Viewsonic VX1932wm-LED review

The 19in ViewSonic VX1932wm-LED is a tall monitor with a 1,440x900 resolution and edge-lit LED backlighting, which was even across the entire screen. There are VGA and DVI inputs, the latter supporting HDCP for copy-protected content such as Blu-ray films. However, the 1,440x900 resolution means the VX1932wm-LED isn't well suited to wat

There's a large area underneath the screen which houses a pair of speakers and the menu buttons, so the panel sits a full 15cm above the desk, at least 50 per cent higher than other screens. As we expected, the speakers were suitable only for simple Windows sounds.

The menu system uses simple Enter and Back buttons along with Up and Down buttons for navigation. The text is a bit too small for our liking, but the white lettering on a blue background is clear. Image settings are limited to brightness, contrast and colour controls; the latter offers an sRGB mode, which is supposed to ensure accurate colours for photo editing, as well as a range of presets and a custom User mode.

However, there was a yellow cast to the image that, while it added warmth to outdoor shots, made flesh tones seem a bit pale and jaundiced. For the best results, you'd need to use a calibration tool in conjunction with the User colour controls to get the most accurate colours, but as a quick fix we found that turning the green level down resulted in a more balanced palette.

Thanks to the LEDs, power consumption is extremely low (at 15W it's about the same as an energy-saving bulb) but the image is still more than bright enough. Details in dark areas were visible, such as the early morning scenes of New York in The Dark Knight, while bright scenes weren't over-saturated.

In terms of design, the VX1932wm-LED is a mixed bag, with a futuristic-looking stand and an odd, stepped bezel. Wall-mounting is an option, although at 66mm thick the VX1932wm-LED won't exactly blend in.

Despite its decent contrast, the VX1932wm-LED's colour imbalance was disappointing. However, such gripes become irrelevant when you realise you can buy a 22in Full HD monitor, such as BenQ's G2222HDL for roughly the same price.