Fantastic color accuracy and pixel
policy, but you pay for it
ViewSonic displays have received plenty of
awards in Custom PC over the years, and this 27in model, the VP2770-LED, uses
PLS technology just like the Asus PB278Q advancement over IPS, which should
offer superior viewing angles and image quality.
Like the Asus PB278Q, the panel is
LED-backlit, and offers a resolution of 2,560 x 1,440, giving it a 16:9 aspect
ratio, although it also has a slightly slow 12ms grey-to-grey response time.
It’s practically a featherweight compared to the monstrous NEC PA301 Was well,
weighing in at just 8.45kg when its stand is attached. The stand itself is a
tri-pronged affair, but the enormous reach and depth of its arms mean that the
monitor is firmly planted on your desk.
It allows for the full spectrum of
adjustment swivel, tilt and height and has the ability to rotate from landscape
to portrait, so no one will be left wanting in terms of monitor positioning.
Meanwhile, the matt-black bezel is textured, so there’s no issue with
reflections.
Fantastic
color accuracy and pixel policy, but you pay for it
It’s taken a surprisingly long time for USB
3 ports to find their way onto monitors, but they’re finally here and the ViewSonic
VP2770-LED sports two of them, with a further two USB 2 ports at the rear. In
addition, there are all the input ports you could want, including DVI-D, HDMI
and DisplayPort. Whether you’re connecting other PCs, consoles or Blu-ray
players to the additional inputs, you won’t be short of options.
Meanwhile, the OSD is controlled using
touch buttons located at the bottom right-hand corner, as per usual. While this
allows for a super-clean look, the lack of feedback can be perplexing compared
to the predictable touch of actual buttons, although you get used to the back
and forth motion, and navigation pretty quickly.
Out
of the box, with no calibration, results were surprisingly good
Performance
Out of the box, with no calibration,
results were surprisinglygood.TheVP2770-LED proved to be a little bright at
284cd/m2, but color accuracy was overall pretty decent. One niggle was the
readout for blue, which proved to be some way out of the average results.
Apart from this, though, theVP2770-LED was
absolutely fine. The color temperature of 6,639K was very good, if a little
cold, although the effects of this weren’t noticeable in use. The calibrator
test also showed that gamma was impressively accurate, with the average result
of 2.3 just above the ideal target of 2.2. However, contrast was a little off
the mark at 758:1 - a result that was equaled or bettered by cheaper screens.
As with Dell's U2713HM and U2913WM, the
VP2770-LED is pre-calibrated in its sRGB preset. This makes setting it up for
best image accuracy and quality a doddle, as you just need to switch it on,
apply the sRGB preset and you shouldn’t have a to do a lot else. Doing this saw
the brightness recorded by our calibrator drop to 91 cd/m2, but the contrast
ratio remained at 758:1.
Color accuracy was significantly improved,
though, with the blip in the blue spectrum knocked on the head. Several other
areas benefitted too, with the d E94 maximum result dropping from 7.8 to just
2.5, with the average coming in at just 1.5.
The color temperature rose slightly from
6.639K to 6.733K, but this wasn’t too noticeable. One last issue we noted was
that the brightness in sRGB mode was locked, although this won’t be much of an
issue unless you’re in an extremely bright room.
Skin tones also looked natural, and the
detail in dark scenes was excellent, with plenty of depth and none of the dark
grey sand blacks crushed into one color tone, as we saw with some of the
cheaper 27in monitors.
This great performance continued in other
situations too, such as watching movies and gaming. Whether you’re looking for
a gaming monitor or a display for photo editing, video editing or3D rendering,
the VP2770-LED is mightily impressive.
The performance became better still when we
calibrated the panel using the Blue Eye Pro software. The maximum d E94 was
0.8, while we managed to tweak the contrast ratio to 850:1, with the gamma
level at near-perfect levels too. The only blemish on an otherwise excellent
school report was a little backlight bleed in the top left corner, but this was
only visible in complete darkness. This is a stunning result, although this
level of quality is unlikely to benefit the casual user, and it also required a
professional calibrator to achieve.
As if all of the above wasn’t enough,
ViewSonic also provides the best pixel policy of any monitor on test,
guaranteeing three years of zero dead, bright or stuck pixels. While dead or
stuck pixels are rare these days, this peace of mind, given you’re shelling out
nearly £600, is well worth it.
The
ViewSonic VP2770-LED may not offer the best value for money on test, but it’s
still a very fine 27in 2,560 x 1,440 display, and will be well worth
considering if its price drops
Conclusion
The ViewSonic VP2770-LED looks great, and
has a very modern set of features that includes USB 3 ports and PLS panel
technology. It also offers good image quality out of the box, achieved
fantastic results using the sRGB preset and returned spectacular numbers once
it had been calibrated, all while sporting the best pixel policy on test. Sadly,
there is a catch, however. All this finery comes at a price, and at $876, the
ViewSonicVP2770-LED costs nearly $152 more than the Dell U2713HM.
While both the Dell panels we’ve reviewed
this month aren’t as accurate as the ViewSonic, they’re pre-calibrated to a
high standard and offer similar input options, as well as USB 3 support and a
good range of adjustability.
The ViewSonic VP2770-LED may not offer the
best value for money on test, but it’s still a very fine 27in 2,560 x 1,440
display, and will be well worth considering if its price drops.
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Information
§ Price:
$870
§ Manufacturer:
www.viewsoniceurope.com
§ Specifications
§ Screen
Size: 27"
§ LED
Backlight: Yes
§ Widescreen:
Yes
§ Recommended
Resolution: 2560 x 1440
§ Viewing
Angle: 178°(H) / 178°(V)
§ Display
Colors: 1.07 Billion
§ Brightness:
300 cd/m2
§ Contrast
Ratio : DC 20,000,000 (1000:1)
§ Response
Time: 12ms
§ Panel:
IPS
§ Input
Video Compatibility: Analog RGB, Digital
§ Connectors:
VGA, DVI-D, HDMI, DP, USB
§ D-Sub:
1
§ DVI:
1
§ HDMI:
1
§ DisplayPort:
1
§ USB
2.0: USB 2.0 (x2), USB 3.0 (x2), USB Upstream
§ Stand
Adjustments
§ Pivot
: 90 degrees clockwise
§ Height
Adjust : 150mm
§ Swivel
: left/right 60 degrees
§ Tilt
: -5 degrees to 23 degrees
§ Dimensions:
25.3" x 18.5" x 13.7" w/stand
§ Weight:
18.59 lbs. Net
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