Viewsonic VX922
19 inch. 1280 x 1024 resolution, 2ms G2G response time, 650:1 contrast ratio, 270 cd/m2 brightness, quoted 150/135 viewing angles
DVI and VGA connections (with cables), tilt function
The Viewsonic VX922 is the updated version of the popular and well established VX924. It is using essentially the same TN Film panel from AU Optronics as the VX924, and indeed the VX912 before it. However, with a more aggressive application of overdrive, they are now listing it as a 2ms response time screen and touting it as the "fastest monitor in the world", which (at time of writing) it is. Since there is a more aggressive application of overdrive on the panel, the grey to grey response time may have been lowered a little, and Viewsonic themselves have supposedly improved their own ClearMotiv technology, with some places listing it as ClearMotiv 2. In reality and in practice, I really doubt you would be able to tell much difference between the VX922 and the VX924. Seeing as this is effectively replacing the VX924 however, it won't really matter in the near future, but if you can still source the VX924, there might be a worthwhile saving if you did buy that. I don't see the point in paying the difference to get the VX922 when what you are pretty much paying for is an updated spec on paper, without any real difference in performance.
As far as other performance goes, expect restrictive viewing angles in keeping with other TN Film technology screens. These are particular bad in the vertical field and certainly cannot compete with IPS or VA variant panels. Movie playback is generally quite poor on TN panels as well and the heavy application of overdrive does not help, and can lead to the accentuation of 'noise' and artefacts in movie playback. X-Bit labs reviewed several monitors with overdrive (Response Time Compensation - RTC)
here, where they were impressed with the control of the overdrive which AU Optronics have used. This is in comparison with Samsung panels, which showed poor control and a large degree of overshoot on the overdrive, leading to these drawbacks in movie playback. The VX924 / VX922 are very much aimed at the gamers market and I would put them in a similar class as the Samsung 930BF. However, if you're wanting a TFT for more all round use I think it would be worth looking elsewhere...
Official Viewsonic
Spec
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User Pictures: (note, of the VX912, but it is the same design exactly)
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Reviews:
Tom's Hardware
Review (March 2006)
BeHardware
Review (Dec 2005)
Prad.de
Review (Jan 2006)
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Advanced Tests:
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Click Here >
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User Comments
BEHARDWARE: "The bezel is already known, it is the same as with the previous VX range, the 4ms which became 3ms thanks to the magic of the response time procedure modification. And honestly they could have continued on the same path and say that the VX924 became a 2ms. The differences between the 922 and 924 are barely noticeable. If the monitor name is hidden, chances are that you won't find which version you are playing with even in clone mode.
(Response time) From the Viewsonic VX922 (TN 2 ms) to the Acer AL1951 BS (TN 6 ms), it takes a very sharp eye to see the difference. All have very fast reaction times and very slight afterglow. We remind you that we felt that TN 8, 12 and 16 ms panels produced compared results for our eye, and were impossible to distinguish in games even if a the response time measure with the oscilloscope reported different values. We feel that 2 = 3 = 4 = 6 ms for games. So why should you spend more money? Choosing a 2ms monitor has one advantage: you can hope to have a better colour quality because manufacturers realize more and more that it is a very important aspect. However, we showed in the previous page that it wasn't necessarily the case."
H0TK4RL (Hardforum): "Two NEC 17s, Planar PL2010M, Apple 20" Cinema Display, the list goes on and these VX922s kick the poop out of them. Point is, I'm comparing these LCDs to LCDs being that it's been a long time since I've used a CRT. First thing I did after getting them set up was play some CS:S and DoD. The Refresh is amazing! Yes there is some extremely mild ghosting but it's almost a mute point to be honest. Text is very crisp, easy to read. The backlight does bleed through a bit and that's probably the only thing that bothers me with the monitors."
TOM'S HARDWARE: "The VX922's design is identical to that of the VX824. Maybe LCD manufacturers are short on designers, or maybe the designers are short on time and resources...But the VX922's design is extra-flat and elegant, and the plastics are high-quality. he ergonomics could be better. A tilt adjustment is all you get. The buttons on the front panel are easy to use and the OSD is the classic Viewsonic model. It's very accessible. After adjustment, the colours were fine... but you'll have to make the adjustments yourself. In the interest of economy, or maybe so as not to step on the toes of its other monitor lines, Viewsonic has set this one a little too cold and saturated by default. The black level was very good. The brightness was high for office applications or graphics use. The VX922's uniformity wasn't extraordinary. The values were spread over 20% of the total range, which is below average for the monitors we've looked at so far. On the other hand, it's interesting to note that there were no halos of light in the corners or along the edges of the panel, which is a positive point.
