EXCLUSIVE FIRST REVIEW: BenQ V2400 Eco

 

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Posted on 28 Oct 2009 at 11:32

If you're after a monitor that's a bit different, the V2400 Eco could be right up your street. It's a 24in 16:9 widescreen finished in matte white. The asymmetrical stand is another factor which makes the monitor distinctive, as does the odd 'knick knack' pot which BenQ says is ideal as a plant pot.

While we disagree, we can't help but be impressed with the V2400's eco credentials. First, it has LEDs rather than a traditional cold cathode backlight. These use less power, and mean that in Standard mode, the display uses just 22W. In Eco mode, this drops to just 15W, although the reduction in brightness means it's only really suitable for use in darkened rooms.

A side benefit of the LEDs is that there's no mercury in the monitor. Add to this the fact that the case is made from 28 per cent recycled plastic and has no chemical coating or printing, making the whole unit easier to recycle. Even the packaging is made from 80 per cent recycled paper and there's 70 per cent less ink on it. BenQ has also done away with a quick set-up guide, instead printing it on the outside of the box.

This is all well and good, but how does the V2400 Eco compare to other 1,920x1,080 24in displays? For the price, the list of features is surprisingly short. There are VGA and HDMI inputs, but no DVI. There's a headphone socket on the side, but no speakers or audio input. Audio can be routed only via HDMI, but all you??ll find in the box is a VGA cable. The stand only tilts, there's no height adjustment, nor rotation to portrait mode.

For most people, none of this will be deal-breaking, and the HDMI input may even be a benefit if you want to connect a games console or Blu-ray player. The niggles are also made up for by excellent image quality.

LEDs require no warm-up time like cold-cathode lamps, so you don't have to wait a while to get the optimal quality. In sRGB mode, colours look natural, especially skies, grass and skin tones. Although only rated at 250cd/m2, the image is bright and contrast is excellent. Looking at our test photos, it was obvious that the V2400 Eco was a cut above the average 24in LCD, and viewing angles were also slightly wider. Videos played fluidly, and we saw no unwanted lag when playing games.

If you like to switch modes when watching videos, playing games or viewing photos, there's direct access to the presets via a menu button, although we preferred Standard or sRGB. There's also gamma adjustment and individual red, green and blue controls for calibrating the monitor for the best colour accuracy.

Given the excellent quality and low power consumption, the only real criticism we can level at the V2400 Eco is that it's unlikely to match your PC and its keyboard and mouse. However, if you want a monitor with a height-adjustable stand, Iiyama's 24in ProLite B2409 costs a similar amount (around £200 including VAT) and almost matches the V2400 Eco for image quality.

The V2400 Eco will be on sale from 15th November, and has a two-year on-site warranty.

Author: Jim Martin