HP w2408: A "New" Twist on 24" LCDs

Introduction

Try as we might, it's often difficult to get all of the products that we would like to review sent our way. Case in point: LCDs. There are dozens of good quality LCDs available that we have not reviewed -- and plenty more low quality LCDs. It's not too surprising that some companies don't want to send us review samples. If you have a low quality product that can't compete anywhere but price, in-depth reviews might do more harm than good in terms of sales. This is not to say that the HP w2408 is a low quality product, but it does stand out from previously reviewed 24" LCDs in several areas.

Looking at the display market from the buyers perspective, there are several different types of users. On the one hand, you have people that simply want a display that will show them the usual computer stuff. It won't really matter whether a display is slightly brighter, offers better contrast, has extra inputs, or anything else; if it works with their computer and doesn't break, they will be content. For such people, looking at the least expensive LCDs in a particular size range makes a lot of sense. Somewhat similar to this group are those who don't care about the technical aspects of a display so much as the outward appearance. If a product fits in better with their office environment and decor, that may be reason enough to purchase it. Then there are the gaming enthusiasts that want better response times and higher refresh rates, home theater enthusiasts who want a better movie viewing experience, and imaging professionals that require the most accurate colors possible.

There's often overlap between the target markets, but it's rare to find a display that can meet the requirements for all areas. Displays with the best color accuracy are often much more expensive, as are those that target home theater enthusiasts. A display targeting gamers on the other hand may sacrifice color accuracy in order to improve response time -- many users will actually prefer displays that have less accurate colors.

So where does the HP w2408 fit in the above list? With a price of $570, it's less expensive than many competing models, but at the same time it's hardly inexpensive. One of the reasons we like many of the 24" LCDs on the market is that they offer a great selection of features, and many have higher quality LCD panel technology than what's available in 22" LCDs. The w2408 appears to be a step backward in this respect, as feature wise it's simply an inflated HP w2207. Where Dell, Gateway, Samsung, and others use (or at least used) S-PVA panels, the w2408 is one of a growing number of 24" LCDs that uses a TN (S-TN) panel - it might be the best-looking TN panel to enter our test lab to date, but it's still a TN panel.

24" LCDs with TN panels definitely have a place in the market, but many of these models cost $400 or less where higher-quality S-PVA panels start around $600. That puts the HP w2408 in a difficult position, and the primary selling point appears to be an industrial design that sets it apart from other offerings. Is that enough, or are there other selling points for the w2408? Let's take a closer look and see exactly what it things to the table.

HP L2335: Low Response Time and High Resolution LCD

Introduction

It was only 18 months ago when we took a look at Samsung's SyncMaster 213T and declared it the best $1,000 LCD that we had seen. The (relatively) high resolution of 1600x1200, the bright backlight and sleek look put the 213T in the "Ultra-Enthusiast" pool with very few competitors. Ultra-High End has a whole new meaning now, and with reason. Since the Samsung 213T, we have seen high end displays shift toward wide screen, and support for higher resolutions and smaller pixel pitches (0.258mm versus 0.27mm). The entire industry owes Dell a slight pat on the back for their part in really pushing the price barrier.

We were a little surprised when Dell unveiled their next generation lineup last year, since it did not include a 23" display based on a SIPS panel. Instead, two of Dell's four displays went to Samsung (the UltraSharp 1905FP and the 2405FPW) and the mainstream model went to LG.Philips (the UltraSharp 2005FPW). Although the UltraSharp 1905FP and 2005FPW turned out to be phenomenal monitors and the 2405FPW is the cheapest LCD larger than 21", did Dell make the right move by ditching LG.Philips for the highest model? Apple and HP certainly think that LG.Philips LCD has the right formula with their Super IPS displays, and in past display reviews, 8-bit SIPS displays have done very well in our comparisons.

Today, we are taking a look at a display that has been available for a little while, but it's only been a few weeks since it broke the magic $1,000 barrier. The HP L2335 is actually a business display - but it just so happens to support component, composite, S-Video, signal zoom and a 16ms gray-to-gray response time. While I love working in Excel on a 23" LCD as much as the next guy, playing World of Warcraft at 1920x1200 on a low response time display doesn't get any better. Obviously, the market has changed quite a bit in 18 months. What was once top of the line barely gets recognition here on AnandTech, and the monitors that do end up on top are truly modern marvels. Does HP have the opportunity to pick up where Dell left off and capitalize on the success of previous LG.Philips panels? That's exactly what we are set to find out!

