$249.99

Wide-screen, 24-inch LED display with PowerSensor to save energy, built-in speakers and USB hub.

I have reviewed a few monitors in this column over the last year or so, covering a range of high-end ultrawide displays to bargain models. There are literally hundreds of choices when it comes to selecting a new computer monitor and the price you pay, for the most part, is dictated by the features you need. This time around, I review a wide-screen monitor with a few built-in bells and whistles: the Phillips Brilliance 24-inch LCD monitor.

Out of the Box

The 241B4LPYCB, measured diagonally, is 24 inches. It seems like 24-inch monitors are the current norm in terms of size. If you are usually working with multiple windows at once, having that much display real estate is very handy. With this display, you get a 16:9 aspect ratio and an overall viewing area of 246.2 square inches (20.92 inches by 11.77 inches). While you will pay more for a larger screen, consider this an investment on improved productivity. Moreover, when spread over several years of use, the extra price is rather negligible.

Compared to the 24-inch AOC E2460Sd display I reviewed several months ago, the Philips 241B4LPYCB weighs two pounds more. However, I get the sense that the Philips model is a bit sturdier in its construction, especially the stand. In addition, it has built-in speakers and a USB port, which adds to its weight.

The 241B4LPYCB’s bezel is made of black plastic and measures 0.5 inches on the left and right sides, seven-eighths of an inch on the top and 1.125 inches on the bottom. The bottom bezel is a bit bigger than some other monitors I have come across, namely because it houses the built-in speakers as well as the unique “PowerSensor” (more on this later).

The monitor comes with a stand and is also wall-mountable. Compared to the AOC E2460Sd, I found the Philips 241B4LPYCB’s stand to be much more substantial and stable. You can adjust the height of the display by 4.3 inches, which can make your viewing experience much more comfortable. You can lower the monitor down almost to desk level. According to Philips, this low bezel-to-table height is the perfect solution if you use bifocals, trifocals or progressive lens glasses for your computing work (something I am fortunate enough not to have to deal with at this stage in my life). Being able to raise the display also means you can pivot it 90 degrees for portrait viewing. You can tilt the screen forward and backward from -5 degrees to +20 degrees and the stand lets you swivel the display by 65 degrees in either direction.

Philips Brilliance LCD Monitor

 

 

 

 

 

On the bottom-right of the monitor are five touch buttons—power/OSD (on-screen display) menu; adjust OSD menu; PowerSensor; adjust speaker volume; and return to the previous OSD level/SmartImage hot key. Pressing the access OSM menu button brings up the display controls. You then use the Adjust the OSD menu buttons to scroll through the menu options. I found the navigation to be relatively easy, but the SmartControl Premium software also allows you to control the monitor via an on-screen graphic interface.

On the back of the monitor is the power plug port and three video input ports—VGA (analog), DVI and DisplayPort. Like the AOC E2460Sd, the Philips 241B4LPYCB seems to be geared toward enterprise users, which would explain its lack of an HDMI port. However, this is a display I have no problem recommending for personal use as well.

On the back, you will also find a zero power switch. This is a physical on/off switch that completely cuts off the monitor from AC power. This eliminates “vampire draw,” which is the electric power consumed by electronic and electrical appliances while they are switched off. This results in zero power consumption, reducing your carbon footprint even further.

Finally, there are three USB 2.0 ports, two downstream and one upstream. This USB hub allows you to connect plug-and-play multimedia devices such as USB memory devices, cameras, portable HDD, Web camera, PDA, printers, etc.

Setup

Setting up the monitor took very little time. After attaching the foot stand and plugging in the power cord, I connected the display to my HP Folio 13. The only hiccup was that I needed an adapter since my Ultrabook does not have a VGA, DVI or DisplayPort plug and the monitor does not have a native HDMI port. So if you do buy this monitor, make sure the computer you plan to connect supports VGA, DVI or DisplayPort, or be sure to have an adapter.

After connecting the monitor to my laptop and powering it up, Windows 7 immediately recognized it and configured it to the default recommended 1920 by 1080 pixel resolution.

Philips’ SmartImage technology analyzes the content displayed on your screen and gives you optimized display performance. This interface allows you to select various modes like Office, Photo, Movie, Game, Economy etc., to fit the application in use. Based on the selection, SmartImage dynamically optimizes the contrast, color saturation and sharpness of images and videos for ultimate display performance. The Economy mode option offers you major power savings. All you need to do is press the SmartImage hot key on the front of the display to cycle through the modes.

As I mentioned earlier, there is also the SmartControl Premium software that allows you to set up your monitor via an on-screen user interface instead of going through the button-driven on-screen display (OSD). The software guides you through clock/phase adjustments, RGB white point adjustment, and more. When you run SmartControl Premium for the first time after installation, it will automatically launch a wizard that guides you through step-by-step adjustments of the monitor’s performance.

PowerSensor

One unique feature of the Philips Brilliance 241B4LPYCB is the PowerSensor. This is a built-in ‘people sensor’ that transmits and receives infrared signals to determine if a user is present and automatically reduces monitor brightness when you move away from the monitor. Philips claims that this could cut the cost of running the display by as much as 80%, as well as prolonging the monitor’s lifespan.

Performance

We have a few different models of 24-inch monitors in the office, as well as those I have reviewed here, and I found the 241B4LPYCB to have one of the highest-quality displays. The thin-film-transistor (TFT) LCD delivers clear and bright colors, given its 16.7 million color depth and 20,000,000:1 SmartContrast ratio. Whether you are simply writing an email or working on a spreadsheet or word processing document or whether you are watching a movie, the screen delivers excellent image quality. The display also offers viewing angles of 170 degrees horizontal and 160 degrees vertical.

Having the adjustable stand makes a world of difference as well. Not all desks are created equal, so it is nice to be able to adjust the height of the monitor to fit your individual needs and preferences. In addition, depending on how you use your monitor, the adjustable display allows you to pivot it 90 degrees for portrait orientation.

The built-in pair of 1.5-watt stereo speakers performed admirably as well. I used them to listen to Spotify audio as well as when watching Netflix and YouTube video. If you are looking for a serious multimedia experience, a dedicated set of speakers is definitely the way to go. Otherwise, these speakers serve their purpose without the added real estate that a separate set of speakers consumes.

The 24-inch display also provides plenty of real estate for viewing multiple windows at once. This is a necessity for me since I usually am working on multiple applications at once, such as a Web browser, a word processing program and a spreadsheet. With the SmartControl Premium software’s SmartDesktop, you can partition your desktop for more efficient viewing of multiple windows.

Overall

The Philips 241B4LPYCB is probably the most balanced monitor I have reviewed in this column. Even just its 24-inch display, image quality and adjustable stand make it a very good monitor, but when you add in the two-port USB 2.0 hub and the built-in speakers, all for around $200, it seriously pulls ahead of the rest of the herd. For these reasons, I have no problem enthusiastically recommending the Philips Brilliance 241B4LPYCB for home or office use.

Pros

• Good blend of features and price
• Vertical height adjusted and pivot for portrait viewing
• Built-in speakers and USB hub
• Easy setup
• Ability to view multiple full-sized program windows simultaneously

Cons

• No HDMI input

Philips Brilliance LCD Monitor (241B4LPYCB)

$249.99 (Currently $208.15 from Amazon.com)