Color quality

Color quality

The quality of colors is measured with the LaCie BlueEye Pro colorimeter, which in fact, is a Gretag colorimeter coupled to the software suite developed by LaCie.

Just to remind you, we work with a value called DeltaE. It represents a measurement between the color requested and the one really displayed on the monitor. The higher the result obtained, the less true colors are. The value is also counter-balanced for human eye color sensitivity.

Delta E > 3 the desired color is noticeably different from the one on the screen.
2 < Delta E < 3 color quality is satisfactory, but a graphic designer probably wouldn’t be content
1< Delta E <2 colors are accurate.
Delta E < 1, the result is perfect.

Each time, 18 patches of color are studied and 16 results are reported in a graph.


Three monitors stand out, the ViewSonic VG2230wm, Samsung SyncMaster 226BW and Dell E228WFP. This is interesting and as we will see later on these three screens were indeed given more attention than the others.

Above an average of 4, color quality becomes a problem with noticeable variations between original ones and images displayed by screens. However, we should put this into perspective with results from a year ago when uncalibrated monitors easily had an average dE of 6 and even above. 4.5 was considered quite good and color improvements have been undeniable.

These measurements are for images directly in front of you. You will see later on that TN panels have problems when looked at from the side, above, and most of all, below.

More explicit than the figures, here is a practical illustration of the gaps measured. We remind you that average dE is based on the measurements of 18 patches. For these 18 basic colors, 5 are shades of grey, which we show you below. Take into consideration that because this is an average dE for 18 values, some monitors might be better in greys than other colors, or vice versa. This is the case of the Dell E228WFP whose grey scale may be a bit surprising. This is a very good monitor for the reproduction of colors, but it really accentuates reds in its greys.

TN 5 ms : Acer AL2216WD
TN 5 ms : Dell E228WFP
TN 5 ms : Fujitsu-Siemens L22W-3
TN 5 ms : Iiyama E2200WS
TN 5 ms : Lenovo D221
TN 5 ms : Mirai DML-522W100
TN 2 ms : Samsung SyncMaster 226BW
TN 5 ms : ViewSonic VG2230wm
TN 5 ms : ViewSonic VX2235wm

Reaction time

Reaction time

A car moves from left to right at high speed.

Movement isn’t perfectly fluid. Depending on its speed, the car is shown in several successive positions. If the car goes very fast, the positions are very close and the eye perceives a flowing movement.

perfect monitor monitor with two afterglow images
A monitor without ghosting effects would have previous images completely fading away when a new one appears. This is the theory and in practice, it's often not the case as images progressively fade. Sometimes up to 5 afterglow images remain on the monitor and represent the visible white trail behind objects. Some monitors have strong overdrives in addition to image anticipation algorithms. In this case, an image can appear in front of the main object, creating a white halo ahead of objects in motion.

We capture afterglow with a camera at a shutter speed of 1/1000 s for an LCD. We take 50 pictures per test. We then can see a monitor’s ghosting effects, or the car’s position in the entire process from the moment where it is at the maximum level, up until the moment when the next image is about to be drawn and when the previous images are the least visible.

Out of the nine monitors tested in this survey, eight have a response time of 5 ms. Panel origins aren't the same and some are manufactured by Samsung, others by AU-Optronics and CMO. It might sound a bit surprising, but regardless of the manufacturer there is no difference in afterglow and they are all strictly identical. With two monitors in clone mode or with our camera it was impossible to single out any one with the human eye.

The ninth screen, the Samsung 226BW, has a Samsung 2ms panel. This made a difference and the result was clearly better.

Rather than one long page of identical images, we chose to oppose all 5ms rendering with the 2ms:
Here are the two extreme states with each monitor as afterglow oscillates.
TN 5 ms : Acer, Dell...
TN 2 ms : Samsung SyncMaster 226BW
The difference in games is obvious and the 226BW is much better than the others, especially in FPS games.

This superior reaction time is also of interest for videos. Tracking shots are better rendered and fast movements are less subject to creating multiple images of the same character on the screen.

Viewing angles

Viewing angles

We take pictures of monitors from a 50° angle from all sides. The claimed viewing angles in a product’s characteristics are often exaggerated.

Once again, we won't give you a long page with identical photos. This part of the test can be summed up in two questions:
- what's the difference between a TN 5 or 2ms panel?
- what are the differences between TN and MVA/PVA/IPS?

