ViewSonic advertises the VX2255wmb as an "intensely entertaining widescreen" monitor designed for gamers, Internet users and movie buffs. That's quite a claim; can the VX2255wmb live up to the expectations it sets? Yes and no.

The VX2255wmb is a 22-inch widescreen monitor with a native resolution of 1680X1050 pixels. The contrast ratio of 4000:1 is good for a consumer level display, and the brightness rating of 300 nits is more than adequate for many uses. The VX2255wmb's 3ms pixel response time is now fairly common for many displays, although ViewSonic claims that this is the fastest LCD display available, which may or may not be true; you can certainly find displays that claim equal or faster pixel response times, but because there's no standard way to measure pixel response time, any such claims are largely marketing hyperbole. The bottom line is that the VX2255wmb is speedy enough to stand up to videos and fast-action games with little or no blurring or ghosting.

A mirror finish black case and bezel house the VX2255wmb. The display's stand supports height adjustment, as well as tilt and swivel. Found within the slim bezel are small speakers that are adequate for light duty use, but not robust or loud enough for gaming or movies. A couple of surprises are hidden in the top of the VX2255wmb's bezel: a microphone and a 1.3mp camera, which are handy for online gaming and video conferencing.

Connectivity is supplied by VGA and HDCP-enabled DVI inputs. The display also has a USB upstream port for connecting the webcam. Surprisingly, however, this monitor doesn't feature any downstream USB ports, which are normally found in monitors that are geared toward entertainment use.

Overall, we find the ViewSonic VX2255wmb to be a fairly good monitor. Text is clean and crisp, even at small font sizes. Image quality is generally good, with fairly even luminance across the panel. We didn't notice any ghosting when playing our favorite 3D games, and movie playback was also quite good.

There are a few problems, however. ViewSonic emphasizes the ability of the VX2255wmb to display HD movies, but its native resolution is too low to truly support 1080i and 1080p formats; when you view either these formats, your computer's graphics card or DVD playback software will have to perform some scaling in order to fit the video within the confines of the display. The VX2255wmb also loses points for its stinginess with video inputs, a serious shortcoming for a monitor that is purportedly geared toward movie buffs and gamers.


Pro: Fast response time, good text and image quality, built-in camera and microphone
Con: No downstream USB ports, doesn't directly support all HD formats, limited input capabilities

Warranty
3 years, limited on LCD, parts and labor