AOC 2230Fm LCD Monitor

Here we have a brand called AOC, something we have not reviewed in the recent past, but has gained quite a bit of popularity in our market since we last checked it out. Today in the spotlight is their 22 inch offering, called the AOC 2230Fm, also known as the Rivio; replete with lots of multimedia features and all that bebop. So let’s check it out.

Design and features
The aesthetic design of this model is actually quite nice, partly due to the well finished silver accenting on the bottom panel, and also due to a chequered faux finish around the side panels. The bezel is a good black gloss. The screen itself is glossy finish, thus slightly reflective when off, and might also be reflective in dark scenes. The On button is around push buttons illuminated by a tiny blue LED, adding to the appeal.

The frame slips onto a sturdy round stand, quite easily at that, thus facilitating easy physical set up. But unfortunately the joint is not so sturdy, the monitor wobbles at the slightest flick. Connection-wise this monitor has plenty, because one of the main USPs is the fact that this model sports direct playback of SD movies, JPEGs and MP3s from a USB drive. It has HDMI, DVI-D, VGA, Audio In, Headphone out and 4 USB ins, with one USB A – B wire included. Speakers give out 2 watts RMS. It also has a Memory card slot. I have to give the AOC some points here for including all the multimedia features, it’s rare in monitors.

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As for rated specs, they seem high too, with 2 ms response time, 300 Cd/m2 brightness, 20000:1 dynamic contrast and viewing angle of 170/160 degrees. The resolution is not full HD though, it’s 1680 by 1050, so the 16:10 curse for moviebuffs and videophiles is there. For gamers of course it’s not an issue. The panel is assumed to be TN.

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Performance
We started off with Displaymate test and then DVE Test disc. For movies we had Final Fantasy VII Advent children. The monitor was connected to our HTPC via HDMI, and also a USB pen drive was stuck in with AVI film trailers. One thing I liked right away was the OSD menu, its graphic s are an interesting change from the boring stuff available by the competition.

The grayscale performance of this monitor is average, with not so deep blacks. It’s not too weak, but around 0 IRE bars don’t have so much depth. Whites were fine without any blooming and clipping, plus also the backlight is decently bright, but not in the awesomely radiant zone. Thus contrast wise we have a slightly better than average performance. Colors also come across as neutral in saturation, which is good, but doesn’t have that vibrance associated with natural looking images.

Color registration test on DM passed, as also did the single pixel lines test, sharpness and accuracy wise there is not much problem. But again due to average contrast, word processors and text looks a tad uninteresting. Motion performance is good, no problems there, we did not see too much moiring and jaggies, to actually be alarmed. The data off USB plays just fine, and the playback is smooth, no slow response problems here.

Conclusion
At an MRP of 15,900, the pricing is not so competitive, but here one is paying for all the multimedia features on offer, which are definitely impressive. The performance is nothing to rave about, it’s just enough to make the product viable enough for a market segment that does not really bother too much with image quality, and cares more about features. We also have their similarly priced V22 LED monitor, and will put that review up soon, thus one can watch this space to see which is better. As an individual consideration this monitor gets a 3.