Acer G24

Verdict: Glossy and good for gaming.

The 24in Acer G24 is designed to accompany the Predator range of PCs, with its metallic orange bezel matching the militant tangerine-coloured PC. The screen is therefore aimed at gamers, and has a bewildering 50,000:1 contrast ratio. This is just the latest of high-impact screens quoting stupendously high contrast ratios, as the race toward ever-higher numbers looks like it's becoming completely out of control.

The quoted ratio, of course, refers to the contrast of which the G24 is capable - with the use of dynamic backlighting. The idea is pretty simple: using image data analysis techniques, the display's electronics detects when a largely or entirely dark image is displayed, and reduces the backlight intensity to darken the scene. For brighter images, the process is reversed.

Taken to its extreme, this method could easily enough achieve an infinite contrast ratio: just have a system that can switch the backlight off altogether and you'll have an infinite dynamic range. That, of course, would be a ridiculous thing to do, but Acer is only a few steps away from this with its quoted 50,000:1 contrast ratio.

In practice, dynamic contrast ratios don't deliver much benefit, however. For starters, the CCFL tubes used by nearly all LCD monitors (including the G24) for their backlights are sluggish at changing their light output. This presents a problem, as dynamic contrast techniques depend on the backlight being able to change intensity in milliseconds (from one frame of video or game to the next).

However, even if prevailing backlight technology was snappier (and it will be when LED backlights become widely available), dynamic backlight control is still a pretty worthless kludge. The net effect is to make dark images look dim and dingy, and bright images blindingly bright. As the technique is applied to the entire screen, should one area of the image be bright and the remainder dark, the brightness of the bright area will suffer. A high static contrast ratio is preferable, as this will maintain the intensity of the picture while having the finesse to show detail in both darkly and brightly lit portions of any image shown.

Setting the dynamic contrast rant to one side, the G24 is a very desirable monitor. It looks striking, even if the metallic orange isn't to everyone's liking. The stand lacks any adjustment other than tilt, and feels a little hollow and cheaply made, but its lightness could be an advantage for regular LAN-goers. It's also impressive to see a full complement of DVI, HDMI and VGA inputs. Connecting the G24 with a PC and games console simultaneously is therefore a cinch.

As for image quality, the G24 delivers a serious punch. Acer has opted for a glossy screen surface in the quest for increased contrast, and its chosen screen is very effective. The results are about as good as you're going to get on a TN+Film display - for better image quality, you'd have to splash out more cash on a PVA panel such as the £404.19 Dell UltraSharp 2408WFP.

The glossy surface also aids clarity as well as colour saturation, which again is well above average for a TN-based screen. The reflectivity of the glossy coating can result in reflections from the lighting of the room, but this is a small trade-off for the attention-grabbing visuals. Factor in strong, even backlighting and the swift pixel response time of 2ms, and the end result is extremely vivid, vibrant overall image quality that's bang on target for G24's gaming remit. For the record, the input lag isn't noticeable.

Loading a few games, we were impressed at how engaging they were on the G24. Colours were rich and vibrant, while shadows held plenty of detail rather than just being horribly flat patches of black. The glossy coating helped to define the dust and smoke of Crysis and Call of Duty 4, making for a very engaging gaming experience.

The limitations of the TN+Film panel technology mean that the colour accuracy of the G24 isn't nearly accurate enough for graphics professionals or photography buffs, but for gaming and casual video viewing, the colour accuracy is fine. Viewing angles might be a touch narrow on the G24, but we didn't find them to be frustratingly restrictive.

Conclusion

Glossy screen surfaces are an acquired taste, as the reflectivity can annoy some people, while undoubtedly adding extra vibrancy and colour intensity. The G24 isn't overly reflective, though, and the visual punch that its glossy coating delivers is incredibly engaging. The G24 is vibrant, with responsive pixels and little input lag, making it a great gaming monitor. The Dell UltraSharp 2408WFP might only cost £50 more but, with its 6ms pixel response time, it lacks the gaming credentials of the Acer G24.