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Review:

The BenQ Xl2410T is the third 3D monitor I've reviewed in the last two weeks, but unlike the other two, the XL2410T is the first to include a W-LED backlight, instead of CCFL. Now, don't get too exited. All that indicates is the probability of less power consumption than other 3D monitors, and while it should also point to a thinner panel, unfortunately, that's not the case here. Ergonomic options it has aplenty, but what sacrifices had to be made to include such options? Keep reading to find out.

Design and features
The 23.6-inch BenQ XL2410T ... Expand full review

The BenQ Xl2410T is the third 3D monitor I've reviewed in the last two weeks, but unlike the other two, the XL2410T is the first to include a W-LED backlight, instead of CCFL. Now, don't get too exited. All that indicates is the probability of less power consumption than other 3D monitors, and while it should also point to a thinner panel, unfortunately, that's not the case here. Ergonomic options it has aplenty, but what sacrifices had to be made to include such options? Keep reading to find out.

Design and features
The 23.6-inch BenQ XL2410T sports a clean design with a dark gray chassis and rounded corners. Its only standout design flourish is the "lip" that extends downward from the bottom right bezel where the onscreen display (OSD) array resides. We've become accustomed to seeing LED-based monitors with thin profiles, but the XL2410T has obviously had one too many snacks. While the panel's depth is a thin 0.9 inch initially, it extends another 1.5 inch to encompass the connection options, bringing its full depth to 2.4 inches. The bezel measures 0.9 inch on the right and left sides and the full panel is 22.4 inches wide; slightly above average compared to other 23-incher.

On the right side of the panel is a headphone jack; video connection options include DVI, VGA, and HDMI. The XL2420T comes with plenty of ergonomic features, including 90-degree pivot, 10-degree back tilt, 5-inch height adjustment, and 30-degree left and right swivel. At its lowest height, the bottom of the bezel measures 3.7 inches from the desktop and can be adjusted by a full 5 inches. The monitor's wide 10-inch-by-7-inch foot stand affords it great stability; even when fully extended, it didn't wobble too precariously when knocked from the sides. If foot stands aren't your thing, the panel can be unscrewed from the stand and attached to the wall, VESA-style.

The OSD array includes five buttons: Auto, Menu, Left, Right (doubles as the Display Mode shortcut), and Enter, all located on the underside of the bezel. Each button convincingly presses and depresses with an audible pop. To the right is the power button, and above that, an LED that glows light green when the device is powered on.

The OSD follows BenQ's typical design. At the top are five tabs, with each tab containing different OSD options: Display, Picture, Picture Advanced, Audio, and System. If using an analog connection, phase and auto adjustment become adjustable options as well. Picture options include Brightness, Contrast, Sharpness, Gamma, Color and BenQ's version of overdrive, AMA. Gamma can be adjusted from 1.8 to a value of 2.2.

The XL2410T's OSD preset modes are Standard, FPS, Movie, Game, Photo, sRGB, and Eco. Each preset changes the color temperature and brightness of the display in a manner intended to be appropriate to the task; for example, Eco lowers the brightness significantly to save on power. Additionally there are Normal, Reddish, and Bluish color temperature options and the monitor's RGB values can be changed individually. Two additional customizable presets are also included, User Game-1, User Game-2. These allow the user to set the brightness, contrast, RGB color balance or any other attribute and save it as a preset.

The Picture Advanced tab includes options for Dynamic contrast, Display mode (aspect ratio), Instant on and PBP (picture-in-picture). Audio includes a mute and volume adjustment. System includes options for changing the source, auto powering off the monitor after a set time, and basic OSD settings.

As simple as the OSD is to navigate in concept, it feels antiquated. There are still too many steps to get anything done. Press menu, select the tab, press enter, navigate to feature, press enter, then use the arrow buttons to adjust feature. Compared to Dell's much more streamlined OSD seen in any of its monitors like the Dell UltraSharp U2711, and BenQ's OSD really starts to show its age, design-wise.

The monitor has a plasticky, hollow quality to it and feels more cheaply made than the Samsung PX2370--possibly a sacrifice made to get so many ergo options and 120Hz support on a monitor at a decent price. Fortunately, at 14.3 pounds, the XL2410T, which includes a metal plate under its foot stand, is heavier than most LED-based monitors and its weight provides some substance to what is otherwise a fairly flimsy-feeling chassis.

10 degree back tilt, height adjustment, pivot, swivel

Performance
We tested the BenQ XL2410T through its DVI input, connected to a Windows Vista PC, using the included DVI cable. The display posted a composite score of 89 on CNET Labs' DisplayMate-based performance tests.

The Extreme Grayscale Bars test, which evaluates both the monitor's ability to display very dark and very light grays, proved too taxing for the XL2410T. In the Standard preset at default settings, the monitor only displayed dark gray down to a level of 8, with 2 being the lowest possible.

