Philips 242G5DJEB
Just as with the liyama ProLite monitor, this Philips
242G5DJEB is a monitor with the gamer squarely targeted in its sights. It
trumpets this by making sure the semi-magical 144Hz badge adorns nearly every
conceivable surface of the box and packaging. It's not just gamers that would
greatly benefit from the features this monitor has to offer, though.
This Philips
monitor has pretty much everything, and then some
The 242G5DJEB is a 24" TN LCD backlit panel with a
rapid 1ms response time and, of course, the aforementioned 144Hz refresh rate.
The standard contrast ratio is 1000:1, with a Smart Contrast offering an
impressive 80,000,000:1. Connectivity on this model is, quite frankly amazing:
a pair of HDMI ports, DVI, VGA and both a normal DisplayPort and the obscure
mini-DisplayPort for added effect. One of the HDMI ports is also MHL
compatible, so you can hook up your phone or tablet and enjoy a spot of big
screen Angry Birds should the need ever arise. Added to that little lot is a
four-port USB 3.0 hub with one of the ports designated as a Fast Charger.
Philips 242G5DJEB
connectivity
In terms of image-related features, there's also a new
Philips video mode called Smartlmage, which offers several pre-defined modes
dedicated to certain aspects of gaming: FPS mode. Racing mode and RTS mode all
speak for themselves, but can also take up the option of customising your own
preferred modes and store them in the alloted Gaimerl and Gamer2 preset slots.
Another concept that could be of interest to gamers is the
SmartFrame feature, that enables you to highlight a specific area on the screen
by boosting the gain level of RGB for the selected area. This, in theory at
least, will allow you see an opponent by focusing your attention to the area
specified. Whether you would actually find this of any use is going to be down
to personal preference, but it's another example of the innovative features
that make up this monitor's impressive spec sheet. Finally, you can add to that
list SmartKeypad, a remote control on a wire (very 80s Betamax), that gives you
access to the OSD controls without having to reach over the monitor while
mid-game.
Philips 242G5DJEB
back view
Build quality is very good throughout, but in terms of the
design, this monitor is surprisingly basic. However, the extraordinary level of
connectivity and features make up for its rather drab and bland looks. Still,
you could argue that looks aren't as important as features or price, but for
those who do care about such things it's worth looking more into at any rate,
In our tests the Philips did reasonably well, although the
picture quality wasn't quite as crisp, nor the colours quite as brilliant as
the previous AOC. It was certainly quite the performer, though, and thanks to
the 1ms response time and the 144Hz refresh rate the content on-screen whizzed
by without any perceivable difficulty inherent to fast motion imagery. Aside
from the gaming side of things, normal day to day duties performed well, and
despite the picture quality not being as good as we expected, it's still
adequate enough for photo or video editing.
Including a funky,
retro remote
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Details
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Price: $450 ·
Manufacturer Philips ·
Required Spec: HDMI, DVI, VGA, USB 3.0, MML device
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