Viewsonic VX924
19inch, 1280 x 1024 resolution, 4ms response time (G2G) / 5ms ISO, 550:1
contrast ratio, 270cd/m2 brightness, 140 / 135 viewing angles, VGA and DVI
The Viewsonic VX924 is an updated model of the popular VX912. There is no change
in the design of the product from Viewsonic, but the technology behind it is
new. They have implemented their ClearMotiv technology to offer a lightning 4ms
response time (G2G) thanks to an improved response time across grey>grey
transitions. They have the overdrive features in place as well as their AIT
(Amplified Impulse Technology) to offer some very fast pixel performance. The
VX924 uses an AU Optronics M190EN04, TN film panel which is certainly very
fast. Sadly, it still has the drawbacks of TN film, namely viewing angles, 6 bit
colours and variable movie playback. For a gamer though, it might be a good
choice.
Official Viewsonic
Spec
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Reviews:
X-Bit Labs
Review (Dec 2005)
Hardwarezone
Review (April 2005)
Tom's Hardware
Review (June 2005)
Prad.de
Review (June 2005)
BeHardware
Review / Comparison (June 2005)
- Be wary of the pre-release model
covered in same review
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Advanced Tests:
Taken from Tom's Hardware Guide
Colour Reproduction Pixel
Response / Latency Panel Uniformity
Contrast Stability
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User Comments:
HARDWAREZONE: “When viewing head on, the monitor displayed a very steady
screen uniformity along both gray and color scales. At bright intensities,
colors were solid and displayed the same amount of illumination across the
screen. However, we noticed that it struggled to maintain the same uniformity at
darker intensities…..The monitor displayed a strong black while being able to
render dark grays in a very uniform scale ….The peripheries of the panel were
visibly darker as the backlighting seemed unable to fully balance out
luminosity. We also noticed that the monitor had a higher than expected color
variance at off-center angles. ViewSonic's documentation and website puts the
monitor at 160 degree viewing angle vertically and horizontally, though it feels
more around the 130 range. The VX924 had a decent analog connection, performing
fairly well in comparison to all but the best. On the initial test, there were
large amounts of moiré and beat patterns visible and the problem was more
readily visible on dithered viewsets. Thankfully, the monitor's auto-calibration
was able to greatly reduce this effect. (On DVI)…contrast scales seem to balance
out better…..Colors also seemed more focus, slightly reducing screen uniformity
problems. There was one minor drawback to the use of DVI though, as we noticed a
minute decrease in its ability to render the darkest black levels….Video
playback and gaming suffered no noticeable loss of detail. The DVI input clears
up all the minor issues with the monitor such as flickering, beat patterns and
even tweaks color and contrast output.
Movie Playback - Color reproduction of the VX924 was very well rounded….color
fidelity was still not high enough for professional graphics authoring….Scenery
was especially stunning with vibrant colors. However, it seemed that it was
unable to reproduce the right hue for human tonal range and while colors were
natural, we felt it lacked punch….Colors aside, we did notice that images were
decidedly sharp and well defined. Shadows was an area we were expecting the
VX924 to do well and the monitor proved its mettle during U-571's underwater
scenes. Submarine features that are usually hidden by most monitors could be
seen here. With the monitor's high contrast ratio, details stood out although
the most discernible users may notice that colors can be slightly muted…..there
was practically zero ghosting or streaking effects that could be seen and the
monitor handled all kinds of scenes with aplomb. In fact, we could hardly
differentiate performance levels with the 6ms GTG BenQ FP71V+ although an
improvement can be seen in over the average 8ms LCDs.
Gaming - Firing up Q3DM17, a sharper texture quality on the map was immediately
noticeable. Texture and image clarity on the VX924 was quite simply amazing.
This seemed to be an area the VX924 consistently performed very well. Game play
performance couldn't have been smoother as well. Similar to the video tests,
there was absolutely no noticeable ghosting or trailing….We were unable to
discern any further performance gains the VX924 had over the FP91V+, both in
video and gaming tests. However, the FP91V+ would occasionally display a slight
skip which we attributed to the high 12ms typical response time being unable to
keep up. With a nearly universal response time, the ViewSonic VX924 didn't
exhibit this anomaly at all.”