The TN panel in the VX922 is indeed the fastest we've seen up to now. But let's be sure of what we're talking about. Our criteria aren't limited to remanence alone. The other 3- and 4- ms panels are fast, but they lack precision because the overdrive is not well controlled. But the VX922 showed no evidence of troublesome overshoot. It reproduced the requested colour in less than the space of one frame. The Overdrive is exceptionally well controlled, earning the VX922 a place in Class A. Since we didn't record any overshoot, this monitor should resolve a lot of the complaints from gamers who are unhappy with their 4- and 6-ms monitors. On displays with which the overdrive is poorly controlled, some people can see visual artefacts in FPS games during lateral movements. A halo of colour appears temporarily around the moving object. This phenomenon is due to the overdrive technology used on this type of monitor. In the worst cases, the colour displayed is not the right one for 3 whole frames, which can be visible in the form of unwanted colours....Games are really this monitor's home turf. It's incredibly fast, and no chromatic aberrations appear during movement - this is really the Rolls-Royce of gamers' LCD displays.
Again, the default brightness was too high for office applications. You can solve the problem by sacrificing a little colour fidelity. Text was sharp, but it would be better to use this monitor for office work only occasionally. The assessment is a little more mixed for video. A good deal of sparkling was perceptible on colour masses. And what's more, the viewing angles, in particular the vertical, were quite narrow. So the VX922 is a gamers' monitor first and foremost."
PRAD.DE: "Considering the fact that it’s a TN panel model, the image quality of the ViewSonic VX922 is impressively good. The amount of stripes occurring in smooth red and blue gradients is hardly visible. Whereas stripes appear to be more pronounced in gradients of green and shades of grey, it still remains on a level which - for a TN panel – has to be considered as above good. The contrast rapidly drops when looked at from the side, resulting in pale colors as well as negative impact on the perceived black level. However, all TN panels are subject to this flaw, as they possess far weaker viewing angle stability than VA or IPS panels for instance.
The monitor unearthed no noticeable amount of ghosting in fast paced first person shooters and also didn’t show the so-called ”Corona” effect with quickly moving objects. Therefore, it seems that ViewSonic has done a good job in fine tuning its ´Advanced Amplified Impulse Overdrive´ in conjunction with the TN panel. The responsiveness of the ViewSonic VX922 is excellent and this display is surely one the fastest LCD monitors we have tested so far. Yet, the possibility that someone would actually be able to perceive a difference between a 2 ms and a 4 ms device seems highly unlikely to us. In terms of response time performance, the VX922 is an interesting choice for hardcore gamers. For those gamers who are still not satisfied by this display, the only real option left will be going for a CRT monitor.
When it comes to playing back DVDs and displaying action sequences, battle scene or rapid camera pannings often involved (like in ´Blade 2´ for instance) , the VX922, taking advantage of its fast TN panel with Overdrive, easily proves up to the task. None of the DVDs we used for this review revealed any ghosting on this monitor. Neither does the TN panel show any real weakness regarding quality of color tones and shades of grey. Dark scenes, steam, fog, wads of smoke and glare effects as frequently encountered in the movie ´Blade Runner´ are displayed in great quality. Admittedly, the quality level achieved can’t cope with VA or IPS panels, but the dithering shows hardly any effects that would have a negative impact on image quality."
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Hyundai L90D+
19inch. 1280 x 1024 resolution, 8ms response time (TN Film panel), 700:1 Contrast Ratio, 300 cd/m2 brightness, DVI and VGA, Tilt and Height Adjustment. Built in speaker and headphone jack
The Hyundai L90D+ was the first 19inch TFT to use Samsung’s LTM190EX-L01, 8ms rated TN Film panel. This gives the screen a clear market at gamers who want larger screens than the 17inch models, but also want the response rate nice and low. The TFT looks a lot like some of the old Samsung panels (Samsung 181T for example) and has a really nice thin bezel. To achieve such a low response rate, the panel seems to have sacrificed in some areas, most noticeably, viewing angles. This is a common feature on TN panels however, as reductions in viewing angles and movie playback can help panel manufactures achieve the latest and greatest response times. It seems from reviews that colour reproduction is exceptionally good for a TN film panel, and the contrast ratio is extremely high as well! This is very much a gamers TFT, but offers some excellent performance in the 19" market.
