The frames are still, but beyond that is
beauty
The Philips V226V3L is an unassuming
monitor. Turned off and left on the table, we see it as a still, obsidian
monolith not unlike any other monitors out there. It's a window frame as window
frames are; nothing you haven't seen, and nothing to be excited about. Turn it
on, however, and it opens up to the bright, beautiful world beyond.
Pardon our "Mills-and-Boons"
description of the monitor, but we couldn't think of a better way to describe
it. The design here isn't anything to shout about, and it follows the common
path of fitting the screen over a (slightly) tilt-able stand. It's slim enough,
and comes with glossy black bezels. It doesn't look spectacular, but it doesn't
look bad.
What we do like is the decision to place
the power and control buttons so that it faces the viewer. While purists might
rue the visibility of five round buttons at the corner of the screen, we think
the ease of accessibility makes it worthwhile. The monitor otherwise places its
connectivity ports at the back of the screen. You get DVI and VGA support, but
it sadly neglected HDMI connectivity -- something of a missed opportunity,
considering its display quality.
And it does have very good display quality,
starting with how bright and sharp the images it are. The colours jump at you,
and it's reproduced accurately enough. The display quality benefits mostly from
the SmartContrast technology, which helps increase the contrast (maintaining
good blacklevel) while keeping dark shades and colours well rendered.
The 5ms response time meant that it's good
for most things, and watching HD movies with it is a treat. Gaming on it is a
decent experience -- the monitor manages to keep track with the frames decently
enough, but it's not the best gaming experience here.
The monitor sets up easily, too. No screws
or bolts here; you place the parts on top of one another, click them into place
and it's done. The settings interface isn't too intuitive, but it's simple
enough to navigate through.
Philips
226V3L
Price $159
Info www.philips.com
Specifications
Resolution: Up to 1920 x 1080 @ 60Hz
Panel: TFT-LCD, W-LED backlight
Screen: 21.5-inches Response Time: 5ms
Contrast Ratio: 10,000,000:1
Stand: Tilt
Connectivity: DVI, VGA
Dimensions: 532 x397 x209 mm
Weight: 2.79kg
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Ratings
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Performance
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Features
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Design
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Value
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(+) Great display quality
Accessible control buttons
Smart Contrast
(-) No
HDMI support |
