Philips ErgoSensor Display Updated - Still Scolds Slumping Workaholics

Philips has updated its ErgoSensor display range, the company's LCD monitors which track user posture and can warn if the ergonomics aren't correct or if an eye-break is in order. The Philips 241P4QRYES is a 24-inch LCD display running at 1920 x 1080 Full HD resolution, with 250 cd/m2 brightness and the ability to rotate between landscape and portrait orientations; however, it's the embedded ErgoSensor that really differentiates it.

Built into the bezel, at around the point where you might commonly expect a webcam, it tracks the user's face and head angle, as well as the distance between their eyes and the monitor itself. If they're sitting too close, or if their posture is wrong, it flashes up a warning; it can also show a similar warning if users have been working too long without taking a break.

Of course, this isn't the first ErgoSensor display Philips has offered, and the company tells us that the primary difference over 2012's model is the panel itself. 2013 gets an AMVA (or "Advanced MVA") screen which, as the theory goes, reduces color distortion at off-center viewing angles and improves contrast ratio.

That panel is mounted on a stand with 13cm of height adjustment and 90-degree clockwise rotation. It can swivel by up to 65-degrees in either direction of center, and tilt between -5 degrees and 20 degrees.

Connectivity includes DisplayPort, DVI-D, and analog VGA, along with a four port USB 2.0 hub. There's also an audio input and a headphone socket.

Ergonomic advice doesn't make for a cheap display, however, with the new ErgoSense coming in at £275 ($450) in the UK. That's expensive for a 24-inch LCD monitor, though probably cheaper than getting regularly worked over by a chiropractor.