IBM ThinkVision L180p review

IBM's ThinkVision L180p is unusual in having an 18.1in diagonal - most manufacturers have standardised on either 17in or 19in. In common with both these sizes, it runs at a native resolution of 1,280 x 1,024, providing enough Desktop space to run two or more applications simultaneously.

There's a very low level of reflection, although the coating used to achieve this does cause a slight degradation in image quality. We also noticed that the individual pixel elements are spaced slightly further apart than on many comparable panels, again affecting definition.

The backlight is strong enough to cope with direct sunlight, and we had no complaints during office use. Digital image editing isn't this panel's forte though, with photos looking a touch dark. DVD playback confirmed that it wasn't designed with entertainment in mind either; compression artefacts were highlighted by the coarse pixel pitch, and motion lag was noticeable.

Our technical tests revealed a mixed bag, with contrast and colour range being the weakest areas. Even at the highest brightness settings, there was poor colour separation at the low end of the spectrum, although the high end was impressively balanced. Colour ramps disappeared into darkness a little too quickly. On the plus side, pixel jitter was absent on both D-SUB and DVI inputs.

The menu system is accessed via four solid front-panel buttons. It isn't the easiest layout to navigate, but there are so few options it won't be a frequent chore; colour temperature is switchable between 6,500K, 7,200K, 9,300K and a user-definable RGB mode, and that's it.

Elsewhere, the 17mm bezel doesn't quite match IBM's 'ultra thin' description, and the panel itself is bulky. The stand is solid, offering a built-in swivel plate with 80mm height range.

Given that it shares the same resolution as 17in panels, it's difficult to justify the L180p's price - some £299 more than our currently A-Listed panel in that category. It's still cheaper than a 19in TFT, such as Eizo's FlexScan L795, but the latter is a better choice if a 17in panel is too small for your needs.

Author: Ross Burridge