Why You Can Trust CNET Acer H243H review: Acer H243H
Acer H243H
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The Acer H243H is a 24-inch version of the H233H. Both monitors are similar with only price and a few design minor differences between them. Acer sells the smaller H233H for $209, and you can find the H243H can for as low as $240. The monitors include DVI, VGA, and HDMI connectors as well as the required cables for each; a welcome novelty we hope more vendors start including. The displays have built-in speakers and perform well when playing games and watching movies, with the H243H having a slight performance edge thanks to its low black level. Like the H233H, the Acer H243H is a great, cheaper alternative to the Samsung SyncMaster XL2370; however, its good performance is not quite in the same league as the XL2370.
Acer H243H
The Good
The Bad
The Bottom Line
Design and features
The 24-inch Acer H243H is a 16:9 aspect ratio monitor with a glossy, black bezel and foot stand. The oval-shaped foot stand is 10.6 inches wide and 7 inches deep. The distance from the bottom of the monitor's bezel to the desktop is about 2.6 inches. The back of the panel is a smooth, black matte and is relatively flat. The panel measures 1 inch thick with its connection options and ventilation system adding another 1.5 inches of thickness, bring the full thickness to 2.5 inches. The panel's full width measures 22.6 inches. The angular bezel measures 0.8 inch wide on the sides and the screen has a slightly frosty matte finish. Unfortunately, the H243H's screen height isn't adjustable and there isn't a screen rotation or pivot option for portrait mode. Its capability to tilt back 15 degrees is its only ergonomic feature.
The H243H's connection options include one HDMI, one DVI, and a single VGA port. In a rare move by a monitor vendor, Acer includes cables for all three connections as well as an audio cable for the built-in speakers. All of the monitors connections sit on the back right of the panel and are easily accessible, as they aren't tucked into the monitor too far. On the back of the H243H are four holes for mounting the display to a wall, VESA-style.
The onscreen display button array is aligned horizontally in the lower right hand corner of the bezel and includes the power button, a left and right button--which double as volume control--as well as a menu, Auto, and preset shortcut button. Each button emits a white light from an internal LED, which is great if you are calibrating the monitor in a dark room. To the left of the OSD array is the power button that emits the same light.
The OSD includes five presets: User, Text, Standard, Graphics, and Movie. It also includes controls for brightness, contrast, color temperature, and the capability to change the color temperature and the red, green, and blue values individually. Navigating the OSD has a short learning curve; however, it's not quite as easy to use as Dell's OSD.
The Acer H243H's display has a 16:9 aspect ratio and supports a "Full HD" 1,920x1,080-pixel native resolution. This continues the trend of monitor vendors moving toward 16:9 from 16:10 because high-definition content--in particular 1080p movies--can fit onto a 1,920x1,080-pixel screen in full-screen mode without stretching the image.
Manufacturer's specifications:
Resolution: 1,920x1,080 pixels
Pixel-response rate: 2ms
Contrast ratio: Dynamic Contrast Ratio: 40,000:1
Connectivity: HDMI, DVI, VGA
HDCP compliant? Yes
Included video cables? HDMI, DVI, VGA
Brightness: 300 cd/m2
Backlight: CCFL
Panel Type: TN
Performance
We tested the Acer H243H connected to a computer via its DVI connection. On CNET Labs' DisplayMate-based performance tests, the H243H earns a composite score of 87, coming in much lower than the Samsung SyncMaster XL2370's score of 96, but it earns an identical score as the H233H. Overall, the H243H has performs well and doesn't have trouble displaying dark gray as the H233H does. However, the H243H has the same poor Dark Screen test performance score as the H233H has. During this test, which is just a plain black screen, the displays clouding or backlight bleeding is obvious and overt.
The H243H gets a brightness score 290 of candelas per square meter (cd/m2) and has a pretty good contrast ratio at 885:1. In comparison, the Samsung SyncMaster XL2370 has a brightness score of 344 cd/m2 and contrast ratio of 1,008:1, and the Acer H233H has a brightness score of 252 cd/m2 and a 818:1 contrast ratio.
We used the H243H's Movie preset to check out "Kill Bill: Vol. 1" on DVD and several 1080p movie files from Microsoft's WMV HD Showcase. We also looked at the same movies on Samsung's XL2370 and the Acer H233H. In both" Kill Bill" and the 1080p movies, we found that the H243H has an overall green tint to its images; something we didn't see with either the H233H or XL2370. All three monitors delivered fairly deep colors and didn't oversaturate too many of them in bright scenes. For example, one scene includes an abundance of clouds that each monitor displayed brightly while retaining the clouds' detail. On the XL2370, the clouds were noticeably brighter than they were on the H233H and the H243H, thanks to the XL2370's high maximum brightness levels.
We looked at World of Warcraft and Unreal Tournament III on the H243H didn't see signs of input lag, streaking, or ghosting during fast movement. The Acer H243H colors in games on looked nearly as full and vibrant as what we saw on the Samsung SyncMaster XL2370. However, the monitor oversaturates colors when we switched to the graphics setting. This was something the H233H didn't do and made text in games look less sharp on the H243H. We recommend using the default User preset for playing games. With User selected, the games colors are less saturated and the text is sharper than when using the Graphics preset.
The optimal viewing angle for a monitor is usually directly in front, about a quarter of the screen's distance down from the top. At this angle, you're viewing the colors and gamma correction as they were intended. Most monitors are not made to be viewed at any other angle. Depending on its panel type, picture quality at nonoptimal angles varies. Most monitors use TN panels, which get overly bright or overly dark in parts of the screen when viewed from nonoptimal angles. The Acer H243H uses a TN panel, and when viewed from the side or bottom, we perceived the screen to darken about 6 inches off from center. Of course, when viewed from the optimal angle, we had no problems.
At their highest volume, sound from the H243H's built-in speakers was tinny, harsh, and sounded as if it lacked enough bass to balance the sound. The speakers are on the top-back of the monitor, which makes them prone to sounding muffled. The speakers don't deliver great sound by any stretch, but it's OK after some getting used to.
 Juice box | |
| Acer H243H | Average watts per hour |
| On (default luminance) | 33.6 |
| On (max luminance) | 38.6 |
| On (min luminance) | 17.7 |
| Sleep | 0.78 |
| Calibrated (200 cd/m2) | 30.4 |
| Annual power consumption cost | $10.57 |
| Score | Fair |
In our power consumption tests, the Acer H243H had a fairly low On/Default power draw of 33.6 watts, which is five points lower than the smaller Acer H233H, but a little more than three points higher than the LED-based Samsung SyncMaster XL2370's 30.09 watts. However, when turned to their maximum respective brightness levels, the Samsung stays put at 30.09 watts, the Acer H243H climbs to 38.6 watts, and the H233H hits 45.45 watts. The H243H's standby power draw is a fairly low 0.78 watts, while the Samsung's is higher at 1.42 watts, and the H233H's hits 1.09 watts. According to our formula, the annual power consumption cost of the H243H would be higher than the Samsung's $9.96 cost, totaling $10.57 with the H233H coming in at $12.27.
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
Find out more about how we test LCD monitors.
Service and support
Acer backs the H243H with a three-year limited parts and labor warranty that covers the backlight; this is standard coverage compared with other monitor vendors. Acer provides e-mail support via a form on its Web site as well as provides drivers for the display there as well.