ASUS VH242H 23.6-Inch Widescreen LCD Monitor - Black
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16:9 Full HD, HDMI, SPDIF out and 2Wx2 Build in Speaker

Features

  • 23.6-Inch Wide (16:9)
  • 5 ms Response Time
  • HDMI/24-Pin DVI-D/15-Pin D-Sub/SPDIF Audio
  • 20000:1 Smart Contrast Ratio
  • 2W x 2 Stereo, RMS

User Reviews

Love the size, and the price is right, but when I turn on my external monitor the wireless range on my MacBook decreases four-fold, making wireless network practically unusable. I have an ethernet cable in my dorm, thank goodness, but if I didn't I wouldn't be able to use my monitors, because the wireless quality is so bad. -- Interferes with MacBook, iPhone wireless reception
I chose to buy this monitor based on the huge number of positive reviews (Amazon seems to have a slightly lower average rating, other sites with reviews had higher averages, but Amazon had the best price, as always). The packaging was great, the actual retail box was surrounded by padding in a monstrously huge box, so I wasn't worried about any damage. Set it up immediately, connected it to my laptop via DVI, and did a quick check for dead pixels, and couldn't find a single one. (A quick search on Google will yield various free programs that can help you find dead pixels, and help fix stuck pixels, so give them a try before going through a hassle-some return process).

The monitor's great, the brightness is amazing, and the contrast is definitely good. A little bit of bleeding is visible around the bottom edge in dark images, but definitely not a big issue, it's not bad enough to detract from anything I'm looking at, and it's something I'm willing to tolerate at this price level.

The speakers are quite weak, as one might expect, but Asus has provided all the ports you need. I actually have this monitor hooked up to both my desktop and my PS3. My desktop is hooked up to an external speaker system, and I wanted to hook my PS3 up to the same system without a big expensive setup. If you're looking for something similar, here's how I did it:

My desktop is hooked up to the monitor via DVI, and my PS3 is hooked up via HDMI, which carries the audio signal from the PS3 to the monitor. I then connected a male-male 3.5mm audio cable to the headphone port on the VH242H (the output port, which is black; the green one is for input, which will allow you to connect your desktop sound to your monitor, if you're primarily relying on the monitor's speakers) to the microphone port on my desktop. Next (this applies to Windows 7, other versions of Windows should be quite similar), right click the audio icon in the taskbar and select Recording Devices. Find the device into which you plugged the cable, right click it, and open the Properties window. On the Listen tab, check the checkbox next to "Listen to this device." Now, all sound that the monitor would normally play is instead routed through your computer, allowing you to pass it through to the same sound system your computer is hooked up to. Keep in mind, sound from the HDMI connection will only be sent while the monitor is actively on the HDMI video input, while sound from your computer will always be playing. This is actually really convenient, as I can play whatever games on my PS3, and when I need to get back onto my computer for whatever multitasking I'm doing, I don't have to somehow mute the PS3.

Anyways, to sum it up, a great monitor at a great price, that allows me to do everything I wanted it to do: handle multiple inputs, and allow me to pass through audio signals to a better sound system. We'll see how this monitor stands the test of time, and I'll return with a part two to this review in the future! -- Great Monitor at a Great Price Point
This was an excellent monitor, that I used daily for over a year. Great picture, great look, and overall good quality.

UNTIL...

You may have heard in other reviews about the "flickering gray screen of death". That is exactly what happened to mine, unexpectedly last week. The monitor never moved from my desk, never fell, etc., it just happened randomly while using the computer. If I hit the monitor on the back panel with my hand, it would go away, and reappear in another hour. Then it became more frequent, and a week later, I could not get the screen to work properly, no matter what I tried.

Overall, I cannot and will not recommend this monitor to anyone. Do not buy this monitor. -- Excellent Monitor... Until it Died a Year Later
it is everything it claims to be! I am still finding out more things about it that I like!!!!! I cant say enough good things about it!
Keep up the good work ASUS! -- Awesome Monitor from ASUS!!!!!!!
I have to echo all the positive things said about this monitor. Buy one (or two) today, I did! -- Excellent monitor

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