Verdict: The first 24in TFT from ViewSonic looks good on paper, but not in real life.
Flogging monitors is a tough, tight-margin business. Tough enough, in fact, for Sony to recently decide that it simply wasn't worth the bother and unceremoniously pull out of the market. However, ViewSonic is doing so well that it has just announced plans of a public offering of its shares, as reported by CRN at http://tinyurl.com/2sa3fx.
You might think that the relevance of this to a monitor review is rather tangential, but it provides a reason to expect a strong showing from ViewSonic's first 24in widescreen TFT. With sales growing by 30 per cent annually, the company must be doing something right.
As part of the flagship VX range, the VX2435wm is an all-purpose multimedia screen. The overall design, features and image quality is pitched at the 'I want it all' consumer. Indeed, the VX2435wm is marketed as an all-in-one screen for console gaming, computing and HD playback.
Aesthetically, this translates into an overly snazzy body, complete with glossy plastics and an air of mild extroversion. Unfortunately, with its flashy looks, familiarity with the VX2435wm breeds, if not contempt, then at least indifference. The styling is just the wrong side of flamboyance and the build quality flirts with flimsiness. It won't fall apart as soon as you lug it to its first LAN event, but the main enclosure wobbles in its stand following a moderate prod or desk shake.
What's more, the tilt-only adjustment of the stand also stinks of cost cutting. Ultimately, this is a budget product masquerading as a premium home entertainment panel. You might think, therefore, that the £450 price tag is cheap for a 24in TFT. Not so; at time of writing, LambdaTek was stocking the BenQ FP241W 24in TFT for only £441 inc VAT. This screen scored 79 per cent overall even when it cost £646. The VX2435wm had better pull its socks up if it wants to compete.
Like all 24in TFTs, the screen is a full 1,920 x 1,200 pixels and boasts impressive image quality stats. The 1000:1 contrast ratio, 500cd/m2 brightness and 8ms grey-to-grey response time is fair going for a quality screen. Likewise, the comprehensive range of input options certainly marries well with the multimedia remit. There's component in for connecting an Xbox 360, and S-Video, D-SUB and composite in for old-school analogue duties, plus HDMI (complete with a short DVI adaptor cable) for HD films and conventional PC use.
Specs are one thing, however - anyone can write a set of numbers that looks impressive - but it's whether these numbers translate to real-world performance that's important. Unlike most 24in TFTs, which are typically based on PVA-type LCD panels of some flavour, ViewSonic has plumped for a Premium MVA unit. In terms of panel technology, it traditionally sits between the eye-popping vibrancy of PVA panels and the restrained, tightly controlled colour accuracy of displays based on IPS technology.
The VX2435wm, therefore, has pleasing colour vibrancy, but disappointing oversaturation and a lack of fine colour control. This is most apparent when viewing photographs or high-definition video; flesh tones in particular suffer from an excessively warm, reddish tint. Using a customised colour balance, this red bias can't be removed without marring the overall picture quality.
However, while professional photographers and graphic artists will have to look elsewhere, the boldness of the colours helps to bring most games to life. And bold colours aren't the VX2435wm's only strength - its viewing angles also deserve praise for their nearly 180-degree generosity, with nary a whiff of colour inversion. This is a boon for audiences of more than one person. Similarly, the strength and evenness of the backlighting is impressive, further aiding the impact an image makes when displayed on this screen.
Less laudable, however, are the two tinny 3W speakers, the black levels and the pixel response times. The poor black levels will be annoying when you're watching films in a dimly lit room, while the latter obviously has wider implications for gaming and movie watching. How much of an issue the lag is will depend on your sensitivity to such matters, but there's no doubt that old-fashioned smearing and blurring is visible. This fact is reflected by the 20ms figure for the full on-off rating of the pixels. Response in brighter scenes, both in games and video, is much more acceptable, thankfully; the 8ms grey-to-grey quoted time (the usual metric) seems to be accurate.
Conclusion
The VX2435wm is a mixed bag of impressive headline specifications, bold claims and some disappointment. The inputs and specs mostly make for good reading, and are indicative of the decent 24in panel used for this monitor. The inclusion of an HDMI port and DVI converter is also welcome, as it ensures future compatibility without the need to buy a £15 DVI-to-HDMI cable.
However, the cheaper £441 BenQ FP241W offers similar screen quality and input options. Plus, it has a sturdy stand with height adjustability, and swivelling and pivoting abilities. Given that the BenQ is cheaper than this monitor and doesn't suffer from the pixel lag of the VX2435wm, it's clearly the more sensible purchase.
