In a perfect world, all screens would span 50 inches diagonally and sport super-high resolutions. Also, we’d all have enough space to fit them in every room. Real life just ain’t chock-full of unicorns and seven-year wizard colleges, though, and real-life dorms and apartments can be small. Doesn’t mean you’d want to miss out on watching movies the way they were intended. Here are four monitors that should satiate the cinephile in you.

HP 2311x

Rating: 3 stars out of 5 (Good)

The good: The HP 2311x includes the trifecta of connection options, all placed in an easily accessible spot. Don’t expect world-beating performance, but for $230 it’s quite good and it’s even more impressive for the current price of around $170 from Amazon.com.

The bad: The monitor has no ergonomic support beyond tilt, its movie and gaming presets are too dark, and it has a plastic-feeling build quality. Some audio options would have been useful.

The cost: $168.17 to $229.99

The bottom line: The HP 2311x is a great monitor deal, with good performance and an assortment of connections for its price.

Apple Thunderbolt Display

Rating: 4 stars out of 5 (Excellent)

The good: The Apple Thunderbolt Display retains the gorgeous screen and features of the Apple Cinema Display, while adding Thunderbolt, FireWire and Ethernet support.

The bad: There’s no native compatibility option with PCs or older, non-Thunderbolt Macs.

The cost: $949.99 to $999

The bottom line: The Apple Thunderbolt Display is an incredible-performing and beautiful-looking monitor with a superfast connection, and recommended if you own a Thunderbolt-enabled Mac.

Samsung SyncMaster S23A750D

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5 (Very good)

The good: Movies look incredible on the Samsung SyncMaster S23A750D and its game performance is excellent. The monitor includes lots of useful OSD options.

The bad: There’s no DVI port, ergo options are limited and the OSD array feels cramped. The connections included are embedded a bit too deeply into the chassis, and its 3D performance does nothing to sell me on the tech.

The cost: $308

The bottom line: The Samsung SyncMaster S23A750D is a bit expensive and the 3D is disappointing, but its excellent performance in (non-3D) games and movies makes it worth the asking price.

Samsung SyncMaster T27A950

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5 (Very good)

The good: The Samsung SyncMaster T27A950 looks downright sexy with a smooth, sleek silver finish and a striking design. The monitor’s OSD and Smart Hub options are plentiful and useful, movies look great on it and it includes 3D support for movies and games. Also, the built-in speakers are powerful and clear.

The bad: 3D performance in games is disappointing, with no DVI dual-link connection included. Also, its price is high for a TN display.

The cost: $950.75 to $1,243.47

The bottom line: The Samsung SyncMaster T27A950 is an HDTV/monitor meant for movies and TV with tons of features and a beautiful design, but some will find it too pricey.