Viewsonic VX2739wm 27-inch LCD display

Product Viewsonic VX2739wm 27-inch LCD display
Website www.viewsoniceurope.com/uk
Specifications 27-inch TFT LCD screen, 16:9 aspect ratio, 1200:1 contrast ratio (100,000:1 dynamic), 1ms response time, DVI-D, HDMI 1.3, D-sub inputs, 4xUSB2.0, USB host, 3.5mm audio in/out
Price about £280, but apparently it's not available at resellers just yet

DISPLAY MANUFACTURER Viewsonic has produced some commendable displays over the years and is no stranger to pushing boundaries in this market. In 2005 it was the first to introduce a screen with a 2ms response time, and it has gone one better with the VX2739wm on test, being the world’s first 27-inch 1ms monitor.

As impressive as this sounds it isn’t really a strong enough feature to sell the display in its own right, and the majority of LCDs we’ve tested over the last year or so have been perfectly capable of eliminating ghosting and motion-blur at around the 5ms mark. We’re hoping Viewsonic has enough extra on offer to see an admittedly impressive achievement as the cherry on the cake.

For a start, the VX2739wm is a bit of a behemoth at 27-inch in size, and boasts full HD 1080p 1920x1080 resolution along with all the connectivity you’d expect, and probably a bit more. Adorning the underside of the unit at the rear are HDMI 1.3, DVI-D and D-sub inputs, audio-in for the stereo speakers and two USB ports, along with a USB host. At the side there are two additional USB ports and a line-in, but while the abundance of data connectivity might seem like an advantage at first, it’s still not nearly as convenient as a well-placed USB hub for quick attachment of devices.

The VX2739wm is nicely built though, and is about as unassuming as you could expect a 27-inch display to be. A simple tilt stand does a good job of keeping the large screen stable and though it’s a shame not to see provision for height-adjustment, it coordinates well with the slimline nature of the design.

A simple series of four controls offers access to the on-screen display, though users are restricted to general contrast/brightness and colour adjustment for the most part, with dynamic contrast and eco modes available. We found the former to be quite effective for general use when switched on but the eco modes are only really suitable for darker environments. After painstakingly working with the contrast, brightness and colour balance to find an image better suited for specific uses, we concluded that the auto-adjust setting is really the best way to go, unless of course you’re patient enough to go through the effort of - relatively minor - tweaking every time a game or video file is fired up. This would be necessary because Viewsonic hasn’t included any presets or custom modes here. Quite why we’re not sure, since the display certainly lends itself to use in these very different environments.

Thankfully we were pleased enough by the overall image quality and outside more specialist applications, most users should be happy to stick to either the default or a manually-configured environment without making frequent adjustments. It’s not an outstanding showing on this front however, as colours can appear muted or overly vibrant at times, and we noticed backlight bleed at the top and bottom edges of the display that become apparent in darker scenes during video playback.

Lines are pretty sharp though, and despite the fact that we couldn’t qualify the effectiveness of the 1ms response time to any accurate degree, there was certainly no sign of lag during fast-moving scenes in games or movies. The viewing angle is also impressive, reaching around 160 degrees before colours start to fade into obscurity.

The only other real issue we have on the display front is that while 1080p is certainly impressive enough when it comes to TVs, a monitor that you would sit, say, a couple of feet away from at a desk is a different matter. High-resolution images and videos that seemed crisp and clear on smaller displays at the same resolution can suddenly exhibit undesirable pixilation here, and though there aren’t a lot of screens that boast higher resolutions at the moment, it would be fair to argue that you wouldn’t want anything larger than this without a boost in resolution.

We also gave the audio a fair test on the VX2739wm, since Viewsonic claims pseudo-surround via the SRS Premium software provided. After fiddling with the settings for some time we can conclude that the audio can sound more ‘rounded’ than you’d expect from typical stereo speakers, and it is fairly capable of distinguishing finer details in the high and mid range. Unfortunately bass is predictably conspicuous by its absence, so any kind of immersive environment - that is, games and video - will still suffer. This is no replacement for a decent set of speakers outside casual use or as a temporary convenience.

Despite highlighting quite a few negatives with the VX2739wm, this is far from an undesirable display. At its core is a capable 27” screen and in looking for more real estate to enhance the visual impact of movies and games you’ll certainly notice a difference. Those who aren’t so bothered about the potentially minor issues described above will no doubt be pleased by the impact such a large screen can have, and considering the low price this still ticks the most important boxes as a no-fuss, general use monitor.

In Short
Viewsonic’s VX2739wm isn’t capable of taking on more specialist - and more expensive - rivals in terms of pure performance, but it’s still a well-specced desktop display with plenty of connectivity and is versatile enough to handle a range of tasks. Those who are primarily looking for a large-sized screen will find few better all-purpose alternatives around at this price point. µ

The Good
Tidy and stylish design, range of connectivity, good value for money.

The Bad
Colour accuracy could be better, speakers predictably tinny.

The Ugly
Lack of environment or custom presets.

Bartender’s Score
7/10