The 6 Best Multimedia Monitors - Spring 2021 Reviews

The best multimedia monitor that we've tested with a 4k resolution is the Dell UltraSharp U27020Q. It's a simple 27 inch monitor with a ton of features, and even though it's mainly designed for office use, it's a very good choice for watching the latest videos online with a few friends. It's well-built and has excellent ergonomics, making it easy to place your screen in an ideal viewing position.

The 4k resolution helps deliver clear images because of its high pixel density. Even though its reflection handling isn't anything special, it's still a good choice for well-lit rooms because it gets bright enough to combat glare. Its wide viewing angles make it easy to share your screen with a few friends because the image remains accurate when viewing from the side. It's packed with features, including a USB hub with USB-C input that allows you to display an image from a compatible device while charging it.

Sadly, it's not the best for dark room viewing because its IPS panel has a low contrast ratio and lacks a local dimming feature, so blacks look gray when viewing in the dark. Also, despite displaying a wide color gamut for HDR content, it may not make colors pop the way they should because of its okay HDR peak brightness. Regardless of these small issues, this is amongst the best multimedia monitors that we've tested.

The Gigabyte M27Q is the best multimedia monitor with a 1440p resolution 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 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.

The best multimedia monitor with an ultrawide screen that we've tested is the LG 34GN850-B. It's a 34 inch curved model with a 21:9 aspect ratio, which provides an incredibly cinematic experience. It has decent viewing angles, so images remain fairly accurate when viewing from the side. However, the stand only offers height and tilt adjustments, making it harder to place the screen at your optimal viewing position.

It has a high pixel density, full sRGB coverage, and great accuracy out of the box to deliver good picture quality. The response time is outstanding, which results in clear images with almost no blur trail behind fast-moving objects. While most modern movies are shot in the 21:9 aspect ratio and fill up the whole screen, the majority of online videos or TV shows are still in the traditional 16:9 aspect ratio, which means that you get black bars on the sides. This might not bother some people, but it does make any backlight bleed or uniformity issues more apparent when viewing in a dark room.

Unfortunately, even though it supports HDR and can display a wide color gamut, it doesn't get bright enough for a true HDR experience. Also, it has a low contrast ratio that makes blacks appear grayish, so it isn't ideal for dark room viewing. Nonetheless, this is a good ultrawide monitor that provides an immersive viewing experience and one that most people should be happy with.

The best monitor for movies in the budget category is the ASUS ProArt Display PA278QV. Versatile and well-rounded, this is one of the better 1440p models we've tested, and most people should enjoy its picture quality, especially for its price point. It's well-built and 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 model 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 tested, 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.