Few will contend the fact that the era of 3D technology is well underway. 3D screenings are slowly outnumbering 2D ones in cinemas, and virtually all recent Hollywood blockbusters are shot with 3D cameras. The world with an extra dimension, whether on a cinema screen, TV or mobile phone, looks and feels different, interesting and attractive, so the only logical thing to expect is for all display devices to venture into 3D. Following this trend, LG has recently presented Optimus 3D, their new smartphone, and besides the TV, projector and DVD player, their 3D product gamma is now richer by the first PC peripheral equipped with passive 3D technology - a monitor bearing the number D2342P-PN.
We’ve already seen LG’s active monitors in action, using active 3D technology, which means that they required NVIDIA graphics, as well as an active pair of glasses - all in all, a very expensive set of devices. Passive 3D, on the other hand, offers much cheaper glasses, but also a somewhat different display, while the monitor itself doesn’t need high refresh frequencies, so that the entire setup is significantly cheaper. We’ve already written a lot about the differences between active and passive 3D technology, the battle for a new standard, and ways to implement all these, so we won’t delve into all the details again.
The tried-and-true monitor design, subtle and with glossy finish, is a feature that LG has obviously decided to stick to. The firm stand and a “suspicious” mounting system keeps the panel well-adjusted with surprising precision and reliability, and any sort of exotics such as pivot, swivel or height adjustment is entirely absent. It’s clear that LG was looking to fill a gap in their offer with a basic model to introduce buyers to 3D, at the price of a few compromises. The frame isn’t too big, but we dislike the unmarked buttons immensely. The problem isn’t as much in the on-screen menu, which is simple to navigate, but the fact that all buttons are black, condemning you to failure when you want to set anything up in the dark. Needless to say, the menu isn’t really aligned with the buttons, and you’ll often have to number them from one side to the other in order to know exactly which button to press. The power button is located just right of these, with an overzealous blue lighting (almost as if to compensate for the aforementioned issue), which actually gets bothersome at night; nothing that a black marker can’t solve, though.
The TN panel has LED backlight and full HD resolution, which is an expected specification nowadays. The 3D technology itself has impacted panel performance, making the pixel grid more visible than is usual. Luckily, the panel has a matte surface, which means that additional reflections caused by light sources won’t be too bothersome. Colour display is of decent quality, with a few flaws that can be rectified by fine tuning in the settings menu, while the bluish display of white can’t really be compensated for due to the very nature of the backlight, which makes the image a bit colder than we’d like it to be. Viewing angles are solid, faring slightly worse horizontally compared to the latest the competition has to offer, but solid nevertheless. You can tilt the monitor by 5-15 degrees, which is enough to compensate for this; in other words, unless you’re keeping your monitor on a cupboard and sitting on the floor, you’ll be just fine.
