Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)Note: Just had this monitor a few days but since no one has written a review I thought I would provide my initial thoughts keeping in mind that HP is not known for its customer support so I am hoping I don't get punished for taking a chance with them. So do keep in mind this is review based on less than a week.
My configuration: I mainly use my MacPro with the standard 256Meg graphics card. I pluged it into the DVI plug. I also have a Dell computer and I pluged it into the VGA plug so I can test post OSX and Vista (Business). However, my main machine is the MacPro so I will leave the details to a Vista person but will give you my intial reaction.
Wanted a large nice monitor without a matte finish and from my observations the HP W2408 was better than the rest of the field. The W2408 is very similar to the W2207 with the glossy screen and mandatory for me a pivot screen. The pivot feature is implemented well although with such a big screen there is only so much you can do with the screen in portrait mode. The W2408 is similar to the W2207 but 2 inches bigger (it is a monster but a nice monster) and a higher resolution. Before I continue let me eliminate some misinformation that ran rampant in reviews of the W2207 which I hope doesn't happen here. The box DOES, I repeat does contain both the DVI, VGA, and USB cables so if you don't have them you've been shortchanged. For Mac users, Yes, I repeat yes, you can rotate the screen if your Mac is at least no older than three years old. A down side is that the software/drivers are for Windows not Mac. However, it doesn't matter. The Mac has it's own drivers and I was up and running within the five minutes. There were some minor tweaks done in "preferences" and the HP on screen menu. On the Windows side I installed the software and happily surprised that I had the latest version. The installation in Vista was simple and uneventful. One downside is the autopivot/rotation software didn't work as it didn't work for some for the HP 2208. My Vista computer with an ATI card can assign a hotkey to rotate the screen so no big deal for me. For the Mac you have to go into Preferences and then click to rotate but I also have activated the display icon to make it easier to change from landscape to portrait.
Now the good part where I can seem less objective. The screen is beautiful! It blows others out of the tub IMO. The colors are so vibrant and a joy to view. Photographs look much more like the real thing and DVD movies almost look HD. Since this is HD resolution and has. HDCP for future expansion with Blu-ray and HD-DVD. It is simply a beautiful screen that looks better what currently Apple has to offer and much cheaper. The downside might be related to the strengths. It is best viewed straight on but the viewing angle isn't that bad. With bright sunlight you might have reflection but I cans imply live with it. It also has an ambient light sensor that helps. Overall I give it 4 1/2 stars (5 is nearest) since it should have more software for Mac (but still OK) and the Vista software doesn't work perfectly but good enough. The price is reasonable and should come down later. Should you instead get the 2207 instead of the 2408? It is $200 cheaper. That's a close call. With the 2407 you get a large screen and believe me you can live with a 24 inch screen. It also has a higher native resolution which I can tell when compared to the 2207. I would say it's a tossup. If you want to save money I think you will love the W2207 almost as much. I spent the extra money so my Photoshop CS3 has lots of real estate.
Click Here to see more reviews about: HP W2408 Vivid Color 24-inch Widescreen Flat LCD Monitor with BrightView Panel
HP w2408 24 inch wide lcd flat panel mon
0 comments:
Post a Comment