Met My Expectations, and Then Some!

I am an artist and I spend a great deal of time on the computer, creating artwork and editing photographs. I needed a monitor that would display sharp, clear images with very accurate color. I also needed something that would be easy on the eyes, because I spend at least a few hours at the computer each day.

I wanted an LCD panel so I could get rid of my big, heavy 19" CRT monitor. It was taking up just too much of my precious desk space and flickered badly. LCD screens do not flicker and cause eyestrain and headaches the way CRTs do. They are so much easier on the eyes!

I spent a lot of time researching the ins and outs of buying an LCD monitor. I had been under the impression that LCDs were a poor choice for graphic artists because their picture quality is inferior. I also thought they are generally much more expensive than CRTs.

I was wrong on both counts. LCD panels have come way down in price over the last year or so, putting them in about the same price range as CRTs. Picture quality is as good (or better!) than most CRTs. Plus, with an LCD panel you have the added benefits of less glare and (usually) no flicker at all!


WOW, I'm IMPRESSED!

The ViewSonic VP2030b not only met my needs, but exceeded my expectations! The screen is crystal clear and displays colors that are absolutely true to life! There is no difference between the color displayed on my monitor, the way colors look in real life, and the color that comes out of my printer. None! Every CRT I have ever owned (and there have been many) showed colors just slightly "off".

The display is brilliant and bright! With the tremendous 1000:1 contrast ratio, text is very easy to read. White is neutral and bright and black is a true black. This is VERY important if you do art and photograph editing and printing as I do. Plus, the screen rotates 90 degrees to allow easy reading of long pages of text. This is a feature I wanted, but didn't necessarily need. I use it all the time! It makes reading so much more efficient, which is really a necessity in today's society.

I frequently enjoy playing graphics intensive games and watching TV and DVDs on my computer. Video always plays smoothly on the ViewSonic VP2030b and I have seen very little to no ghosting in games! Of course, smooth video playback is influenced by your graphics card processor, etc. But this monitor does display video very well.

I want to mention I am getting this beautiful picture and great performance using the analog input on my computer! The DVI-I cable supplied with the monitor is not compatible with my video card, as my card uses the older version of DVI, DVI-D. This is not really a problem. ViewSonic customer service was happy to send out the DVI-D cable I need, at no cost, in exchange for the DVI-I cable. When I get the DVI-D cable, I will let you know how my picture looks.


DURABILITY

Quality is key when you're making a big ticket purchase like a computer monitor. I had the opportunity to see the quality of similar monitors in person. Two were Samsung monitors, one was a Dell, and I was not impressed with their manufacture at all. I took a chance ordering the ViewSonic VP2030b from Amazon.com, sight unseen. Luckily, I am impressed with this monitor's quality. It's sturdy and pivots and rotates smoothly and easily.

My screen had one "stuck" pixel. Luckily, I was able to fix it with a utility called UDPixel. You can read more about (and download) the utility here: http://udpix.free.fr

ViewSonic monitors also come with three year standard warranties against manufacturing defects. They will replace your monitor if it has eight or more dead or stuck pixels.


WHAT'S IN THE BOX

In the box, you will find your new ViewSonic VP2030b LCD monitor, a USB cable, power cable and both DVI-I and Analog (VGA) cables. Also, there is a paper "Quick Start" guide and two CD-ROMs. One CD contains the monitor drivers and PDF user guides. The second CD-ROM contains the ViewSonic PerfectSuite software, which you can use to control all your monitor settings from the taskbar.


SPECIFICATIONS (SPECS)

Monitor Type: Flat Panel LCD TFT (Active Matrix)
Size: 20.1" viewable
Contrast Ratio: 1000:1
Aspect Ratio: 4:3
Native Resolution: 1600 x 1200
"Dot Pitch": 0.255
Brightness: 300 nits
Response Time: 8ms grey to grey, 16 ms black to white
Synchronization: Vertical 50 - 85 Hz
Synchronization: Horizontal 24 - 92 kHz
Viewing Angle: 170 degrees horizontal and vertical
Power Consumption: 52 Watts
User Controls: OSD Controls: Brightness, Contrast,
Sharpness, Color, Auto Adjust, Position
Slim Bezel (Frame)
Non-Glare Screen
Energy Star Compliant
3 Year Manufacturer Warranty


SETUP

Setup was super simple! Plug two cables into your computer, one into your power outlet, turn on the monitor, turn on the computer and you're DONE! My computer (running Windows XP Media Center) was able to set up my monitor and adjust the color perfectly with no help from the supplied software disks. Of course I still installed all the software that came with the monitor, for completeness.

The software is very comprehensive and easy to use. It includes utilities for manually or automatically adjusting brightness, contrast, color, sharpness, resolution, rotation, screen size and position. You can store settings in profiles you name and choose which will be used as the default. There is also a section for management of monitor plug-ins, such as theft deterrents and asset management.


ISSUES

Of course, nothing in life is perfect. While the ViewSonic VP2030b comes close to perfection, there were a couple of minor issues I had with it.

The quick start guide is almost useless. It is one page per language and offers only a simple, unlabeled illustration on how to connect the monitor to your computer. The text explanation didn't inform me of much. However, a user's guide is included on one of the CD-ROMs which includes detailed installation help, instructions for using every feature of the monitor and even a troubleshooting section and contact information for ViewSonic.

My other issue was the stuck pixel my monitor came with. Stuck or dead pixels are a fact of life with LCD screens. I was unfortunate to get a screen with a stuck pixel, but as I mentioned, I was able to fix it. You can fix stuck pixels about half the time. You cannot fix a dead pixel (one that is not allowing any light through at all). If I hadn't been able to fix my stuck pixel, I would have had to live with it. That would have been okay with me, it was hardly visible anyway.

IN CONCLUSION

The ViewSonic VP2030b is a wonderful monitor that I would recommend to anyone. It is durable and versatile, and offers a picture you have to see to believe! It was definitely money well spent!