The BenQ EW2420: Too good to be true?

If you do find you struggle to get things the same on all three screens I would certainly advise a 'cheap' colorimeter to try to get things more consistent. You will probably find the colour temperature different on the P2450Hs too but you are less likely to find any major problems like screen ripples and the like. I would go for three EW2420s myself, especially if you like the VW2420H, but I'm a bit of a gambler. ;)
 
Hehe. I suppose not, unless you can get one used on the bay or something. You can get a new Pantone Huey which I would recommend for about £80. Problem is you'd need a seperate light meter to make sure the luminance is the same on all three screens (brightness of the backlights will vary somewhat). Actually this might be a good starting point - to set the luminance to the same value using a lux meter and then try to tweak the colour settings through the OSD yourself to see if you can get them looking the same. It's a bit complex I know :D.
 
I am still waiting for the large sample of BL2400PTs from Datalol to be checked out. I have also brought this to the attention of BenQ through their PR firm but I think this monitor is really in the spotlight due to its price and offering something new and different. There is probably also a bit of 'negative or nothing' going on but I mentioned this as an example of inter-panel variability as I wanted people to be aware of the wider issue. And it does affect most consumer models to some degree but I am certainly following this one closely. :)

Oh cool smileys. :D:eek::rolleyes:;)
 
I have a habbit of changing people's minds. ;) Since those are the kind of games I tested on the monitor and found perfectly playable that's probably quite a strong incentive for you.
 
If you are worried about the possibility of tinting then your choice of the U2410 seems counterintuitive. ;) This is something that can affect any monitor and is another example of inter-panel variation. Sorry to hear that about your EW2420 though EDC.
 
That only applies if the monitor is genuinely faulty. The DSR rules that govern the first week (which applies here) are universal regardless of manufacturer. The 'tinting' that has plagued some U2410s of all revisions is an issue that has been one of the most complained about monitor issues in recent times and it is something that puts a lot of people off. Although I didn't experience anything so pronounced with my revision A01 U2410 the white uniformity did leave a lot to be desired compared to the EW2420. Don't think the U2410 will give you a smooth ride - it is still one of my favourite gaming monitors but it is prudent to be aware of the issues.
 
Last edited:
Thanks for the excellent review and moreover thanks for bringing the 2333T to my attention once more. I had used a 2333T a few months ago thinking it was a one of Samsungs new budget TN panels. After brief usage (far more brief than your usage unfortunately) it was clear to me that it was cPVA and similar in many ways to the F2380. I had completely forgotten to check its retail status and so much as mention it on my site. It had such a low-key release and slowly slipped into retail on some select places. Given that it is priced at about £130 in the UK it is a truly eye-popping bargain. It isn't quite as responsive as the EW2420 and indeed seems to share the RTC algorithms of the F2380 but it is a hell of a lot cheaper and has really excellent contrast. I could see it being a truly excellent choice for movie lovers.
 
PanMaster said:
The EW2420 seems almost identical to the VW2420H.

From the BenQ specs:
The EW2420 is listed as 53Watts and 24" screen.
The VW2420 is listed as 40Watts and 24"LED screen.

It leads me to think the EW2420 is not LED but the VW2420 is.
Click to expand...

Actually the maximum power consumption of the EW2420 is listed as 40W by BenQ and it is certainly LED-backlit, as specified. Being the world's first LED-backlit VA monitor is its claim to fame. The fact it has "LED" printed in the bottom left corner is also a dead giveaway. http://benq.co.uk/products/LCD/index.cfm/page/specifications/product/1200.

Maybe you were getting confused and looking at the E2420?
 
Last edited:
Think PanMaster needs to read things a bit more carefully. In the link he posted "BenQ – the world's leading LED monitor brand – has again successfully taken the lead to launch the world's first VA LED monitor!"

As for the stated power consumption I think BenQ have messed up and pasted in the wrong value on their US website. It happens sometimes, but seeing as we're British we should be trusting their UK specifications instead. Linked to in my previous post.
 
Actually the 2333T uses the same (less responsive) cPVA panel as the F2380. It is inferior to the EW2420 in that regard. You also must have got a duffer because the colour reproduction, white levels and white uniformity of our EW2420 review unit is excellent. I was also put off by the responsiveness initially but I found when I stopped looking for it and admired other aspects of the image quality it was a very good experience. Obviously if you have a sub-optimal unit (sounds as if you did) there's not so much to admire.
 
Last edited:
I take it you checked out our review of the XL2370? Contrast is of course not comparable to a VA panel and neither is colour reproduction really but it is one of if not the best all-round monitors I've ever used. The consistency of Samsung is a huge bonus too - yeah a good EW2420 unit is great (responsiveness aside) but it seems more often than not they are sub-standard. Given the recent price drop of the XL2370 it's a fine bit of kit for under £200.
 
I wouldn't say I favour the EW2420, broadly speaking. I find the XL2370 a lot easier to recommend due to the obvious inconsistencies between EW2420 units and the slightly off-putting responsiveness. I was absolutely amazed by how well colour-balanced our EW2420 was out of the box. We ran through calibration with a Pantone Huey a few weeks ago and the changes it made were so minor that it made no visible difference. The XL2370 really does look great (at least I think so), has responsiveness above and beyond most other 60Hz monitors and has very good colour vibrancy and brightness.

The price of the EW2420 seems to have crept up from the £160 and very well-tuned unit we were testing and gave 83% to overall, whereas the XL2370's price has been reduced significantly from the £260 unit we gave 81% to. I'm glad the review was of help - we were recommending it that strongly when it was £260+ to buy. Now it is far less it's a stonking monitor choice, as you say.
 
Last edited:
Yeah it was the same with our XL2370 review unit. The EW2420 didn't even need the gamma, colour or anything else touched (except contrast and brightness). It was nothing short of a miracle - but I don't doubt for one second we got a gem of a unit and that's not the average EW2420 experience. :D I'm really glad you're happy with your XL2370 though. A monitor is a difficult thing to get right and you need to get it right considering how much time you'll be looking at it.
 
Have you disabled the BenQ purple splash screen? This can increase the panel activation time slightly - it is enabled by default but it sounds as if you aren't even seeing this. :confused: Also what input cable are you using and have you got anything other than the PC connected to the monitor?

Otherwise it's good to hear the positive feedback. Sounds like you got a good unit (like our review unit) and are reaping the benefits that the AMVA panel has to offer. :)
 
Last edited:
I would certainly try disabling the purple splash screen and seeing if that helps (I can't remember off-hand how to do this and I'm not currently with my EW2420). I have noticed that the panel is slow to react to changes in signal resolution so I doubt your unit is faulty in any way. Given the number of other things that could be wrong with any replacement unit I'd certainly keep yours if I were you.
 
nosluom said:
anyone else get any more reviews on this? am tempted with it being on the weekly special. The lag is the thing putting me off i guess. Surely the picture quality can't be that much better than a tn panel?
Click to expand...

I can assure you that on both a technical and practical level, it is if you get a good unit. Not like an OLED vs. LCD type of difference but the average user would probably notice the difference in actual use if they saw them running games or movies side-by-side. With games the same also applies to the differences in responsiveness, however. You should really take the plunge as it is the only way you're going to know whether the monitor is right for you. If it isn't; there's DSR. You can read as many reviews as you want but they won't make your mind up for you. Testing monitors isn't always like testing a graphics card as a lot of the testing is subjective and not benchmark-based. Given this your only option, really, is to see it for yourself.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom