Iiyama ProLite E2200WS

Many gamers were reluctant to take the plunge to TFT monitors when they were first released. Games just didn't look all that good on the earlier TFTs and CRTs, despite their enormous size, were generally preferred. Time has moved on though, and in recent years the flat screen monitor has become all the rage. When I recently visited i29 I wasn't surprised to see that only one or two people were hanging onto their old style mammoth CRTs. Flat is sexy and flat is what people want.

Or, at least, it was. Now gamers are crying out for monitors that are flat and wide, as more and more games are being released with that cinematic look and feel. People are using their monitors for a whole number of things: everything from daily browsing of the internet, watching movies and playing games. We want, nay, we need the extra space a widescreen can provide.

We've recently run a few widescreen monitor reviews. A couple of weeks ago we took a look at the excellent Benq FP241W. We've also taken a look at the Samsung 215TW as well as a roundup of the best 20" widescreens on the market.

Iiyama has one of the strongest reputations in the monitor market, so I was keen to find out whether the ProLite E2200WS lived up to its auspicious heritage. This monitor sports the same 1680x1050 resolution of a 20" monitor, but is a 22" screen - meaning that you'll get the same virtual space but in a bigger physical size. This is an odd mix of size and resolution, but one that is set to get far more popular with manufacturers. How does it size up to the 24" panels above it and the 20" panels it apes?

Below are the specifications and over the next few pages are our opinions on design, features and testing.

Specifications

• 22" (wide) viewable area;
  
• 5ms response time (grey to grey);
  
• 300cd/m² brightness
  
• Contrast ratio: 1000:1
  
• DVI, VGA inputs
  
  
• Price: Around £260 (Price depending on market conditions)

The E2200WS is a basic monitor offering no S-Video connection and no HDMI port. You will still be able to use this screen to plug your Xbox 360 in (via the VGA port) but if you're looking for a monitor that can do a wide variety of things (High-Definition protected content for example), then this is probably not for you. The maximum resolution on the monitor is just 1680x1050 and as such this is worse, comparatively, in all areas to the Benq FP241W which we reviewed a couple of weeks ago. That's okay though, because this monitor is less than half the price.