Philips 150MT – Is it a TV or a monitor?

Pro

1 April 2005

Most of us spend hours staring at the same PC monitor every day, so anything out the ordinary is bound to grab your attention. Especially if it looks as good as the new Phillips 150MT, a tasty LCD monitor that also functions as a TV.

If you’re sick of looking at the bulky box that came with your desktop computer, then this flat screen alternative may well be what you need. As well as being able to watch TV on this little beauty, you can also hook it up to a video or DVD player for that full-on cinematic experience.

At the touch of a button, users can easily switch between the PC and TV/video modes. And if the thought of lifting a finger to do this is too much, the 150MT also comes with a remote control.

The picture quality is excellent, just what you’d expect from a good quality monitor. A moveable, resizable Picture-In-Picture (PIP) facility means you can watch TV while you work – although I can’t guarantee that you’ll get much done if you resort to this option. There’s also teletext included on the TV so that you can catch up on the latest football scores, or tune in to the latest MTV charts in Nicam Stero.

But there are some occasions when size has to overcome sophistication. While this monitor may look great, I couldn’t really picture the family gathering around it to watch the latest episode of EastEnders on it. When there are so many big screen TVs available, this pales in comparison, no matter how stylish it is. And at EUR1,452, it’s unlikely that many home users will be throwing out their regular CRT monitor and rushing to replace it with this one.

If anything, this monitor is probably best suited for business rather than home users. It would be especially good for those who need up to the minute information. The PIP facility, for example, is perfect for those who need to keep an eye on the news or stock markets while they work. An added bonus is the space saving aspects of the monitor, which is tiny when compared to a regular monitor.

With dimensions of 391 x 366 x 200mm, the 150MT is certainly sleek enough, but the two-tone look received mixed reactions in this office. While some cooed over it like it was a newborn baby, others were unimpressed and thought it was just an expensive toy.

The 150MT looked good, but there are other flat screen monitors that outclass it in the glamour department.