Flat-panels are the big trend in computer monitors, and the masses seem to be moving to 17-inch.

Thin liquid crystal display (LCD) monitors consume less power and are easier on the eyes than boxier, more traditional television-like cathode ray tube (CRT) models. They also look nicer and take up less space -- and since prices have been dropping, consumers have been snapping them up.

Monica Islaf, product manager for monitors at industry leader Samsung, said that this year she expects the industry to sell half CRT monitors, half LCD. In 2004 she expects LCDs to take 60 percent, and in 2005 more like 70 or 80 percent.

In the past few months, however, prices have actually risen a bit for the most popular LCD monitor size, 15-inch. They now mostly sell for between $300 and $400. Meanwhile, the price of 17-inch monitors continues to sink into the $400 to $550 range. As a result, 17-inch LCD monitors have gained popularity. Now 34 percent of LCDs sold are 17-inch, up from 28 percent a year ago.

The monitor-making industry, led by Samsung, LG Philips and Sharp, doesn't like 15-inch monitors much because there is not much profit in them anymore. With the latest manufacturing processes, they can get a dozen 17-inch LCDs from a single piece of glass.

So how do you choose one?

If you want to spend less than $300 on a quality product, you're going to get a CRT monitor. Best to get a CRT with flat glass in the front, which will give you less glare. A 17-inch flat CRT will cost around $200.

For $300 to $400, you can get a 15-inch flat panel LCD. All of the marketing will try to persuade you not to do this, so few stores will advertise them. We find that a good 15-inch monitor is big enough for just about any computing task.

If you know you want something bigger, go with a 17-inch LCD for more than $400. Be careful about getting anything bigger than that, however. Monitors bigger than 17 inches start to look really imposing, and unless you like to watch TV on your computer screen or you're into video editing, gaming or graphic design, it's probably more than you need.

For the best picture -- if you want to be picky -- go with a digital LCD monitor. The difference between a digital LCD and analog is that with analog, the signal is converted from digital to analog, then back to digital and back to analog. Some clarity sometimes gets lost along the way. With a digital monitor the conversion happens just once.

Before you go with a digital LCD monitor, make sure your computer has a DVI input. If it doesn't, you'll have to get a new video card. If that sounds like a lot of trouble, then well, you probably will be satisfied with an analog monitor.

Choosing a monitor

If your PC doesn't come packaged with an LCD monitor, here are a few things to look for.

1. Color brightness level. This is measured in nits. For a desktop monitor, 250 nits is good; for a laptop display, 150 nits is closer to standard. More nits is better.

2. Contrast ratio. This is noted in the form 350:1, where the bigger the first number, the better the contrast. Higher contrast makes for a crisper, more vibrant picture.

3. Response time. This is measured in milliseconds for LCD monitors. A couple of years ago, response time was in the 30-to-35 millisecond range, which caused ``ghosting'' problems with video playback where images would linger on the screen. Now it's closer to 25 milliseconds, which eliminates ghosting. In the next year monitors will move to 16 milliseconds, which will make them responsive enough to persuade some hard-core gamers to switch.

Laptop monitor

If you're picking a laptop, how do you know what size screen to go with? If you want the lightest computer possible, you will probably end up with a 12.1-inch screen; this is the size on Apple Computer's iBook laptop and Dell's Inspiron 300m.

If you don't mind the weight, 15-inch is a popular choice, though some people are also beginning to clamor for 16-inch screens. We'd recommend a 15-inch widescreen model, unless you need the extra inch or so of screen height. (Most people want more width, not height.) The 15-inch widescreens weigh less, and they actually display a widescreen DVD movie larger than a 16-inch regular screen would.

Finally there's the matter of screen resolution. For most people, XGA (1024x768 pixels) is fine. For graphic artists, image editors, spreadsheet addicts and video-game fanatics, higher resolution is in order. SXGA (1280x1024) is good for image editors and gamers, and even for people who want to compare the maximum amount of information on a screen. UXGA (1600x1200) is extremely high resolution, and probably should be avoided by all but imaging professionals and people with other specialty uses.

The upside to higher-resolution screens is that they fit more information into the same space. The downside is text can appear too small to read, unless the computer's operating system is tuned to work with high-resolution displays.

The future

Down the pike, there are a couple of LCD types we can expect to see more in desktops and laptops.

One is a high-contrast glossy display that is great for watching movies and playing fast-paced games. Sony has been selling such a display for the past year, while Sharp and other manufacturers have begun selling more of them in Japan. A few manufacturers are also experimenting with laptop displays that are about 70 percent brighter than most regular laptop displays. The added brightness makes them better for playing games or watching TV.

Sharp also has a new family of 3-D monitors that are designed so that the images appear to pop out of the screen. The 3-D panel will likely cost three times as much as a regular panel, or about $400 more. The 3-D screens achieve the effect by a method similar to 3-D glasses; there are two panes of glass in the monitor, so as you look at it each eye sees something slightly different.