1,680 x 1,050 TFTs

Is your monitor giving you tunnel vision? We put 7 TFTs through their paces, looking for a wider horizon.

Iiyama ProLite E2201W-B

Manufacturer:	Price:
	£220.9 inc VAT
Reviewer:	Review Date:
James Morris	Oct 2007

Quality	41/50	82%
Features	21/25	84%
Value	20/25	80%

Overall

82%

Verdict: If you're looking for a couple of extra inches, the E2201W-B should be your TFT of choice.

The E2200WS was one of the TFTs that Iiyama released in 2006 as part of its UK comeback. The model got things back on track but was a departure from the company's previous quality portfolio. The E2201W-B builds on this new budget heritage, aiming squarely at general office use, gaming and multimedia, rather than professionals who serious image fidelity.

The specifications appear to be relatively standard for this Labs test - 2ms response times and 300cd/m2 brightness, although the 1000:1 contrast is a little on the low side. Both DVI and D-SUB inputs are available, with cables provided for both options. No extra fripperies, such as speakers or USB hubs, are bolted on.

People who are used to Iiyama's legendary VisionMaster Pro CRTs will be a tad disappointed by the E2201W-B's performance in our synthetic DisplayMate tests. This is another TFT that you need to view head on, otherwise some darker shades of grey dissolve into each other. Even then, contrast was only fair at this end of the brightness scale, although it's a little better at the whiter end.

However, performance in real tasks is more important, particularly as DisplayMate doesn't have any tests that take motion into account. When we received the monitor, we found the default colour temperature to be a little too warm. Setting the E2201W-B to preset position two considerably improved DVD watching. This also had a positive effect on Blu-ray colour fidelity, making the E2201W-B one of the better monitors this month.

Games, on the other hand, looked better with the original setup. Prey was still a little dark, but lag was non-existent. The overall sense of responsiveness was only bettered by Samsung's SyncMaster 206BW. The E2201W-B would make a fine choice if your primary needs are gaming and multimedia.

At £220.90, the ProLite 2201W-B is great value for a 22in widescreen too. However, the Samsung SyncMaster 206BW's slightly better gaming performance puts it ahead overall. Still, if you have a few extra pounds and want a couple of extra inches of space on your desk, the E2201W-B would make an excellent 22in alternative.

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