Asus VG278H 3D Vision 2 Monitor Kit Review

Once we’ve peeled the protective covering off the screen and fitted the base, we get our first look at how the screen stands on the desk. This particular screen doesn’t come with any height adjustment, but there is the facility to tilt the screen by +20° and ~-5° to cater for individual needs. The LCD portion of the screen features a full HD resolution of 1920×1080 with HDMI support.

To the lower right of the screen, there are 7 quick access hotkeys for different functions on the screen, these include the SPLENDID video mode feature, auto adjustment, volume, OSD menu, brightness, source input and power. When in standby the power light glows orange and then blue when the selected source is available.

Round the back of the screen, the VESA mount acts also as the mount for the stand. This particular stand allows for the screen to be raised and lowered by 10cm depending on user preference. This is a tool less operation and the screen simply lifts to the desired height and stays in place. Just in shot of the image below we can see the cable grip the keeps everything tidy, after all no-one likes seeing unsightly cable hanging down from the screen. The VESA mount has a mounting pitch of 100x100mm.

When you’re spending a large amount on a screen of this nature, you want to make sure its secure, so a Kensington lock mount is found on the left hand side.

Moving along we find the three pin power connection which auto switches between 110/240v. With this being an LED backlit screen, typical power usage is <65W and less than 1W in standby.

Audio and video connections are typical for an LCD monitor with HDMI 1.4, dual-link DVI-D, VGA and 2ch analogue audio throughput.

The other major feature that we see on this screen is the the 3D Vision emitter for syncing the screen with the Vision 2 glasses. In this emitter is an infra-red transmitter that connects to the glasses to ensure that they are working in perfect timing with the refresh rate of the display.

To maximise the 3D signal reception of the glasses, the emitter tilts up and down to give the best performance possible. When the 3D signal is enabled, the 3D icon to the left lights up.

Lastly its time to have a look at the glasses and how they work. As mentioned above, they are synced to work in perfect timing with the screen, and this is is critical for the best 3D experience. These particular glasses, like their predecessor, use active shutter technology which means that each of the lenses alternately close to expose each eye to a slightly different image the is displayed on screen. The shutters close at an alternate rate of 60Hz and a combined of 120Hz, in other words, each eye sees 60 different frames to the other each second and this is what gives the 3D effect as your brain processes what its seeing. If you was to cover or close one of your eyes, the 3D effect will be lost and you’ll have the 2D effect instead.

On the left hand arm is the power on/off button pressing this for two seconds turns the glasses on. When in a 2D application you’ll see the image on screen as you normally would. On the start-up of a 3D application, the emitter on the top of the screen kicks in and you’ll notice the shutters start their work. On the underside of the arm is the USB micro-B port for charging the glasses, the long USB cable ensures that the glasses can still be used at the same time as charging.