NEC MultiSync P221W - 22in widescreen LCD

Features & Build Quality

The beating heart of this display is a high quality LCD panel. It's the latest 22-inch S-PVA item from Samsung, the Korean company that leads the world in the production of top notch PVA panels. Augmenting the snazzy Samsung LCD is a wide-gamut CCFL backlight, delivering 92 percent of the NTSC colour space.

However, it's the 10-bit programmable look-up tables (LUT) that will really get graphics pros salivating. Now, you could argue this feature is really only significant for those who need to calibrate their displays for maximum colour accuracy.

It's overkill for the average punter who will typically struggle to set his or her display to the correct resolution, much less be au fait with the finer points of colour calibration. On the other hand, the 10-bit LUT capability does speak volumes about the calibre of display NEC has created. This is a serious piece of hardware.


Panel-related paraphernalia aside, it's no surprise to find the P221W has a fully adjustable stand that supports tilt, swivel, landscape-portrait rotate and an exceptionally broad height adjustment. It also has a full-featured OSD menu, including all the colour controls you would expect on a display aimed at professionals.

What it doesn't offer, however, is a particularly generous array of connectivity options. DVI, VGA and S-video – one of each – is all you get in terms of video inputs, though the DVI port is at least HDCP compliant and therefore compatible with a copy-protected HDMI signal courtesy of a simple adapter block (not included). There's no USB header, either. The P221W is also a pretty anonymous looking display. Still, it's certainly very solidly constructed, sports a pleasingly thin bezel and has a satisfyingly robust, no-nonsense air.


On a final note, it's worth mentioning that our review unit came complete with a single stuck pixel located on the far left-hand edge of the panel. As these things go, it is pretty innocuous. But for over £400, you'd have every right to be moderately disgusted. For the record, NEC does not have a zero-dead-pixel policy, instead opting for the ISO 13406-2 standard which actually allows for several dead pixels, so long as they are not clustered closely together.

Specification Summary

• Diagonal: 22 inches
  
• Display Type: S-PVA TFT
  
• Backlight: Wide gamut CCFL (92 percent NTSC)
  
• Native Resolution: 1,680 x 1,050
  
• Aspect Ratio: 16:10
  
• Pixel pitch: 0.282mm
  
• Contrast Ratio: 1,000:1 (static)
  
• Brightness: 300cd/m²
  
• Pixel Response: 16ms (rise/fall), 6ms (g-to-g)
  
• Inputs: DVI, VGA, S-video
  
• Viewing angles: 178/178 degrees H/V
  
• Chassis Adjust: Tilt, swivel, landscape-portrait rotate, height
  
• Dimensions: 8.4kg, 506.4 x 410 x 247.3 mm
  
• Warranty: Three years (parts and labour)