All-Pro LCDs Part 2

Equipment

In addition to DVI and VGA, connectivity is rounded out by a USB 2.0 hub. That's fine, but why the external transformer? It's as big as an egg carton and twice as ugly. For some reason, building the power supply into the back of the panel doesn't seem to be a common solution where 23" wide-format monitors are concerned - not a single manufacturer offers a built-in transformer.

Iffy Colors

The ViewSonic VP231WB didn't perform brilliantly on our calibrator test.

The results were frankly not extraordinary for a pro monitor. Only 75% of the colors were perfect, and barely 80% were within standard.

The black level is good. The white spot is also well calibrated. At 142 nits, the VP231WB won't blind you. That's ideal for extended use with office applications.

Contrast was fairly stable, as is often the case with ViewSonic - nothing to comment on there.

The gamut test, on the other hand, was more interesting:

In fact, the ViewSonic actually offered richer colors than the L997 in the greens and reds - though ultimately the differences were minor.