BIOS: Technology Means Business

While the overall market for LCD monitor shipments was down last year, the market is clearly shifting towards bigger and wider displays. Q1’ 06 showed a Q/Q increase of 60.9% in the shipment of widescreen desktop LCD monitors which accounted for 4.5% of the total world wide shipments compared to just over 1% a year ago at this time. Growth in the desktop monitor market is clearly in the larger and wider LCD monitor sector.

ViewSonic’s VG2230wm (Best Current Price: £275/$309) is that latest addition to the company’s long-running VG series. Designed to grab the attention of design aficionados and ergonomic-conscious business customers, the revamped range of LCD monitors not only look quite attractive, but they offer a choice of screen sizes spanning 17- to 22-inches. The new VG series monitors, which encompass a total of 10 models, represents ViewSonic’s key ‘go to market’ monitor series (i.e. mass market).

Various screen sizes and the choice of both widescreen (16:10) and traditional (4:3 or 5:4) aspect ratios mean that most viewing needs can be addressed. Moreover, the option to select a model with both analogue and digital inputs, or to choose one with analogue inputs only, lets you select of display that matches your specific connectivity and multitasking requirements. All models are also equipped with integrated (not detachable) 2-Watt stereo loudspeakers, useful for saving on desk space.

The top-of-the-line VG2230wm is a 22-inch widescreen monitor offering an aspect ratio of 16:10. This makes the satin-matt-black-with-silver-trim unit ideal for watching DVD movies on your computer, as well as editing your own home movies and playing the latest games. It sports a native resolution of 1680x1050 pixels (marketed as ‘HD’) and relatively impressive contrast ratio of 700:1, further strengthening its multimedia credentials. Brightness is disappointing at just 280cd/m2 (photo editors may bulk), but a super-speedy response time of 5ms is perfect for gaming. Relatively wide viewing angles of 170°/160° may also appeal to those using shared workspaces.

Height and swivel adjustments let you set the monitor individually to the optimal eye and posture level, thereby reducing injury from strains and stresses on the arms, neck and back. And the uncluttered front (power switch on front, rarely used buttons side-located), thin bezel, sRGB colour space, auto tune, internal power supply, VESA wall mount interface, and Kensington Security Port are welcome additions. Unfortunately connectivity options are basic, comprising Digital (DVI-I), Analogue (D-Sub), and Audio-in - this type of monitor is screaming for component video, HDMI and S-Video ports. There’s also no HDCP compliance listed for the DVI-I socket, which will be a problem if you plan to watch HD DVD or Blu-ray on your PC. There are no memory card slots or USB ports either, limiting the monitor’s appeal as a multimedia hub.

The on-screen display (OSD) lets you adjust the colour temperature, contrast and brightness - unless you’re using the sRGB setting, which locks them down. The ability to adjust the colour temperature is useful depending on your ambient conditions, as it does have a dramatic effect on the way the displays looks. For instance, the 9300K setting can make the screen look overly blue, so switching between 5400K and the sRGB settings allows you to get the best image quality specific to your room.

In the desktop publishing industry, it is important to know your monitor’s colour temperature. Color matching software, such as ColorSync will measure the monitor’s color temperature and then adjust your monitor’s settings accordingly. This enables on-screen color to more closely match printed color. General computer-users should set their PC monitor colour-temperature to ‘sRGB’ or ‘6500 K’, as this is what digital cameras, Web graphics, and DVDs are normally designed for. Indeed, the sRGB standard stipulates (among other things) a 6500 K display whitepoint.

ViewSonic’s latest LCD monitor range puts even greater emphasis on ergonomic considerations as well as other needs of employees and employers. Designed to significantly enhance the spectrum of VG monitor users - from the traditional graphics enthusiast to all business users and for all applications - at a price point that has previously only been seen in other vendors at the entry level, it’s a solid option for employees and employers alike. Home users will also get good value, but image quality and connectivity can be bettered if you’re looking for a premium display for graphics work or gaming. [6.5]

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