ASUS PW201 20″ LCD

[PAGETITLE=Introduction] Where LCD monitors are concerned, one thing is clear. Widescreen is here, and here to stay. Not long ago, 16:9 was the common standard, but that's since been bumped to 16:10. That ratio is what the PW201 we are looking at today uses. As mentioned in the intro, the PW201 is far more than just a computer monitor. It doubles as a monitor for your video game consoles, cable TV, DVD players, video cameras and whatever else you may have. As long as your equipment uses the standard red/white/yellow or S-Video inputs, you should have no problem having it show up on the screen. The functionality only begins there though. In addition to what I've mentioned so far, this LCD includes built-in USB ports and even a 1.3 Megapixel webcam. Oh, did I mention audio as well? Yes, this is obviously far more than a computer monitor, but rather an all-in-one screen built for whatever use you feel like. Quick Specs 20" Widescreen. 1650*1080 Native Resolution. 8ms Refresh Time. Stereo Speakers. Picture in Picture - Two different signals at the same time. 1.3 Megapixel Webcam. Closer Look - ASUS PW201 The shipping box is nothing pretty. Actually, far from it. It's much larger than the actual monitor, due to all of the protective styrofoam used. Here is how everything was packaged. Instead of the box top open up, the entire side does. This proves to make a lot of sense because it's -much- easier to remove the screen this way. That aside, all of the cables, manual and software are kept on the top safely away from the screen itself. There is also a piece of paper with instructions of how to set the monitor up in four simple steps. Shown below is the software, manual and warranty paper. ASUS was kind enough to include a DVI-D cable, so the monitor really is good to go right out of the box. Also pictured here is the power unit, which consists of two parts. Also included is a dual ended audio/video cable, used for connecting your gadget to the monitor. This could be your digital cable box, DVD player or whatever else uses these. These are not hi-definition cables, obviously. In order to use say, your XBox 360 in high-definition, you can use the cables that came with the console as this monitor will accept all six. Also here is a VGA cable, slightly mutated. Well, actually this cable is what provides the USB and audio to the screen. Simply plugging the Firewire end into the monitor and the USB into your PC will give you the ability to use the functionality through the screen. As for the audio, you can plug it into the green connector on your sound card to give you 2-channel sound. This is how the monitor will come out of the box... a very, very odd position. At first, I was confused as to how it "unfolded", but I will get into that shortly. In the picture below, you can see that the base is capable of holding up a lot of weight in an awkward position. On here also are the obligatory stickers showcasing the different functions and also a touting of the "Splendid" feature that comes with most ASUS products with a screen. Flipping the screen over, you can see how the base is implemented. I removed the cover here, but it doesn't have to be for any purpose. In order to extend the arm, you have to twist the base around a little bit until you feel that it is unfolding properly, without stress. I have to admit though, this proved a little more difficult than I would have liked. The instructions, as simple as they are, did not tell you -exactly- how to unfold the arm. As it "stands", I still don't know exactly how I did it. The monitor in it's normal stance. Now, this monitor is not that "normal". It has a wide range of motion, and the base at the very bottom swivels. So, you can turn the monitor left and right with absolute ease, and even turn the entire screen vertical for portrait mode. [PAGEBREAK] [PAGETITLE=Closer Look] On the back we have a slew of connectors. First up is the power connector, DVI-D, VGA, Red/Blue/Green Components, S-Video. Continuing along, we have the Video/Audio connectors, computer audio and finally the Firewire that's used to give you USB support. Overall, the screen contains most of the connectors that anyone should need. The only thing it lacks off hand would be HDMI, but that's still a technology that's slowly catching on. On the left side of the screen you will find the 3 USB 2.0 ports and also the audio connector. Top and center, we have the 1.3 Megapixel webcam. The reaction I received after using the webcam one evening. Because the screen has a certain classy status to live up to, you will not find any actual buttons around the monitor at all. Instead, all of the logos that you see lit up... are actual buttons. Pushing on them will bring up the various options on the screen. To turn the screen on, you just tap the power logo and it does just that. As you can see by those shots, this screen attracts dust -fast-. Not to mention thumbprints. The audio that the screen provides is thanks to the speakers on each side of the