The Hanns G HL229DPB monitor has a 21.5-inch screen with a 1920 x 1080 resolution and a 1,000:1 contrast ratio, all for the very wallet-friendly price of £89. But is it too good to be true?

As you might expect from an LED monitor, the HL229DPB's weight is pretty light, even by flatscreen standards. However, we were disappointed to see that for all its LED splendour, it's not much thinner than a standard LCD monitor, with a thickness of 48mm.

Less surprising is the lack of a HDMI port. The DVI input is HDCP compliant, which means if you've got a Blu-ray drive in your Mac you can use a HDMI-to-DVI cable to view Blu-rays on this monitor.

The buttons aren't ghastly to use, but not as pleasant as the touch sensitive icons found on other screens. It's not as good looking as Apple's own monitors, but it is a lot less expensive.

Of course, the most important question is how good is the image quality? Pretty good, as it happens. Throughout our tests colours were reproduced well, with gradients running smoothly, rather than the blocky juxtapositions of colours displayed by some cheap monitors.

As you'd expect from an LED monitor, contrasts between light and dark colours were very good. Text was impressive, even with small fonts. Viewing angles were also good.

Not so long ago, affordable monitors were a case of anything you fancied so long as it was TN. More recently, screens with IPS and VA panels have been coming thick and fast. Hallelujah! The latest member of this new monitor army is the Philips Brilliance 241P4QPYES.

It sports what Philips calls an AMVA panel. Think of it as the latest iteration of the MVA breed, which in turn is a particular flavour of VA (vertical alignment) LCD panel. That typically means much better colours, contrast and viewing angles.

The only slight snag is that the competition among the £200-ish, better-than-TN brigade is hotting up. Dell has been flogging eIPS screens for a while, while BENQ prefers to go with VA tech.

Meanwhile, ViewSonic has just launched an IPS-based screen, the VP2365-LED. And it's very, very good indeed.

MVA – brilliant

Specs-wise, the Philips Brilliance 241P4QPYES certainly looks promising. That AMVA panel is claimed to be good for 178-degree viewing angles in both planes, 6ms response times and static contrast of 5,000:1.

Factor in the LED backlight and good connectivity, which includes HDMI, DVI and VGA, and you have a very promising package. You even get a fully adjustable stand that lets you rotate the monitor to portrait mode.

More predictable is the combination of a 24-inch diagonal and 1920 x 1080 pixel grid. For PC use we'd prefer the slightly taller 1920 x 1200p alternative, but that's asking a lot at this price point.

Philips has also thrown a few image enhancement options into the mix. We're not big fans of dynamic contrast, but it's offered here and since it's switchable, everyone wins.

The same goes for pixel overdrive, a technology used to improved response times. It's known as Smart-response in Philips' parlance, and again it's fully switchable. As it happens, we found it delivered noticeably better response when enabled, without introducing any inverse ghosting or input.

As for the other image quality metrics, most are pretty impressive. Colours are rich without being over-saturated. Black and white scales both reveal excellent detail, and there's little evidence of colour compression. Gradients are rendered impeccably and there's plenty of depth to the contrast.

Less impressive are the viewing angles which can't quite match the best IPS screens. The overall brightness isn't exactly stellar either, leading to slightly dirty looking whites.

We liked

It's a joy to find yet another great non-TN screen available at this relatively affordable price point. The main benefits are excellent colours and contrast. Philips has managed better pixel response than we're used to seeing from an MVA screen. Impressive

We disliked

While the Philips Brilliance 241P4QPYES's chassis is very adjustable and well featured, it looks cheap, and the four ports of the USB hub are inconveniently located on the rear rather than near the bezel. And as good as the image quality is, things are moving fast right now.

Verdict

A year ago, this MVA panel would have been a world beater. Today, the Philips Brilliance 241P4QPYES is merely very good. There are slightly better screens available for similar money.

We have a habit of relentlessly banging the TN-vs-the-rest drum. But we do it because we care. Both about technology and your very fine elves. Sorry, selves.

Samsung's all-new S27A850D has us at something of a disadvantage. Many of its on-paper specs are thoroughly familiar. A 27-inch diagonal and 2,560 x 1,440 native resolution puts it firmly in the premium, high resolution camp.

