Viewsonic VA2226w LCD Monitor
Sudeep Naik
Dec 06 2007
Good build, Both DVI-D and D-Sub inputs, Great Picture quality, Good contrast.
Mismatch in the HCR test, Pricing could have been better.
People have finally woken up to the fact that when it comes to display, size does matter. Also, the PC has undergone a metamorphosis -- from being only a work or study related item to a full-fledged entertainment package. The huge surge in demand for HTPCs (Home Theater PCs) is proof enough and so is the demand for bigger screen LCDs.

Keeping that in mind, let's take a look at one of the more recent additions to the Viewsonic stable -- the VA2226w, a value segment 22-incher.



The Monitor

Sheathed in a black, the Viewsonic VA2226w gives an ample viewing area of around 208.6 sq. inches. It stands tall a good 20-inches and is only 2.4-inches in depth -- pretty slim for a screen that large.
The front bezel that houses the power and 4 OSD buttons is silver in color and has a matte finish. The buttons are small (but not too small) and neatly spaced with the power button positioned in the center and 2 OSD buttons on each side.

It stands on a sturdy plastic base that can tilt up to 20 degrees for viewing angle adjustment.

Bundle



Viewsonic VA2226w LCD Monitor
1 Power Cord
1 DVI-D Cable
1 D-Sub (VGA) Cable
Driver CD
Instructions Manual



Features

The VA2226w sports a 22-inch anti-glare TFT active matrix WSXGA LCD and boasts of a 1680x1050 pixel resolution. It has both DVI-D and D-Sub (VGA) inputs.



The brightness is 300 cd/m2 and the light source is rated to last for 40,000 hours. The screen has a viewing angle of 170 degrees horizontally and 160 degrees vertically.

It has a 5ms response time, a 1000:1 static contrast ratio, and a dynamic contrast ratio of 2000:1.

Before we move ahead, small gyan-session on contrast ratio is called for.

Contrast Ratio refers to the difference between the blackest black and the whitest white that can be displayed on the screen. That, in a nutshell, is termed as Static Contrast.

Dynamic Contrast (DC) is quite a recent improvement in LCD technology. It works like this:

When you need to display a dark image, the display underpowers the backlight lamp, and at the same time, proportionately amplifies the display signal going to the LCD panel. This process allows the user to view the contrast of the LCD in dark non-static scenes.

Most companies advertise Dynamic Contrast Ratio (DCR) as a USP as it's always higher than the Static Contrast Ratio. But, a higher DCR makes a better display, isn't always the case.

There's a catch, if there's a dark scene that contains small patches of bright light, they may be look washed or blown out.

Now that you're more informed, let's move on to the performance analysis.



Performance Analysis

We used DisplayMate to conduct a variety of tests, ranging from Geometric Pattern tests to the Color Reproduction test (and everything in between).

The Viewsonic VA2226w cleared the screen geometry and distortion, sharpness and resolution, and screen pixel resolution test easily.
It delivers sharp pictures and great color reproduction. No bleeding or streaking of colors was observed at any point during the testing process.

The brightness levels were good and contrast was better than some other Viewsonic models.

The VA2226w shows a minuscule amount of mismatch with the red and green bands in the Horizontal Color Registration test.



The OSD buttons and menus are simple and easy to use; although, I'm sure the Auto Image Adjust feature will take care of almost everything and you wouldn't need to use the OSD, unless you want to fine tune certain aspects of the display, that too by a very small margin.
We also used VA2226w for watching movies and playing games. Thanks to its 5ms response time, there was no ghosting in games or in movies. This one is a great HTPC option.



Conclusion

Today, 19-inch LCDs are the most popular choice as they offer a big enough viewing area and at the same time cost a lot less as compared to a 20+inch LCD screen. I feel this trend is only going to spread and catch on taking into account the awesome games and High Definition movies being released recently.

The Viewsonic VA2226w is available for Rs. 15,999 (all inclusive of taxes) with a 3-year onsite warranty. I must say, the onsite warranty part does have a nice ring to it. The monitor looks and performs really well, but at this point spending 16K for a screen this size just doesn't seem like the right thing to do.

With OLED TVs and monitors on their way, the price of LCDs are bound to drop. The only question is, how soon? If you're in a hurry to get a beauty like this, go ahead; I'd like to wait and watch for now.

Test Unit Sourced from : Roop Technologies, Mumbai


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