Iiyama ProLite E1908WSV review

When it comes to 17in and 19in widescreen monitors, 1,440 x 900 has long been the standard native resolution. But the E1908WSV Iiyama is unique in this month's test, somehow managing to cram in a 1,680 x 1,050 panel at bang on £100 (exc VAT).

The difference this makes is immediately noticeable. The desktop is spacious and clear, while edges have a sharpness unmatched by any other screen in this group. We didn't think we'd clearly see the extra detail in our video and photo tests, but we were wrong: our HD movies had a real crispness to them, and even the smallest details were discernable.

This is also partly due to the quality of the display. It came out top in our technical and real-world tests, making it a great all-rounder. The colours of our games and movies were accurate, while greyscale and colour ramps showed flawless blending.

The Iiyama was among the best for bringing out detail in dark areas, and the colour tracking test screen showed neutral greys. The only minor weakness was a bit of backlight bleed at the bottom of our black test screen.

It also manages to better its rivals despite the lack of a DVI port. Over VGA we saw no pixel jitter at all, and the auto-setup fitted the image perfectly to the edges of the screen. In fact, we hardly had to tinker with it - just as well as the Iiyama has a terrible menu system.

The design is nothing special, with Iiyama's usual grey finish and a bog-standard tilting stand. But add that high resolution, great image quality and a set of just-about-usable speakers, and it becomes a very attractive monitor. There are cheaper TFTs, but at this price it is a deserved Labs Winner.

Author: David Bayon