Bung in a static contrast ratio of 1,000 to one and you might assume you're looking at yet another screen sporting LG's familiar 27-inch IPS panel. Yes, the same one used by Apple in its 27-inch iMac.

On the other hand, Samsung is one of the very small handful of outfits with the gumption to fabricate its own LCD panels. Manufacturing the substrates that form the basis of large, full-colour is a criminally complex and expensive process. Consequently, around five to six companies make nearly all the LCD substrates worldwide. And that in turn means that Samsung in not normally in the business of buying in panels.

Switch to PLS

What lies at the heart of the S27A850D is neither TN nor IPS, nor PVA technology. Instead, Samsung has come up with a new technology known as PLS or Plane to Line Switching. It's closest in concept to IPS.

Fire it up and initial impressions are of a cross between the better bits of IPS and PVA in a single panel. Exciting eh?

That means colours are richer and more saturated than you'll be used to with IPS. Black tones are also in deep and inky PVA territory and viewing angles are rather redolent of a good IPS screen.

The sparkly anti-glare coating that compromises IPS panels is absent too. In its place is a smooth, semi-gloss surface as seen in some PVA screens. Result.

If that makes the Samsung sound perfect, there are one or two slight snags. For starters, just a little of what we've come to know as 'IPS glow' is visible. It's a glowing sheen in darker tones that shifts across the screen as you change your viewing position. It's not overly evident here, but it does detract marginally for the movie and game playing experience.

The other area where Samsung's new PLS tech appears not to have moved the game on is pixel response. Pegged at 5ms in the spec list, the subjective experience is nothing special. A good TN panel remains tangibly quicker.

PLS is a welcome addition, then, but it's not quite the Holy Grail of panel tech.

There's a parallel universe where we're all millionaires, our PCs are hooked up to 30-inch LED-powered beasts with 120Hz refresh. Life is pretty sweet. Back in this universe, compromises must be made. Which is where the Philips Brilliance comes in.

It's the solution, or so Philips hopes, to the following crucial conundrum: just how much screen can you get for under £200? The real answer begins with 24-inches or more accurately 23.6-inches of corner to corner screen diagonal. Next up is 1,920 x 1,080 pixels. It's the full HD grid, then.

Finally, and rather predictably, you get TN panel technology. More on that in a moment. Because one thing you might not expect to get at this price point is a really classy chassis and stand. But that's precisely what Philips has come up with.

Granted, the stand is limited to tilt-only adjustment. That aside, it's a remarkable high quality effort which leverages cast aluminium for the base and both looks and feels positively pukka.

Does this improve the image quality? No. Does it make you feel better about your purchase? Definitely. All Philips therefore needs to do is deliver half decent image quality in the TN idiom and we will have ourselves a deal.

Steady scorer

Weighing in on the positive side of the ledger are good black levels and contrast. Panel backlighting is another strong point with very little unwanted bleed at the edges. As TN screens go, the viewing angles are impressive, too, even if the Lagom test suite proves they fall well short of the best IPS and PVA panels.

We've no particular bones to pick with the response performance, either. Philips offers two switchable modes. The Smart Response mode clearly involves pixel overdrive and does introduce a little inverse ghosting. But it also delivers super-quick response and, more to the point, it's your choice – you can always switch it off.

If that's the good news the bad is that the Brilliance will never let you forget your virtual world of desktop computing is tinged by TN. The give away involves slightly thin and watery colours. This screen simply isn't as saturated, vibrant or pleasing as more expensive panels.

It's still a great gaming panel thanks to the speed. And we have to admit that 1080p video looks very fine. But you will notice the lack of depth and vibrancy on the desktop. If none of that sounds like a deal breaker, there is one further snag. Philips has seen fit to limit video inputs to dual-HDMI and a single VGA port. Problem is, HDMI can be problematical, especially with AMD graphics cards. Be warned.

Overview

The influence of Apple's computers and gadgets is often over egged.

So we'd forgive you for coming over all sceptical at the suggestion that the latest generation of affordable PC monitors owes much to the fruit-themed outfit some simply love while others love to hate.

For sure, this new ViewSonic VP2365-LED 24-inch desktop screen doesn't look anything like Apple's slick and sensuous fare.

It's downright dowdy. But it does take a leaf out of Apple's definitive work on image quality. Specifically, ViewSonic has jumped on the IPS bandwagon.