Here are the answers in pictures with one representative for the TN 5ms panel (even if we tested all 5ms monitors):

TN 5 ms : here is the ViewSonic VG2230wm

TN 2 ms : Samsung SyncMaster 226BW

The first observation is that 2 ms or 5ms provide the same results. The lateral viewing angles are OK, but and the superior one is much smaller than announced. Technical datasheets stating 150° or even 160° are of course largely exaggerated! This is something we have already addressed (and complained about), but which hasn't been too successful in bringing manufacturers' attention. To announce such figures, manufacturers consider that the image is correct until reaching a contrast ratio of 5:1, which is quite scandalous. At this value the inferior viewing angle is black.
P-MVA 8ms : Belinea 10 20 30W

Compared to TNs, MVAs are much more homogenous. Here at least, from below the image is correct. A deeper examination shows that the lateral viewing angle of TN monitors is now a bit wider than that of MVAs. The superior angle is comparable and quite small with a noticeable loss of contrast even from 50°.
The MVA image is only good when seen from the front and this is one of the downsides of this technology.

IPS 6 ms : Nec MultiSync 20WGX²

The IPS monitor is really the best for this test. It has really wide viewing angles and if this characteristic is of high importance to you, this is the technology to choose.

PVA 8 ms : Samsung SyncMaster 215TW

PVA technology is supposed to be a simple variant of MVA and yet there are some divergences, for example, in movie rendering, crystal reaction time and viewing angles where those of the PVA are much wider from every direction. They are comparable to a TNs' on the side and a bit wider than the MVA for vertical ones. The second choice for good viewing angles after the IPS is the PVA.

Movies, HDCP...

Movies

All of these 22" monitors are equipped with TN panels. As explained in the previous page, the lateral viewing angles are quite good. This is one of the most important factors when there are multiple viewers, which 22" monitors accommodate. The size is comfortable enough even if the diagonal of current TVs is improving from 32 to 40".

The major inconvenience of TN technology is the inferior viewing angle. The image isn't visible if you look at it from below, something that usually happens if you are on your couch and the monitor is on your desk. The other problem is for children. If you do not change the screen's position for them, they won't see the image.

Another well known problem for TNs technology is the accentuation of compression defects. The quality of movie encoding will have a direct impact on the image displayed. HD movies encoded in MPEG2 with DVD quality are a bit of a problem. So imagine what it would look like with a heavily compressed DivX… While we are on the subject, let's bring up the problem of HDCP or not HDCP compatibility.

You, the readers, do not share the same opinion. Some letters have faulted us for giving good grades to monitors compatible with this protection norm, instead of militating against it and even trying to find a way crack to it. If our point of view isn't clear despite the articles published on the subject, here's a clarification. We find the implementation of HDCP unfortunate, and we wish that it would simply disappear and manufacturers would finally decide not to activate it.

In cases where the digital signal is blocked, you have to go with the analog one, the VGA interface. This isn't a problem for quality, with a 22" monitor the precision difference between digital and analog isn't visible. However, it implicates some manipulation, the modification of the interface and this is really annoying. We bought an HD player, a very expensive movie, Blu-Ray or HD-DVD compatible software, a screen and the norm considers us a pirate while the bill for all of this was quite significant.

Because of these complications having an HDCP compatibility seems preferable to us. Here is the list of monitors in this test that are compatible:


There aren't many.

Finally, we prefer a monitor with accurate colors for movie viewing. The Dell and Samsung are really good for this point while the Acer is less impressive.

One page for all ratings

One page for all ratings

Here is a table with the grades for all monitors. For office use, we remind you that it's useless to spend too much if the sole purpose is web browsing and word processing. In this case, go for a cheaper model.

For other type of uses, this table only sums up the ideas developed in the previous pages.

There is one additional rating, our verdict, which isn't a mathematical average of the previous grades but our personal evaluation. In general, 3 stars = an average product, 4 stars = interesting and 5 stars = our favorite monitor.



Only three monitors stand out. Samsung wins for its great design, better reaction time than its rivals, and accurate color rendering.

The Dell is also interesting because of its low price and numerous qualities: attractive design, very good color rendering, and HDCP compatibility.

Finally, we have also singled out the ViewSonic VG2230wm because it is the only one to be vertically adjustable. Sometimes this is of importance, for example, when the new monitor completes an existing configuration as a second screen. Adjusting the height in this situation is really helpful. Only one other 22" monitor has this functionality, the Samsung SyncMaster 225, tested in a previous survey of 22" monitors.

One word about the "losers":

The ViewSonic VX2235wm: we liked the design; it looks very much like the very popular VX922, except that it doesn't have the same reaction time. It is unfortunate that ViewSonic hasn't implemented a 2ms panel.

