ViewSonic VA2231w

Note: ViewSonic VA2231w is a LCD monitor and my review is about its cousin VA2231w-LED which is a LCD monitor with LED backlight.

Introduction:

My V7 L22WD monitor has developed ‘shadows’ after it has passed its warranty period. It will gradually get worse over time and the character with dark shadows will become twins. No, it is not time to change my glasses because everybody sees it too…………… as I have seen on a friend’s LG monitor. Eventually it will go all blurry and the root cause is a dodgy batch of transistors which affects a lot of computer manufacturers and a wide range of products from PC to monitors.

So I started hunting for a new LCD monitor with speakers. Then I spotted this ViewSonic LED monitor at Amazon with a good price. I changed my mind because I want to try out an LED monitor with higher contrast and less power consumption. Also, the built-in speakers of my older V7 L22WD monitor have not got enough power and clarity when I try to watch a DVD or use the iPlayer to catch up some TV programmes. Separate PC speakers or a soundbar may be a better option.

Price and the shop:

At the time of purchase (end of last month), it caused me £118.29 and £4.44 for delivery from Amazon Market Place. Today the price is £113.26 with free delivery from another company at the Amazon Market Place. Doh! I should have waited for a week or so.

What is in the box?

A nice black and shinny LED monitor. Well, this is not a truly LED monitor, just an LCD monitor with LED backlight. A true LED monitor should have OLED display which is much thinner, brighter and consumes even less power. Also, it includes the monitor stand with an option of wall-mounting (mounting frame not included), power cords (one for UK and one for Europe), D-sub cable to connect the D-sub port to the VGA port of the PC. A DVI port is available but the cable is not included. It is a shame that manufacturers these days are still not providing a DVI cable.

There is also a CD-ROM containing device drivers (for any operating system before windows XP) and a user guide. Also, there is quick start guide and a leaflet to show you how to attach and detach the base/stand to the computer.

Set up and installation

It is virtually plug and play. If you want to fiddle with it, press button ‘1’ to call up the menu and use button ‘2’ for selection. The first item on the menu is ‘auto image adjust’. Choose that will put everything into gear if the screen display is not stretched to the full. Windows 7 usually do a good job with any monitor i.e. no auto button or menu item to be pressed.

Of course there are other settings that are useful too. One is ‘dynamic contrast’ under ‘Manual image adjustment’. It is not selected by default. Select it to make full use of the dynamic image contrast range of 1000:1 to 10000000:1. Another one is ‘auto power off’ option in the ‘set up’ sub-menu. By default it is not selected. If it is selected, the monitor will power off automatically after 3 minutes of no activity e.g. you are having a coffee break from the PC. This will save some electricity. Unfortunately you can’t change the duration of the time out.

Key features and performance:

Response time: 5 ms [There is no jerking movement of any fast-moving object on the screen during DVD playing or TV programme viewing, should do with gaming as well].
Display brightness: 250 cd/m² [Bright enough]
Dot Pitch / Pixel Pitch: 0.24825 mm
Number of colours: 16.7 M
Display diagonal: 55.9 cm (22 ") and Viewable Size: 21.5" [very good for a monitor of 22” in size]
Viewing angle: 170 degree.
Video Format: 1080p (Full HD) [If you have a blu-ray drive …. and a DVI conection]
Image Contrast Ratio: 1000:1 (typical) / 10000000:1 (dynamic)

[This is a very good feature for viewing document and images with different contrast so that the documents are not too bright and the images have better appearance. Also, the contrast does change in response to graphics/images on the screen i.e. different websites may have different contrast settings for better viewing]

Power Consumption Operational: 22 Watt, < 0.2W on standby [Low power consumption, save electricity]
Manufacturer Warranty: 3 years warranty
Dimensions (WxDxH): 51.3 cm x 19.6 cm x 38.9 cm - with stand
Tilt Angle: 25

In general, this monitor performs well.

Pros and Cons:

Nice LED monitor with low power consumption (only 22W comparing to conventional LCD monitor of similar size at 40W) and 3 years manufacturer warranty. The backlight should last for 30,000 hours --> 3.4 years of continuous use. However the LCD light source now lasts for 50,000 hours --> 5.7 years of continuous use.

It is thinner (19.6 cm vs 21cm) and lighter (3.9 kg vs 4.6 kg) than a LCD monitor of the same size. It is truly widescreen with a maximum resolution of 1920 x 1080.

The tiltable stand/base is a bit short for a widescreen monitor, a couple more inches will be better. If you want speakers, this one has not got any. Go for the VA2231WM-LED or the newer VA2236WM-LED model. PS. the speakers are only 2 X 2W (not loud enough for me, I need at least 2 x 5W).

This monitor is full HD however it does not have an HDMI connection, only DVI.

Overall:

A good, nice looking and low power consumption computer monitor with a decent 3-years manufacturer warranty.