IPS, or In-Plane Switching, is the LCD panel technology favoured by Apple in many of its recent computers and gadgets.

It's IPS that delivered the massive increase in colour quality and contrast the iPhone 4 offered compared with the 3GS. It's IPS that enabled the iPad to immediately raise the tablet industry's image-quality game. And it's IPS that ensures the iMac range offers the best screens in the all-in-one business.

Critically, where Apple goes, others follow. With Apple shifting millions of IPS-equipped products, punters are not only getting a taste for decent screen quality, they've an inkling what to ask for. IPS is beginning to enter the public consciousness.

That matters because just a few years ago most monitor companies had given up on offering high-quality LCD panels in mainstream monitors. IPS and other premium panel technologies, including PVA and MVA, cost more and punters weren't willing to pay. All that mattered was price and screen size. And that meant that cheap, ugly TN technology dominated.

Specifications

So, we know the new ViewSonic VP2365-LED packs an IPS panel. But what does that actually mean in terms of specs, and what else makes this £200/$350 panel tick?

With a 24-inch screen diagonal and 1,920 x 1,080 pixel grid, the VP2365-LED ticks the same Full HD 1080p box as all those cheap TN panels. Look a little closer, however, and you'll begin to spot the differences.

For starters, the viewing angles are quoted at 178 degrees for both horizontal and vertical. That may not sound like a dramatic increase over the 170 and 160 degrees horizontal and vertical typically claimed for TN screens, but it makes an enormous difference. The 1,000:1 static contrast ratio also hints at a quality panel.

Slightly less impressive is the 6ms claimed for grey-to-grey pixel response. It's the one metric by which IPS panels can't compete with TN technology. The ViewSonic VP2365-LED's 250cd/m2 brightness isn't exactly stellar, either, especially considering that it packs an LED backlight rather than old school CCFL tech.

Another highlight is the stand and chassis. OK, it's black and bland to the point of anonymity. And there's zero tactile delight to be had from the plain, hard plastics. But the overall assembly is sturdy and stable. It also offers full adjustability, including rotate, swivel, tilt and height and VESA wall-mount compatibility.

What you don't get, however, is much in the way of peripheral technology. Unlike many cheaper screens, the ViewSonic VP2365-LED's on-screen menu isn't stuffed with fancy-sounding image processing options. It does offer full colour, gamma and temperature configurability. There's a dynamics contrast function too. But the likes of switchable pixel response modes and fancy adaptive colour processing are absent.

Frankly, that's no great loss. Most such technologies promise much but deliver very little. Nor is the superficially limited connectivity (DVI and VGA is your lot) much of a downside. Instead, ViewSonic has cooked up a no-nonsense package that majors on the things that matter - panel, backlight and chassis quality. If ViewSonic can execute on that little trio it'll have a winner on its hands, and never mind the frills.

Performance

The ultimate in current LCD technology would combine the best of IPS and PVA panel technology and throw in some LEDs and fully adjustable stand for good measure. Hold onto that thought for a moment.

Out of the box, if you didn't know what sort of panel the ViewSonic VP2365-LED packed, you'd face something of a conundrum. On the one hand, the colours are conspicuously rich and vivid. That suggests PVA. On the other, the palette isn't over saturated, which tends towards a diagnosis of IPS. Then again, the anti-glare coating is very smooth and free from sparkle. The blacks are rich, too. We're back to PVA again.

The VP2365-LED also puts in a strong showing in the Lagom suite of test images. Both black and white scales offer oodles of detail. The colour scales aren't exactly shabby, either, while the viewing angles do the usual IPS thing, which means they're wide enough to be a total non-issue.

Things get even more confusing as you dig a little deeper, calling on a range of go-to give aways in the quest for panel identity. When is comes to IPS screens you can almost always pick 'em, thanks to a little quirk known as IPS glow. It's basically a little unwanted light leakage that's visible when displaying very dark tones. Sweep your head across the screen and you can see the glow transition across the panel surface.

But not here. Or at least the IPS glow has been suppressed to the point of near invisibility. The same goes for those traditional PVA tell tales, inverse ghosting and input lag. Both are a by-product of image processing and in particular pixel overdive, a technology commonly used on PVA screens to improve pixel response. Neither rear their ugly mugs here.

