5 Widescreen HD Monitors

The last time we had done this roundup, our focus had been purely on the advantages wide-screen monitors offer us. We had also restricted the no of monitors we had featured, due to the immaturity of the market at that point in time to just 3. However a fair bit of time has passed since then. The popularity of widescreen monitors since then has expanded exponentially. This has happened simply due to prices dropping everyday and with the advent of Windows Vista which is optimized for use with widescreen monitors. Keeping all these factors in mind this time round we have decided to expand our list to 5 monitors, to reflect the increased choice and easier availability of these products.

Here is our pick of the 5 best widescreen monitors that are HD compliant and available right now.

Asus MW221

Though Asus is well known for its motherboard and graphic cards, its monitor range has not achieved the same level of brand awareness, due to the cost of their products in India. We had reviewed one of their previous flagship models the Asus PW201 and had found it to be a segment topper, with its great features and amazing picture quality. It however was priced at an exorbitant Rs. 38,000 which put it out of reach of 99 percent of consumers. That price-point also had put it directly in competition, with much larger monitors and totally negated any advantages it might have enjoyed over the competition.

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However Asus looks to be changing this state of affairs, with the launch of their latest lineup of widescreen monitors. One such monitor is the MW221, a 22 inch wide-screen monitor with a native resolution of 1680x1050 (16:10 Aspect ratio and 720p compliant) and a fantastic 2ms response time, which will completely eliminate any issues with ghosting of images. Another advantage that the MW221 will enjoy over its competition is its above-average contrast ratio of 700:1 and a brightness level of 300 cd/m2. When you add these features together, you get a monitor that is capable of some very vivid color output with excellent sharpness and clarity and virtually no lag in video.

Priced at Rs. 24,000 the MW221 is one of our top picks for a widescreen monitor today.
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Viewsonic VG2230WM

No monitor lineup can ever really be complete, without a Viewsonic being included in it. The VG2230WM is one of their recent releases and as our comprehensive review had shown, is a great VFM product. It has a native resolution of 1680x1050, a great refresh rate of 5ms and a very good contrast ratio of 700:1. What sets it apart from the competition however, is the very adjustable base that houses the monitor. Not only does it allow you to turn the monitor nearly 360 degrees, it sports a height adjustable backbone that allows you adjust the monitor for the perfect viewing angle.

The VG2230WM is now available at Rs. 25,500. For a more detailed read on this great monitor, please check out this link.
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Benq 241W

Benq monitors are unfortunately not as popular as its counterparts. , Benq’s lack of success in penetrating the Indian market has been its highly ineffective marketing campaigns. This however does not detract them from making excellent monitors, which end up setting the standards for others to follow.

The 241W is Benq’s current flagship mode. It is a 24-inch LCD panel, with a native resolution of 1920x1200 which makes it fully HD compatible. Connectivity-wise, the 241W is like the Swiss-army knife of monitors with its support for HDMI, Component, S-Video and Composite video inputs. With a brightness level of 500:1, a contrast ratio of 800:1 and a response time of 8 ms there is virtually nothing that this monitor cannot handle.

This True-HD capable monitor is available for Rs 49,000. For a more detailed read about this quality product, head on over here.
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Dell 2407 FPW

Dell never ceases to surprise me, with the amount of features they manage to pack into their monitors and the prices at which they sell them. The ultra sharp 2407FPW LCD comes in a sturdy dark grey bezel with four USB 2.0 Slots and a native resolution of 1920x1200. Its response time of 5ms (Gray to Gray) and contrast ration of 1000:1 allows for clear gaming and video viewing without the tearing effect that is prevalent at high resolutions.

The monitor also comes fully equipped with S-Video, composite and component inputs therefore allowing you to hook it up to a video camera, gaming console and other external video sources. It even features a 9-in-2 media card reader for use with flash media. A great plus point is its resolution of 1920x1200, is HD ready (monitor can output 480p,720p,1080i/p) and with its wide variety of external connectivity options, you can easily use it with an external player or a Blu-Ray/HD-DVD DVD-ROM—once these are more common place.

The Dell Ultra sharp 2407FPW LCD with its wide variety of options and excellent response time is priced at Rs. 36,000.
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Apple 30-Inch Cinema HD

Apple really needs no introduction when it comes to working with big resolutions. This is the current king of LCDs at 30 inches. Its huge size gives it an unequaled working resolution of 2560x1600, with a contrast ratio of 700:1 and a response time of 14ms. An interesting point to note in this monitor, for anyone to work on its native resolution, is that you will need a dual-link DVI card. Without it, the monitor cannot achieve its native resolution.

Another salient feature of this LCD is the fact that despite its size, playing games or watching movies on lower resolutions is actually possible as the monitor offers a wide variety of widescreen resolutions to work with from 1024x640 upwards. In terms of connectivity options, it offers two USB 2.0 hubs, two Firewire ports and a Kensington security port. Priced at Rs. 1,35,000 this monitor is truly for the well-heeled enthusiast.