The specialty of the Online Monitor Test is that it comes as a online service but also as an application. Both versions are divided into different test areas: Color Range, Trailing, Homogenuity, 1×1 pixelmapping and Text. Each section is accompanied by a info panel that is explaining the test at hand so that the user understands what the test is about. The info panel can be turned off once the user knows what the test is about to have full access to the screen without obstruction.

Both versions can be run in full screen mode for maximum effectiveness. The Color Range test is basically testing the color reproduction of the computer monitor by displaying color gradients and percentage screens.

The trailing test is testing movable objects on the computer screen. The speed can be altered as well as the color and position of the box that is moving on the screen.

The third option is to test the computer screen for homogenuity. It fills the screen with one solid color. This can also be used to test the monitor for dead pixels.

The 1×1 pixelmapping test is mostly useful for televisions and not computer monitors. The test displays a 1 by 1 checkboard of white and black pixels.

The last and final test is about text display on the computer monitor. The website contains a second service which can be used to test input lag on two computer monitors.

There is not much information about the software application that can also test the computer monitor. It worked fine on a Windows XP Service Pack 3 test system.

Many computer monitor manufacturers provide a data disk with a free monitor calibration software but there are also multiple free alternatives that can be found on the Internet. One was covered today at the Lifehacker blog. Calibrize is only taking care of the black, white and color ratio of the computer monitor and works on flat screen computer monitors but also on CRT monitors.

It does so by displaying two easy to follow steps. Step 1 is being used to adjust the contrast and brightness settings of the computer monitor. Each step consists of a description that tells the user what to do, a test image and example images that display how the images should not look. The description mentions how the test image should look like.

The second step which is also the last step adjusts the gamma settings of the computer monitor. Another test image and a few sliders are shown that can be used to adjust the settings for red, green and blue values. The settings can be saved after calibrating the monitor.

An alternative is the online tool Screen Check which provides the means to adjust the same monitor settings.