You should decide what kind of polarization you want as this makes a big difference and will dictate your choice. Most LCD's (all of the ones mentioned above) have a mat polarizer that reduces glare but also brightness. Some monitors come with a "glassy" coated polarizer that makes the image really come alive in my opinion. Clarity, brightness and color saturation are unmatched in my opinion. These latter finishes go by trade names such as xBrite (Sony) or Opticlear (NEC). Both of these manufacturers make highly rated 17" and 19" LCD's with this finish.
It goes without saying (perhaps) that you should really only consider a monitor with a digital DVI input for the best quality and least interference, assuming your graphics card does or will have this connection available. Also be sure to check the specs that the monitor you're considering supports full 24bit color and not 18bit.
Next, consider dot-pitch and therefore size. Do you want a .29 dot pitch or a .26 dot pitch. That's the difference between 19" and 17" displays. Note that both have the same resolution, one just has the pixels farther apart. If you are sitting close to your screen you might find a 19" display uncomfortable. If you are more than arms reach from your screen, the 19" is probably fine.
If you want a display for movies/gaming, the thought seems to be that you want a display with sub 16ms response times. However, I used a 25ms display for 2 years for gaming and video and never noticed any appreciable ghosting. My research has shown that manufactures will sometimes claim different specs even when the actual LCD panel is identical in both products so I'm not sure how much you can actually trust specs.
Finally, try to get down to your local Fry's, Best Buy, or whatever and have a look, even if you don't buy there, it will be a great opportunity to evaluate the image, size, style, and ergonomics before you buy elsewhere.
Good luck.
