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NEC E232WMT 23-Inch Touchscreen Monitor Review

When Windows 8 added 10-point multi-touch support, we expected a flood of desktop touchscreen monitors to hit the market. That hasn’t happened yet but NEC is making maximum effort with the E232WMT. Today we check it out in our lab.

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OSD Setup And Calibration Of The NEC E232WMT

The first three control keys bring up Volume, Eco Mode, and Input Selector, respectively.

The Volume slider controls both the internal speakers and the headphone output. Audio Source switches between analog and HDMI inputs.

The E232WMT has five backlight level presets called Eco Mode. Engaging them locks out the Brightness and Contrast controls. The brightness levels range from 60 to 230 cd/m2. Selecting Off lets you set the backlight manually.

OSD Tour

Selecting menu brings up a simple but efficient menu system.

As long as Eco Mode is off, you can set Brightness and Contrast yourself. Dynamic is either on or off, and increases contrast at the expense of skewed gamma, along with crushed highlight and shadow detail.

Image Setup options are grayed out for digital signals. If you connect a source to the VGA port, you can adjust the picture’s size, position, and timing.

The color menu has four presets plus an adjustable User mode. In our tests, sRGB mode proved to be the most accurate without calibration. If you have the necessary tools, the best results are found in User. The RGB sliders start at the center of their ranges, making it easier to correct white balance without reducing contrast. Our only beef is that their resolution is a little coarse.

The menu timeout can be as long as 100 seconds, and it’s available in seven languages.

The final screen has an input selector and a reset function to return the E232WMT to factory defaults. Also included are signal information and the monitor’s serial number.

Calibration

With minimal options available, calibration is a simple matter. We selected the User color mode and adjusted the RGB sliders to achieve accurate grayscale tracking. There are no gamma presets, but they’re not missed since the display is right on spec from the factory. Brightness controls the backlight. No matter where you set it, contrast is consistent. We had to reduce the Contrast slider a little to maintain accuracy at 100-percent brightness, which reduced the on/off ratio a little. Also, don’t forget to turn Eco Mode off if you want full control of the light output.

NEC E232WMT Calibration Settings
Color ModeUser
RGBRed 53, Green 48, Blue 48
Contrast45
Brightness82
EcoModeOff
DynamicOff
Christian Eberle
Christian Eberle
Christian Eberle is a Contributing Editor for Tom's Hardware US. He's a veteran reviewer of A/V equipment, specializing in monitors.
7 Comments Comment from the forums
  • joravecz
    Christian, you apparently didn't do your homework. There are multiple touchscreen models available from Viewsonic, Acer and others. To say the NEC is the second touchscreen after Dell looks incorrect to me. I've been waiting for reviews of those other models, but if you don't know they're out there I guess I'll be waiting for a while.
    Reply
  • blackmagnum
    I have never thought that business-consumer minded NEC would sell touchscreen models. The FAR reaching effects of Windows 8!
    Reply
  • therogerwilco
    LOL
    since the two major operating systems, OS X and Windows
    So that means the two major phone OS's are Android and Windows phone!
    OSX isn't a major OS. It's at 6.74% right now.
    Reply
  • xenol
    The expensive con sort of irks me. Not that it's a con, but it just feels generically placed. Expensive compared to what? Someone may find all monitors over $200 too expensive, regardless.

    I dunno, just nitpicking.
    Reply
  • qlum
    LOL
    since the two major operating systems, OS X and Windows
    So that means the two major phone OS's are Android and Windows phone!
    OSX isn't a major OS. It's at 6.74% right now.
    It would probably be a lot lower if you disregard laptops. Maybe the Linux distros even surpass is then.
    Reply
  • Karsten75
    Can anyone say "gorilla arm?" LOL
    Reply
  • gc9
    "OSX isn't a major OS. It's at 6.74% right now."

    So by that reasoning, what do you think about the USA, which holds less than 4.5% of the world population? Higher spending customers are more important for some.
    Reply