The 6 Best Multimedia Monitors - Fall 2020
Reviews

The LG 27UK650-W is the best multimedia monitor that we've tested and is the best monitor for movies. This 27 inch, 4k screen delivers an immersive multimedia experience with its HDR support. Although its HDR performance is somewhat hindered by its lower peak brightness and the lack of local dimming features, the gradient performance is outstanding, which minimizes banding.

If you also want to game a bit on this monitor, its response time is great for fast action scenes, but you're limited to a 60Hz refresh rate. Given that 4k gaming at a high refresh rate is still uncommon due to hardware constraints, we don't expect it to be an issue. Inputs include two HDMI ports and one DisplayPort, which allows for multiple devices to be connected, such as a gaming console or media streamer.

As expected, unfortunately, the IPS panel isn't ideal for darker rooms, as it can't produce true blacks and has mediocre black uniformity. It also has wide viewing angles, great for watching the latest trending videos with your friends. Overall, this is a very good monitor that's feature-packed for its price, making it the best monitor for watching movies we've seen.

The best 1440p multimedia monitor we've tested is the ASUS TUF VG27AQ. Although this monitor is mainly made for gaming, it delivers great all-around performance, and most people should be satisfied watching multimedia content on it.

It has an IPS panel, so it has wide viewing angles, which is great for watching videos with a few friends. That comes at the cost of a low contrast ratio, so blacks appear closer to gray if you watch dark scenes in dark rooms. It performs fairly well in bright rooms as it can get bright enough to combat glare, and it has decent reflection handling. This monitor displays nearly all of the sRGB color space used in most content. It also has decent coverage of the Adobe RGB color space used in photo editing, but it might not be enough for professional editors.

Unfortunately, even though it supports HDR, it can't display a wide color gamut, and it doesn't get bright enough to bring out highlights. However, fast-moving content looks excellent thanks to its high refresh rate, resulting in minimal motion blur. Overall, this is the best 1440p monitor for multimedia we've tested.

The best monitor for watching movies on an ultrawide screen is the LG 34GN850-B. It has an immersive 21:9 aspect ratio with a 1440p resolution, so you can sit back and enjoy your favorite videos on this monitor. It also has an IPS panel with wide viewing angles, ideal if you want to share your screen with a friend.

This monitor has great color accuracy out-of-the-box, so you won't have to pay extra to get it calibrated if you're just using it to watch videos. It covers almost all of the sRGB color space used in most content, and it has excellent coverage of the Adobe RGB color space used in photo editing. It also supports HDR10, displays a wide color gamut, and it gets bright enough in HDR to bring out some highlights, but still not good enough as some TVs. Additionally, it has superb gradient handling, minimizing banding.

Sadly, due to its IPS panel, it's not ideal for watching movies in dark rooms. It has a low contrast ratio, so blacks appear closer to gray. On the upside, if you choose to use it in a bright room, it gets bright enough to combat glare and has decent reflection handling. All in all, this is the best monitor for movies with an ultrawide screen we've tested.

The best monitor for movies in the budget category is the ASUS ProArt Display PA278QV. Versatile and well-rounded, this monitor is one of the better 1440p monitors we've tested, and most people should enjoy its picture quality. It also has built-in speakers, which is a nice addition.

Its large screen and high-resolution help deliver detailed and crisp images. Combined with its high peak brightness and very good reflection handling, you shouldn't have any issues placing it in a well-lit environment. The out-of-the-box color accuracy is good, so you likely won't need to get it calibrated unless you really want to. It has excellent gray uniformity and wide viewing angles if you want to sit back and enjoy a movie with a friend. If you also want to use it for gaming, it has an impressive response time, low input lag, and FreeSync support.

Sadly, it doesn't support HDR, although this is somewhat expected for a monitor of its price. It has a low contrast ratio, so blacks appear closer to gray when viewed in the dark. Luckily, its stand is one of the most ergonomic we've seen, so it's really easy to place in an ideal viewing position. If you're on a budget, this is the best monitor for watching movies that you can buy for a budget-friendly price.