Viewsonic VG2427wm 24-inch monitor

The VG2427wm, a 24in widescreen LCD monitor, performed well in our image quality tests. Text on a page of fonts of different sizes looked sharp, even when at a very small (6-point) size.

The VG2427 also did a fairly good job of rendering colour, though in one photo — a picnic scene with various red, green, and blue hues, we found the colour to be slightly dull in comparison to the way other screens, such as the Asus VH236H, rendered it.

In our motion tests, the VG2427wm stumbled a bit, displaying some just-detectable jittering of our test image. Though the jittering was slight, it was noticeable enough that active gamers might find it distracting.

The VG2427wm's 1920-by-1080-pixel native resolution theoretically makes it 1080p-ready, and well-suited for HD content. Unfortunately, the display lacks an HDMI input, offering only DVI and VGA ports. ViewSonic says that it intends the monitor for corporate and office use; but to take full advantage of its resolution, an HDMI input would seem to be a necessary feature. The VG2427 does include three USB ports at the rear.

Four buttons on the bottom of the front bezel control the on-screen display (OSD). The power button lies at the center of the cluster of buttons, which unfortunately increases the likelihood that you'll press it by accident while aiming for the button for cycling through the OSD's menus.

The display tilts and swivels with ease. It also has a height adjustment, which works smoothly as well. Its bezel has a pleasant, charcoal-black finish.

At $459, the VG 2427wm is quite reasonably priced for a 24in widescreen in today's monitor marketplace. It would make a good choice for users who need a big screen for text-intensive work, but the less-than-totally-smooth video playback and the lack of an HDMI-in port may disappoint for gamers and movie watchers.