BenQ V2220 LCD monitor review

BenQ has recently released a number of new LCD displays in the form of the V-series, which attempts to get a leg-up on the competition by combining a slim-line design with a range of new technology.

The series offers LED backlighting to improve energy efficiency and performance, and ranges in size from a relatively meagre 18.5in up to 24in, and is most immediately distinguishable from rival productss because of its "world class slimness".

The somewhat misleadingly labelled V2220 on test is actually a 21.5in LED-backlit screen, but this is one occasion when the all too frequently abused 'world's first' moniker actually seems to hold some water.

This really is a beautifully thin design and, at 15mm (the 18.5in model is 14mm thick, and another 'world best'), it's difficult not to be impressed by the slim lines and lightweight build.

A relatively small circular stand screws firmly into a rather thin support that protrudes from the base of the screen, and unfortunately this doesn't do a great job of keeping things stable.

You'll need one hand on the stand when tilting the display to adjust the angle, and it does wobble about a bit when accessing the built-in image adjustment controls.

This will be a relatively minor grievance for most, and should be weighed against the small footprint for those with little desktop space, but it does little to contribute to the overall quality of the build and design.

Contrast ratio
Dynamic contrast ratio, a faux number that seems to get an extra zero or two tacked onto it every few months, is an "astounding" 10,000,000:1, a figure that seems more than slightly ridiculous when the actual contrast ratio is a more realistic 1000:1.

Elsewhere a reasonable enough 5ms response time should be able to handle fast-moving video for games and movies, and more importantly it offers a native resolution of 1,920 x 1080 (or 1080p) and a 16:9 aspect ratio.

The size, resolution and aspect ratio of the screen should allow it to double as a TV in the right environment, but despite this the V2220 only offers D-sub and DVI inputs.

Both the V2220 and the larger 24in model will be available with HDMI inputs from June, dictated by the addition of an 'H' to the model number and an increase in price of around 18 per cent, but we're a little surprised not to see this included as standard.

How all this pulls together for casual day-to-day use and more specific purposes is obviously of paramount importance, and we took BenQ's Senseye technology and the range of optimised presets for a spin to see whether the performance can complement the aesthetics.

BenQ doesn't supply any additional software past a user manual on disc, so all adjustments are made through the on-screen menus which, for the most part, are well laid out. Standard tweaks include manual image positioning, brightness, contrast, sharpness, gamma and colour controls, aspect ratio adjustment and power saving settings.

Image presets
Of real interest are the image presets, however, which include standard, eco, sRGB, photo, game and movie, with the proprietary Senseye technology kicking in with the last three.

You can preview the effect with a split-screen display that shows the difference Senseye makes, but this doesn't appear to be anything more effective than tweaking contrast, brightness and colour levels.

Thankfully it does this very well for the most part, and the gaming, movie and photo settings do have a genuine impact in optimising the display in these environments.

Colour vibrancy is improved when viewing digital photos, and clarity and sharpness is generally very good, although there's a slight blue hue over images.

The game and movie modes are quite similar, but improved contrast and definition, along with brighter colours and softer shades for video playback, reflects nicely against subtle tweaks in game mode, where added brightness and sharper images make a difference to the latest titles if your computer is capable of reaching the maximum 1080p resolution.

In both these environments the monitor reacted well, and we saw very little sign of ghosting or blur during fast-moving scenes.

The eco-mode, combined with the 28.6 per cent reduction in consumption compared to CCFL (Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamps) screens, can increase this to 52 per cent. However, unlike some other displays that claim similar figures, this does reduce screen brightness quite significantly and would only really be suitable for use in darker environments.

Viewing angle
Finally, a high quoted viewing angle of 170 degrees is quite accurate, but it's worth noting that the compact nature of the screen is marred slightly by the required power-block, a necessity on these slim-line designs.

A suggested retail price of £160 is reasonable enough considering the inevitable online discounts that will become available, leaving the lack of HDMI on these early models and a slightly unstable stand as the only real drawbacks.

21.5in LED backlight display, 1,920 x 1,080 resolution, 1000:1 contrast ratio (10,000,000:1 dynamic), 5ms response time, D-sub and DVI-D inputs, 394 x 523 x 171mm, 3.3kg.