Samsung SyncMaster LD220 monitor review

Imagine the scenario you've got a laptop and a second display already connected using the VGA or DVI output. Naturally enough, you want to add a third screen to gain more desktop space and help boost your productivity but you're fresh out of video ports. So how do you do it?

One way to go could be the excellent Matrox TripleHead2Go, but that costs at least 220 and then you'll still need to find funds to purchase the extra display.

An easier and cheaper alternative is a display that integrates DisplayLink technology. It's essentially a monitor with a video card built-in, that hooks up via USB.

It's not the first time that we've reviewed a DisplayLink equipped display, but this is the first one to offer a widescreen Full HD' resolution image.

As with many panels these days, the LD220 uses a 16:9 aspect ratio screen, with a resolution of 1,920 x 1,080. In its original iteration, the DisplayLink tech was unable to support this resolution, being limited to 1,280 x 1,024, but we're now onto second generation hardware that can handle more.

This is thanks to the introduction of the DL-1x5 video chipset, which features a dual-core chip and, we're told, improved compression algorithms. Despite it running over USB though, a separate power cord is still required.

As it's aimed at laptop owners, the LD220 eschew a conventional monitor stand for a simple rest, which angles at between 10 and 30 degrees, and means that the base of the display lines up with your laptop screen. The idea is that when you drag a window from one screen to the next there isn't a massive jump in height. As such there are two small rubber feet at the bottom to enable it to rest gently on your desk.

At the rear, you'll also find a VGA port, so if you do have a spare socket it can be used as a conventional display, though this would make it rather pointless to have spent the extra on DisplayLink.