ASUS MK241H

Sporting a webcam, a small speaker array and 24 inches of real estate ASUS' latest large widescreen display, the MK241H, is a solid, high-end entertainment display. It offers good image quality and is large enough to satisfy most users, whether they're watching films or fragging bad guys.

With a standard 24in resolution of 1920x1200, this 16:10 aspect ratio display is just right for watching high-definition content. Even full 1080p can be rendered perfectly pixel for pixel (albeit with black bars around the edge), making this unit ideal for a multimedia PC with a Blu-ray drive

It also boasts a 2ms response time, which is extremely quick and makes the MK241H ideal for reproducing fast motion such as action movies or video games. Our standardised tests revealed only the faintest hint of ghosting; there was no ghosting to speak of in our real world trials. When we played FPS games, the images were crisp and quick with no visible trails.

We found the colour balance a little overbearing at times; this panel definitely leans towards the side of over-saturation. Everything, particularly primary colours like reds and blues, is extremely bright and vivid. This will please many users but probably won't be appreciated by designers, video editors and others who require a more accurate, natural look. There are some colour calibration options in the menu that help correct for this to some degree, but they aren't as extensive as on some other units we've seen.

Black levels were pretty good, with deep shadows that didn't show any hints of grey. Contrast was also generally impressive with nice distinction between blocks in our colour intensity ramps and a smooth graduation from light to dark. The picture was crisp and sharp on the whole with no aliasing on text or loss of clarity towards the edges of the screen. All our moire test patterns were also rendered perfectly with no noise or flickering. Viewing angles were good, with several people able to watch simultaneously with minimal colour shift or detail loss.

Aside from good image quality, the MK241H also offers some multimedia options, including a 1.3 megapixel webcam. It is fairly standard quality for a built in webcam, and the image is adequate for basic video conferencing or picture taking. The microphone array is similar: fine for basic use but you'll want something more high end for any kind of serious use.

The same can be said of the speakers. Anyone who has used built-in monitor speakers in the past won't be surprised by the tinny audio they produce. The sound lacks any substance in the lower registers, but it is relatively loud and may be adequate for less discerning gamers or basic Web browsing.

There are the standard DVI and D-Sub ports for connectivity, as well as an HDMI connection, making it great for home theatre users. The monitor can be angled upwards or downwards but not fully rotated. We quite liked the charcoal bezel with metallic highlights, although it is a large unit even for a 24in panel and the buttons are somewhat sticky and difficult to use.