LG Flatron L1960TR: 3,000:1 favourite

LG swung by last week to drop off its Flatron L1960TR -- the world's first LCD monitor with a claimed 3,000:1 contrast ratio. We couldn't talk about it straight away due to a non-disclosure agreement, but now the gags have been removed we can go to town.

The L1960TR is an attractive-looking 19-inch monitor with a circular piano-black base, an arrowed lower bezel and a touch-sensitive power button. It's not quite as striking as LG's Fantasy series, but we're feeling it regardless.

The specs have us pretty stoked, too. It uses the Flatron f-Engine technology, which is designed to enhance image quality, plus a 2ms response time, and the aforementioned 3,000:1 contrast ratio.

We threw a few movies at it and were astonished with how well it coped. Blacks were as black as a black night during a blackout and whites looked like they'd been soaked in Daz for a fortnight. We've only spent a short time with it, but early impressions are that the L1960TR is the best-performing LCD monitor for playing movies and games that Crave has had the pleasure of toying with.

It's just a crying shame it's only a 19-inch model, and that it runs in a 4:3 aspect ratio with a native resolution of 1,280x1,024 pixels. The price is approximately £250. A full review will follow shortly. -RR

Update: We now have a live review of the LG Flatron L1960TR live in our Reviews channel.