I think that the performance ( colors , contrast , brightness ) is very good for home use
What is the quality of the contrast?
I bought this monitor nearly 2 years ago.  I use it daily for typical home use - web, music, email, viewing/editing documents, watching videos.The Good:+ Great performance+ Less power consumption (LED)+ Base tilts up+ VESA compliant so you can use a different stand or wall mount+ InexpensiveThe Bad:- The connections (VGA, DVI, and audio in) are a little difficult to access (although once you get them hooked up you can forget about them)- There is no HDMI connection- It is too bright at nightPerformance:I think that the performance (colors, contrast, brightness) is very good for home use - it looks great surfing the web, looking at pictures, or watching movies. Images and text are clear and crisp. 1080P video looks fantastic. Thanks to the LEDs it stays cool and consumes very little power.The blacks in movies and images look pretty good, vibrant colors from pictures are not washed out or too enhanced, and it is easy on your eyes even after multiple hours of viewing (during the day or in a well-lit room).  The one complaint I have is that even if you turn down the brightness to zero, at night in a dark room it is too bright. I wish the brightness could be turned down even more.Design:The base allows the monitor to tilt up which is nice, and it is VESA compliant so you can remove the base and hook it up to a wall mount or a multiple monitor mount.When trying to hook up the cables they are a little difficult to access - I had to tip the monitor down on it side to be able to get them connected.  Once everything is connected you won't have to worry about it.It does have built in stereo speakers which are OK, but similar to most built in monitor/tv speakers, they don't provide very good sound.  I have a cheap set of 2.1 channel computer speakers that I use that sound much better.Summary:Overall this is a great monitor for the price, and I would highly recommend it.  It has worked flawlessly for the over 2 years I have owned it so far.  I wish the brightness could be turned down even more, but I can live with it. 