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Iiyama’s E2008HDSV is a 20in display that’s cheaper than many 19in monitors. As well as providing an extra inch diagonally, it offers a higher resolution of 1,600×900 compared with the 1,440×900 resolution of most 19in displays. This extra width is useful when working in documents and using Windows, as it feels as if there’s a lot more room. To produce the monitor at this price, Iiyama has cut some corners. There’s no digital input, and while this makes no difference for image quality on a PC, it means that you can’t connect a second device, such as a games console or Blu-ray player. This is all the more disappointing as the 16:9 aspect ratio is ideal for watching movies or connecting modern games consoles. That said, if your PC has a built-in DVD or Blu-ray drive, you can use the screen to its full effect. We were disappointed by the darkness of the display, even with the brightness turned to 100 per cent. While colours seemed rich, we felt they would be more vibrant with a little more light behind them. Our side-by-side comparison revealed a serious yellow tint that made whites look muddy. A series of clearly labelled buttons under the screen allow you to navigate the onscreen menu system, which is clear and easy to use. As with most monitors in our test this month, the E2008HDSV allows you to enable dynamic, contrast, boosting the ratio to 30,000:1. Many monitors perceptibly change the backlight with this setting turned on, which can be distracting, but the E2008HDSV didn’t. However, it didn’t make any difference and we still struggled to see fine detail in dark areas. The built-in 1W stereo speakers are fine for occasional use, but for better bass and sound reproduction, dedicated speakers are a must.
With a smart design and a higher resolution than a 19in model provides, the E2008HDSV is an interesting choice as it’s so cheap. However, its dark display and yellow tint let it down a lot. We’d rather spend a little more and buy BenQ’s G2220HD instead.
