Viewsonic VG2437mc-LED

The Viewsonic VG2437mc-LED ($312.99 list) is a hybrid of sorts; it's positioned as a business monitor with a built-in teleconferencing solution but it would do just fine serving as a home monitor too. For $312 you get lots of bells and whistles with this 24-inch model, including a webcam, an ergonomic stand, USB ports, and a DisplayPort input. It doesn't have an HDMI port, but it does have two digital inputs, and it delivers very good grayscale performance for a TN panel. Color quality is also quite good and the panel doesn't use much power. However, its viewing angle performance holds it back.

Design and Features
The VG2437mc-LED uses a 24-inch TN (twisted nematic) panel with a 1,920-by-1,080 resolution. It's housed in a matte-black cabinet with thin (0.4-inch) top and side bezels and a wider (1-inch) bottom bezel. A white Viewsonic logo graces the bottom bezel, and there are five clearly labeled buttons, including the power switch, off to the right. Above the display, embedded in the bezel, are a 2MP webcam and an echo-cancelling microphone. A pair of two-watt speakers rounds out the videoconferencing solution.

The 8.3-pound cabinet is supported by an ergonomic stand that offers every adjustment you'll need for comfortable viewing. A telescopic amounting arm provides 5.3 inches of height adjustability and the hinge assembly lets you tilt the panel forward 5 degrees and backward 20 degrees. There's a Lazy Susan on the base that offers 360 degrees of swivel and you can pivot the panel for portrait mode viewing. However, the picture does not automatically change orientation when you rotate the screen like it does on the NEC MultiSync PA301W.

All of the VG2437's I/O ports are located at the rear of the cabinet. You don't get an HDMI port on this model; instead the folks at Viewsonic decided to go with the more business-centric DisplayPort input. If you must connect the monitor to a device with an HDMI output, a $10 DVI-HDMI adapter will do the trick. You also get DVI and VGA (analog) video inputs, an upstream USB port, and two downstream USB 2.0 ports. Audio ports include a headphone jack, a microphone input, and a microphone output.

Picture settings include contrast, brightness, color temperature, ECO mode, and dynamic contrast. If you're using an analog signal you can adjust horizontal position and size, sharpness, and aspect ratio. There's also an input select hot key and speaker volume controls.

The VG2437mc-LED comes with a three-year warranty covering parts, labor, and backlighting. Included in the box are VGA, DVI, USB, and audio cables as well as a resource CD and a Quick Start Guide.

Performance
The VG2437MC-LED was able to display each shade of gray from the DisplayMate 64-Step Grayscale test. There was only a slight trace of compression at the high end of the scale that made the two lightest shades of gray appear white, but the overall grayscale performance was impressive for a TN panel. Colors appeared vibrant and well saturated, and small text was sharp and easy to read.

Viewing angles were less impressive. Color shifting was significant when viewed from a side angle and the picture darkened when viewed from the top and bottom. This won't be an issue if you're positioned directly in front of the display but if you rotate the panel to portrait mode and move your head to either side the picture deteriorates and is particularly dark when viewed from the left side. This is a common characteristic of TN panel technology, which is one reason why IPS panels like the one used on our current Editors' Choice, the NEC MultiSync EA232WMi, are becoming so popular.

The VG2437mc-LED may be designed for business use but it is well suited for playtime, too. The panel's 5-ms (b-w) pixel response had no trouble handling fast motion while playing a few rounds of Far Cry 2 on the PC, and The BBC's Planet Earth on blu-ray looked superb at 1080p.

The VG2437mc-LED is a power miser; it used just 19-watts of power while running in Standard mode. Switching to the ECO Optimize mode lowered power consumption to 16 watts without becoming too dim, and Conserve mode used 12 watts. Conserve mode is significantly dimmer than Standard mode but the picture is still bright enough for most lighting environments. This kind of energy efficiency rivals that of the Lenovo LS2421P Wide (16 watts) and earns the VG2437mc-LED our Greentech stamp of approval.

Conclusion
For businesses seeking a full featured monitor that is budget-friendly and inexpensive to operate, the Viewsonic VG2437mc-LED is a good bet. It offers good color and grayscale performance and lots of features, including an ergonomic stand and a built-in webcam. Its motion handling prowess makes it ideal for after hours use as well. That said, its subpar viewing angle performance prevents it from displacing the NEC Multisync EA232WMI as our Editors' Choice for mid-sized business monitors.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/4Sddhy5pc70/0,2817,2416885,00.asp

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