My Benq M2700HD Review

[HossHuge]

Around a month ago I started a thread here called Vizio vs. Viewsonic and I ended up buying a Viewsonic 37' to use as my monitor. A couple of weeks after setting everything up I noticed I was getting headaches and my eyes were bothering me. So after a family trip a few weeks ago, my headaches were gone after being away for a few days. Low and behold they came back again after we came home. I think I knew it was the monitor giving me the headaches but I didn't wanna believe it because I wanted a huge monitor! So finally I decided to take it back. Thank God for Costco's lenient return policy. Let this be a lesson to you, bigger is not always better.

So when shopping for a new monitor I remembered a friend of mine had recently bought a Benq and loved it. When I left my native country for Taiwan, Benq was just starting to branch out to the rest of the world. However, in Taiwan they were already a popular brand. Then, I taught a private class for a Benq employee who was a manager in the projector R+D department. And finally I actually worked at the company teaching a class of managers, sales and R+D people. It’s probably the reason I bought a Benq projector! Anyways, after humming and hawing about what size to get, I decided it was going to be a 27’. I knew that LG (W2753V-PFV) and Samsung (P2770H) made 27’ monitors in my price range from shopping for the Viewsonic. But since then, the Benq was released. I obviously chose the Benq. On another note, I also thought about going Eyeinfinity but I kept on thinking "What am I going to do with three monitors?"

Just a little background on my monitor past so you know where I’m coming from. I’ve owned a Chimei (Asian brand) 22’ and 19’ and I currently own a Samsung 2343BWX + 23’ and I had that Viewsonic for about 6 weeks.

The Spec Sheet


The box it comes in is huge. Two very large pieces of styrofoam surround it. It is very well protected. I also like the fact that the base comes mounted. It makes things very easy during set-up.



It comes with every cable you could ask for. DVI - HDMI - D-sub - USB - audio - power


On the back side of things, I like that it comes with wall bracket mounts. I am not using them but they are nice to have just in case. The Samsung and LG both are lacking in this department.


Having a monitor this size means you aren’t going to be sitting too close. I can attest to that. So, you get a handy remote control to keep your ass in that chair. The remote is thin and simple to use. There aren’t any adjustments on the monitor itself that you can’t do on the remote. The Samsung and LG don't come with remotes.


One of the things that definitely caught my eye about the monitor were the connections. I have never seen a monitor with this many before. (D-sub; DVI-D; HDMI 1.3 x 2; Headphone Jack; S/PDIF; Line in; Line out; S-Video; Composite; Component; Audio1; Audio2). Very handy! The LG has HDMI, DVI, D-sub and 1 headphone jack. The Samsung has HDMI, DVI, audio out and S/PDIF


Left side.


Right side. As you can see the buttons are located on the side. You won't need to use them.


The one wish I have for this monitor is for it to be all black. The silver at the bottom where the speakers go makes me feel...meh. There is a clear plastic planel that seperates the speakers from the monitor itself.



Here it is in relation to a 15' monitor



Picture

To me the picture quality is a better than the Samsung (which I still love btw) and much better than the Chimei. For normal use I turned the brightness down a bit. The colours are very natural looking and sharp. The monitor does an excellent job of displaying all the colours really well. You can also change the video modes. (Standard – Movie – Game – Eco – Photo – sRGB)

Sound

+ Like most, not much base but good mids
+ Audio sound mode (Game – standard – movie – rock – pop)
+ 4 x 2.5w speakers
+ nice spatial sound
+ loud enough for a mid to large size room

Gaming

If you've ever played HAWX, you know the opening were the guy flies in and saves the day? A very fast scene. On my Samsung, I would get tears in my screen. I don't get those any more. As I said above, the picture quality is great.

I paid about $380US for it. It was about $30 more than the LG and $30 less than the Samsung here in Taiwan.

So in conclusion, if they sell this monitor in your corner of our Earth and it's in your price range I would take a peep at it. The Benq M2700HD gets the HossHuge seal of approval!

[forbjok]

Are the speakers removable, or integrated into the monitor itself?

[n-ster]

most probably integrated

[HossHuge]

Originally Posted by forbjok

Are the speakers removable, or integrated into the monitor itself?

Welcome to TPU forbjok!

And yes they are intergrated.

[Aleksander]

Don't tell me that your mouse+keyboard are logitech EX100 :P

[HossHuge]

Originally Posted by Aleksander Dishnica

Don't tell me that your mouse+keyboard are logitech EX100 :P

Then don't ask the question....

I use it for rig 2. I love the mouse wheel cause it clicks.

[caleb]

Looks like a piece of ASUS logo on the box

And you haven't painted your fingernails for the pic ?!!!

[HossHuge]

Originally Posted by caleb

Looks like a piece of ASUS logo on the box

And you haven't painted your fingernails for the pic ?!!!

