certain EA Sports games have menus set in that resolution. For most applications and games, however, this doesn't present any problems.

If you dont want to read all that up there, here's a breakdown.

Pros:

1) Very sleek design, silver frame and black stand really compliment virtually any computer system.

2) Fantastic picture - bright, vivid colors make movies extremely enjoyable to watch. Sharp text makes it easy to read any kind of document.

3) Fast response for games with no noticeable blurring effects

Cons:

1) No height adjustment unless mounted

2) Problems displaying really low resolutions

3) No DVI connection

I would recommend this monitor to anyone looking to enhance their computing experience. It makes an amazing difference if you use your computer all the time, especially after years staring at a curved CRT. And...it's a ViewSonic. That in itself should speak volumes.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great, February 24, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Viewsonic VA720 17" LCD Monitor (Electronics)

VERY impressed with this monitor. Outstanding resolution and color. By far and away the best at displaying text of any 17" I have looked at. I have yet to do video editing with this monitor, and Viewsonic doesn't provide a refresh rate for it, so I am a little nervous about that. But as someone who doesn't "game" and mostly uses this for graphics and text work, this is outstanding. My only gripe is that the screen bounces a little when I type, but I haven't seen a 17" that didn't . . . And although it isn't as handsome as the NEC or even the Sony, it's no eyesore. And the image blows those two away.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Excelent product but..., May 8, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Viewsonic VA720 17" LCD Monitor (Electronics)

I just bought my viewsonic VA720 today. At home I plugged it in, it is very good looking and has a very sharp picture. At first the image was a little shaky and I couldn't understand why. Then I discovered the auto-adjust feature, which is very useful. I ran it and the weird lines disappeared. The only problem with the monitor is that it has a dead pixel. When the monitor shows a black screen the pixel shows up magenta. It really is an eye sore. I am going to take it back to the store tomorrow see if I can get it replaced. Everything is super, just for that lonesome pixel. If it weren't for that defect I would have given it a perfect 5.