viewing area. Finally, here is an example of the monitors range of motion. I am impressed with the PW201, even moreso than I had expected. Although the arm was difficult to adjust, the installation overall was very easy. Everything the screen has to offer screams modern.. but is it ultimately a good thing? [PAGEBREAK] [PAGETITLE=Installation & Final Thoughts] To get the full benefit of the monitor, you will have a slew of cables to plug in. First, I connected the DVI-D cable, and then the power. That gives just the PC screen up to this point. I then connected the Firewire from the Monitor to the USB on the computer, to give me USB functionality through the screen. Finally, to test out some Xbox action, I hooked up the hi-def cables from that system. That's it... turn on the screen and you are good to go. It defaulted to the computer monitor mode, so I didn't have to configure anything there. Installing the webcam is as simple as putting in the disc and following the on-screen directions. Nothing out of the ordinary here. I don't have a DVD player, but instead resort to the Xbox or computer. My digital cable box also does not include any compatible cables, so for testing I will just be using both the PC and the Xbox 360. Computer Monitor First off, this is one bright monitor. This is not uncommon with higher priced models however, and is welcomed. Blacks are pure black and whites are bright white, as they should be. I like to compare it to my older NEC 17" LCD, where the whites are actually an off-white due to the lack of overall brightness that the screen is capable of. Though the screen is bright, it's not so overbearing that it will induce a headache quickly. I have in the past used my 26" LG LCD TV as a computer monitor, and after an hour I get headaches due to the extreme brightness. Of course sitting right in front of it didn't help either. That aside, after using this monitor for a while, whether it be gaming or desktop work, I did not feel a headache at all. One way to easily test an LCD for it's quality is to take a hard look at the fonts, especially on the desktop. With a poor LCD or poor connector, they tend to bleed. Not the case here though, incredibly clean thanks to the DVI cable. It's tough to photograph the screen quality without a tripod, but I gave it a shot. In the first picture, note the brightness. This is the default setting, 100. The Contrast defaults to 80, Sharpness 50 and Saturation 80. Xbox 360 Hooking up the 360 was no problem at all, and the monitor recognized it just fine. I did quickly realize though, that for the "ultimate" 360 experience, you will not be using this monitor. Ever take an old console, such as a Dreamcast or Gamecube, and hook it up to a High-Def TV? The same affect is here... it's almost as if there is no sharpness to the picture at all, like there is on a true high-definition 720p/1080p TV. This monitor is not touted as a screen for the 360 though, but chances are you will get the same quality if you hook up a similar console or component. Having a TV that natively supports 720p will serve you much better for high-def use. Final Thoughts I didn't test out the sound quality or webcam to a great extent, as there is really no need. The webcam is a 1.3 Megapixel which is the norm, so you can expect similar quality from this as you would from a similar Logitech stand-alone. The device initialized fast, and the picture quality was on par with other webcams I've used. The speed is also similar to other webcams, the most smooth resolution being 320*240. Moving to 640*480 and beyond welcomes a very laggy experience. Moving fast enough makes it appear as if you are morphing. Sound from monitor speakers is never what I'd expect to be great, and the PW201 is no different. Actually, I had expected a lot more from the sound here, but the monitor didn't deliver. It's on par with a cheap pair of speakers, very hollow for the most part. The poor sound quality is not the fault of the sound card though, as the Xbox 360 had the same symptoms. These simply are not high-quality speakers, but will do if you have no better ones on hand. As it stands, I enjoy this monitor, but only for it's picture quality through the PC. Games look incredible, especially at the 1680*1050 resolution. The colors are sharp and accurate, which helps a lot. It's just a great screen no matter how you look at it. As a whole though, I found the monitor to be very clunky in design. I had a rough time trying to straighten out the arm to get the monitor in a normal position, even after reading the instructions. At least once that is taken care of, the screen is incredibly stable. The webcam is nothing amazing, but then again not many are. The frame rate was less than desirable, even at 320*240, but it is nice to have it built-in to the monitor ready to go. All that was needed was the driver and it worked fine. Coupled with the LifeFrame software, you can take video, pictures...

ASUS PW201 20″ LCD

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Rob Williams