Desperately Seeking Quality LCDs

We looked at a couple of BenQ LCDs last year and were generally pleased with their features, pricing, and performance. The E2200HD and E2400HD were among the first 21.5" and 24" 1080p computer LCDs to hit the market, and since that time we have seen a veritable deluge of similar displays. Pricing has dropped even further, and if you're not super concerned with image quality you can basically grab any of the current crop of 21.5" to 24" LCDs and walk away pleased with your purchase. The short summary of what you get is:

• A reasonably large LCD
  
• Pricing of under $200 for 22" or under $300 for 24" (and less during sales)
  
• Limited extras - usually no height adjustment, portrait mode, or other extras beyond USB ports
  
• Good processing speed - little to no image lag relative to other LCDs
  
• Decent (average) color accuracy
  
• Mediocre color gamut
  
• Poor vertical viewing angles

The last four items in that list can be summarized with one simple statement: these inexpensive LCDs all use TN panels. There tend to be two types of display users, those that care a lot about image quality and those that really have no idea what image quality means. The latter are not necessarily wrong or uninformed; they just don't care enough about such things to worry about low-level details and they will usually be happy with any current LCD purchase. These are the type of users that give 5-star reviews to pretty much every LCD on Newegg, as an example. I say good for them and enjoy your inexpensive LCD. In truth, I use TN panels on a regular basis (pretty much every laptop out there uses a TN panel), and while I might notice the difference initially it will fade from conscious thought after a few minutes.

For those that want something better, the choices are far more limited… and far more expensive. Upgrade from a TN panel to a similarly sized PVA or IPS panel and you can usually count on spending 50% to 100% more - or more! - on the purchase. That might be perfectly acceptable if the PVA/IPS panels were all universally better, but that's not always the case. Color accuracy is almost random it seems, with some IPS panels scoring exceptionally well, PVA panels running the gamut from great to average, and TN panels that likewise fall anywhere from excellent to mediocre. Viewing angles always favor IPS and PVA panels over TN panels, especially in terms of vertical viewing angles. Color gamut is tied to the backlight used in the panel, so you can have poor or great color gamut with any panel technology. Last but not least is image processing speed, and here's where things get interesting

To date, the fastest panels in terms of image processing speed (frequently referred to as "input lag") are all IPS or TN panels. These displays are essentially equal and very few people would notice any lag. PVA panels are a different story, unfortunately, with lag ranging from 20 to 50 ms in testing. That means if you purchase a PVA display, you should plan on your display running 1 to 3 frames behind your current input. Most people associate this lag with gaming, and it can certainly affect your performance in fast-paced, competitive games. If what you see is actually three frames behind the current action - and add in networking lag and other types of lag and it could be delayed five or more frames! - you could end up with a competitive handicap. However, it's not just a problem with gaming. Even in general computer use, a laggy display can make it seem like your mouse is sluggish. Personally, PVA panels with 40+ ms of processing lag feel like the early wireless mice, where there was a small but perceptible delay between moving the mouse and seeing the result on screen. Doing precise image editing, as another example, is an area where faster display processing times are desirable.

The vast majority of LCDs these days are TN panels, and the trend appears to be moving even more in that direction. With a soft economy, many are looking for any way to save money, and even those who really like quality displays may be willing to settle for a less expensive TN panel. S-PVA panels all come from Samsung (they hold the patent on the technology), while IPS displays come from a couple manufacturers. Similar to PVA is a lesser-seen panel type called MVA (A-MVA), and these panels also come from one source: AU Optronics. Some users prefer PVA/MVA images over IPS, for whatever reason, so while my personal preference tends to IPS I was excited to finally have an opportunity to look at an A-MVA panel.

BenQ is one of the retail arms of AU Optronics; they shipped me their FP241VW several months back, and I began testing. Before I could finish with the review, unfortunately, I was informed that the model was being discontinued. However, while that makes the review of the FP241VW less meaningful, AU Optronics still has A-MVA panels and these show up in other displays. That being the case, I felt it would be good to discuss some of the highlights of the A-MVA panels and show limited testing results for the BenQ FP241VW. Why would that even be useful? As you might have guessed there are some interesting performance characteristics to discuss.