Tech WizardTechnology Reviews in the Coolest Way!

ViewSonic takes a tilt toward practicality with its PC/TV hybrid LCD displays, packing a passel of inputs into its Diamani DUO 19-inch NX1932w and 22-inch NX2232w screens.

It makes sense: You have all this resolution floating around, why not tack an HDMI port on board, add an ATSC HD tuner and 10-watt speaker system, and then have a dual use display? Good idea in theory, but the execution falls short.

First of all, that HDTV tuner just captures over-the-air signals, and that’ll be good for only about 5% of the viewing public that watches their HDTV that way. Plus there’s no 1080p, because the highest resolution of the largest screen—the 22 inch—is only 1680×1050. That doesn’t quite cut it.

Stick a couple of CableCARDs in there, a processor, a terabyte hard drive for recording, and make it a 1920×1080 pixel screen but still flat and compact, and then ViewSonic will have our undivided attention.

But a pie-in-the-sky idea like mine would cost you well into the multiple thousands. These two sets, however are shipping for much less, $349 for the 19-incher and $399 for the 22-inch display. Not a bad deal if you want to occasionally watch TV in the same place you do your computing.