BEHARDWARE: (Since the pre-release model they were sent, Viewsonic have)
"updated the
monitor’s firmware with two corrective patches. The updated VX924 isn’t
disappointing; the unpleasant finishing touches on the body, and the
colorimetric and flow issues have all disappeared....Colors are quite accurate
(graphic designers can forget about it however), vivid and sparkling. They
beautifully enhance movies (from a certain distance, we will get back to this
point later) and games. We significantly improved color quality by reducing
contrast and especially brightness. The good thing is that the standard 6500 K
color is accurately defined. It wasn’t necessary to intervene on RGB channels to
get a balanced image. As is usually the case with TN monitors; the inferior
viewing angle turns to black way before the manufacturer’s figure. But compared
to the Samsung 930BF, it is less « worse ». 160° in the monitor’s specifications
is, however, a little exaggerated…(Interpolation) No improvements in this area
despite the double corrective patch. It’s sharp with standard resolution and
blurred with any other.
Compared to the Samsung 4 ms
(930BF) the result is less obvious. Samsung wins but not by much. After a couple
of minutes if we pay attention to this aspect only, not to the game, we see that
the Samsung monitor is slightly faster for all color changes. Afterglow is
slightly less perceptible. It hasn’t disappeared, though, and CRT fans will
continue to see it with the SyncMaster 930BF even if it is low. We actually
preferred playing with the VX924. First of all, the ViewSonic monitor is nicer,
not the most important aspect but it matters. Colors are also much more vivid.
The Samsung’s seem dull. (Movies) The twinkling effect is still present and
viewing angles are narrow. TN monitors might be useful for occasional video
viewing but not to watch an entire movie. At least this is our opinion."
TOM'S HARDWARE FRANCE: "(Black levels) The VX924 is the best monitor
than we saw this point of view for a long time. The black is very deep (0,26 cd/m2)
with a well proportioned luminosity." The black is measured as being better
than the L90D+ and the VP191B even (the P-MVA version). Contrast and white
levels are also excellent. The panel uniformity is excellent, pretty much
perfect, and there is no light halos evident in use. VGA is said to be less
sharp as the DVI, luminosity is well balanced and viewing angles aren't too
restrictive.
The pixel latency is actually not that good, while 4ms is the fastest response
time on some G2G transitions, there are much slower transitions evident across
the graph, and the measurement of 4ms is flawed, it isn't a true representation
of the performance. Sadly, it isn't as even across the grey range as the 8ms AUO
panel in the VP191B (compared with it on the graph - click link below). In use
though, the panel is very reactive, and an improvement over the previous 8ms
(ISO) models before it.
Movie playback is hampered by noise on large areas of colour and artefacts
caused by Overdrive technology. This is said to be a major problem on the VX924
according to THG France.
X-BIT LABS: "The RTC (overdrive) error
graph is obviously better than with the Samsung monitors. There’s only one 23.5%
peak as opposed to nearly 40% with the SyncMaster 930BF and 150% (!) with the
760BF....The RTC error is small on black-grey transitions which are prevalent in
Windows desktop applications, so the RTC-related artefacts are hardly
perceptible and are not discomforting at all. They are not conspicuous in games
and movies, either, unless you are looking for them on purpose. In this case the
excellent response time of the monitor makes up with interest for the
accompanying visual artefacts. As concerns the static image, these monitors do
not differ from the models on the same, but RTC-less matrixes. The RTC mechanism
can only affect a moving object, and apart from this feature, these monitors
haven’t changed since their predecessors."
{T5K}TT: "There was clear pixelation,
synthetic colour mixing and a real lack of perspective into the screen (images
look flat). Playing a fast twitch game (eg UT2004) on this monitor is also a
really weird experience: Zoom in and the graphics are decent. Zoom out, and u
get obvious lack of clarity, and pixelation. In addition to that, when u move
your character, the center of the screen remains fairly focused, while the edges
of the screen blur."
Richie1509: "I have been using a Viewsonic
VX924 for a couple of weeks or so now. This is the first TFT I've owned and
replaces a Iiyama Vision Master Pro 410 17" CRT, overall I'm very impressed with
the VX924. Brightness & contrast are very good, and there is no blurring or
ghosting during general use or when gaming or watching DVD's. Dark areas in
games such as Doom 3 and SWAT 4 now reveal previously unseen detail, and when i
first loaded up Half Life 2 i was awe struck by the image quality, particularly
the water. If I have to be negative about the VX924, there's a single stuck
green pixel in the lower right of the screen, and the cover on the rear is a
little loose and flimsy. However, most of the time the stuck pixel is not
noticeable, and the cover has stayed in place."
