Features of the Eizo FlexScan S2100 21" Display
BrightRegulator
This is a bit of an odd name for a really cool feature that I have yet to see offered on another brand of display. The BrightRegulator is a built in brightness adjustment function. Screen brightness adjusts automatically to best suit the light in the room. In the morning you might need a brighter display, and in the evening you might want the display to not be so bright. Sure you can change the brightness with most every display around, but not like this.
You don't adjust the brightness of the Eizo FlexScan S2100, it adjusts itself and does a great job. No more being blinded in a dark room by too bright whites or having to fiddle with OSD controls to increase brightness for movie watching or other tasks. You always get the ideal brightness level.
Display Stand
Eizo uses a good stand for the display featuring height adjustment, swivel and the ability to change form portrait to landscape mode. All adjustments are easy to make and require little effort. I can't think of any other adjustment that could be added to the display stand to make it more functional, the Eizo FlexScan S2100 has one of the best stands around.
Fine Contrast Mode Selection
One place where the Eizo FlexScan S2100 excels is in the contrast. With a contrast ratio of 1000:1, you expect a sharp, crisp picture and you get one. However, the ideal contrast settings vary with the task. Eizo has five different contrast modes designed to offer the ideal image quality for different uses. The modes include movie, text, picture,custom and sRGB. Changing the modes is as easy as pushing a button on the front of the S2100. You can also assign a fine contrast mode to a specific application via the bundled ScreenManager Pro software.
Response Time & Gamma Correction
The Eizo FlexScan S2100 automatically converts the 8-bit PC data to 10-bit for optimum colors. Once the converting is done and the ideal colors are displayed, the 8 ms gray-to-gray response time ensures that no ghosting or streaking of images is found no matter what you are doing on the display from movie watching to gaming.
Specifications
- Native Resolution: 1600 x 1200
- Contrast Ratio: 1000:1
- 300 cd/m2
- Viewing Angles: 178 degrees
- Inputs: Digital DVI and Analog D-Sub
- USB Ports: One upstream and two downstream
Eizo FlexScan S2100 21" LCD in Use
Test System
The Eizo FlexScan S2100 was tested on the following system:
- CPU: Intel Core 2 Extreme X6800
- Mainboard: Abit AWD9-MAX
- RAM: OCZ PC2-8000 2 GB
Testing
To test the Eizo FlexScan S2100 I played some PC games, watched my favorite test movie and surfed the web and did general computer work. I also used DisplayMate Multimedia Edition to look for any problems with the display.
DisplayMate
I ran the LCD test script from DisplayMate on the Eizo FlexScan S2100. Gray scales and colors were uniform and reproduced well. Not one single pixel was dead or stuck on the Eizo FlexScan S2100, which is as expected in this price range. DisplayMate uncovered nothing unexpected with the Eizo FlexScan S2100.
Movie Watching
My test film for this review was Underworld Evolution. Not one hint of streaking or ghosting was noted during movie playback. Colors were deep and rich, gray tones were excellent as well. Transitional areas form bright to dark colors were crisp and skin tones were reproduced accurately. All in all the Eizo FlexScan S2100 was one of the best movie watching displays I have tested. I would put the image quality with video playback right up there against many HDTVs I have viewed.
PC Gaming
The non gamers out there may think these tests are a waste of time on displays aimed at the professional crowd. However, PC games are some of the most taxing applications you can run on a PC or an LCD display. I played two of the most popular PC games including the graphically beautiful Oblivion and the fast paced FPS title FEAR. I couldn't find any issues with the display during PC gaming. No trace of ghosting or tearing were seen in any games no matter how fast the action became. This display games with the best of them.
Web surfing & General PC Use
The majority of use for most PCs is from general PC use and web surfing. Things like typing documents and checking emails. A problem with many displays is too much brightness when working with programs like Word. If the screen is too bright you can quickly get eye strain leading to things like head aches. Thanks to the Eizo BrightRegulator, that is not an issue with the S2100. Text of multiple sizes is sharp, crisp and very readable no matter if on a light or dark background. Web surfing was great as well, color reproduction in images is excellent and the readability of the text at different sizes is also great.
