“The W2408 is a beautiful LCD display that has impressive specifications, an attractive design and a very pleasing performance for most users.”
Avg
-
Very competitive price; produces rich colors; response speed of 5ms; good cable management
Against
-
Inadequate speakers; viewing angles may affect screen colors; big clue
Abstract
In a long series of newly designed LCD monitors, HP recently introduced its latest addition – the w2408 24-inch BrightView LCD monitor. The affordable w2408 is aimed at the consumer market, but is equally suitable for many smaller commercial applications. The W2408 has impressive technical specifications, a 4-port USB 2.0 hub and costs a very reasonable $600. Read our w2408 review and commentary to find out if you should use it at home or at work. Also, watch our w2408 video introduction for more information.
Features and design
The first thing you notice about the HP w2408 is the impressive screen size. When placed on a desk, it takes up most of one’s attention, overshadowing other displays, computers, etc. Although it has a modest footprint, the w2408 tends to make your work environment feel a bit miniature.
The w2408’s sleek body and brilliant BrightView display are unmistakably unique. Completely different from the vast hordes of unexciting and banal LCD screens, the w2408 stands out from the crowd like a Victoria’s Secret model would stand out in an all-boys high school – sexy, thin and hard to look away from.
The 24-inch screen itself is very spacious and offers a screen resolution of 1920×1200. The W2408 uses a TN series LCD screen, which is a little lower on the totem pole than the “VA” panels used in some of HP’s high-end professional monitors. Even with some modest limitations of the TN panel, the w2408 and the images on the screen look nice. More on the TN panel later in the review.
The w2408’s 5ms response time is impressive; good for gaming, video production and enjoying DVD movies and high definition content. A comparison of competing 24-inch LCD displays shows that 5ms is currently the fastest response time available. Other LCDs share a speed of 5 ms, and others slow down to 6 ms, 8 ms and even 16 ms.
The W2408 has a contrast ratio of 1000:1 for excellent full blacks, bright whites and vivid colors. For 24-inch LCDs on the market at the time of writing, 1000:1 contrast is the best spec. (The $899 23-inch Apple Cinema Display has a 700:1 contrast ratio and a 16ms response time.)
The brightness of the screen on the HP w2408 is 400 cd/m2, which is almost 34% more than previous HP models.
The W2408 can be connected to almost any computer source with its DVI and VGA inputs. HP includes DVI and VGA cables with the w2408.
Image courtesy of HP
USB 2.0 hubThe W2408 also has a built-in USB 2.0 hub with 4 ports. The USB 2.0 input is located under the left side of the frame. There are two USB 2.0 output ports in the same location. The other two USB 2.0 ports are conveniently located about 3 inches from the bottom left corner of the screen, on the back of the bezel, so potentially unsightly ports are out of sight.
Base and rotation
The W2408 clearly has a large LCD screen. Due to this fact, the base must be large enough to prevent the screen from tipping over if it is ever bumped. The base itself has a nice rounded shape, but the overall footprint (maximum width and maximum depth) is approximately 12 inches by 12 inches, or one square foot. For smaller tables this can look and feel like a lot of space. Fortunately, the w2408 can be wall mounted – either directly on the wall or on a hinged bracket. Such a setup would completely eliminate the w2408’s footprint.
One of the nice things about the w2408 base is the ease with which it can be rotated on the table. At the very bottom of the base is a rotator the size of a half dollar. If you ever need to turn the monitor a little to show a colleague something on the screen, the base rotates almost effortlessly. The base can also be articulated up and down to suit your height preference.
Adding to the cool factor is the fact that the 24-inch LCD display can be rotated 90 degrees to become a vertically oriented LCD display. This is great for photographers who photoshop vertical images, for spreadsheets, long documents, long web pages, etc. With the included software for the w2408, Windows users will be able to rotate the screen and automatically adjust the image orientation, similar to the new iPod touch’s auto-rotate and iPhone.
Built-in speakers
The W2408 has two 2W rear speakers for a total of 4 watts of audio power. While neither LCD has built-in speakers for true enjoyment, the w2408 doesn’t sound too bad. It’s fine for watching videos CNN, MSNBC, Foxetc., or even during blowing YouTube. Don’t expect to enjoy your CDs or MP3 library. Find yourself a quality set of outdoor speakers to shake your ass.
Ambient light sensor
The techies at HP have given the w2408 a special little feature that some may like, others will ignore, and others will blow their socks off. It’s an ambient light sensor built into the front bezel of the display. Up towards the top left of the bezel is a small dot that looks like a built-in microphone or camera. It’s a light sensor. When your work environment gets dark – late at night, for example – the w2408 will automatically adjust the brightness level to be easier on your tired eyes. When the ambient light in the room returns to normal levels, the brightness will also return to normal. You can easily demonstrate this feature by holding your finger over the sensor. In about 2 seconds, the w2408 gradient drops the brightness by 10-15%. Lifting your finger off the sensor shows the w2408 gradually brightening again.