Likewise, while there have been reports of the ViewSonic VP2365-LED suffering from edge or corner bleed from the backlight, our sample simply didn't suffer them. All of this will have you wondering what if anything could possibly spoil the party.

Well, that 250cd/m2 backlight rating does indeed translate into less than retina searing brightness. This isn't an issue in normal usage, since few people are comfortable for long periods beyond 200cd/m2 in normal lighting conditions. But it does make for a slightly less flexible monitor.

The only other hitches involve the pixel response and refresh rate. Both, frankly, are relative. In absolute terms, the ViewSonic VP2365-LED is more than quick enough for games, movies, you name it. But it's not as lightning-quick as an overdriven TN panel.

The same goes for the 60Hz refresh rates. It's pretty much the industry standard, and if you'd never tried anything else, you wouldn't give it a second thought.

Problem is, we have seen something else, namely screens built for active shutter 3D tech that support refresh rates of 120Hz. They're so slick and smooth that even just for wiggling windows on the desktop, once you've seen 120Hz, it's hard to go back.

Verdict

The holy grail of PC paneldom is a screen that marries the best attributes of all available monitors, ditches the bad bits and does it all at price you can afford. That the ViewSonic VP2365-LED doesn't pull that off is no surprise. But it comes awfully, awfully close - much closer than any screen that's even in the same postcode or price.

The 24-inch proportions and 1920 x 1080 resolution are nothing special. In truth we prefer the slightly less widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio and more vertical pixels in the form of a 1920 x 1200 grid. But the panel itself is really something special.

The sparkle-free anti glare coating gives the sort of clarity that's usually reserved for PVA screens. Meanwhile, rich colours and deep blacks smack of PVA, too.

But this is in fact an IPS screen, so you get all that and all the good stuff that comes with IPS, too. That means excellent colour accuracy and outstanding viewing angles. The only thing missing from the mix is pixel response to match the best TN screens. That's not to say the response is poor, it's just not the best available.

Strictly speaking, we'd like a little more oomph from the backlight, too. While we're being picky, there are a couple of other items on the wish list. Support for 120Hz refresh would be nice, both for those who fancy some stereoscopic 3D action and because 120Hz makes for buttery smooth visuals on the desktop and in games.

Despite the 1080p hype and the fact that it's become the de facto standard for desktop computing, we don't think the 1920 x 1080 native resolution is ideal. 1920 x 1200 is certainly preferable. Some would prefer even more pixels. We wouldn't argue.

Elsewhere there's little bad news to report. The ViewSonic VP2365-LED's chassis won't turn any heads courtesy of sheer panache. But it does deliver a sturdy base to work from and adjusts every which way - and that's what really counts.

The same goes for the ostensibly limited DVI and VGA video ports. Sure, it wouldn't hurt to have HDMI and DisplayPort as options. But if what you want is a serious PC display, DVI does what it says on the tin.

We liked

The ViewSonic VP2365-LED offers terrific image quality, a great stand and all the input options you need. For £200/$350, what more do you want?

We disliked

ViewSonic has put together such a strong package, picking holes is an exercise in pedantry. Nonetheless, the list of minor complaints includes good rather than great pixel response, less than stellar backlight strength and a dreary appearance.

Final verdict

After a long wait, the flood gates have finally opened on affordable screens based on non-TN panel technologies. The new ViewSonic VP2365-LED is one of, if not the, best of this new breed of PC monitors.

Fitness for purpose. More than anything, that's what the big BenQ EW2730V delivers. It would be all too easy to immediately disregard it based on its humdrum 1,920 x 1,080 native resolution. After all, you can have precisely the same pixel grid for a little over £100.

Okay, at that price point, you'll be squeezing those pixels into a much smaller 22-inch LCD panel. But when it comes to apps and web surfing, it's pixel count not screen diagonal that really matters. You get no more viewable Windows desktop with this £300, 27-inch screen than you do from BenQ's £110 RL2240H.

But what if it's games and movies above all else you want to your screen for? In that scenario, the BenQ EW2730V might just be purpose personified.

For starters, BenQ has given it a glorious, luxurious VA or Vertical Alignment panel. That's not just any VA panel, but one from the very latest generation, complete with a claimed contrast performance of 3,000:1.

Then there are 178° viewing angles in both planes; an LED backlight; a gorgeous looking chassis and stand replete with slithers of brushed alloy.

