Customer Reviews

ViewSonic VX2240w 22-inch Digital/Analog Widescreen LCD Monitor

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Bought this monitor after doing a lot of research on which monitor to get. My first choice was a Samsung 226BW but after reading about quality control issues with the lcd panel on those I decided to go with the Viewsonic since it had the best color reproduction and fast response time.
This monitor is great as long as you keep the dynamic contrast feature off and configure your video card's gamma setting properly(my 8800GT had to be set to 10% gamma). The problem is that dynamic contrast will turn itself back on whenever the monitor goes to standby mode, turned off or changes resolution. The menu will show that it is off but it is actually on since turning it on and off in the menu will then make it actually off. It's very easy to see when its on by looking at skin tones....they look horrible with dynamic contrast turned on.
I bought the 19 inch version to this monitor at the same time and that one does not have this problem. I was going to send the 22 inch back but I'm out of the US and it would cost too much to send back. I've learned to live with the problem and every time I sit at the computer I make sure to turn the dynamic contrast on and back off.

Settings that give me the best picture quality are:
Monitor brigthness = 15
Monitor Contrast = 65
Monitor Dynamic Contrast = Off
Monitor Color Adjust = 6500K
Video Card(Nvidia 8800GT) Gamma = 0% to 10%
Video Card(Nvidia 8800GT) Brightness and Contrast = 50%

The monitor setup was straightforward-one note though, I was replacing an old 19" ViewSonic so I was already familiar with their menu system. No stuck pixels, I don't notice any light or dark bands.

Colors are good, text is crisp and clear. Resolution is excellent, it's going to be fun trying to fill up all the extra real estate, there's room for all but my biggest spreadsheets.

On games: the big screen and high resolution and fast response time has left my kids envious, and the neighbor kids, and most anyone else who's seen it.

Wow!! What a treat having the ViewSonic VX2240w 22' LCD Monitor. Was a fantastic price, easy hookup, and not a single problem. I just love Viewsonic! I upgraded from my 19" Viewsonic LCD monitor, which was 2 yrs. old and totally troublefree, to this 22" to enhance my gameplaying. Just fantastic. I also recently bought my wife a ViewSonic 22" TV monitor, which we just love. You can't beat ViewSonic's price, features, dependability, and ease of use and installation. Sure, if you want to spend $600 or more for the very best brand that it is out there you might get a little better performance, but believe me, I researched alot of different manufacturers before I made this VX2240w purchase, and I couldn't find anything better that fit my needs, esp. price!! I play World of Warcraft, and it has taken on a whole new dimension with this monitor. Can't go wrong with this monitor.

I've had the monitor for over a month and it's definitely a mixed bag. I have a dual G4 Mac running 10.4.11. The color is very good but you need to play with the custom settings, all the presets are way too bright. Even in the custom settings you need to turn all the colors way down. Text does not render well and I can't seem to make that any better. Video looks great using all the players I tried.

I use an external monitor with my Macbook for email, web surfing, documents and to look at my photos. Therefore my requirements are not as demanding as that of a graphic artist or professional photographer. I just require a monitor that is easy to set up, easy on the eyes, and has a nice looking display. I bought this monitor to replace a Samsung 226 BW that "died" after just two years, and am very happy with my purchase.

Setup could not not be easier. Just slide the monitor into its base--no screws or tools required, not even any "elbow grease." There are no back panels to remove, so inserting the power plug and DVI cable was simple. Note that some monitors have such panels to hide the wires, but this is not a consideration for me since the back of my monitor faces a wall. Also, the base is made out of durable but cheap looking plastic, and the monitor itself is not particularly stylish looking (it has a dull matte finish on the front frame)--none of which are considerations for me, but may matter to some people.

This is a plug and play monitor. Although it comes with a CD for installing certain drivers, that CD works only with a PC running Windows, but not with a Mac. But it did not matter because the monitor worked just fine when I plugged it in.

The monitor can easily be tilted to suit your viewing preferences.