No, I didn't paint my toenails but I shaved my toes hairs......

[forbjok]

Thanks.

I had hoped they'd be removable, since there appears to be a space in between the main part of the monitor and the speaker (assuming the gray stripe at the bottom is the speaker) on all pictures I've seen, but I guess it doesn't really matter.

I'll probably be getting one of these anyway, as it looks totally awesome, and my favorite webshop (Komplett.no in Norway) is having an incredible sale on them at the moment.

I have a few more questions though.
I noticed that it has composite and component connectors, which is very uncommon for PC monitors. Does that mean it also can handle interlaced input signals (which most PC monitors can't), such as from older consoles?

And also, the dimensions on the spec sheet look a bit weird.
According to them, it's 51.6cm wide and 65.8cm tall, which means it would be taller than it is wide (very unusual for a widescreen monitor), and also that it would be about 2cm _narrower_ than my current 24" BenQ monitor - and that can't be right.
Am I correct in assuming that the width and height are swapped around?

[emmanuel]

Thanks for this unboxing topic HossHuge ! I came on this forum looking for informations about that monitor.

I am looking for a solution that would replace my old CRT television and be used as a HTPC monitor and for some PC applications (like drawing with a tablet). Since I use a satellite decoder I don't really need a "tv" as a tuner device... so a monitor with decent size may fit my needs better.

The Benq M2700HD looks perfect but I wonder :

1. If its vertical view angle is good or bad. If the monitor is placed on a table (80 cm height) and me sitting on the floor, do you think the view angle will be okay or completely black (that's the most common TN LCD issue).
Will you take a picture of the M2700HD view from below by chance ?

2. If that monitor can display an interlaced source like 1080i. Since it doesn't support 100Hz refresh frequency, I hope a casual TV video in interlaced mode will play smooth thanks to an interlaced support mode. I downloaded the user manual and there is no information about that.Any feedback would be helpful to decide !

Many thanks in advance !

[emmanuel]

Originally Posted by emmanuel

2. If that monitor can display an interlaced source like 1080i. Since it doesn't support 100Hz refresh frequency, I hope a casual TV video in interlaced mode will play smooth thanks to an interlaced support mode. I downloaded the user manual and there is no information about that.Any feedback would be helpful to decide !

I've sent an email to Benq with that #2 question and they quickly replied !
The answer is no. 1080p only is supported.
LCD technology is "progressive-type" and the display of an interlaced source requires a specific device only present in HD televisions and not in the M2700HD.

[n-ster]

I thought 1080i was 1920x1080 at 30Hz?

[emmanuel]

Originally Posted by n-ster

I thought 1080i was 1920x1080 at 30Hz?

It is 30Hz in NTSC display and 25Hz in Pal mode for half a screen (one line of two), so the frequency is 60/50Hz for the entire screen image.
LCD televisions are supposed to "emulate" the passes like the way a CRT monitor does.

I hope it makes sense

[n-ster]

but putting 1920x1080 at 30Hz won't be the same on an LCD?

[emmanuel]

No.
A 30Hz interlaced display is smooth even with fast movments.
A 30 Hz non-interlaced would flicker.

In a cinema movie (at 24 full-frames per second), you can notice that flickering effect when the camera is panning for example.

This is why all the new LCD televisions now offer fast refresh rates, with movment extrapolation.
Here in France (PAL systems), Most TVs offer a 100 or even 200 Hz frequency. And the best ones provide with 600 Hz.

[HossHuge]

Originally Posted by emmanuel

I've sent an email to Benq with that #2 question and they quickly replied !
The answer is no. 1080p only is supported.
LCD technology is "progressive-type" and the display of an interlaced source requires a specific device only present in HD televisions and not in the M2700HD.

Well, I just bought this camcorder and it shoots in both 1080i and p and it works fine.

[emmanuel]

Perhaps the monitor will show up the horizontal lines of the interlaced mode when you play a 1080i shootage with fast pans or horizontal moves only ?

Note that these lines are never visible on a CRT TV ; it only appear on LCD monitors or TV that don't handle a conversion solution.

[HossHuge]

Well I only use it for family videos so I don't really notice any lines. I don't use it for movies.

[cyclekarl]

Originally Posted by HossHuge

Around a month ago I started a thread here called Vizio vs. Viewsonic and I ended up buying a Viewsonic 37' to use as my monitor. A couple of weeks after setting everything up I noticed I was getting headaches and my eyes were bothering me. So after a family trip a few weeks ago, my headaches were gone after being away for a few days. Low and behold they came back again after we came home. I think I knew it was the monitor giving me the headaches but I didn't wanna believe it because I wanted a huge monitor! So finally I decided to take it back. Thank God for Costco's lenient return policy. Let this be a lesson to you, bigger is not always better.

