Viewsonic VX2433wm widescreen monitor

The VX2433wm is a smart-looking display. Its 1,080p resolution and 16:9 aspect ratio matches the shape of a widescreen TV and is ideal for displaying HD content. Finished in a glossy piano black, it has a single silver power button at the front. The remaining controls are tucked out of sight on the right-hand side, keeping the appearance neat and tidy and retaining minimalistic good looks.

Viewsonic’s menu system is not the easiest to navigate. This is partly because the design precludes the use of unsightly button legends.

The menu contains some useful functions, including control over aspect ratio and the ability to turn the dynamic contrast system on or off ­ we prefer to leave it disabled. While this boosts the specified contrast ratio from 1,000:1 to 20,000:1, it’s unhelpful for most applications other than watching video. It also lacks any one-button display presets, such as text, movie or photo modes. This means you’ll have to tweak the individual functions manually.

If you do want to watch video, the display will cope admirably with a variety of sources, thanks to its built-in HDMI connector, which will allow you to hook up a Blu-ray player or games console with a single cable and enjoy 1,080p HD video and sound through a pair of built-in 2W speakers.

You also get DVI and analogue VGA ports, so you can connect up to three devices at once and switch between them from the front panel.

In use, the VX2433wm delivers a bold, sharp picture, thanks to its excellent contrast. However, colour reproduction was less vivid than some of the competition ­ as revealed by our test results.
Overall this is a smart, good-looking display with excellent connectivity and better-than-average performance. Look online for discounted prices of around £200 inc Vat.