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Skip Navigation LinksPC Authority > Group Tests > Group Test: 20+ LCD's - Which display is best for you?
Group Test: 20+ LCD's - Which display is best for you?

Group Test: 20+ LCD's - Which display is best for you?

by Dave Bayon , Alex Bradner  on Sep 9, 2008
Tags: 20+ | in | LCD's
Enlarge your workspace with a widescreen monitor: We round up 13 LCDs from 20in up to 24in, with prices you won’t believe
After putting this month’s selection of LCDs through their paces, the writing is on the wall for smaller monitors. A 17in or even 19in monitor now costs barely less than a decent 20in widescreen, and with some 24in models costing little more than $450 there’s never been a better time to expand your desktop.

To help you make your choice we’ve rounded up a whopping 13 monitors from 20in to 24in in size. The resolutions of most 20in and 22in LCDs are the same (1680 x 1050), so we’ve grouped them together, and prices start from an incredible $286. They’re not all bare-bones packages either – you’ll find HDMI inputs, USB ports and adjustable stands for added value.

But we know many readers also like the freedom of a huge 24in, 1920 x 1200 desktop, so we’ve gathered five of the best large-format LCDs together as well. They start from an unbelievably affordable $431, and rise to premium displays with pretty much every extra you could want.

We’ve put them all through our detailed technical tests, as well as our more telling real-world obstacle course.

How we test - Plus the ratings explained.

At the end of each review, you’ll find Image quality, Features & Design, Value for Money and Overall ratings. These aren’t simply plucked out of the air; they’re calculated using a mixture of objective benchmarks and subjective scores.

Image quality

We begin by connecting each monitor to our eight-way DVI splitter for simultaneous side-by-side comparison. With DisplayMate Multimedia Edition 2 (available at displaymate, we first use an ANSI setup screen so that eight dark and light shades of grey are visible at once, adjusting each monitor’s brightness and contrast until the optimum balance is found.

Next, we display an obstacle course of technical images designed to highlight any potential problems or limitations of each LCD. These include checking colour purity by displaying full-screen colours, and colour-tracking errors by looking for any colour tints on a series of progressively darker grey squares. Colour and greyscale ramps are examined for stepping – the fades should be completely smooth.

But we’re more interested in how the LCDs perform in the real world, and this is where a large portion of the quality scores are awarded. First we look at the quality of the Windows Desktop and Microsoft Office applications, since these are the screens the majority of users will spend most of their time looking at.

While most LCDs pass these tests without major problems, some are truly outstanding, whereas others are merely acceptable. We check the Desktop for the clarity of text in folder icons (which over-bright screens often blow out), the evenness of white areas, any graininess, glare or reflections and overall appearance.

We also view a selection of digital photos, each chosen to expose different attributes such as the shadow detail in a landscape image, highlight detail in an indoor shot with harsh backlighting or skin tones in a portrait photo, and we appraise the overall sharpness and colour realism in each image.

We then play a selection of DVDs and high-definition video clips, chosen for high dynamic range (dark and bright scenes) and for fast movement. We check to see how well the panels reproduce detail, whether they smear fast sequences and whether any artefacts are visible. Finally, we play a 3D game – Crysis – since the fast movement can highlight any response-time issues or problems with internal electronics that appear as colour smearing, blurred edges or tearing.

Features & Design

The Features & Design rating is calculated by awarding points to items such as the video and audio interfaces and warranty cover. The main cover tends to be a three-year on-site swap-out for most LCDs, but some have to be returned to base. For stands, we give points for height, tilt and swivel adjustments, pivoting ability and the width of the bezel (with a view to tilting monitors). We also use a panel of judges to evaluate the quality of any integrated speakers and the overall style of the monitor.

We reward the range of inputs and outputs, penalising any with captive cables. The OSD is an important part of any LCD, so we reward those that are simple to navigate and offer a full range of options. Some LCDs have great OSDs, but are a pain to use, as the buttons are either out of sight, so it’s hard to press the right ones, or have such illegible labels that it isn’t clear what to press at all.

Value for Money
The Value for Money rating is based on an average of the Image quality and Features & Design scores, with the former weighted slightly higher. We then factor in the price of each LCD (including delivery) to give a bang-per-buck result.

Overall
The Overall score is simply a straight average of the Image quality, Features & Design and Value for Money scores.
This article appeared in the September, 2008 issue of PC Authority.


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Comments: 2
Thoughts on this article? Add a comment below.
edmund.tse
Sep 12, 2008 5:03 PM
 Hey I know we're all excited, but those graphs... 800x1343 px is a little too big.


Comment made about the PC Authority article:
Group Test: 20+ LCD's - Which display is best for you??
Enlarge your workspace with a widescreen monitor: We round up 13 LCDs from 20in up to 24in, with prices you won’t believe



What do you think? Join the discussion.
x86
Sep 12, 2008 5:10 PM
 I am actually looking at LCD's/Plasma's atm, and am considering going with a cheapo for starters, as it will suit my needs just fine. There is a LG 32" LCD for $799, and a Conia 42" Plasma for $888 also, they are great buys for basic screens. Both have HDTV Tuners built-in, and the 32" will be great for an extra screen for my PC use. I already own a high-end 32" for movies so I want a backup so I am not always dragging it around for use on my laptops and PCs.

If these are the screens reviewed in the latest mag, a few looked good to me for smaller screens, though the smallest I would go for a computer screen would be 22" - at the very least, if i had minimal space that is.
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