So when shopping for a new monitor I remembered a friend of mine had recently bought a Benq and loved it. When I left my native country for Taiwan, Benq was just starting to branch out to the rest of the world. However, in Taiwan they were already a popular brand. Then, I taught a private class for a Benq employee who was a manager in the projector R+D department. And finally I actually worked at the company teaching a class of managers, sales and R+D people. It’s probably the reason I bought a Benq projector! Anyways, after humming and hawing about what size to get, I decided it was going to be a 27’. I knew that LG (W2753V-PFV) and Samsung (P2770H) made 27’ monitors in my price range from shopping for the Viewsonic. But since then, the Benq was released. I obviously chose the Benq. On another note, I also thought about going Eyeinfinity but I kept on thinking "What am I going to do with three monitors?"

Just a little background on my monitor past so you know where I’m coming from. I’ve owned a Chimei (Asian brand) 22’ and 19’ and I currently own a Samsung 2343BWX + 23’ and I had that Viewsonic for about 6 weeks.

The Spec Sheet
http://img.techpowerup.org/100913/Untitled772.jpg

The box it comes in is huge. Two very large pieces of styrofoam surround it. It is very well protected. I also like the fact that the base comes mounted. It makes things very easy during set-up.
http://img.techpowerup.org/100506/P1030247.jpg
http://img.techpowerup.org/100506/P1030251.jpg

It comes with every cable you could ask for. DVI - HDMI - D-sub - USB - audio - power
http://img.techpowerup.org/100506/P1030248.jpg

On the back side of things, I like that it comes with wall bracket mounts. I am not using them but they are nice to have just in case. The Samsung and LG both are lacking in this department.
http://img.techpowerup.org/100506/P1030253.jpg

Having a monitor this size means you aren’t going to be sitting too close. I can attest to that. So, you get a handy remote control to keep your ass in that chair. The remote is thin and simple to use. There aren’t any adjustments on the monitor itself that you can’t do on the remote. The Samsung and LG don't come with remotes.
http://img.techpowerup.org/100506/P1030250.jpg

One of the things that definitely caught my eye about the monitor were the connections. I have never seen a monitor with this many before. (D-sub; DVI-D; HDMI 1.3 x 2; Headphone Jack; S/PDIF; Line in; Line out; S-Video; Composite; Component; Audio1; Audio2). Very handy! The LG has HDMI, DVI, D-sub and 1 headphone jack. The Samsung has HDMI, DVI, audio out and S/PDIF
http://img.techpowerup.org/100506/P1030254.jpg

Left side.
http://img.techpowerup.org/100506/P1030255.jpg

Right side. As you can see the buttons are located on the side. You won't need to use them.
http://img.techpowerup.org/100506/P1030256.jpg

The one wish I have for this monitor is for it to be all black. The silver at the bottom where the speakers go makes me feel...meh. There is a clear plastic planel that seperates the speakers from the monitor itself.
http://img.techpowerup.org/100506/P1030275.jpg
http://img.techpowerup.org/100506/P1030276.jpg

Here it is in relation to a 15' monitor
http://img.techpowerup.org/100506/P1030272.jpg
http://img.techpowerup.org/100506/P1030258.jpg

Picture

To me the picture quality is a better than the Samsung (which I still love btw) and much better than the Chimei. For normal use I turned the brightness down a bit. The colours are very natural looking and sharp. The monitor does an excellent job of displaying all the colours really well. You can also change the video modes. (Standard – Movie – Game – Eco – Photo – sRGB)

Sound

+ Like most, not much base but good mids
+ Audio sound mode (Game – standard – movie – rock – pop)
+ 4 x 2.5w speakers
+ nice spatial sound
+ loud enough for a mid to large size room

Gaming

If you've ever played HAWX, you know the opening were the guy flies in and saves the day? A very fast scene. On my Samsung, I would get tears in my screen. I don't get those any more. As I said above, the picture quality is great.

I paid about $380US for it. It was about $30 more than the LG and $30 less than the Samsung here in Taiwan.

So in conclusion, if they sell this monitor in your corner of our Earth and it's in your price range I would take a peep at it. The Benq M2700HD gets the HossHuge seal of approval!

I bought one of these last year for watching DVD'S and playing xbox games,it's fantastic and although people often critercise the speakers they are far better than other monitors with built in speakers,besides you can always connect it through your Hi-fi as I do or portable speakers,I use this in place of a television so sit 5 to 8 feet from it,I can see the picture very well from several feet either side,but if I lay down on the floor and look up it the viewing angle suffers,but that isn't a huge problem,I have tried for ages to get a monitor like this with speakers and all the inputs,but so far this is the only I have come across,of course a Television would do the job,but I didn't want to fork out for the licence so got this instead and I really like it.