Acer H243H

Pros: It's slim and shiny in design, pleasing to the eye
Games look great with great contrast (used with PC and PS3)
Fast response, doesn't seem to be any lag
Works well for movies as well esp. in HD 1080p

Cons: Almost too shiny, look out for light sources around you.
White balance is average
Easily smudges and sometimes unresponsive monitor buttons despite the coolness factor.

Summary: This is the review for the Japanese model (same name) but there should be little to no difference in the product whether you buy it in the states or somewhere else.

The Acer H243H LCD is a 24 inch Widescreen Full HD 1080p monitor with 1 HDMI port, 1 DVI, 1 VGA and one Audio input.

I bought mine new at a bit higher price but still cheap compared to other monitors with the same size and features (23,000yen/247US$). It works like a charm and looks great.

It's about 6-8kg in the box but it doesn't feel that heavy outside of the box, though you won't be carrying it around everyday anyways. It's quite slim but not surprisingly so. The stand is oval shaped and is the average size. It has the same shine and gloss as the monitors front side. It's quite shiny and glossy so it smudges easily, especially the monitor buttons located on the lower right front of the monitor. The gloss has some kind of sparkle thing going on but it's not distracting, the monitor itself is black but completely. All the buttons are touch sensitive except the power button, and they give off a soft blue and white light when turned on. The screen can only be tilted up or down slightly.

The main gripe I have with this LCD at the moment is the buttons as they can be somewhat unresponsive and you never know if you successfully pushed one or not. I use the Input button quite a lot so it can be irritating having to press it twice or more to actually get some response. Maybe it depends on how hard you push but anything from a light touch to a deep press can get different results. The menu screen is kind of bland and uninteresting. Very basic stuff.

The built in speakers I think are located on the upper back side of the monitor. The sound can be adjusted with the < > buttons on the front and they are not too powerful but enough if you use the screen in an office or small room. It's obviously best to use other speakers when using it for movies and such.

I sometimes use this LCD for playing PS3 games and so far I have no complaints. The colors come off just right and the response time is quick. Also Blu-ray movies looks great and I have not seen any ghosting or purple fringing in either. I guess the bad thing about watching movies in Full HD is that you instantly see the negative sides of it first. Watching a movie in HD doesn't necessarily make it better.

For the low price point, this LCD is worth the price. If you are upgrading from a smaller screen you will definitely appreciate the bigger size and image. Out of the LCD monitors that I looked at when I was shopping, this one looked the best and I am very satisfied with the buy. This is a kind of screen you can show off to your friends or girlfriend and enjoy watching movies or play games with.

Note that I have not used the screen extensively for work with writing or handling photographs or graphics. I figure it will satisfy the buyer looking for a cheaper monitor with good performance.