Packard Bell Viseo 230WS review

The Packard Bell Viseo 230WS is a 23-inch monitor with a glossy black finish and minimalist look that is popular with HDTV manufacturers right now, so the monitor won't look out of place in a modern living room.

The bezel is relatively small and the overall footprint of the Viseo is slim. Setting up the monitor is incredibly easy, as the stand simply slots into place.

The power button is located on the underside of the monitor under the Packard Bell brand name. When you switch it on, a white LED light shines down.

Menu controls are discreetly marked on the bezel and you'll find the hardware buttons on the underside of the screen. The connections can be found on the base of the monitor and are kept to a minimum, with only a DVI and standard D-sub port for hooking up to your laptop. The only other connection is a 3.5mm audio socket.

The stand is fixed, so you won't be able to raise the screen. However, there is a tilt mode so you can pitch the screen up. We did find this extremely stiff to use though and would suggest investing in a monitor stand to help raise it up.

Bright panel

The screen is incredibly bright with a brightness rating of 300cd/m², which is very much in keeping with the industry standard. The contrast ratio of the screen proved acceptable and it offered a good colour range.

However, we did find the whites to have a slight tinge to them, which showed up when in document mode.

You'll appreciate the 1920 x 1080-pixel resolution when running movies, as it means you'll be able to run Full HD content in native mode. We found movies looked great on this screen.

The Packard Bell Viseo 230WS offers real value for money. In terms of connections and features, this is very much an entry-level monitor, but we found it worked well and images looked pleasing sharp.

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