Positive impression

The EW2730V might not be cheap per se, but it is awfully good value. That positive impression remains when you fire her up.

This panel produces rich and vibrant colours without being oversaturated or artificial. The black levels and contrast are really super too, even if they're not quite as stupendous as the 3,000:1 ratio suggests.

We're big fans of the panel's surface. Too often, a good screen is spoiled by a stupid panel coating. IPS screens often suffer from sparkly, coarse surfaces, but the BenQ, in contrast, has it just right. The surface is super smooth, almost semi-glossy but without any nasty reflectivity. The result is extremely pleasant clarity and excellent contrast without the glossy screens' downsides.

But what of pixel response, which is such a critical metric for gaming and sometimes the source of failure for VA screens?

Well, BenQ offers switchable pixel overdrive. Once enabled, there's evidence of mild inverse ghosting. Overall, response is good but not great. BenQ's own RL2240H shows it a clean pair of pixels, but that's what you'd expect from a modern TN screen. And don't forget, that modest 1,920 x 1,080 pixel grid is easy on your GPU.

The story, then, is of a lovely looking screen that excels for watching movies and could only really be improved for games with 3D support and slightly quicker pixel response. To really succeed as an all rounder, the native resolution needs upgrading. But at this price, it's a very compelling package.

You're a gamer, you're on a tight budget and you need an LCD screen. Five years ago, we'd have pitied your predicament. Whatever you ended up with, it wasn't going to be pretty. Fast forward to today and the BenQ RL2240H gaming-optimised 22-inch panel is yours for just £110. And it's full HD. Yippee.

That's right, a full HD screen from a proper brand for £100 and the cost of a packet of fags. Ish. Give it up for globalisation and preposterously low electronics prices – but we digress.

Cost and relatively modest screen diagonal aside, this BenQ also claims to improve your gaming prowess in RTS games. What you're actually getting is an operating mode with colours and contrast tweaked for the demands of RTS games.

If we're really honest, as with most preset modes, we probably wouldn't bother. The difference is marginal at best, and where it is noticeable, not unambiguously for the better. It's better to concentrate on the screen's traditional TN virtues when it comes to gaming.

Okay, it's a classic TN panel, and that means black tones are corrupted with the slightest hint of blue, and there's a bit of bleed around the panel edge. Inevitably, you'll discover some compression of whites if you can be bothered to fire up the Lagom scales. This isn't the most accurate monitor ever made.

Great for gaming

But here's the thing – in many ways, this screen looks nearly as good as the low-cost IPS panel in Dell's Ultrasharp U2412M. The colours are in the same ball-park for richness and vibrancy. Indeed, thanks to the tighter pixel pitch and smoother anti-glare coating, it's sharper and clearer.

The colours aren't as accurate and the viewing angles fall short, but there's no denying HD video looks great and games look even better. What's more, the TN tech makes for excellent pixel response.

That's not a surprise, but what we weren't expecting at this price was BenQ's AMA or Advanced Motion Accelerator. It boils down to switchable pixel overdrive and offers just two settings. So it's not quite as sophisticated as the name suggests. But once enabled the response performance is fantastic.

Hell, even the chassis doesn't look half bad with its Stormtrooper-style glossy white plastics, even if the tilt-only stand is a very basic affair. Meanwhile, DVI, HDMI and VGA ports are all provided.

All of which brings us to the following remarkable conclusion. Regardless of cost, you could argue this is the best gaming monitor here. If £100 or so is your limit, that's awfully good news.

You might think that extending a workspace with an additional monitor is a feature only available to desktop-bound Macs, or MacBooks tethered to monitors via an awkward cable. The people at GeChic have tried to dispel these assumptions with a convenient portable monitor called the On-lap monitor.

Installation was easy, with four sturdy suckers being screwed on to the monitor housing, and then suctioned onto the back of our MacBook Air. Four stick-on plastic circles are provided if you have a Mac with a less compliant surface.

The display can be folded out to use in landscape mode next to your main screen or kept rear-facing for presentations. You can also stand it next to your notebook and use it in portrait orientation.

The monitor is powered by an attached USB lead so you don't have to worry about finding a spare plug socket in a wall. A word of warning though – the GeChic On-Lap Monitor only comes with HDMI-to-mini HDMI and VGA-to-mini HDMI cables, so we needed to use an adapter for it to work with our MacBook Air.

