Monitor 24 "BenQ RL2455HM: an overview, description, features and reviews

RL2455HM - a professional gaming monitor company BenQ. Anyone who follows eSports has likely seen him at various competitions around the world, especially at major league games. BenQ has earned a reputation as a creator of displays, where every millisecond counts, and the RL2455HM continued this trend, becoming the official Major League Gaming monitor of 2013. Although the device is advertised as a screen for RTS games, it is exceptionally good in all game genres, including shooters, fighting games and fast action games.

Interfaces

The monitor allows you to connect up to two HDMI devices, it also has one DVI-D and VGA (D-Sub) connector. This should be more than enough for most players, given that popular displays such as the ASUS VH236H and VH238H have a single HDMI port. There are two speakers for stereo sound, 2 watts per channel. It's not much, but the volume is enough to not worry about external speakers, if you do not need higher quality and bass.

Design

The rack and material of the case is very good quality. Users are surprised at the ease with which the monitor can be assembled. It is enough to insert the stand into the base and slide it into the back panel, fixing it in place. No tools are required. The red line of the stand base distinguishes the monitor from the simple black look of competitors. The display plastic has a matte finish, with the exception of the stand. Many prefer this surface, because it requires less maintenance and prevents excessive accumulation of fingerprints on the body.

BenQ RL2455HM: characteristics of the panel

The monitor uses a matt panel TN with LED-backlight, which is quite common among the displays of this price range. TN-panels are characterized by a short response time, and the manufacturer confirms this by offering 1 ms. This is nice, since most monitors provide at least 2 ms. This time determines how quickly the pixel can change the color from black to white or, in this case, from gray to gray. As a result, halos are reduced, which is necessary for players. A display with a resolution of 1080p (1920 x 1080) can properly scale the content of the 16: 9 format (for example, 720p) without any major problems. The coefficient of dynamic contrast of the panel is 12 million: 1, and the contrast ratio is 1000: 1. The monitor works with a refresh rate of 60 Hz, which can be a disappointment for gamers, accustomed to 120 Hz. However, those who use the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 or even the newer PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, 60 Hz will not disappoint.

Buttons

The BenQ RL2455HM control buttons are large. Unlike most monitors, with specific menu items they are not related. This means pressing any of them brings up the on-screen menu. This is very convenient for players in poorly lit or dark rooms, because the search for the desired button is often a set of trial and error.

BenQ RL2455HM: overview of the menu

Over the years, in its professional gaming monitors, the manufacturer uses several different technologies, which include such functions as Smart Scaling, Black eQualizer, AMA and Instant Modes.

• Smart Scaling allows you to control the display of content on the screen, limiting images of different sizes and proportions.
• Black eQualizer controls the level of black, increasing the visibility of dark areas. This function is useful for gamers who find some parts of the video game too dark.
• Advanced Motion Accelerator controls the overclocking of the panel, which affects the response time and halos.
• Finally, Instant Mode minimizes the input delay to almost zero, similar to LG Thru, skipping part of the processing process.

Of course, the monitor also has basic functions, such as dynamic contrast, brightness, color temperature, hue, saturation, etc. By default, the source switching is hidden in the menu, but BenQ RL2455HM allows assigning up to 3 special keys for calling various display settings.

Viewing angles

The TN panels do not differ in the best viewing angles - their gamma curve sharply shifts when viewed from the side. The manufacturer claims that the monitor is equal to 170/160 degrees. Everything looks great when you look at the screen directly and at eye level, and the aforementioned gamma shift appears when viewed from different angles. You can not blame for this BenQ, as this is a lack of TN technology. The 24-inch size is suitable for gamers who want to play solo, and while the monitor is at eye level, everything looks great.

Black, white and color

Monitor BenQ RL2455HM has many options for setting, so that players who want to control all aspects of the image are very lucky. There are several image modes, including standard, film, photo, sRGB and Eco, RTS1, RTS2 and three player profiles. The differences between them are small, except for Eco, which muffles the backlight and oversaturates the colors. You can also control the black eQualizer, color temperature, hue and saturation. Some modes, such as sRGB, do not allow for some adjustments. Adjusting the color temperature allows you to individually select the RGB values, for example when calibrating the monitor with a colorimeter. Black eQualizer increases the detail of dark scenes without directly changing the white level. This is achieved by adjusting the gamma curve for dark gray.

Scaling

BenQ RL2455HM has several "smart" scaling modes that allow you to process images with different aspect ratios and screen sizes. Although this is a unique feature, it's hard to remember the application wherever it finds application. The main thing is that the RL2455HM scales to full-screen size and 1: 1, which is more than enough for gamers. Owners do not recommend using most Smart Scaling modes, since they disable the built-in AMA function, which results in increased blur.

Delays

Since the monitor BenQ 24 "RL2455HM is designed primarily for players, it is very important that there are no delays. Still, this is the official display of MLG 2013, as well as the Street Fighter tournaments. All image modes provide identical values, and it does not matter whether Instant Mode is enabled to reduce the input delay. RTS 1, AMA = High and enabled Instant Mode give a lag of at least 3 ms, a maximum of 17.2 ms and an average of 10.2 ms. The average measurement result is 10 ms, which is very good and corresponds to the parameters of other similar displays, such as ASUS VH236H. Users will not have any problems during any serious gameplay, be it a professional game tournament or anything else.

Performance

Owners who tested the monitor in the game Super Street Fighter IV, could easily configure it. There were no difficulties with the performance of time-critical combos. The screen was very clean and responsive. There was no additional delay when scaling the 720p signal to 1080p. The game on the Xbox 360 with a resolution of 720p goes as smoothly as with 1080p. This is good news for PlayStation 3 owners who do not have this feature in all games. Users recommend using RTS 1 with AMA = High and Instant Mode enabled.

Motion blur

BenQ 24 "RL2455HM with the movements is coping decently enough, but only with the correct settings. The monitor has AMA mode, which is a proprietary version of the manufacturer of the panel acceleration system, which reduces the response time to reduce motion blur. It has 3 settings: Off, High and Premium. With AMA enabled, a noticeable afterglow is observed, especially in Premium. When the mode is deactivated, the afterglow is not observed, but the motion blur is significantly increased. Users do not recommend disabling AMA, as it will disorient the players. The High setting offers an excellent balance between these extreme settings.

Verdict

BenQ RL2455HM is an excellent monitor for gamers who are looking for a display with small delays. Its 1080p resolution will be sufficient for users of PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The design is reliable, and the screen has many options for customization. The TN panel is not suitable for those who need accurate color rendering. The display is aimed at serious players who require excellent reaction during the game and features such as black eQualizer and Smart Scaling.