Verdict: A great screen for those who don't have the GPU for something bigger, but what's with the wood?
This is the first of a new range of designer XM Hannspree screens ('XM' somehow standing for 'Exquisite Measures'). The measures in question aren't the alcoholic kind, and neither are they physical dimensions. Instead, it seems to refer to the measures that Hannspree has gone to in order to achieve product (or possibly brand) differentiation. The new range of screens boasts some bizarre designs, apparently inspired by famous US cities. The New York model has an industrial look, with massive screws holding the plastic body together on either side of the screen.
We aren't entirely sure why Hannspree associates a rugged, industrial look with New York though - why not Detroit and its car-making industry?
In contrast, this Boston model has a naff wood-effect finish on its fascia. The effect isn't quite convincing, and looks more like the obviously fake covering of a cheap desk than genuine antique furniture. Unlike the Cibox 19in TFT, this screen is fairly pricey for a 19in widescreen. However, unlike a lot of small monitors, the foot of the stand is weighty and holds the screen firmly in place unless you really whack it. Similarly, you can grab the bezel to carry the screen, or turn it up to 25 degrees in either direction, without worrying that it will snap or press into the precious TFT layer.
The height adjustment mechanism is fiddly, as it requires you to unscrew the clamp that fixes the screen to the metal stand. However, there's no chance that it will start slipping in a year or two, as might happen with a cheap spring-loaded stand. There's also the question of how often you readjust the height of your screen anyway - probably just once or twice during the monitor's lifespan.
Part of the reason we chose to review this screen was to ascertain whether or not a 19in widescreen could present a serious alternative to the two common widescreen resolutions of most monitors - 1,680 x 1,050 and 1,920 x 1,200, examples of which are reviewed in this month's Labs test. A 20in or 22in widescreen has a native resolution of 1,680 x 1,050, which will be a challenge for anything other than a high-end X1950-series, HD 2900-series or GeForce 88-series card. However, these graphics cards are expensive and we appreciate that not everyone can afford such a card.
In contrast, the 19in Hannspree has a resolution of 1,440 x 900, which comprises slightly fewer pixels than a standard 4:3 17in or 19in screen. As such, even a mid-range graphics card should be able to cope with this resolution at maximum detail settings. You also enjoy all the benefits of a widescreen TFT filling more of your peripheral vision, and making games that little more entertaining.
The panel is made by Hannstar, the parent company of Hannspree (and Hanns.G, the budget brand of this group). It's based on TN technology, which is relatively easy and cheap to make, but tends to suffer from poor viewing angles. It usually provides a fast response time though - 5ms in this case. As often happens in the world of IT, however, the boffins have been hard at work improving the technology. In this case, the image quality is pretty good unless you're viewing the screen from a stupidly high or low angle. The quoted response time is accurate too, as even fast-moving objects retained their sharpness and definition.
We were also impressed by the colour reproduction of the screen via its DVI input after we'd tinkered with the intuitive OSD. With all three colours set to full in the user colours menu (an odd setting, but it provided the best results), and the contrast tweaked to 77, the screen delivered a lovely milky white and vibrant colours. It lacks definition in dark areas - shadows are subtly lost and become a block of solid black, but overall, the results were pleasing. The 1.2W stereo speakers were less pleasing, though not terrible.
Conclusion
As solidly built as this screen is, and as good as the panel may be, there are several sticking points. The main reason why you should think twice about buying this screen is the Iiyama ProLite E2001WSV, which is included in this month's Labs. It costs 75p more and doesn't have as good image quality as the Hannspree, but it's a 20in widescreen TFT with a native resolution of 1,680 x 1,050, and it isn't covered in a dodgy wood-effect finish.