With the monitor connected and the MacBook powered up, the monitor was detected right away and our desktop was shown. Setup couldn't have been easier then, which is just as well considering the manual isn't particularly helpful.

When the monitor is tucked away behind the MacBook it doesn't add too much bulk. And while it doesn't quite match the sharpness and clarity of the MacBook Air's screen, it's not too bad.

In our tests the default settings performed badly colour-wise, but they were easily fixed. But if you're working with images and photos and depend on the best possible image quality, we wouldn't recommend the GeChic On-Lap Monitor – certainly not as the main monitor anyway.

On the other hand, if you want an easy way to add more space to the desktop for extra programs and websites to be open at once, this is a handy gadget for a pretty good price.

Overview

Movies, games, PCs and TV. Can a single screen really display content for every count? That's the challenge for the new Samsung Series 5 T27A550 HD TV monitor. It's a 27-inch beast with an integrated digital TV tuner and enough inputs to cope with everything from desktop PCs to games consoles and set-top boxes. It's the total video solution.

That it looks a little like a miniature high-end HD TV, sports a full HD 1920 x 1080 pixel grid and comes with an infrared remote just sweetens the deal. It's an awful lot of screen, features and technology for the UK price of £414 or US cost of $430.

Of course, HD TV prices have been tumbling of late. Some 32-inch HD TVs can be had for under £250. Likewise, pretty much an HD TV with an HDMI port is capable of doubling as a monitor for a PC or a screen for a gaming console and set-top box.

It's also worth noting that the panel itself is based on that cheapest of LCD technologies, TN. At this price point, that's inevitable. But it's worth remembering that large, expensive HD TVs use more sophisticated VA or IPS technology.

In that context, the 27-inch Samsung T27A550 Series 5 LED HD TV monitor looks more reasonably priced than outrageously cheap. However, it does have a few extra features that separate it from the norm. For starters, it supports playback of music, video and images from any standard mass storage USB device.

Samsung has also come up with a few technologies intended to offset the image quality issues that come with TN panel technology. Dynamic contrast is an old trick used to compensate for poor black levels. More intriguing is Samsung's Magic Angle Vertical tech, which claims to improve viewing angles, another TN weakness.

Of course, this isn't the only all-in-one screen on offer. The LG DM2350D does all this and more in an even smaller 23-inch package. Samsung itself does a number of cheaper options, including the Samsung B2330 HD.

Specifications

As a 27-inch monitor that can be bought for under £350 in the UK and under $300 in the US, there was only one likely panel technology for the Samsung Series 5 T27A550. Yup, it's our old friend twisted nematic, or TN for short.

TN is the cheapest of the commonly-used LCD panel techs. That's not its only advantage, though - it's the fastest responding, too. That gives it a significant advantage over IPS and VA panels when it comes to fast-moving images. Think games and action movies. Sure enough, Samsung quotes response times of just 5ms.

Of course, the panel itself isn't the only major component contributing to image quality. The backlight plays a big role, too. Increasingly, flatscreen TVs and LCD monitors are moving to LED backlight technology. So it is for the Samsung Series 5 T27A550.

The main advantages of LED tech include broader colour reproduction, cleaner whites, lower power consumption and better longevity. In fact, there are few if any metrics by which old school CCFL backlight technology can be said to be better.

Samsung has also addressed the shortcomings of TN with some image-enhancing technologies. Dynamic contrast compensates for the poor black levels and contrast produced by TN panels. Meanwhile, Samsung's Magic Angle Vertical enables users to correct the screen for viewing off the horizontal. In theory, this enables the panel to be situated above eye level while maintaining colour fidelity.

Elsewhere, the Samsung Series 5 T27A550 HD TV monitor scores with a decent but not quite perfect array of inputs. You get VGA for analogue PC connections (which will only be relevant for very old PCs) and a pair of HDMI ports for a range of devices including PCs, set-top boxes and games consoles. There's also component analogue video support for legacy AV devices.

What you don't get, however, is DVI or DisplayPort, the preferred digital interfaces for PCs. Given this screen's claim to combine a monitor and an HD TV in a single box, that's an oversight. As we'll see, the HDMI interface can be problematic with some PC graphics cards.