Acer, Fujitsu-Siemens, Iiyama, Lenovo, Miraï : the five manufactures have played the economy card. Nothing distinguishes one monitor from the next and if we change the brand sticker from one product to another we wouldn't see the difference. These are generic products with entry level plastic bezels. Compared to the previous batch of 22"s tested, it was a nice surprise to see that even the cheapest models have digital interfaces. The Acer is even HDCP compatible, but this isn't enough to make it stand out.

These five monitors have the worst factory color adjustments (with the VX2235wm). This is more proof that they lacked a bit of attention in the manufacturing process.

Conclusion : Samsung SyncMaster 226BW

Conclusion

The winner: at least it is clear and for once our choice is obvious. There is only one big winner of this test, the Samsung SyncMaster 226BW. Reaction time, finishing touches, design, color quality, it is better than all others. The principle downside is in its ergonomics with no height adjustment, USB hub, pivot mode or memory card player. You may also have noticed that one of the champions in this area, Dell, has also chosen not to include these functionalities. This shows that each manufacturer made the choice to offer a satisfactory product, good even, but not too expensive.

One last point…Samsung has chosen a glossy bezel and a mat panel. This is the opposite of what we usually find but a combination that we prefer.


The second choice: Samsung's monitor is interesting, but expensive and not always available. If you want to save a little money, and have a good 22" monitor, even if it has a slower reaction time, our second choice is the Dell E228WFP. Great colors, HDCP compatible, nice design…One important point is to not buy it at the highest price. It varies between 364 and 455 euros, depending on promotional offers - something that usually happens for Dell. Take a look at the manufacturer's website once in a while.

The super economical choice: if the most important factor is money, choose the Acer AL2216WD, sometimes found at less than 300 euros. You will have to take some time to adjust colors (choose a photo that you know well and like for this task), but at least you won't be restricted by the DVI interface. It's HDCP compatible and you will have the possibility to watch HD movies if you decide one day to invest in a Blu-Ray or HD-DVD player.

Letter to manufacturers : What's always missing in monitors (continued)

Now we can afford a little digression regarding our visit to the CeBIT. We were hoping to find the next 22" monitor and most of all other type of panels for this size. We found one in the Samsung SyncMaster 226CW to be released next summer. This is also a TN 2ms, but the innovation is that is has a wide gamut. This improvement comes from the integration of new CCFL backlighting. This is interesting but not outstanding. Also, it will be more expensive than current monitors.

What we would like to see is a 22" with a MVA, PVA or IPS panel. We didn't see a single one after looking hard on panel manufacturer websites and all we could find were upcoming TNs, the featured technology even for larger sizes and which was never used in these products up until now. For example, Samsung is going to launch a 24" TN, obviously an economy model, for around 600 euros.

A few last thoughts. Is TN technology really problematic, etc. ?

For viewing angles, finally, not really. If at the beginning they were catastrophic, lateral ones are now considerably larger and can be compared to those of MVAs', sometimes even a PVAs'. On the other hand, from below, this angle still darkens quickly. This doesn't affect side by side dual screen configurations (two TNs, for example), but becomes problematic when watching a video from far away on your couch.

When watching videos, there is also the accentuation of compression defects, which is common to all TN screens. There is only one type of monitor that isn't subject to this, the MVA. Films are displayed in higher quality, with softer shades, and large colored areas are homogenous. There are two solutions to this problem. Either graphic card manufacturers better correct the video noise in SD and HD sequences, or screen manufacturers integrate image correction circuits comparable to those found in some of the better TVs.

Finally, we just have to face the fact that there is another transition in diagonal sizes. 22"s are quickly becoming entry level, and 24"s are mid and high end products for the general public. At this point, manufacturers will avoid like the plague screens that will increase the prices of their products. Currently, there is a price war and volume of sales is of high importance. In this same line of thinking, what is the future of a 22" for more than 450 euros? Rather bleak, in our opinion, especially in their actual state. Some manufacturers have nevertheless bet on a future market for screens of this size at a higher price and with more functionalities. After many a failure, Samsung and Miraï will try again and offer before this summer 22" multisource screens for a mixed computer/TV use at as high as 600 euros. So, will it finally work for them? Let's hope these monitors at least have image correction circuits that are more evolved than current components!

Useful links

- 22inch LCD monitors
- ATI and NVIDIA correct the twinkling effect of LCDs in movies
- XL20 : Samsung's 1rst LCD LED
- Monitor calibration for 0 to 100 euros
- 20 inch LCD survey, MVA, PVA, IPS panels...
- The last CRT survey
- HDCP: the protection is activated, consequences
- LCD screens dead pixels