X-bit labs

22" Monitors Roundup: Part 1 (page 4)

Category: Other

by Oleg Artamonov

[ 08/12/2007 | 08:53 PM ]

Dell E228WFP

This is one more monitor with a TN matrix without response time compensation. We’ve got the first revision of this model marked as “A00” (it is not a test sample, but an off-the-shelf product, though).

The E228WFP specs are overall similar to those of the BenQ model I’ve described in the previous section. A somewhat higher contrast, but smaller viewing angles. There are no fundamental differences especially as the specified viewing angles of a TN matrix have little to do with reality. Let’s see if the E228WFP is any different in its real parameters.

The monitor features Dell’s traditional design. It is neat and even pretty, having a black case with a thin screen bezel (it is only a few millimeters narrower than the bezel of the FP222Wa, but seems to be much so due to the appropriate color and shape) and a silvery stand.

The stand is not as good-looking as in the more expensive models (e.g. in the Dell 2007FP and 2007WFP that were tested in our earlier review). It is plastic with a metallic core. The stand permits you to adjust the tilt of the screen. Height adjustment, portrait mode and rotation are not available. If necessary, you can replace it with a VESA-compatible mount with all the functionality you want. To release the native stand, you only have to press the button under the spot where the stand is fastened to the case.

This monitor is equipped with both analog and digital inputs. The power adapter is built into the case. There are no additional video inputs here. You can attach optional speakers to this monitor.

The monitor’s controls are placed in the bottom right corner of the front panel. Unfortunately, the visibility of the icons pressed out in the plastic (on the buttons and near them) is poor except for the Power button which is highlighted with yellow in Sleep mode and with green at work.

The monitor provides quick access to the brightness and contrast settings (as opposed to many other monitors from Dell, the E228WFP allows you to change its contrast when connected via DVI), to switching between the inputs and to the auto-adjustment feature.

The menu is user-friendly, offering all the necessary settings, except for image scaling options. This is the common problem of widescreen monitors with TN matrixes. They usually stretch the picture to the full screen size irrespective of the picture’s aspect ratio, although more expensive monitors with *VA or IPS matrixes do provide the option of scaling. This problem can be solved by connecting the monitor via DVI and selecting the necessary interpolation mode in the graphics card’s settings (available on cards from both AMD/ATI and Nvidia).