The most critical review complains that if you turn the dynamic contrast feature off, it will go back on automatically when the monitor is turned on and off, changes resolution, or comes out of standby mode. However that review was written fourteen months ago, and on the monitor that I bought the dynamic contrast feature continues to stay off. Therefore Viewsonic appears to have addressed this issue in the newer production of this monitor.

Note for Macbook users using Leopard: Follow these steps to use the monitor with your Macbook closed:
1. Connect the video cable (the monitor comes with both VGA and DVI) and power cord to the monitor. Then connect the video cable to the Macbook.
2. IMPORTANT: You must buy from Apple a proprietary adaptor to hook the video cable to your Macbook.
3. Turn on the monitor and turn on your Macbook.
4. Go to System Preferences, Display, Arrangement and check the box for "mirror displays."
5. Close the Macbook and let it go to sleep.
6. Use an external mouse or keyboard to wake up the closed Macbook. The display will appear on the external monitor after about a minute. Open System Preferences, Display and choose 1680x1050 resolution.

If you shut the Macbook down altogether, then the next time you start it, as soon as you turn the Macbook on, close the lid and after a couple of minutes the display will appear on the external monitor.

As other reviews have noted, this monitor does not have lots of sophisticated adjustments to calibrate the monitor. For the average consumer who is going to use the monitor for the purposes that I mentioned, that is not a concern.

Bottom line: This is a very nice monitor for the money. However if you want a monitor that looks more stylish or has more advanced calibration controls, then you should consider something else. For my purposes it is just fine. The screen is nice and clear, and the colors are vivid.

I absolutely love this monitor. It has replaced my previous 22' ViewSonic that performed flawlessly for 10 years or more.To my pleasant surprise this model allows me to work without covering the window behind me to prevent glare on the screen. Now there is no glare which is important since I work many hours each day producing detailed digital paintings and graphics. And whereas my earlier model cost $1000,this superior one cost me $232.00 including shipping.Equally important, this, lightweight model allowed me to easily reconfigure my wiring and desk space whereas the bulk of the first model would have made it a difficult chore

This monitor is primary in my digital darkroom and supplements a 19" ViewSonic. The monitor is callibrated with EyeOne Display Two. The calibration process challenges the blue spectrum of the monitor, but with patience the results are pleasing in editing both color and black & white photographs. The colors appear realistic without oversaturation after calibration, however, it is a process that takes me an hour. This monitor has a positive price to performance ratio.

I bought this monitor to replace a 17" Dell CRT. I absolutely love all the real estate! I use this monitor mainly for everyday web browsing, Word documents, and gaming. The colors are bright, icons are crisp, and the response time is great. I have had no dead pixels, and I have owned this LCD for approximately a year.

This monitor does have backlight bleed at the top and bottom that is noticeable when the display is showing dark images. I don't really mind it, and was aware of it before buying. Also I've noticed photos look muddy in shadows. I have tried the Windows image viewer and Photoshop with the same result. The same photos viewed on a laptop look much better. This might be corrected by calibrating, but I haven't been able to easily.

Overall I am very satisfied with this monitor. I might, however, spring for a slightly more expensive model when replacing in the future.

This is a horrible monitor for Photography or Graphic Art. It can not be calibrated!!! I contacted View Sonic when I realized that the calibration wouldn't "hold" (it kept resetting itself each time I turned the monitor off). The tech at View Sonic didn't know what it meant to calibrate a monitor. She couldn't find it anywhere on her computer's "help" menu for helping customers.

Any monitor company that doesn't train their employees to help customers with monitor calibration doesn't know anything about graphic art or photography.

Do not buy a monitor from View Sonic if you're going to be using it for color accurate purposes.

LaCie monitors give you the ability to calibrate all four corners and the center of the screen independently! View Sonic doesn't even know what it means to calibrate.

As other reviewers have noted, the dynamic contrast feature turns itself back on every time the monitor goes into power saving mode or is turned off. This is a nuisance since the feature has to be manually shut off and makes video look terrible. Apparently newer versions of the monitor fixed this issue but I have an older one. I contacted Viewsonic technical support and there is no firmware update or anything for the older versions.