14 DAY TRIAL // In a world where the 16:9 aspect ratio and the Full HD 1920 x 1080 pixels resolution are running rampant, NEC continues to provide those good, old-fashioned 5:4 monitors that many workers still prefer over the cinematic AR ones.
Case in point, the company has launched the 17-inch LED-backlit MultiSync E171M display, aimed at business customers that prize environmental friendliness and affordability.
The display has a pretty typical brightness of 250 cd/m2, as well as a standard contrast ratio of 1,000:1. All par for the course nowadays.
The resolution is the unusual thing though, and we don't necessarily mean that in a good way. The LCD has 1280 x 1024 pixels, which is pretty low compared to 1920 x 1080.
Then again, there's almost the same amount of pixels, height-wise, which is all that's needed for a work PC dedicated to documents and spreadsheets.
NEC doesn't even pretend that the MultiSync E171M is supposed to be some miracle monitor. It priced it at $179 / €179 after all.
The newcomer does earn some really big points for the ENERGY STAR 6.0 compliance though (Energy Star 5.0 is considered high on the efficiency scale).
The TCO 6.0 compliance is another asset, as is the RoHS compliance. It's actually really surprising that EPEAT certification doesn't go above silver (Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool).
The ECO Mode that the display can fall into, as well as the Carbon Footprint Meter integrated in the build, play significant roles here.
There's also an Intelligent Power Manager (IPM) tool, which switches the MultiSync E171M to a low-power state, or automatically powers down the whole monitor when it is on but not in use.
The rest of the spec sheet is pretty ordinary, all things considered: two display inputs (VGA and DVI-D), two integrated speakers (2 x 1W), touch integration support (you can add a touch panel over the screen as it were, good for Windows 8), and a two-way ergonomic stand with 50 mm height adjustment and swivel.
The NEC 17-inch LED-backlit MultiSync E171M display ships, as we said before, for the price of $179 / €179. It has a 3-year warranty and should start shipping in the next few days, if it hasn't already. March 2014 was the ETA, and it's already the 28th.
"The E171M display raises the standard for 'green' computing," said Kevin Christopherson, director of product marketing for desktop displays at NEC Display Solutions. "There is still significant customer demand for a feature-rich, 17-inch, 5:4 display in the market; the MultiSync E171M fills this demand."