AG Neovo M-17

AG Neovo claims this 17-inch digital LCD, with its built-in speakers and two USB ports on the front, is the perfect companion to the new Mac mini. Unfortunately, the speakers leave a lot to be desired and the extra desktop real estate that this multimedia display requires may not appeal to those who bought Mac minis in an attempt to conserve space.

Unlike other AG Neovo displays we’ve reviewed, this one doesn’t have anti-reflective glass covering the display. The M-17 has a translucent, plastic outer case with silver around the screen and an adjustable hinge. Out of the box, and connected via DVI, the colors were on the blue side and a little blown out (where lighter colors looked white). As with all displays, the automatic setup controls on the display are designed only to correct problems that can arise when connected to a computer via an analog cable. After using our GretagMacbeth Eye-One Color calibrator, the display looked much better. At least the center of the screen looked better. The area at the top and bottom of the display, measuring about one-eighth of an inch, had an obvious purple tint, possibly from the frame pinching the glass.

Otherwise, the display performed well. Text was legible even at small point sizes and the color, though not terribly saturated, was accurate after calibration. The display was overly sensitive to viewing angle, with color shifts occurring quickly when we moved left to right or up and down from the center of the screen.

Though this display’s speakers are louder and better-sounding than those built into the Mac mini, we could hear a constant, low-volume static when the display was connected to a Mac mini and two different Power Mac G4 towers. The static is not too discernable when playing audio, but might be in a quiet environment, when the speakers are on but not being used. I couldn’t hear the static when the display was plugged into a 15-inch PowerBook G4.

Macworld’s Buying Advice

The USB ports on the front of the AG Neovo M-17 are a nice touch, but the noisy speakers and color-uniformity problems at the top and bottom of the screen make it difficult to recommend.