Official Hyundai
Spec
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Reviews:
BeHardware
Review (Dec 2004)
Tom's Hardware
Review (Feb 2005)
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Advanced Tests:
Click here
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User Pictures:
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User Opinions:
TOM'S HARDWARE: "To our great surprise, the L90D+'s color rendering is excellent. Marketed as a gamer's monitor, the L90D+ has color fidelity that matches the best CRT monitors! It's simply excellent, and in fact very close to the quality you get with MVA panels, but without the slowness. The L90D+ still has some difficulty with dark colors - but nothing like what we're used to seeing.
This display is much too bright for my taste.....Of course you can lower the brightness, especially since the contrast is fairly stable, but then the color fidelity will be less than optimal....you'll be able to change the brightness as you see fit between 30% and 70% without losing too much contrast. Optimum contrast was at 65%.
We chose a more appropriate contrast adjustment, one that's closer to the actual conditions under which the display will be used. And that resulted in a latency reading of 10 ms in the best case.....We noticed no objectionable remanence, even with the fastest games. While the 12ms 19" models were a little slower than their 17" counterparts, the 8ms 19" panels can rival the fastest 17" units.... (It) is very responsive; images are perfectly fluid, and immersion in the game is very impressive. Dark games take full advantage of the excellent black level. Games with bright colors are also at their best on this panel, with its intense, accurate colors. In short, the L90D+ is a gamer's monitor....Beyond the native resolution, the image deteriorates significantly, so you'll need a good graphics card.
The panel's viewing angles are somewhat narrow - especially the vertical angle. Adjusting the monitor's base so that the panel is vertical is important for getting the most out of it....Screening films, on the other hand, was a disappointing experience. There was a little video noise here and there, but the biggest problems were caused by the viewing angles, which were too narrow."
BADDASS' note: THG also state that the DVI makes very little difference in image quality on this TFT over the VGA
THORSON64: “Played Doom 3 on it, no lag at all. Also had a quick spin with LOTR DVD, everything looked real nice.”
ROBOSTAC: “The base is sturdier than it looks, quite heavy. The bezels nice and thin, the only problem being the controls are a bit fiddly to use, especially if your monitor isn't at its maximum height….The screen itself is very good quality, noticed no problems in movies / games so far…..The colours /image are indeed very sharp, and better than my old Hitachi 16ms monitor.”
OOALDRIDGE: “I’ve just played a few games with fraps on. NFS Underground 2, looks really good, no ghosting……Matrix 2 fight scenes, no ghosting……It wont effect my game play and in game it looks really good. In windows it just doesn’t look right but I need some time to mess about with colour settings and to get used to the dot pitch.”
JGRAHAM2K: “No ghosting here either. I've tested the TFT out on the extended edition DVD of Return of the King, Half Life 2 and Medal Of Honour: pacific assault. All ran beautifully. I'm running MOH at the TFT’s optimum resolution but I’m running HL2 at 1024x768. HL2 looks sweet even when it’s running at 1024x768...no issues at all.
COLDWIRED: “Still a slight ghosting compare to my 7yr old Sony 400PS CRT, 6-bit colour panel means (bad) colour banding on gradients, fuzzy image on games if running at less than 1280x1024…..Q3 & Halo seemed Ok as far as the slight blurring was concerned but FarCry started to make me a feel a bit bleh and also looked the worst when running at a res less then the native 1280. Other niggly things like fiddly menu etc I've ignored. I do like the fact that is takes up less space, is less glary, is better in bright sunlight, has perfect geometry (no pincushion, uneven edges etc) but at the end of the day I didn't have any of the main issues above with the CRT and I'm wondering why on earth I should keep it. What adds insult to injury is that its extra clarity shows up poorly saved web jpegs and also enhances the need for AA in games, even at 1280.....but I guess I shouldn't let that factor really.”
BEHARDWARE: “The screen is vertically adjustable, it has an internal power supply, a pivot mode (very useful for image editing, typing long texts and surfing on Internet)….. However like the Samsung 913N this screens’ viewing angles are lower than the average TN screen….from 45° on the side, colors change. Tests with the L90D+ confirm our earlier tests with the 913N, the Samsung 8 ms panel is the fastest panel on the market. Compared to fast AU Optronics and LG-Philips panels, afterglow is reduced. And you really need to be allergic to LCD screens quality no to use it to play.”
WSH: "Weaker colours than the Viewsonic VX912 but better viewing angles.....Probably equal ghosting. Good ergonimics but not very good looking."
