22. Samsung SyncMaster XL20

The SyncMaster XL20 is a bit of a different beast of a monitor than the MultiSync LCD2470NWX. It's a 20"er, but it's about as high-end as LCD monitors come, from its coverage of as much as 114% of the NTSC color gamut - normal monitors cover just over 80% - to its MSRP of $1,999 (street prices vary from $1,650 to the high $1,800s). The target audience for the XL20 is also quite a bit different from that for the NEC monitor: rather than pursuing the vast majority of ordinary computer users, the XL20 targets professional desktop publishers, video and photo editors and graphic designers. The emphasis is on absolute accuracy and painstaking calibration.

The LED at the lower left corner lets you know that this monitor uses LED-based backlighting, as in top-of-the-line notebook displays.

A hardware calibration device - namely, the Pantone Huey - is included with the monitor, so that users can establish correct color, saturation and brightness levels, and adjust to ambient lighting conditions as they change in the viewing area. The monitor also comes bundled with Natural Color Expert software to help guide users through initial calibration and later adjustments.

Maximum resolution for the XL20 is a respectable 1600x1200, and the unit ships with a light visor to block ambient light in brighter viewing environments. The monitor stand permits users to adjust the height of the screen over a 3.93" (10 cm) range, and the display can be tilted forward and back, or rotated into portrait mode. Because of the LED backlighting, the XL20 includes a cooling fan, though in everyday use this fan is sufficiently quiet as to remain inaudible. The unit features two DVI connectors, one digital DVI-D, the other DVI-I (which can be mated to VGA with a suitable adapter), plus a built-in two-port USB hub that works very well to accommodate the calibrator.

For the back-to-school crowd, the XL20 is the kind of precision graphics instrument that will appeal most to (and make sense primarily for) radio-television-film students, those involved in graphics or video production, or digital visual artists of just about any description. Other mere computer users will find this device overkill on capabilities and off-putting for the learning and effort necessary to use it properly. But anybody who winds up taking an XL20 back to school should also be taking a pretty big smile along as well.

For more information about the SyncMaster XL20, please visit the Samsung product page.