ViewSonic VX1962wm review

ViewSonic's 19in VX1962wm LCD monitor boasts a resolution of 1680x1050, which is normally reserved for 22in displays. Combined with a stylish design, good image quality and a reasonable price, this monitor is a good option for the home office.

The ViewSonic VX1962wm has a glossy black bezel, curved base and slim stand. The silver edging complements the bezel nicely, though we feel the thick silver line through the base detracts from the overall look and feel of the monitor. The bezel reflects office lighting, but the screen itself has a matte finish.

We really liked the blue glow of the power button when the monitor is powered on, though the rest of the controls aren't great. They are positioned awkwardly (underneath the bottom of the bezel) and aren't backlit, so it's difficult to adjust settings at night. The ViewSonic VX1962wm's base offers only vertical tilt adjustment. The stand isn't height adjustable and doesn't tilt horizontally, although the monitor is wall mountable with a standard VESA mount.

The ViewSonic VX1962wm displays a crisp and clear image for most part, with text easily readable. Our main complaint lies with backlight bleeding: it doesn't impact on the overall experience too much, but it's especially noticeable along the top and bottom edges of the screen.

There is also slight text banding though it's not a huge issue. A 2ms response time means the ViewSonic VX1962wm monitor handles fast motion well. We didn't notice any ghosting while playing games or watching movies. Contrast and colour reproduction are good and its performance is above average when displaying fine, dark details.

Our DisplayMate tests revealed few flaws and showed the VX1962wm displays accurate colour gradients. Surprisingly, blacks are excellent, though we recommend turning down the brightness on the default settings to prevent colour wash out. The ViewSonic VX1962wm has impressive viewing angles. They are among the best we've seen from a TN (twisted nematic) panel, with almost no colour shift except when viewing the screen from above.

In the age of HD the lack of an HDMI input is a little disappointing, though at this relatively small size of this monitor it's not a significant omission. ViewSonic includes DVI and D-Sub VGA ports and there are cables for both connections in the sales package. The monitor has two small stereo speakers that sit on either side of the controls. They do a reasonable job despite their size.