Here's an attractive alternative to Apple's Cinema Diplay.

Even when it's turned off, NEC's MultiSync 20WMGX2 looks impressive. That's because the screen on this 20-inch widescreen display is a deep, shiny black, unlike the matte black you see on most LCDs. Fortunately, images look just as good when you turn the 20WMGX2 on, from any angle - and we do mean any angle.

Colors on the 20WMGX2 are accurate and vibrant, and blacks are rich and deep. In fact, it might take you a while to get used to the black; the screen's so shiny you can see yourself reflected in it - though we weren't distracted by it. The photos we looked at onscreen had great tonal quality. In fact, images look livelier on the 20WMGX2 than on Apple's 20-inch Cinema Display. Text is equally sharp and smooth. Because it's a widescreen display with a 1,680-by-1,050-pixel native resolution, you can watch DVD movies the way they were meant to be displayed - and it makes Doom 3 look even scarier than it already is.

The MultiSync 20WMGX2 has DVI_D, VGA, S-Video, component, and composite-video connectors, and it comes bundled with both a VGA cable and DVI-D cable. There's even a built-in analog TV tuner (with a remote, natch) with a picture-in-picture mode so you can work in OS X while you keep an eye on Samantha McCall's pout on General Hospital off to the side. The onscreen controls are easy to navigate; a small joystick-like nub at the bottom of the display lets you select the options you want to modify.

Two 5-watt speakers rest at the base of the display; their sound quality won't turn any heads, but they don't sound horrible, either.

The bottom line. The 20WMGX2, despite its ludicrous name, is one of the best-looking displays we've ever seen.

COMPANY: NEC
CONTACT: 866-632-6673, www.necdisplay.com
PRICE: $799.99
REQUIREMENTS: Mac with video out
Excellent image quality. Great controls. Full of features. Built-in analog TV tuner with remote.
Average-sounding speakers. Not SWOP certified for soft proofs.