X-bit labs

24" LCD Monitors Roundup. Part II (page 18)

Category: Other

by Oleg Artamonov

[ 04/28/2008 | 11:40 AM ]

Conclusion

Although four out of the six monitors tested for this review are based on TN matrixes, I’m not disappointed. The main drawback of this technology is small viewing angles, but those of modern TN matrixes are suitable for most users. Of course, if you prefer to watch movies while lying on a sofa (with the monitor above your head level) or if you are just sensitive to minor deviations in contrast, you should consider models with *VA or S-IPS matrixes such as Dell 2407WFP-HC and NEC MultiSync LCD2470WNX or those we tested earlier.

The second, unobvious, drawback of TN technology is that such monitors belong to the low-end market sector and the manufacturer saves on many things including the setup quality. As a result, many models of smaller diagonals cannot show proper color reproduction. Fortunately, 24” models differ for the better so far. Most of the tested models have accurate color reproduction and uniform brightness. Perhaps this will change when prices get lower in this market sector, but there is no reason to worry as yet.

Thus, a 24” TN-based monitor can be a reasonable buy if you need a large screen with a resolution of 1920x1200 but don’t have enough money to buy a VA-based model.

There is one more problem, though. While Response Time Compensation has been used in TN matrixes of smaller diagonals for long already, there are no 24” models with this technology as yet. So, although TN matrixes are traditionally considered the fastest, it is PVA matrixes that are faster among 24” models currently. The manufacturers try to appeal to the customer with the pretty number of 5 milliseconds in the specs, but you should be aware that the numbers depend not only on real characteristics but also on the method they are measured with.