HannsG HH221DPB review

Until recently, it was hard to find a 22in Full HD monitor for less than £100. Even more impressive, the HannsG HH221DPB doesn’t skimp on features and has a DVI-D HDCP-compatible input, which you can hook up HDMI devices to using an adaptor. Should you go this route, you can use the VGA input for your PC, and the DVI input for a games console or Blu-ray player.

The one downside of the DVI input is that it can’t accept the sound from an HDMI device. If you’re using a Blu-ray player, you’ll either need to hook it up to an AV amp first, or look for a model with analogue outputs; for an Xbox 360, Microsoft makes an official audio adaptor for this exact purpose.

Using the monitor’s internal speakers via their analogue input isn’t a bad idea. They’re a touch tinny, but sound bright. Sound is directed downwards, bouncing off the desk’s surface creating a clear audio that’s fine for spoken-word or casual gaming.

A clear, green-and-yellow menu system is controlled by proper buttons that sit under the screen. Image quality controls are limited to brightness, contrast and colour temperature, plus a few pre-set modes. User mode is the best and you should adjust this to the settings you’re happiest with. We recommend turning off the dynamic contrast and sharpness controls. Dynamic contrast introduces annoying changes in brightness, while sharpness can add quite a lot of noise.

Sadly, we didn’t find image quality inspiring. The backlight was a bit duller than other monitors we’ve tested, and there was persistent red cast. While this added a glow to flesh tones, it made blue skies seem darker. Contrast wasn’t great either and reflections lacked sparkle, while shadows weren’t quite as menacing as on Philips’ 221V2SB. The red cast favours films as it adds warmth, but for photo and desktop work it’s a bit distracting.

That said, for the price it’s quite a bargain. Considering this monitor costs less than £100, you get a decent choice of inputs, pretty good speakers and acceptable image quality. The problem is that the Philips 221V2SB is only a few pounds more expensive, yet has much better image quality. It’s the better buy.