Posted to Monitors 2008-12-10
I love the widescreen format and to be honest, I wonder how all these years I have lived without it. Of course, it's rather humorous to picture the days of green screen computers in wide screen. That being said, it's nice to know that you don't have to downgrade to a poor performing widescreen in order to simply have one. Dell's entry level 22 inch LCD flat screen monitor, the E228WFP, is a solid performer in the LCD flat screen market. It has single DVI and VGA inputs and is HDCP compatible. A rarity in this price bracket is the 16:10 aspect ratio it provides. Wide viewing angles of up to 160 degrees provide solid picture quality for not just you, but onlookers as well. With a 5 ms response time and the flat screen 22 inch standard 1680x1050 resolution, the image quality is great for the price you are paying.
QualityBefore you see the high rating and just assume this monitor is going to serve your every graphical need, I want to be very clear that this is not a top of the line monitor. However, I like how Dell markets this product. It's an entry level product that is very strong against its competitors. I myself have the 24 inch model in this family and I am extremely satisfied. Dell provides a standard 3 year warranty only further instilling confidence in this product. Its overall performance, features and value equal a quality LCD flat screen. That being said, if you're a professional needing a monitor for post-processing of photographs or for graphic design requiring extremely high color clarity, then you need to look towards Dell's Ultra Sharp's or other high end monitors. ValueWhether you want your desk back after the CRT you own stole all its real estate or you just like the wide picture flat screens provide, you can't go wrong with the price of this monitor. For around $200 - $250, you can have a bare bones monitor with a few necessary features and a great picture and can still watch movies and play games on it with an expectation of quality video. Now granted, there are sharper quality monitors out there, but not for this price. For example, no other monitor in this price range and size offers a 16:10 aspect ratio. A standard for all 22 inch flat screens, the resolution rate maxes out at 1680x1050 and allows a decent picture angle of up to 160 degrees. Having this monitor myself, I can say that if you are directly above the screen you are going to get very noticeable distortion, but while you might see that on other reviews, the truth is, no one in my household ever stands that close. Keep function in mind here, you don't stand to type either, so the viewing angle is just fine and does not interfere with the use, especially with the great adjustable stand. The whole point of this flat screen is to offer users an inexpensive alternative to flat screens, without stripping it of a great picture. Dell does a great job of balancing the features in order to still provide a great LCD flat screen. SummaryI think the Dell E228WFP should be the baseline for all entry level monitors because it exceeds them all. The price point is great, the picture quality is spot on for the value and the warranty can give you peace of mind. If you're looking for a new monitor but don't want to take out a second mortgage on the house in these rough economic times, truly look no further than the E228WFP, unless of course, due to the price, you go for a little bit bigger of a size. I say this because, that's exactly what I did. Pros
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