The 6 Best Multimedia Monitors - Winter 2022 Reviews

The best monitor for movies with a 4k resolution that we've tested is the Dell S2721QS. It has a large 27 inch screen with a high pixel density to deliver a sharp image. The stand allows for height, tilt, and swivel adjustments, making it easier to get a comfortable viewing position or share the screen with someone else. The image remains accurate even if you view the screen from the side because it has great viewing angles like most IPS panels.

It has full sRGB coverage, which is great for viewing content in the standard dynamic range. Color accuracy is okay out of the box and good enough for general media consumption. There's HDR and wide gamut support; however, it has a mediocre contrast ratio with no local dimming to improve the black level, and it doesn't get quite bright enough for true HDR. The response time is pretty good for a 60Hz display, so fast motion looks reasonably clear with only a little bit of ghosting.

It has very low input lag and VRR support to reduce screen tearing if you want to play some games, and there are speakers built-in if you don't have dedicated ones. There's also a Picture-in-Picture mode that lets you display an image from two input sources simultaneously so that you can watch a TV show or movie while working. All in all, it's a simple but versatile monitor that should please most people.

The MSI Optix MAG274QRF-QD is the best 1440p monitor for multimedia that we've tested so far. The large, high-resolution screen delivers sharp images and an immersive movie-watching experience. It has wide viewing angles and great ergonomics, so you can easily share your screen with a friend. It also has great visibility in a bright room, with impressive peak brightness in SDR and decent reflection handling, ensuring it can easily overcome glare.

This monitor has an impressively wide color gamut, with complete coverage of the sRGB and Adobe RGB color spaces, which is great if enjoy rich, vibrant colors. It supports HDR, and it can display an amazing color gamut in HDR, but unfortunately, HDR content doesn't look as good as it should, as it can't get bright enough for HDR content to stand out properly.

Sadly, it doesn't look as good in a dark room, as it has a low contrast ratio, just alright black uniformity, and no local dimming feature. Thankfully, these issues aren't really noticeable unless you're in a completely dark room. Overall, it's a great monitor that should please most people, regardless of how you choose to use it.

The best multimedia monitor with an ultrawide screen that we've tested is the ASUS TUF Gaming VG34VQL1B. It's a 34 inch model with a 21:9 aspect ratio, which gives you a wider field of view for better immersion. It uses a VA panel with an excellent contrast ratio, making it a great choice for dark room viewing. It also gets impressively bright to combat glare and handles reflections well. However, the viewing angles are only mediocre, so it isn't ideal for sharing content with someone else as the image looks washed out from the side.

It has near-full sRGB coverage, the color space used in most SDR content, and it's impressively well-calibrated out of the box. It also supports a wide color gamut and gets decently bright to make highlights stand out in HDR content. It has a good response time at 60Hz, but there's a bit of dark smearing behind fast-moving objects, which might bother some people. The backlight is flicker-free, and there's also a blue light filter to help reduce eye strain.

There's a USB hub with four USB 3.0 ports so that you can plug your peripherals into the monitor for a cleaner setup, and there are speakers built-in if you don't have dedicated ones. It has a Picture-in-Picture/Picture-by-Picture mode that lets you display two input signals simultaneously, great for getting some work done while you catch up on a few TV shows. Overall, although the presence of motion artifacts might bother some people, this is still the best monitor for watching movies that we've tested with an ultrawide format.

The Gigabyte M27Q is the best multimedia monitor in the budget category that we've tested. It's a 27 inch IPS model with wide viewing angles, which is great for sharing content with others as images remain accurate when viewing off-center. It has decent reflection handling and great peak brightness, so visibility shouldn't be an issue even in bright, sunny rooms. However, it isn't ideal for dark room viewing because it has a mediocre contrast ratio that makes blacks appear gray.

It has full sRGB coverage, the color space used in most content, and the accuracy is outstanding out of the box, so you get accurate, life-like colors. It has an impressive HDR color gamut, but unfortunately, it doesn't get quite bright enough to deliver a true HDR experience. It has an exceptional response time that results in clear images in fast-moving scenes and a Black Frame Insertion feature to further improve motion clarity.

Sadly, the stand only allows for height and tilt adjustments; however, it can be VESA-mounted if you need swivel adjustment or pivot to portrait mode. It has a USB-C port that supports Display Port Alt Mode, Picture-in-Picture and Picture-by-Picture modes, and a KVM feature that lets you control devices with one set of keyboard and mouse. The backlight is flicker-free, and there's also a blue light filter to help reduce eye strain. Overall, it's a great and versatile monitor that should please most people.