The BenQ EW2420: Too good to be true?

Truth in what? Truth that his particular panel had problems? Yes. True that the ISO response time is rated at 25ms? Yes - that's what causes what is referred to throghout this thread and my review as 'black ghosting'. Actually if you consider ISO response times of those super fast TN panels in some pretty bad case scenarios they don't seem too great either. The review and this thread gives a much broader picture of what to expect. That is the best you can do short of purchasing the monitor with the mindset of exercising your rights under DSR to return it.
 
Resurrecting this thread a bit, ExpertReviews have reviewed the EW2420 and only gave it 3/5 stars:
In our gaming and movie tests, we found the EW2420 didn't handle movement very well either; in our Crysis test, foliage became a blur during fast movement, and there was visible ghosting on straight lines, even with the AMA overdrive setting turned on.

We can't recommend the EW2420 for work that requires colour accuracy and moving pictures, be they film or games, due to signs of ghosting. It's not a terrible display, though, and the excellent contrast and deep blacks offer something different. If your environment isn't full of bright lights that the glossy screen will reflect, then it's a good choice.
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This is somewhat contradictory to their VW2420H review which they gave 4/5 stars:
In the VW2420H's case, the panel has an 8ms response time. Although this may sound a lot worse than the 2ms times of many TN panels, most people wouldn't be able to tell the difference. Watching our test videos, including a mix of 24, 25 and 30fps material, we certainly didn't notice any ghosting during fast-paced sequences. Playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, we saw a tiny amount of blurring when panning, but nothing that would cause even avid gamers concern.
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On both monitors, they noted that the colours were slightly blue/cold which no amount of tweaking would fix.

ExtraHardware also reviewed both the VW2420H and BL2400PT here (untranslated here). This is probably the most in depth review in terms of actual measured results that I've seen. The colour and gamma measurements of the preset modes is quite funny, goes to show how bad they really are.

Their verdict:
... for whom are the A-MVA BenQ LED appropriate:

- lovers of the night watching movies
- users looking for a universal (and above average) home screen

and for whom not vice versa:

- graphics, photography
- all those who dislike either reflections or phenomena VA off-center color / contrast shift

Pros & Cons for the BL2400PT:
+ much better viewing angles than TN
+ High Contrast
+ Good black
+ Low power consumption, does not warm up
+ Backlight uniformity
+ Price
+ Hilarious and subtle design
+ Positioning options
+ ambient light sensor and a sensor presence of the person
+ quiet (regardless of the level of brightness)
+ Built-in speakers
- Worse behavior when viewed from an angle than the IPS
- VA center off contrast / color shift, black crush
- Color matching
- Semi-gloss screen
- Inaccurate colors in the factory setting
- Absurd schemes (sections) with a gamma doing tomfoolery, especially Photo
- Slower response time, input lag around 20 ms
- USB hub only model EW2420
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From what I've seen, these BenQ VA panels have an average of about 20-25ms of input lag, coupled with ghosting, they're probably not the best choice for gamers.
 
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To be fair, I think for the price, the monitor discussed in this thread is as good as you will get. The only other alternative would be to buy a 2nd hand monitor OR get a TN monitor, which would have its own problems.

3 years ago, I bought a DGM 24" PVA monitor for around £225. At the time, having been using high quality Sony CRT display for the last few years, I felt the display was good.

Having recently taken delivery of a DELL U2311H monitor, I now realise that that DGM was actually excellent (for an LCD). 3 years later and it would be appear that the only way to beat or match my old DGM monitor is to spend upwards of £450.

It would appear that over the last few years, we seem to have taken a step backwards. Poor quality (TN) monitors have indeed become very cheap. But good quality monitors (especially with a 16:10 ratio), have become prohibitively more expensive. In the world of computer hardware, this is almost unbelievable.

I think what people have to understand is that in 2010, for £170 (or thereabouts), any 23-24" monitor they buy, is going to have problems. Gone are the days when you could spend £225 and get a top quality (CRT-like), 24" LCD monitor.

If absolute image quality is important to you then you could look into the Sony 24" CRT monitor. Apart from its size and power draw, you should be happy with it.
 
not been following this thread as closely as i wanted, but just picking up on a few questions which have cropped up and remain unanswered i believe:

crackerbear said:
There seems to be contradicting reports on the Viewsonic VP2365wb. TFTCentral claim the average input lag is 16.3ms where as Prad claim the average is 4.3ms, which is a massive difference.

