Viewsonic VLED221wm 22" widescreen LCD

Features & Build Quality

• Diagonal: 22 inches
  
• Type: TN+Film TFT LCD
  
• Colour gamut: 118 percent NTSC
  
• Backlight: RGB LED
  
• Native resolution: 1,680 x 1,050
  
• Contrast: 1,000:1 (12,000:1 dynamic)
  
• Brightness: 250cd/m²
  
• Pixel response: 5ms
  
• Viewing angles: 170/160 degrees H/V
  
• Inputs: VGA, DVI (HDCP supported)
  
• Chassis adjust: Tilt
  
• Warranty: Three years

The intriguing LED backlight aside, the VLED221wm is a distinctly conventional 22-inch widescreen monitor. Over the next 12 months, we're expecting a major shift to the 16:9 aspect ratio as well as full 1080p resolution for 22-inch panels. But this screen sticks with the familiar 16:10 aspect and 1,680 x 1,050 native.


Elsewhere, there's little to surprise – or indeed delight – in the VLED221wm's feature set or presentation. That's not to say that the bland tilt-only chassis or rather limited range of inputs (a single DVI port (with HDCP) and a VGA socket) are below par for mass market 22 inchers.


But with a list price of over £300, Viewsonic is asking a lot more than you would usually pay in this segment. That LED backlight had better be good, therefore. Similarly, dynamic contrast technology has now become a standard feature on all but the most poverty stricken monitors, so we are hardly going to award points for its presence here. Especially as we've little real hope it will work as advertised as we've yet to see a dynamic contrast implementation that really delivers.

One area where the VLED221wm does fall a little short is the OSD image controls. With no option to adjust the monitor's gamma setting, a trip in the video driver is necessary to get reasonable results. But more on that in a moment...