>> Hello this is Eric Franklin from cnet.com and today we're looking at the ViewSonic VX1962wm. I'll be comparing this 19-inch monitor to the Lenovo ThinkVision L1940p and the Westinghouse L1916HW. The ViewSonic is a sleek looking 19-inch display with a black glossy finish that extends from the bezel to the back of the display. The footstand is oval shaped and measures 12 inches wide by 7 inches deep. But even for such a wide foot stand, the display wobbled considerably when knocked from the sides. The display's neck is only 3 inches long and the connection options are located above the neck. This makes them easy to access and we found that connecting them was a painless process. The connection options include VGA and DVI. No HGMI supports included however the display does include support for HDCP meaning that you can still watch HD content on the display. There's no pivoting, rotation or screen height adjustment here, but the display does tilt back about 20 degrees. The onscreen display OHD is basic with options for contrast, brightness, and color temperature. Navigating through the OHD was simple and painless. The four SD buttons are located on the underside of the bezel and are tactile and have about an inch between each of them. The ViewSonic posted a composite score of 81 out of 100 in CNET Labs Displaymate based performance test. With the monitor set at 6500K Color temperature, we noted that King Kong on DVD had an overall yellowish hue to it. This is not something that stands out dramatically, and we found it wasn't apparent until we compared it to the Westinghouse or the Lenovo showing the same image. When we switched the color temperature to 9300K, we saw a dramatic improvement in the color hue as the colors looked more balanced. We also noted that the backlight increased the black level to the point that the colors looked very washed out. The display just didn't have the deep lax that we saw in the Westinghouse. The ViewSonic can be found online for roughly $200 dollars or $40 dollars more than the 19-inch Westinghouse which currently sells at Best Buy for that price. The Westinghouse has slightly better performance though it comes with only a one year warranty. Also in the 19-inch LCD mix is the Lenovo which costs about $50 dollars more than the ViewSonic but boasts better performance and has more ergonomic features. However, it has a lower native resolution that the ViewSonic or the Westinghouse. Our recommendation--go with the Westinghouse. You can't go wrong with any of these 19-inch monitors; however spending $160 bucks on a monitor is just too great a deal to pass up if you're in the market for a 19-inch widescreen LCD. Once again this is Eric Franklin and this has been the First Look at the ViewSonic VX1962wm.
