Product Reviews

The massive 27½in HD281DP certainly isn't the most attractive monitor we've ever seen. Its angular bezel and stand may appeal to some, but we prefer both Samsung's and ViewSonic's highly differing efforts, opposite. However, you shouldn't be too put off by its appearance, as this monitor is a giant bargain.

You would have to spend at least £257 to buy a monitor with the same resolution from our most recent LCD group test. However, all those models are 24in examples, and even though it's only 3½in larger, the HG281DP is a giant in comparison. It's like having a living room TV sitting just three feet away on your desk.

The screen has over 2.3 million pixels (a native resolution of 1,920x1,200 pixels), which is roughly double that of most 32in HD TVs. The huge desktop is handy if you need to run multiple applications or a single complex one such as a video-editing package. The high resolution also means you can enjoy Blu-ray 1080p movies in their full glory.

Input options are basic,

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with only VGA and HDMI provided. A DVI socket would have been handy, too, so you could connect more than one HDMI-equipped source without having to swap cables. You'll also have to use a DVI-to-HDMI adaptor to connect most PCs. There's a mini-jack audio input for the 2.5W stereo speakers; alternatively, audio can be accepted through the HDMI input. Either way, the speakers aren't powerful enough to do justice to the size of the images on display.

Our initial impressions of image quality were acceptable. The HG281DP is bright, producing a retina-burning 500cd/m2. However, backlighting isn't completely even, with a darkish area at the bottom of the display. It's not noticeable in day-to-day use, but it's a disadvantage for editing pictures or other tonally sensitive work. Colour accuracy is acceptable, though graduations in subtle shades were a bit rough. You must reduce the brightness level to get an acceptable contrast ratio, as the backlight tends to destroy detail in dark areas.

Despite some quality issues, this monitor is great for gamers, who will revel in its massive resolution. Pair it with a powerful graphics card and you can play the latest games at 1080p resolutions. This will help you spot enemies at long range in Call of Duty 4, and the quick refresh rate means you'll have no problems with lag or motion blur when things get hectic in close quarters.

HannsG's HD281DP doesn't have perfect colour accuracy, but it makes up for the slight quality issues with its low price. If you're looking for a big monitor on which to play games and watch movies, it's a great choice.