Manage updates with the Download App
We used the S243HL's Movie preset to check out "Kill Bill Vol. 1" on DVD and a number of 1080p movie files from Microsoft's WMV HD Showcase. We also looked at the same movies on Samsung's XL2370. In both Kill Bill and in the 1080p movies, we found that the XL2370 had consistently brighter colors than the S243HL. For example, in a skiing scene the snow along the mountain as well as flesh tones looked greenish compared with the XL2370's representation, which looked more natural. This isn't an egregious difference, but it's one that's noticeable when looking carefully with both displays side by side.
We looked at World of Warcraft and Unreal Tournament 3 and saw no signs of input lag, streaking, or ghosting during fast movement. The Acer S243HL's colors in games looked drab and lifeless in comparison to the XL2370's vibrant colors. In the Graphics preset, text in games looked over saturated with a "sparkly" signature to it. Overall, the games looked better when using the default User preset.
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 and gamma correction as they were intended. Most monitors are not made to be viewed at any other angle. Depending on its panel type, picture quality at non-optimal angles varies. Most monitors use TN panels, which get overly bright or overly dark in parts of the screen when viewed from non-optimal angles. The Acer S243HL uses a TN panel, and when viewed from the side or bottom, we perceived the screen to darken about 6 inches off from center. Of course, when viewed from the optimal angle, we had no problems.
We turned the built-in speakers to their highest volume without hearing any distortion in the sound.
 Juice box |
|
| Acer S243HL | Average watts per hour |
| On (default luminance) | 23.3 |
| On (max luminance) | 23.3 |
| On (min luminance) | 10.97 |
| Sleep | 0.77 |
| Calibrated (200 cd/m2) | 23.3 |
| Annual power consumption cost | $7.49 |
| Score | Good |
In our power consumption tests, the Acer S243HL had a fairly low On/Default power draw of 23.3 watts, compared with the Samsung SyncMaster XL2370's 30.09 watts. The Acer's standby power is a low 0.7 watts. Based on our formula, the S243HL would cost $7.49 per year to run, compared with the XL2370's cost of $9.96 per year.
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
Find out more about how we test LCD monitors.
Service and support
Acer backs the S243HL with a three-year limited parts and labor warranty that covers the backlight; this is standard coverage compared with other monitor vendors. E-mail support is provided via a form on Acer's Web site and drivers for the display are available there as well.