The ambient light sensor can be disabled during the time you will be in Photoshop or any other application where display consistency is absolutely critical.
Hours of backlighting
The W2408 has an on-screen menu item that allows you to track how many hours the LCD screen has been used. This is primarily a tech support feature, but it’s interesting to track usage statistics from time to time.
The HP w2408 produces fairly vivid colors
Setup and use
Setting up the w2408 is easy, but you’ll need a space with some arm room. When you unbox the w2408, you’ll notice that the LCD screen is already attached to the base and simply needs to be removed from the box and foam mounts. Lift the w2408 onto a desk or table (careful – it’s a bit heavy) and plug the power cord into the bottom of the frame. Connect the supplied DVI or VGA cable, depending on the type of video adapter your computer uses. Connect the video cable to your computer and press the power button on the w2408. It’s a quick and easy way to set up.
For those who wish to use the w2408’s built-in speakers, connect the green audio cable to the input jack below the LCD screen (next to the DVI port) and run the cable to your computer’s audio output/headphone jack. Volume can be controlled directly on the w2408 using the two center control buttons in the lower right corner. Volume can also be controlled on the LCD screen in the settings menu, but this is more complex and requires more effort.
You may or may not already know this, but the DVI and VGA inputs built into the w2408 allow you to connect two different computers to the same monitor. To switch between the two systems, just tap the small “Select” button on the front of the screen. This switches between the DVI input and the VGA input and gives you two operating systems with a single screen footprint.
As for customizing the w2408 to your viewing pleasure, study the on-screen menu for brightness, contrast, color levels, etc. There are plenty of options, so feel free to mess around with it. If you think you’ve gone too far, you can always select “Factory Reset” and return everything to the way it was when the w2408 first came out of the box
DVDs and more
Once you’ve set up the w2408, there are some really fun ways to try it out. Insert a DVD movie (even better a high-definition DVD) and see how beautiful the picture is. When in 1:1 screen mode (not scaled or stretched to full screen), the DVD image will look fantastic. The colors are rich, beautiful and vivid. The night scenes are appropriately black, like the void in deep space. If you’re using a high-quality video source, you’ll likely notice a distinct lack of pixelation, ghosting, or other unwanted anomalies. The W2408 handles photos and videos admirably.
Photoshop, iPhoto, Picasa, etc.
Viewing and editing photos on the w2408 is a very pleasant experience. With a bright BrightView display, the w2408 can have a profound impact on how you see color and how you feel about your (or someone else’s) photography. The images look intense and deep, almost natural. You may find that you end up spending more time browsing and enjoying your photo collection than before.
TN LCD panel and viewing angles
As mentioned earlier in this review, the HP w2408 monitor uses a consumer-grade TN LCD display. The TN panel is not top quality like some other professional HP (and competing) LCD panels, but it is certainly high quality and very nice in its own right. The TN panel has one significant limitation; the source of the only functional weakness we discovered with the w2408.
When using the w2408 in the most common and ergonomically correct style (monitor straight in front of you and slightly lower than the horizontal plane), images, colors and tones look amazing. Changing viewing angles – far left or right – has a reduced effect on saturation and contrast.
Dropping your viewpoint to the bottom edge of the screen (as if you were sitting on the floor in front of a desk looking at the w2408) reveals that the colors, brightness and tone of the top half darken. Increasing the angle increases the effect. This can be seen on countless LCDs, but seems to be most prominent and exaggerated on glossy LCDs like the w2408. (If you’re working with a desk surface at eye level, there might be more issues to discuss than a dimmed LCD.)
The TN panel and slightly limited viewing angles can be an instant feature for professional users, most of whom would never use a glossy screen. Others could deal with the anomaly, especially if their viewing angle is relatively constant and conventional.
We found that most users and industry experts were very happy with the w2408, while one or two were quite harshly critical. As with any technology, the most important thing is your own opinion. Find the w2408 at retail and spend some time with it. There is a high probability that you will make a purchase.
Conclusion
The W2408 is a beautiful LCD display that has impressive specifications, an attractive design and a very pleasing performance for most users. Despite the anomalies visible at unusual viewing angles, the w2408 gave us sharp, realistic colors, deep rich blacks, and nice clean motion.
For most common uses, the w2408 is a very good choice. However, professional users may want to look at one of HP’s pro-line LCD displays. Even HP makes this clear in its product documentation.
At $600, it’s lower than average – perfect for techies on a budget who want a great display. Even better, a dual w2408 setup will cost just $300 more than a single Apple 23-inch LCD.
Advantages: • Very fair price • BrightView display for rich colors • Ambient light sensor • 5ms response time • 1000:1 contrast ratio • 1920×1200 screen resolution
Against:
• So-called speakers• Viewing angles can affect the colors on the screen• The print takes up space on the table
Editor’s recommendations
Categories: GAMING
Source: newstars.edu.vn