Another intriguing feature, My Downloads, involves support for direct viewing and playback of files from a USB storage device. Still images, music and video are all supported - more on specific format support in a moment.

Finally, the Samsung Series 5 T27A550 has an integrated digital TV tuner. Unfortunately, it's restricted to DVB-T/C rather than DVB-T2, which means no native Freeview HD support. Of course, with HDMI connectivity, you can hook up an external Freeview HD box.

Performance

First up, what's the Samsung Series 5 T27A550 HD TV monitor like as a physical object? It looks a lot like one of Samsung's pricier HD TVs, just on a smaller scale. The downside is that the HD TV styling comes with HD TV limitations. The stand is tilt-only. For PC usage, more adjustability, including height and swivel, is desirable.

On a related note, the lack of DVI or DisplayPort connectivity presented problems in testing. Connecting via HDMI can present scanning problems, particularly with certain AMD graphics cards and driver configurations. Despite considerable effort, we couldn't achieve a pixel-for-pixel image from our test PC via an AMD video card.

Strictly speaking, this isn't Samsung's fault. AMD video boards have a habit of incorrectly outputting an overscanned signal over the HDMI interface. However, this issue simply doesn't arise with DVI and DisplayPort. We'd therefore be very wary about buying the Samsung Series 5 T27A550 HD TV monitor primarily for use with a PC.

That aside, image quality is above average for a TN screen. Thanks in part to the LED backlight, colours are vibrant and relatively saturated. OK, a VA screen has more visual punch and IPS panels are much more accurate. But for non-professional usage, the Samsung Series 5 T27A550's colours are certainly adequate.

Black levels are good for a TN monitor, too, even if Samsung's dynamic contrast technology is no substitute for a panel with inherently strong contrast.

As for the Magic Angle Vertical technology, well, the first thing to say is that it's not dynamic. You have to set it up for a particular viewing position and stick with that. If you change your viewing position or the height of the screen itself, you have to recalibrate.

That said, it does offset much of the colour inversion that TN panels suffer when viewing from below horizontal. While we'd still recommend viewing from the correct angle, it's a useful tool if this isn't possible.

Thanks to the TN technology, pixel response is another strong point. Factor in the 27-inch diagonal and a 1920 x 1080 pixel grid that won't overload your GPU and you have a great gaming panel.

As for the My Downloads USB playback feature, it supports JPG images up to 15,360 x 8,640 resolution and non-DRM MP3 files.

But video is arguably the most critical aspect, and here the news is good. The Samsung Series 5 T27A550 supports Full HD video files in a wide range of codecs and containers including (but not limited to) .AVI, .MKV, .ASF and .MP4 on the container side and XVID, H.264, DIVX and MPEG4 in terms of codecs.

As for HD TV duties, well, the built-in standard definition tuner inevitably results in soft image quality. But the display itself is easily vibrant enough for daily TV viewing.

Verdict

An all-in-one screen that covers all your video viewing and playback needs in a single, slick-looking device is an awfully tempting proposition. That the Samsung Series 5 T27A550 does this for a price of around £414/$430 while offering a generous 27-inch screen diagonal only sweetens the deal.

In use, however, there are issues. It's weakest as a PC monitor on several counts. The lack of DVI or DisplayPort connectivity can lead to scanning issues, and the tilt-only stand lacks the flexibility you really want from a PC. Plus, while the Full HD resolution is perfect for HD TV and movies, it makes less sense on a 27-inch PC panel. Even 22-inch monitors now offer the same resolution. So all you're getting is larger pixels, not more usable desktop real estate.

It's also worth noting that BenQ offers its EW2730V 27-inch monitor for a very similar price. OK, it lacks a TV tuner. But it sports a much higher quality VA LCD panel with a 3,000:1 native contrast ratio and thus significantly betters colours and black levels.

As an HD TV, the news isn't that much better, even if the context is a little different. For starters, 27 inches is no big deal in the world of HD TVs. Prices for large HD TVs have positively collapsed in the last 18 months.

You can now buy a Full HD 42-inch plasma screen for under £400. The Samsung Series 5 T27A550's price will get you at least 32 inches of conventional LCD HD TV. And given the screen's lack of DVI or DisplayPort connectivity, it's hard to see how it's more or less of a PC monitor than any HD TV with HDMI connectivity. What's more, the lack of native Freeview HD support means you'll need some kind of external box to watch HD broadcasts.