I know testing methodology is different etc, but using the input lag results of the Dell U2410 as comparison, TFTCentral got 14.4ms and Prad got 14ms which is pretty much the same so their testing methods don't appear to differ considerably. However, 4.3ms input lag just seems a bit too low for me on an e-IPS panel.
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i would really doubt any screen with a 4.3ms input lag, and expect thats either a user error or maybe a typo. 14.4ms is hardly high anyway :)

SteveBurnsTV said:
ok, where on Earth can I buy one of these?

Every single place I've found doesnt have them in.
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anywhere people mention would be classed as a competitor, so please don't ask the question here :) OcUK should have them in soon by the look of it

CaptainCrash said:
Interesting read... to be honest I don't think this monitor would suit me all things considered, but I guess you need to bear the price in mind, and that it's pitched against TN panels of a similar size and resolution rather than 1920x1200px IPS screens at double the price or more.

BTW, you state the panel type as being "undisclosed vertical alignment" - I'm pretty certain it has an AU Optronics panel (or it would be suprising if it didn't, as BenQ Corporation and AUO are both part of the BenQ Group), and AFAIK they've always used MVA (later A-MVA) technology. :)
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the EW2420, VW2420, VW2420H and BL2400PT are using AU Optronics' AMVA panel (M240HW02 V1) for those interested in these kind of things


ps, i should have an EW2420 with me early next week for a full review :D
 
Baddass said:
i would really doubt any screen with a 4.3ms input lag, and expect thats either a user error or maybe a typo. 14.4ms is hardly high anyway :)
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I doesn't appear to be a typo as they even have it on their image of the results. However, I have to agree that it must be an error of some sort as 4.3ms is way way too low.

Baddass said:
ps, i should have an EW2420 with me early next week for a full review :D
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I'm very much looking forward to your review, despite me no longer considering these BenQ AMVA monitors after buying a U2311H on the cheap via an offer, I'm still interested to see what I potentially missed out on :)

I'm particularly interested to see if you notice any of the defects a lot of users have reported such as dark smears and the LED backlighting showing through (usually along the bottom) creating a ripple effect - i.e. this.
 
crackerbear said:
I doesn't appear to be a typo as they even have it on their image of the results. However, I have to agree that it must be an error of some sort as 4.3ms is way way too low.
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hmmn, very odd. doesnt sounds quite right to me, but the input lag was very low from that screen certainly.


I'm very much looking forward to your review, despite me no longer considering these BenQ AMVA monitors after buying a U2311H on the cheap via an offer, I'm still interested to see what I potentially missed out on :)

I'm particularly interested to see if you notice any of the defects a lot of users have reported such as dark smears and the LED backlighting showing through (usually along the bottom) creating a ripple effect - i.e. this.
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yep, no worries, will thoroughly test it as always. I've noticed the reports about the LED "ripple" and some of the RTC / response time issues so will definitely provide comment on those in our tests
 
If you get a good one. I would say it is the best.
The problem is that most people are reporting that they are not getting a good one.
The quality control seems to be poor.
 
sunama said:
I was all set to buy this monitor. But after seeing this video, I don't think I will.
I hardly ever game, however, on the occasions that I do, I do not want to be confronted by such severe ghosting.

If the monitor was £100, then I could well understand the ghosting, but at £170+, I would expect something better.

I'm now leaning back towards the Dell U2311H, as that seems to offer great image quality with very few flaws.
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That video is sure made with AMA off, when you turn AMA on, the yellow trails (like the ones trees leave) dissapear, some trails still present but much better.
 
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cibibikeru said:
That video is sure made with AMA off, when you turn AMA on, the yellow trails (like the ones trees leave) dissapear, some trails still present but much better.
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No, I made that video and I can assure you after 3 hours of changing and testing various settings AMA was on. I know what AMA is and what it does. It would be pretty foolish to make such a video and miss this option...
 
I'm also not convinced by this new panel, looks good for viewing hd movies etc, not so sure about fps gaming, shame because the price is tidy.
 
I would just like to reassure people that the variability in EW2420 panel has not gone unnoticed. This has just been posted over on my website to summarise the issue and bring it to the attention of those who would otherwise have missed the balanced view offered by this thread.
 
no not from OCUK this time around, plus it's an ex-display model but I figure it should be OK being as this model is recent
so it shouldn't have been out on display that long, and the price was right, let you know the results when it arrives
 
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