Xerox XG-91D

Xerox’s XG-91D screen sports a unique finish that straddles the line between matte and glossy. While the screen appears to be treated with an anti-glare coating, a sheer outer layer, which Xerox dubs XShield Protective glass, makes for a reflective surface—not so reflective as NEC’s screen, but also not as eye-popping. In fact, the XG-91D’s image appeared somewhat muted alongside the other monitors here. It helped some to turn up the brightness, but that threw the screen’s black level out of whack.

Another dubious feature is the monitor’s hard-wired DVI cable—the sole input besides power. It might ensure that the cable never gets loose or lost, but it also means that a bent pin on the $5 cable could render your display useless. And we’re always a little disappointed when a monitor lacks an ergonomic stand. The XG-91D’s screen can’t be raised, lowered, or rotated. It tilts forward and back—that’s all. Buttons on the bezel offer the standard OSD options.

During testing, the XG-91D delivered respectable performance in DisplayMate. The backlight did show through in spots on a solid screen, and the display’s white appeared a little dull compared with the other screens here, but neither issue was severe. And to its credit, the XG-91D reproduced smooth, perfectly graduated grayscales of up to 256 steps. The XG-91D also handled all types of real-world content, including several games, without stumbling. Weighing its various qualities, we’d say it’s a decent LCD, but for the same money, you can get something much better.

Month Reviewed: June 2006

+ VIVID: Decent overall performance.

- LIVID: Hard-wired DVI cable; lacks ergo stand; muted picture.