Viewsonic VX2255 WM

Like every 22” inch monitor that is currently available, the VX2255 has a native resolution of 1680x1050, response time of 5ms, contrast ratio of 700:1, and a brightness level of 280 cd/m2. These specifications are exactly the same as those of the Viewsonic VX2235WM.

For testing the performance of the VX2255WM, we put it through our normal battery of tests, which included Displaymate, current PC titles like Bioshock , Wow and older titles like Prey/ F.e.a.r and HD movie samples. The results were mixed.

The VX2255 initially gave us some trouble, and required fine-tuning with the help of Displaymate before we could get accurate results. In our sharpness test it was quite accurate, with the text display being sharp and spot-on. This was very apparent in Windows Vista, which has brilliant DPI scaling. However it was after that this, that all our tests went literally to hell.

For starters, in the contrast and brightness level tests the monitor gave us weird results. There was quite a bit of over-emphasis in the contrast/brightness levels in places and caused parts of a game scene to look almost cartoonish. It required a fair bit of fiddling with the controls before we were able to bring things under control.

The color tests fared no better, with gross bleed-ins, and the black levels looked more like pale strips of bacon that had been pasted on to the screen. To resolve these issues, we reset the monitor to factory defaults and reinstalled the color profile settings for Windows. We also sat down and, with the help of Displaymate’s brilliant tests, optimized the monitor for the best display that it could output.

Once all the appropriate settings had been made, we ran our tests all over again to get a proper set of results. Before being fine-tuned the monitor was looking like a major disaster and a bad release. Once it had been brought up to par, it really showed its shine. There was a noticeable improvement in color rendition, with the bleeding disappearing.

Like its predecessor, the monitor aced the grayscale tests and there was a dramatic improvement in its black level output. The contrast / brightness level tests were equally good. The cartoonish effects that were prominent in games had altogether disappeared.

Talking about games, there is nothing much to say. The response time of 5ms eliminated any ghosting that may have occurred. This response time is now commonplace and with virtually every other model carrying this figure, ghosting in games has really become a non-issue.

The inbuilt webcam is a good addition. While its image quality is not all that great, it can be easily used for videoconferencing. It does tend to lag a bit in rapid movements but considering it's been bundled in for free… there's not much we can complain about. It does its job at being a cheap and free replacement for a webcam.

Conclusion
The VX2255 is another typical Viewsonic product. It offers a good balance of features (requires a fair bit of tweaking though); it's VFM at a price of Rs 19,995, and only loses points for its glossy body which is rather high-maintenance. So, despite minor flaws the product offers good VFM and thereby earns itself a recommended rating.