Monitors: New Year, New Face-Offs

Just like the TVs, the Product Face-Offs for monitors have been updated for 2010.

What's actually happened is that both categories have merged to become a common suite of tests.  It might seem like a strange idea, but now that you can connect your computer straight to a TV, or plug a monitor into your ISP's TV box or a DVD player, we think it's only fair to make comparisons.

That's why our new Monitor Face-Off now looks like this:

• Energy Consumption: while the test is identical to the old version, this graph has been reworked and honed down. It now only shows energy consumption for the TV in the best possible configuration and on standby, which wasn't previously included. 

• Gaming: Best Result and Worst Result: this test is unchanged.

• Input lag vs a CRT: this test hasn't changed, but we have adjusted how the graph is laid out:

• Contrast Measurements: we've reworked this graph to simplify it.

• Luminance: Factory Settings and After Calibration:  this graph shows the monitor's gamma, which describes how brightness is divided up across different shades of grey.  Ideally, it should remain at 2.2.  Any higher, and greys will look too light; any lower, and grey shades will appear darker than they should. 

• Colours: Factory Settings and After Calibration: we've redesigned these graphics to make them clearer.  We've also adjusted the range of colours we test to make our selection more relevant.

• Colour Temperature: this test started life in the TV Face-Off, and it shows up any problems with shades of grey showing tinges of other colours.  Interpreting it is very easy: above the standard of 6500 K (the yellow line), greys and whites will look a little blue; below, they will appear red.

• Greys: based on the previous readings, this graph also displays the gap between ideal colours and those displayed by the monitor.

• Playback: 576p Source: this test, which is the same one used for TVs, allows you to see how SD sources like digital TV signals or DVDs are stretched out to fit the whole display.

• Playback: 1080p Source: this test works in the same way as the one for 576p sources, but uses a 1080p signal to give an idea of what HD content like HD TV or a Blu-ray disc looks like on screen.

• Evenness: Test Results: we haven't changed this test, but we have adjusted the layout a little.

• Evenness: Subjective Appearance: this test is the same as before.

• Viewing Angles: this test is the same as before.

• Remote Control: just an idea of what the remote control looks like--if one is supplied, of course.

For the time being, we haven't published these new results for a lot of monitors.  So as not to create too much of a distinction between those screens we tested in 2009 and the crop of 2010, we've updated some important older tests, adding the new elements we've outlined here.  That's the case for the Dell 2408WFP (Rev02 - 2009) or the Acer H243HX, for instance, and others will no doubt follow depending on when we can re-test them.  In the meantime, though, you can enjoy the ones that are already there.

> New Product Face-Off: Monitors
> Product Survey: 22'' LCD Monitors
> Product Survey: 23'' to 28'' LCD Monitors