DADDYORCHIPS - a direct comparison with the Dell 2001FP: "The base of the screen does look a bit tacky, especially when sat next to the Dell screen. Overall, the build quality is nicely robust, but aesthetically the screen looks cheaper than the Dell. Which it IS, so fair enough. What is nice is how small the bezel is: it's tiny, especially when compared to the Dell's.
Another point worth making is that this screen is far easier on the eyes than the Dell. It could be just that I'm using a lower resolution with a higher DPI, but the image seems much more "still". You could say that having now seen both, 1280x1024 looks well suited when stretched over 19 inches, whilst 1600x1200 is too high a resolution for 20.
So far I've tested UT2004, Doom 3, Half Life 2 and WoW. They've all looked great. Thanks to the extra available brightness, I can see more than on the Dell, and the IQ remains about the same. I'm surprised to say the difference in response time IS noticeable - I'm not normally bothered about these things - and when looking around in say Unreal Tournament the image remains sharper on the Hyundai. It's not completely perfect: there's definitely still some blur. Half Life 2 and WoW are extremely colourful games, and the Hyundai does a good job with them. On the whole, whilst looking more life like, the extreme colours are not as brash and bold as on the Dell....What DOES happen though is that all the colours look more equally pronounced, and everything takes on a more photo like sheen......When knocking the res down to 1024x768, the Hyundai takes a noticeable hit. This screen is nowhere near as good at interpolating as the Dell. At 1024x768, it does the job ok, but text becomes jaggedy. The image isn't as sharp overall and blur/ghosting (?) becomes more pronounced generally. The Dell manages to retain a slightly sharper image and the text remains intact. 800x600 is unplayable on the Hyundai, but for some reason 640x480 interpolates extremely well! The Dell doesn't particular handle either of these admirably either, though it does have the option of turning the scaling off.
Also, the colours are definitely not as vivid as the Dell's. But the picture is much sharper. Now it's hit night time, the glare of the screen has reached such a peak that I've had no choice but to lower the contrast significantly. Unfortunately, doing this really drains the screen of colour, and this appears to really hurt gaming. Part of the beauty of World of Warcraft, for instance, is the use of strong primary colours, and these can look quite plain on the L90D+ once the contrast is reduced. On the flip-side of the coin, some games are REALLY benefitting from the excess contrast. Far Cry looks fantastic, and you could sharpen blades with its IQ. I've just finished dabbling in Dawn of War, and that looks great also. Plenty of detail for all to see. I still miss my colour though. I'm typing this back on the 2001FP again, and am just soaking up the high-resolution, colourful goodness.
The only thing that the Hyundai exaggerates is the contrast between extremely bright, bland colours, and extremely those that are extremely dull and bland. A good example is World of Warcraft: its prominent use of vivid primary colours is palpatated into an ugly, drained mush on the L90D+. That's not to say the Hyundai experience is entirely bad: Doom 3 benefits from its detailed blacks, whilst Far Cry appears pin-point sharp.
Viewing angles: Tom's Hardware couldn't have said it better. They're really not all that great. Sitting in front of it, swaying side to side, there really isn't an issue. But the bottom of the screem is definitely slightly lighter than the top, and it would appear you can't adjust the angle so that the entire screen is uniform. It's no biggie though.
Films: look fine to me. Am using an ATI X800 XT to run this, and I can't really tell any difference between the two. Photo wise, the Hyundai puts in a good show. Its heavy contrast really brings out any still image you care to put on the screen. The Dell isn't far behind, and its colours still beat the Hyundai in this department, but sometimes so much so that photos can look artificial in comparison. I think I'll give this one to the Hyundai."
WEDGE: "The picture is very sharp and bright, however the fonts I don't think looks quite as sharp as my old CRT monitor, or as nice as my laptop. I've tried Cleartype and Standard but not great. I mostly play games (and the reason ive waited for a fast TFT), so I fired up my all time favourite Quake III and to my amazment there was very little ghosting, as playable as a CRT monitor. So a deffinate thumbs up for gamers.
The viewing angles are not too bad at all. Vertically, they are excellent, a little darkening on the lighter colours at the bottom looking down and visa versa. Horizontally the pale colours turn a little yellow, but very little, if any, picture quality loss. Ive also played Battle for Middle Earth RTS, and it's stunning - even better than my 19" CRT. The blacks are jet black, very impressive!! Played the incredibles DVD and its excellent!! You could easilly sit 3 people side by side in front of the monitor and you would all see a great picture. The colours are very bright and vibrant. And the screen is Huge! "
