ViewSonic VX2739wm review

£300
Price when reviewed

As world-first claims go, raising the response time bar from 2ms to 1ms isn’t exactly a life-altering achievement, but that’s the headline feature of ViewSonic’s latest TFT. Thankfully, the 27in, Full HD VX2739WM is exactly the right kind of monitor to appeal to those for whom a 1ms response time is something to shout about.

For a start, it’s well equipped, with a choice of HDMI, DVI and D-SUB inputs alongside a four-port USB hub to plug in controllers and other peripherals. If you’re not using HDMI there’s a 3.5mm audio input to supply the pair of 2W SRS speakers, and we were impressed with the volume they produced, albeit with little bass and a rather tinny sound.

The size is the real draw, though, with a 27in diagonal and a 1,920 x 1,080 resolution making it as happy when hooked up to a PC as it is when connected to a games console or Blu-ray player. We haven’t had any issues with 2ms monitors in the past, so it wasn’t a huge surprise that this 1ms panel sailed through our response time tests. It may be the headline-grabber, but it’s far from the most important feature on a TFT these days.

ViewSonic VX2739wm

What is important is image quality, and here the ViewSonic does reasonably well. Our tests clips were played with plenty of detail and accurate colours, and the 300cd/m2 brightness makes for a strong white level and an even backlight. Gradients were smooth and, once we’d lowered the contrast quite a bit from default, evenly distributed from black to white.

But there were weaknesses. The backlight gives a blue tinge to black screens, and bleeds quite noticeably at the top and bottom edges, which can be distracting during films. And colours just don’t have much punch to them; the TN panel gives a picture that’s nice in an uninspiring way, and watchable without ever comparing to a half-decent IPS or PVA alternative. It’s also not adjustable beyond tilting, so you’ll have to prop it up with a book or monitor stand if it isn’t the right height for your sitting position.

You’re only paying £255 exc VAT for the VX2379WM, though, which goes some way to make up for that, and it has the feature list to appeal to gamers and entertainment fans. If a big screen for those purposes is what you’re after, it’s certainly worth spending the extra over the Hanns.G HZ281HPB. But as a PC monitor first and foremost, it’s hard not to conclude you’d be better off spending that £255 on a top-quality 24in TFT.

Details

Image quality 4

Main specifications

Screen size 27.0in
Aspect ratio 16:9
Resolution 1920 x 1080
Screen brightness 300cd/m2
Pixel response time 1ms
Contrast ratio 1,200:1
Dynamic contrast ratio 100,000:1
Horizontal viewing angle 170 degrees
Vertical viewing angle 160 degrees
Speaker type Stereo
Speaker power ouput 4W
TV tuner no
TV tuner type N/A

Connections

DVI inputs 1
VGA inputs 1
HDMI inputs 1
DisplayPort inputs 0
Scart inputs 0
HDCP support yes
Upstream USB ports 1
USB ports (downstream) 4
3.5mm audio input jacks 1
Headphone output yes

Accessories supplied

Other cables supplied VGA, USB, 3.5mm audio
Internal power supply yes

Power consumption

Peak power consumption 51W
Idle power consumption 48W

Image adjustments

Brightness control? yes
Contrast control? yes

Ergonomics

Forward tilt angle 5 degrees
Backward tilt angle 20 degrees
Swivel angle N/A
Height adjustment N/A
Pivot (portrait) mode? no

Dimensions

Dimensions 648 x 251 x 490mm (WDH)
Weight 6.800kg

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