That said, the My Downloads USB playback feature does give it a lift above both the HD TV and PC monitor norm. It certainly makes it more flexible for playing back video files. However, it's hard to imagine using this feature frequently if you have the Samsung Series 5 T27A550 hooked up to a PC. At best, it might be handy as an alternative to booting your PC.

We liked

If space is at a premium, a single display that provides monitor duties, a TV tuner and supports set-top boxes and games consoles is extremely handy. For a TN screen, it also offers decent image quality, in part thanks to the use of an LED backlight. The relatively modest 1080p resolution also means you won't need an epic graphics card to play games.

We disliked

Jack of all trades, master of none, we're afraid. As a PC monitor, the pixel pitch is too coarse. Worse, the lack of DVI or DisplayPort connectivity could cause problems with AMD graphics cards. As an HD TV, it's not terribly big and lacks native Freeview HD support.

Final verdict

Inevitably, the attempt to provide all-in-one capability results in a lack of excellence in any one metric. To keep the price bearable, Samsung had to use a TN panel and that puts a cap on image quality and vibrancy, despite the use of an LED backlight.

As a PC monitor, the 1080p resolution isn't a great fit with the 27-inch size, which ironically limits its appeal at this price point as an HD TV. As does the missing Freeview HD support.

Overview

Asus has jumped right on Nvidia's second generation of 3D Vision, incorporating its new LightBoost technology in the new Asus VG278H.

You know the usual pattern - 3D monitor is a capable gaming screen, lacks the colour quality of IPS panels, is slightly overpriced, that kind of thing... well the Asus VG278H is a bit different.

The reason? LightBoost.

This is Nvidia's big idea for improving 3D image quality. LightBoost is essentially an extra layer to the panel that compensates for any dimness before the image, making it twice as bright as previous 3D screens.

The shocker is that LightBoost actually does make a big difference. But that's not the only endearing feature of this screen; there's the height-adjustable bezel, bundled Nvidia 3D Vision 2 glasses and 27-inch panel.

Asus made one of the best 3D Vision screens for the last generation in the Asus VG236H, but there's plenty to be wary of when buying a 3D monitor though, so the Asus VG278H isn't home and dry yet - let's put our scrutinising hats on.

Verdict

We're impressed with the efforts Asus has gone to with the VG278H's bezel. It's rare to get a height-adjustable panel outside of IPS screens, which is madness because it's a feature that everyone welcomes.

The panel surround does look a bit cheap and flimsy for a monitor costing over £500 (or $650 in the US), though.

The screen itself is an LED-backlit 27-inch TN, and as such image quality is a mixed bag.

It suffered gradient banding from white to black in our tests, displaying striped shades instead of smooth transitions. The viewing angle is also poor – and there's some serious colour distortion at wider angles.

But then there's LightBoost.

In 2D mode it doesn't count for much, but this screen (paired with Nvidia's new specs) produced the first truly clear, deep, colourful and frankly jaw-dropping 3D experience we've seen. And mostly thanks to that increased brightness .

Close-up objects don't appear to be painted on your eyeballs, and the middle ground doesn't look like a pop-up book, which is genuinely refreshing.

For the first time, we actually enjoyed the 3D experience. Who'd have thought something that sounded so much like marketing codswallop would actually be really good?

As a gaming monitor, this is top-notch.

If you're going to be the only one watching it, the viewing angle isn't much of an issue and it's plenty big enough. It will become a problem if you try to get two or more people involved, though, so be warned.

We liked

We're genuinely impressed by the 3D experience on offer from the Asus VG278H 3D PC monitor. The 3D Vision 2 glasses supplied team up with LightBoost to deliver better depth and image clarity than we've seen before in a 3D screen.

We disliked

The tradeoff for nippy 120 Hz computer screens is often image quality, and this monitor's no exception. Don't expect a professional-quality colour palette or brilliant viewing angles - this screen's purely about the 3D.

Final verdict

Factoring in the premium for the new LightBoost tech and LED backlighting, the £120 glasses thrown in, and the 27 inches of panel, the Asus VG278H certainly isn't a rip-off. For 3D lovers, this is a must-have, and for sceptics this could be a game-changer.