Increasing the contrast made lower levels grays visible, but unfortunately made light grays indistinguishable from white. After spending some time tweaking, we got the monitor to display down to a level-6 dark gray while mostly maintaining the integrity of light grays, but it was difficult to find a great balance. This lack of balance indicates that dark details would be difficult to see on the display without washing out the colors.

Color tracking and other color tests fared better, especially after some tweaking of the RGB balance. We got colors to rival the PX2370's output, but not quite match it. Backlight bleeding, especially along the bottom edge of the screen was bright and pervasive and we saw it rear its head in a few tests below.

Text:
In text, we saw no color problems with black text on a white background. Fonts were clearly visible down to a 6.8 size. We did see a lot of blooming around text with both blue and pink fonts on a black background.

Movies:
We tested the BenQ XL2410T using the Blu-ray version of "Avatar." When using the Movie preset we saw fairly deep blacks, and near accurate color that didn't have the green push we've seen in so many monitors. Dark gray got crushed in dark scenes, making dark detail difficult to see. Also, we could have used a bit more red in the faces.

Using the Standard preset, we improved slightly on the Movie preset and with the following settings were able to see more dark detail without sacrificing the depth of black.

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Games:
BenQ asserts that it conducted R&D with two professional gamers in designing the XL2410T. The result of this research was the FPS preset, which, as it implies, is tailored for first-person shooters. To evaluate just how well it handles FPSes, we used Call of Duty: Black Ops.

While the FPS preset was bright and allowed the user to see lots of detail, it still pushed an overabundance of green, and some lighter colors were washed out. After adjusting the settings for a while, we found better settings for gaming, using the Standard preset.

Brightness: 100 (or to desired brightness)

With these settings we got a better color balance with plenty of detail still visible, which is great if playing FPSes competitively. If you play games more for their aesthetic appeal, however, we recommend taking the gamma to 2.2 and turning the contrast down to 64.

The pervasiveness of the backlight is a constant problem with the XL2410T. During our Black Ops sessions, backlight bleeding would noticeably rear its head along the bottom of the screen when in dark areas, appearing as a distracting glow.

As for input lag, we filmed ourselves firing a rifle in Black Ops with both our finger and the muzzle of the virtual gun in the video frame. When we played the video back in super motion, we noticed no input lag with either AMA on or off.

To test refresh rate, we used DisplayMate's motion graphics tests and watched a bunch of graphics fly around the screen, looking for evidence of streaking. With AMA on we saw some color distortion in the form of halos that trailed the blocks as they moved around the screen. With AMA off, the halos disappeared, but there was still more streaking than on the PX2370.

Photos:
The BenQ XL2410T delivered photos with deep colors and accurate skin tones. The settings we used above for movies worked much better than the Photo preset.

Viewing angle:
The optimal viewing angle for a monitor is usually directly in front, about a quarter of the screen's distance down from the top. At this angle, you're viewing the colors as the manufacturer intended them. Most monitors are not made to be viewed at any other angle. Depending on its panel type, picture quality at nonoptimal angles varies. Most monitors use TN panels, which get overly bright or overly dark in parts of the screen when they are not viewed from optimal angles. The XL2410T uses a TN panel, and indeed gets very dark when viewed from below, and it shifts colors when viewed from about 6 inches to the left or right.

Power consumption:
The BenQ XL2410T achieved fair power consumption, with a Default/On power draw of 31.3 watts, compared with the Samsung PX2370's 25.01 watts in the same test. In our Sleep/Standby test, the XL2410T costs 1.28 watts and the PX2370 pulled a lower 0.27 watts. Based on our formula, the XL2410T would cost $10.23 per year to run, compared with the PX2370's lower $7.65 per year.

Brightness (in cd/m2)
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
Contrast ratio
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
DisplayMate tests
(Longer bars indicate better performance)

Find out more about how we test LCD monitors.

Service and support
BenQ backs the XL2410T with a standard three-year parts-and-labor warranty that also includes support for the backlight. As long as you're under warranty, BenQ provides free phone support weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. PT. Currently, the monitor's user manual, drivers, and additional software are not available on BenQ's Web site.

Conclusion
The BenQ XL2410T is being marketed to gamers, but aside from the 120Hz refresh rate and 3D support, it won't necessary make you more competitive online. The monitor has multiple ergonomic options, a very robust OSD, and, once you've spent enough time with the settings, very good performance. However, the pervasive backlight is one of the worst offenses of clouding we've yet seen and even with all its extras, $400 may be a bit too high for gamers looking strictly for a fast TN display. That said, at the right settings, games and movies can look fantastic on it.

General users will find a good monitor here with lots of extras, but with IPS monitors like the Dell UltraSharp U2410, available for only $100 bucks more, a lower-quality TN is a tough sell at what would otherwise be a fairly reasonable price. We recommend it if you can find if for $350 or less, otherwise, there are better options available.

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