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If you're waiting with baited breath to find out just how fantastic the vaunted 10,000:1 contrast ratio really is, then prepare to be disappointed. LG calls its contrast system DFC (Digital Fine Contrast) and though results on the 20in Flatron L206WU were impressive, this time around the results are not nearly as encouraging.

A dedicated f-Engine button switches between Demo, Normal, User, Movie and Internet modes. Again, the Demo mode offers a split-screen view to show what a difference DFC's activation makes. And here it's obvious that in its quest to achieve a headline contrast figure, the Flatron W2252TQ has simply sacrificed dark detailing. Yes, blacks do look inky, but at the cost of so much detail that it's just not worth it. Consequently, the only f-Engine setting you'll want to consider is the User mode, where you can tone things down a bit.

Unfortunately, there's more bad news to come, with the W2252TQ clearly struggling in our DisplayMate tests. Viewing angles are particularly poor due to severe colour and contrast shift. It also failed to distinguish subtle colour gradients, and produced really pronounced banding in both colour and greyscale. There's colour contamination over blacks and whites, and a noticeable amount of backlight bleed from both the top and bottom of the display.

Like most TNs, the LG suffers from shimmering in movies, but despite this and the above defects, managed to provide an acceptable entertainment experience provided you're not too demanding. Indeed, to be fair, this Flatron is not much worse than many other cheap TN panels, and at around £190, the W2252TQ won't break the bank. But 22in displays from brands like Acer, Iiyama and BenQ may be had for much less, and are likely to provide at least comparable image quality.

Verdict

Unfortunately, the LG Flatron W2252TQ's main claim to fame, a stunning 10,000:1 contrast ratio, turns out to be nothing more than hopeful marketing and the rest of the monitor isn't good enough to make up for it. Though affordable, with minimal adjustability, a particularly awkward OSD, some serious image quality issues and a ‘fun' mode that's unusual but little more than a gimmick, in this case you get what you pay for.

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