BenQ E2200HD and E2400HD - 1080P FullHD LCDs
by Jarred Walton on November 4, 2008 5:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Displays
BenQ E2200HD Overview
At first blush, the E2200HD looks no different from any other modern LCD. It's a bit shorter due to the change in aspect ratio, but that's not something most people would immediately notice. One thing that a lot of users will almost certainly appreciate, however, is that BenQ sticks with a matte panel, so you won't have to worry about irritating reflections. The casing does have a glossy black finish that collects fingerprints, but as long as you keep the panel away from grimy fingers that shouldn't be a problem.
The E2200HD is reasonably attractive, but at least one area may cause a few complaints. That area is the base stand, which is about as barebones as they come. You can tilt the display back (and slightly forward)… and that's about it. Not everyone needs a display with height adjustment, rotate, and pivot functionality; if you fall into that category, the base model E2200HD should work fine.
It appears that BenQ is aware that some people won't like the default base stand, so they offer a bundle on their online store where you can get the display and an Ergotron VESA compatible stand for $30 extra. Normal pricing at BenQ's store is a bit higher than what we see online, but they are currently running a $40 promotional code that drops the price to $250, matching what we could find at any other reputable online store. The promotional code works with either the LCD or the LCD and Ergotron bundle. Just add the appropriate item to your cart and apply code "E2200HD" to receive the $40 discount. We don't have any information on how long this code will be active, however.
Besides the spartan base stand, the E2200HD also lacks any other extra features like built-in USB ports. It does include speakers, which function with either the HDMI input or with a separate audio input cable. Audio quality from the built-in speakers is at best okay -- not something we would recommend for watching movies or playing games if you can avoid it. There's also a headphone jack on the left side.
Video input options consist of VGA, HDMI, and DVI. However, in another cost cutting measure BenQ only includes a VGA cable and audio cable, as well as the power cable and a driver CD. This in our opinion is a huge error; while VGA does work fine, the vast majority of people have switched over to DVI and BenQ would do a lot better to include a DVI cable rather than the VGA cable -- or they could be like many other manufacturers and give users both. If you already have an extra cable around the house, this probably doesn't matter, but otherwise plan on an extra $10 investment at the time of purchase.
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10e - Wednesday, November 5, 2008 - link
If the last MVA panel from BenQ/AUO is any indicator, input lag should be low. I had the FP241VW with December 2007 firmware and it was 7.9ms behind a CRT, with only 5% of the time it being 2 frames behind. The other times it was only 1 frame behind, or none at all.It's good to see that our crying over on another forum has kept BenQ and AUO from abandoning the non-TN market altogether
The only tiny issue with it was dark greys shifted more than (say) my Dell 2709W (S-PVA). Good luck with the review.
Jorgerr - Tuesday, November 4, 2008 - link
Did you check the Samsung T220P? looks that have the same specs as the Benq. Seems to be a very interesting competitor as well.I would appreciate to read your comments about it.
JarredWalton - Tuesday, November 4, 2008 - link
Looks like that was an Asian release only? I'm not sure... spec-wise, it's actually a 1920x1200 LCD, and I haven't seen any of those in 22" trim over here in the US. Weird. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if Samsung makes the panel in the BenQ LCDs; then again, it's either Samsung, AU Optronics, or Chi-Mei so I have a 33% chance of guessing right. ;-)Jorgerr - Tuesday, November 4, 2008 - link
Thanks :-) In Israel the Samsung T220P is available, and we belongs to Asia.Good luck with the new president! No matter who will be I wish you the best.
NARC4457 - Tuesday, November 4, 2008 - link
[quote]We are only aware of one other 22" LCD manufacturer that offers native 1080P support (ViewSonic), and we feel this is an untapped market.[/quote]Check out Dell's new 2209W, it is a Full HD 22" LCD
http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/products/Displa...">http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/prod...mp;dgc=C...
JarredWalton - Tuesday, November 4, 2008 - link
I edited the conclusion for you - I should have known better than to make an assumption without a bit more research. Probably HP has a similar display too - or it's in the works. Obviously, where one LCD company goes plenty will follow, and if there aren't more 22" 1080P LCDs right now I expect that to change. The Dell 2209W appears to lack HDMI input, however, so that's a big advantage for the BenQ and ViewSonic options IMO.NARC4457 - Wednesday, November 5, 2008 - link
True enough, I was surprised that they didn't have the same amount of inputs that many of their existing monitors already have.Wasn't looking for an update to the article, just wanted to send it your way in case you were looking for more monitors to review. :) Thanks jared, good information in the review.
strikeback03 - Wednesday, November 5, 2008 - link
Probably all use the same LCD panel - once the panel becomes available, the usual suspects will all build a display around it.Flyboy27 - Tuesday, November 4, 2008 - link
I know I want to step up to 1920x1200 or 1920x1080 so that means a 24" monitor. They seem to be the sweet spot right now as you can get a video card these days to run those resolutions in almost every game for a very reasonable price. However, there's no reason for me to upgrade my HD3850 until I get a bigger monitor since it runs all games just fine at 1440x900. I'm sure there are many other folks out there that are in the same boat.Now, it's easy to figure out comparatively which video card to get by reading Anandtech and other such sites but harder to find info on 24" monitors. Not too hard to compare FPS in a certain resolution and find a video card to get the best bang for your buck. However, for a guy that is a gamer, movie watcher, internet browser, and avid Photoshop user what monitor is the best bang for the buck. I don't want to sacrifice panel speed for colors. My idea with colors and Photoshop is just get me "close enough" and I'll be happy. I'm also on a budget (that's why I'm not looking at 30" monitors). Where is the happy medium here guys? -Thanks
JarredWalton - Tuesday, November 4, 2008 - link
I have a BenQ MVA panel up next for review, along with a couple other 24" LCDs. I'm going to be very interested to see if the MVA panel can offer colors and viewing angles equal to S-PVA but with processing lag equal to S-IPS/TN. Stay tuned....