Mid-range monitor review - LG 22LS4R

Well as some of you may know I was torn over which new screen to buy, I was decided on a 22" model as they currently offer the best price vs screen size in my opinion, as if you go up to a 24" you almost double the price which isn't really worth it in my opinion.

I originally planned on getting a Samsung SyncMaster SM226BW which I had seen in store and fallen in love with but the release date was pushed back and so I decided to look around a bit more.

Part of the problem for me is that living in London and sharing a flat, my personal space is a room about thirteen feet square so having a television and a monitor in the same room is a big proportion of my space eaten up so when I saw LG were bringing out a new range of multi-input flat panels I decided to investigate more...

The 22LS4R form LG is a fantastic piece of kit, I've never seen another monitor with such a fully featured set of inputs:

HDMI
VGA D-Sub
CVBS (Composite)
S-Video
Component
SCART
PC Audio In/Out
RF Antenna Connection (including analogue TV tuner)

There is another model, the M228WA also from LG that is very similar and has the exact same inputs, but had DVI in place of HDMI, however this isn't being released until late August and so I simply paid for a DVI to HDMI cable as they carry the same signal. Both panels from LG are also HD ready if you're using them as an HD TV and can handle 720p and 1080i without a problem.

In terms of colour accuracy and performance, it looks great and incredibly vibrant. It does lack some of the controls that pro users will want and it's not easy to adjust the brightness and contrast as they are buried deep in menu settings and not directly accessible via buttons on the screen itself, however it's a good mid range display. This isn't a pro monitor that will allow you to set it up just so and have perfect print colour reproduction, however that's not what I need it for and not why I decided to buy it.

The fact is, I needed a screen to replace my ageing CRT TV and Monitors in to one sleek flat panel device that was flexible enough to fit in to my existing set-up while being "good enough" for design work.

Colour is vibrant and brightness and contrast are above average, there is a little backlight bleed at the top and bottom of the screen but this is only noticeable from a distance during very dark scenes when watching movies and not visible when sitting close to the screen. The only other down side are the built in speakers which are very very poor, however as this is hooked up to my surround sound system it's a non-issue for me but one worth noting.

Overall I'm very happy with the screen, particularly the contrast and brightness of it which are incredibly high for a budget monitor like this one.
It's not a pro monitor, but for the size, price and performance it's pretty damn close.

Full specs:

Screen Size: 22"
Screen Resolution: 1680x1050
Response Time: 5ms
Brightness: 300cd/m2
Contrast: 3000:1 (Dynamic Contrast)
Viewing Angle: 160°h / 160°v
HD Ready 1080i 720p
Interface: HDMI, VGA D-Sub, CVBS (Composite), S-Video, Component, SCART, PC Audio In/Out, RF Antenna Connection
Built in Analogue Tv Tuner: Yes
Remote Control: Yes
HDCP Compatible: Yes
Speakers: 2x 3W
Size (WxHxD): 525.4 x 404.6 x 187.4 mm
Weight: 5.8KG
Wall Mountable: VESA 100 Compatible

2007 XD Engine with advanced image processing:
Dynamic Black Stretch enriches the darker areas providing rich deep blacks
Dynamic & Dimming Contrast Control enhances bright areas and darkens dark sections of the picture
Intelligent Edge Control increases contrast on edges and lines in the picture
Advanced Vivid Control provides more accurate & appealing colour tones
Distinct Noise Reduction features 3D Noise Reduction, Background Noise Reduction & MPEG Noise Reduction for crystal clear pictures