So I'm talking to my father the other day and he mentions he wants to get me a flat screen monitor since my old 15" crt died and I'm borrowing a 17" crt which takes up most of my desk.

I'm not a video gamer and would be watching mov, avi, mp4, divx video files for "refresh rate" issues. I've also got my screensize at 1024x768 which I'm happy with.

The problem is I don't know what to look for. I need advice and info on what dot pitch, "nits", native resolution, etc. are, and what are values I should seek. A kind of Consumers Report on lcd monitors if you will.
Also, if you know of models to avoid that would be great too.
Thanks.