Acer HN274H bmiiid

With a standard refresh rate of 120Hz and a pair of Nvidia 3D Vision glasses included in the box, the Acer HN274H bmiiid ($699 list) delivers stunning three-dimensional imagery to your desktop PC without the need for an external 3D emitter. This 27-inch monitor also produces a bright, colorful 2D picture, though off-angle viewing is sketchy, and as with nearly all 3D displays there's some image doubling (crosstalk). At $700, the HN274H is also significantly more expensive than other 27-inch monitors, such as the HP 2711x ($399.99 direct, 3 stars), so be prepared to pay a premium to view games and movies in 3D.

Design and Features
The HN274H's 1,920-by-1,080 resolution TN+ panel is framed by one-inch rounded bezels on the top and sides, and a slightly wider bezel on the bottom. The glossy black cabinet is ordinary looking, but relatively slim compared to that of the LG W2363D ($449.99 list, 3.5 stars), which is 2.9 inches thick. The 27-inch LED-backlit panel perches upon a matching oval stand that has a tilt adjustment but lacks height and swivel capabilities.

There are five touch-sensitive buttons on the lower-right corner of the bezel; pressing any one of them launches an on-screen menu with icons that correspond to each button. From here you can access the main menu, change picture modes via the e-Empowering menu, select an input source, invoke auto adjustment (in VGA mode only), and raise or lower the speaker volume. The e-Empowering screen offers five picture modes, including User (with levels you can set yourself), ECO (for reduced power consumption), Standard (default), Graphic (vibrant color), and Movie (for dimly lit environments). Standard mode works best for nearly all applications, but if you find it to be too bright Movie mode is a good alternative. Other picture settings include brightness, contrast, and color temperature (warm, cool, or user-defined).

At the rear of the display are HDMI, VGA, and DVI-D video inputs, and an audio-in jack for the integrated two-watt speakers. Audio quality is decent, but the speakers could be louder. Bass response is lacking as well. On the left side are two additional HDMI ports that make it easy to connect to external devices such as Blu-ray players, set-top boxes, and gaming consoles. Whereas the LG W2363D requires a 3D Vision kit (which uses an external USB 3D emitter), the HN274H's built-in emitter means all you have to do is charge up the included 3D glasses and you're ready to go. You can view 3D content from your PC using a dual-link DVI cable and a compatible Nvidia 3D Vision?capable GPU, or you can use the HDMI port to connect to a 3D-ready Blu-ray player.

Performance
I connected the HN274H to my PC's Nvidia GeForce GTX 280 video card via the DVI port and navigated to Nvidia's 3D Vision Live website to sample a few photos and video clips. The HN274H's clarity and depth of field were impressive while viewing the Santa Clara Classic Car Show 3D slideshow, and while watching scenes from the Upper Middle Rhine Valley 3D video sampler. One of the drawbacks to using 3D glasses is the loss of brightness due to filtering, and the HN274H/Nvidia combo is no exception; you'll experience some color fading, but the overall picture is still quite good and you get used to the darker image rather quickly. Next, I fired up a round of Far Cry 2, which is on Nvidia's list of certified 3D-ready games (along with hundreds of other titles). The 3D effect was remarkable, with plenty of depth?you feel as though you are right there in the heat of battle. Crosstalk was apparent from time to time, but not to the point of distraction. In fact, I've yet to see a 3D monitor or HDTV that doesn't exhibit some level of crosstalk. For me, the glasses became a bit uncomfortable after around 20 minutes of viewing, but I don't regularly wear glasses. Your mileage may vary.

The HN274H is a good 2D performer as well. It was able to display all shades of dark gray on the DisplayMate 64-Step Grayscale test, and colors were uniform and well saturated. Light grayscale performance was not quite as good; the panel had trouble displaying the first two shades of light gray, which accounts for the loss of highlight detail in my test photos. Off-angle viewing is also an issue: There's noticeable color shifting from both sides and the screen becomes washed out when viewed from the top and bottom. Small text appeared sharp and well defined on my Scaled Fonts test, and gaming on a PlayStation 3 console via the HDMI port was smooth, thanks to a 2ms pixel response.

Acer backs the HN274H with a generous three-year parts, labor, and backlight warranty. In addition to the 3D glasses (a $149 value) you get HDMI, VGA, and dual-link DVI cables in the box, along with a documentation CD.

If you're craving big-screen 3D action and have deep pockets, the Acer HN274H bmiiid is ready to go right out of the box. It delivers a very good 3D picture with plenty of depth, and it's no slouch when it comes to 2D image quality. And its three HDMI ports let you connect to multiple sources without plugging and unplugging cables. If money is tight you can save around $250 with the LG W2363D, but you'll have to settle for a smaller screen, and you'll have to cough up $199 for a 3D Vision kit.

COMPARISON TABLE
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