Screen/Image Quality Testing

2D Use
Text and icons are produced with clarity and a high resolution, high quality wallpaper would certainly impress friends. Delving a little deeper into 2D use with Photoshop and some digital camera images we were immediately impressed with the detail levels offered by the VP2330wb. Using our Photoshop benchmark image as an example the detail levels on the stone walls were exceptional and the iron bars in the third window from the left were more clearly defined than any other display we have used. Before all of the above we also ran Displaymate on the ViewSonic. There are two reasons for this, the first is to ensure that the displays settings are optimised for image quality. What was good to see was that the VP2330wb required very little user configuration, the default settings were very close to our ideal quality and it was only adjustments to suit the lighting in our test room which were essential. The second use for Displaymate is that it allows us to view various test images which check the screen calibration and quality. We will detail the Displaymate results a little later on.

Video Playback: DVD
For our DVD playback testing we ran three completely different image types on our display. The first was Finding Nemo. In this animated movie there are a huge mix of bright colours in many of the scenes. The images produced by the ViewSonic are vibrant and well defined. Next up was Blade which features a plethora of dark scenes and glistening liquids. These two areas we again see the VP2330wb excel. The detail levels, specifically in the dark sections were much better than we had expected with high levels of clarity throughout. Finally we fired up Ong-Bak which features some exceptionally fast motion fight scenes, We are happy to report that there was no ghosting during these.

Video Playback: High Definition sources
Our High Definition playback testing looks for one thing in particular and that is the sharpness of image. DVD playback allows us to see colour quality however DVD technology is beginning to show its age especially on a monitor at such high resolution. Running numerous HD sources through the display produced pin sharp images, points of specific interest were coastal scenes in which the individual droplets of water were reproduced with exceptional clarity.

Gaming:
Sitting at the recommended distance from the screen and loading up some first person shooter titles allows us to really push the display to its limits. It is in this scenario that we are most likely to see ghosting and there is some minor ghosting evident in some areas. No LCD we have used to date has eliminated ghosting entirely, however the VP2330wb delivers a better final result than any other screen we have tested. A particular highlight was playing Oblivion ... the size of the screen totally filled our main line of vision and completely immersed us in the game environment.

A note on wide-screen gaming:
Unfortunately even though widescreen displays are becoming more common there are large number of developers who don't include widescreen resolutions by default. Many games such as F.E.A.R. can be manually edited to add widescreen resolutions however there are some in which 4:3 settings are the only option. For those games ViewSonic's VP2330wb features two options, scale to aspect ratio being the most ideal. It leaves the image as intended by the developer and adds black bars to the edge of the display. The other option is to stretch the image, however this can tend to look ugly depending on the game you are playing.

Additional Features
ViewSonic also allow the user to rotate the screen into portrait mode. For the average user this isn't a feature we feel is useful however it does open up new possibilities and there are some tasks which benefit from this position. Comparison screen shots for example are ideally viewed in this alternative position, such as this and it is also great for viewing webpages, specifically a forum style layout.

Something which becomes clear when rotating the screen is that the entire mechanism which allows you to adjust the positioning of the display is incredibly easy to use. The height adjustable section moves smoothly as it is a cushioned mechanism and the swivel feels sturdy.

Some other interesting features which are available on the VP2330wb are picture in picture, theft control and HDCP over DVI. The first two are very much aimed at niche markets however it is the third which is of most note. Whether we agree with it or not it looks as if enjoying true high definition content in future operating systems will require a display which supports HDCP (High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection). Thankfully investing in the VP2330wb means you are maximising your expense as when it comes to video playback this model fully supports HDCP. ViewSonic have failed to advertise this particular aspect well and many might even miss it !

Before we continue the testing there are two other areas we would like to discuss regarding the VP2330wb. The first is the heat generated in normal use, moving from smaller LCD's and a CRT to the ViewSonic we noticed that this model generates a lot of heat. If we sit anywhere near the recommended 18inch minimum distance we can really feel the heat radiating from the screen. It doesn't ever get too hot or uncomfortable however it is noticeable. The final area of discussion is the support offered by ViewSonic. The software CD provided is nothing spectacular offering the basic level of support while providing some distinctly average software and drivers, neither of which is required for everyday use, on a more positive note the manual is very well written. With regards to warrant ViewSonic offer a 3 year guarantee which is standard for the industry, however there is a very good 15 day “always on” dead pixel clause which allows replacement of the screen should any pixel fail within 15 days, this makes us hope that someday all manufacturers will offer such a good policy.

LCD monitor: greyscale alignment

	00	10	20	30	40	50	60	70	80	90	a0	b0	c0	d0	e0	f0	ff

We used a similar test to the one above to subjectively measure gray balance/alignment. The Viewsonic excels in this test and there is little to no discolouration on the neutral greys and all steps in the ramp are clearly visible. If you would like to try this out at home then read the text below. (courtesy of William Andrew Steer).

On a high quality screen you should be able to see 17 distinctly different greylevels in the panel above. On a conventional CRT monitor you would adjust the 'brightness' control to make the black [00] just black (the [10] should be noticably brighter), and then the 'contrast' control to get a comfortably bright picture without 'clipping' the whites - i.e. keeping [f0] distinct from [ff]. Many LCD screens have a separate 'backlight' control which I consider to be a good thing. Other monitors adjust the backlight with the 'brightness' control, so some experimentation may be required.

How neutral is the greyscale? Do all the patches have comparable tint, or perhaps part of the scale is somewhat murky-greeny, and another part more steely-blue? For colour-critcal work, software utilities such as Adobe Gamma can be used to optimise the purity of greyscales.

The 'gamma curve' (brightness of mid-tones) is often highly dependent on the vertical viewing angle with LCD screens; try bobbing your head up and down and see if you notice the change! Ideally you should set up the greyscale while viewing the scale at normal incidence (ie looking 'straight-on' to the screen, at the height of the greyscale).

 

For further testing we are using Displaymate for Windows. The images in the review are all JPEG format to ensure they are not high enough quality to be downloaded and used, they are given only as an indication of how the particular tests work. This program is not freeware or shareware.

Screen Regulation

On many monitors the image expands in size in areas of the screen that are bright and contracts in areas that are dim. The entire screen may be affected or just portions of it. Examples of where this commonly occurs include bar graphs, Window Title Bars and tiled arrangements of Windows. The contrasting flashing white and black displays also show good power regulation to the screen, any fluctuations when the image is rapidly changing shows a less than stellar power supply to the panel. Also the outer grid lines in some instances could slightly bend on their axis. In the instance of the Viewsonic screen on test, it passed everything with flying colours.

Sharpness and Resolution

We are using 6 tests for evaluating horizontal and vertical resolution, one has tightly spaced thin lines, one has tightly spaced bars and one has a wedge of lines that converge together. The wedge allows the evaluation of pixel seperations across the screen from 1 to 4 pixels. The labels correspond to the width of the gaps. The solid bar at the center is a zero pixel reference. The clarity of the interline gaps is an excellent measure of sharpness.

Again we were pleasantly surprised to see that even at the finest setting of “full res” in both bar and line tests that the Viewsonic screen delivered enough pixel resolution to clearly define the lines within the wedge. A stellar set of rules for this screen.

Throughout the "real world" and technical testing, the panel put in a great overall performance. There was some slight indication of compression at the high end, and the colour blocks were perfectly rendered although not the most vivid we have seen. Colour fades were even all the way across the scale in the colour scales test and there was also some very minor banding in the 256 colour intensity ramp. A superior set of results to any we have seen to this point.