Acer’s new 22in is a fairly plain-looking LCD, but it isn’t as spartan as some of the other models in the group. For a start, it’s HDCP compliant like most new LCDs, and includes both DVI and VGA interfaces for sharing between two PCs.

The stand is hardly a work of art, but it’s solid enough to hold the screen steady, and the control buttons are helpfully placed centrally beneath the display. This is useful, as we needed to raise the contrast to around 85% to optimise quality. Once set up, the Acer performed reasonably well in our tests.

We noticed a dark patch in the backlight in one corner, and the slightly mottled surface of the screen makes everything look a little grainy. Maximum brightness was a little dim considering Acer quotes 300cd/m2, which matches the majority here. Colours in our DVD and photo tests were a little washed out, and the detail in dark areas varied between average and disappointing.

But the AL2216WD showed superb colour blending in DisplayMate’s ramp tests, so there was no stepping in our images. And we also saw no colour tinting in the greyscale test; so no blue or red tinges were noticeable in mono images. Overall, it isn’t the worst performer here and is fine for office tasks.

The price is the problem. For $490, we’d expect better quality and more features; the HDCP compliance is welcome, as is the onsite warranty. For $60 more, it’s worth buying the superior Dell.