HP w2408: A "New" Twist on 24" LCDs
by Jarred Walton on December 21, 2007 5:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Displays
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.
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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.
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wagaduku - Sunday, November 9, 2008 - link
Hi people i have read reviews of the following LCD's HP W2408,Acer G24 and Asus MK24. I cant seem to find which is the best of all.My main uses would PC games, Movies and internet browsing. Please guys i am to order one of the by tuesday.. Please Helpbolwin1 - Monday, January 14, 2008 - link
I research purchases pretty hard - and I've been trying to figure out what display to buy for quite some time. I've read every article and comparison I could get my eyes on.In the end, I wanted a monitor - not a tv or blu-ray display my Sony LCD can take care of that. I settled on the Soyo DYLM24D6 for $300 at OfficeMax. It is outstanding. A non-TN 24" display with NO backlight bleed for $380 out the door with a very good OfficeMax two year warranty. I realize they have had some production issues with some - but this thing is perfect and with the OfficeMax policy, if there is something wrong, take it back and they hand you another - for a value screen it cannot be beaten.
wagoo - Sunday, January 6, 2008 - link
I was researching into LCDs a bit recently, and figured that they had come down in price a lot since I bought my Dell 2005FPW so it might be time to pickup a cheap secondary 20", or a 24".I couldn't believe the slew of TN panels on the market these days. It seems like monitors with equivalent LCDs to the S-IPS panel in the Dell haven't come down in price at all, just the budget market has been filled in with inferior display technology.
Looking at the viewing angle on my laptop (which I'm guessing is TN), I couldn't see any way I'd be happy with that as a main or secondary monitor. I guess with the laptop I must subconsciously adjust the orientation and pitch so it looks alright.. doubt that would work with a large monitor. Sideways tilted viewing like this HP offers would also give a bit of an odd effect, as both eyes would be seeing different brightnesses.
More LCD reviews from AT would definitely be welcome! 32" 1080p TVs reviewed purely as a monitor would also be interesting.. some offer a "game mode" which may eliminate the picture processing latencies mentioned?
vailr - Wednesday, December 26, 2007 - link
Is there any significance to the "08" vs. "07" (in the HP monitor model numbers)?The w2207 is only available in a glossy surface.
I think I'd prefer a matte anti-glare finish monitor.
Also: are there any rumors Apple monitors being updated for faster response times? Thanks.
JarredWalton - Wednesday, December 26, 2007 - link
Don't know about Apple, but Dell is supposed to be coming out with a bunch of new models. I'd assume the w2207 vs. w2408 is a case of the w2408 being a bit newer - maybe some minor updates to firmware? Anyway, these two HP displays are glossy, and I definitely understand that a lot of people prefer matte - I know I do. I've got another 24" I'm working on reviewing next which should be more in the realm of what I think a 24" LCD should offer.Cerb - Monday, December 24, 2007 - link
I like my w2207, and use the portrait mode (rotating issues with the cables are easy to prevent once you do it a few times). But, the viewing angle becomes a bit of an issue, even then. I just can't imagine a 24" being worth it, using such a panel, at any price. At this size, it's begging for a *VA, even if it means being a $700 monitor.gochichi - Monday, December 24, 2007 - link
On quality:It really is too bad that for the most part LCDs are getting cheaper at the expense of quality these days. I recently purchased a 24" Acer that was on sale for under $300.00 and I took it back the next day. My archaic 17" LCD was WAY better overall than that.
On the issue of review units: (Comment/question for AT)
Are you somehow not permitted to buy your own test units? So many companies have lavish return policies, what would be the big deal? I'm thinking Best Buy, Circuit City etc. You know, the places we're still most likely to get a monitor from.
I think very highly of Anandtech, and I guess I imagine it being an extremely profitable site. I hope I'm not wrong there. In any case, it seems very strange to me to have such a prestigious site at the whim of manufacturers.
I could not for the life of me find a review on said 24" Acer, and the only thing it did was make me buy it and return it. If not full reviews, perhaps AT could concatenate a list of which monitors use what kind of panel and some expert "at a glance" comments.
I am kind of baffled by new LCDs on the market, I'm not too impressed so far actually. I use a 24" LG that is now $450 at best buy and it seems to me to be a fantastic deal at that price.
complectus - Sunday, December 23, 2007 - link
All of the Color Accuracy (Delta E) graphs are an utter mess. Can anyone actually read them without going blind?SoBizarre - Sunday, December 23, 2007 - link
I believe you should drop monitor reviews. Reviewing a couple of monitors a year (not even belonging to "desirable" category) is not very helpful to your readers.The truth is, there’s not even one site out there serious about reviewing costumer-grade monitors, and the main reason for that situation is the one you have mentioned yourself: manufacturers don’t send their products to reviewers.
And why is that? I suspect most of them have too much to hide.
I would love to find on AnandTech a 24 inchers shoot-out broke into two categories: cheap TN panels and more expensive IPS & PVA. Shoot-out of 22 inchers would be useful to even greater number of readers. And why not a quick take on several wide screen 20 inchers...
You wouldn’t have to go too much in-depth in these reviews. Some basic tests and subjective evaluation of text, video and games usage would be enough. I bet people trust your ability to pick up a winner.
Now, in reality there is only one possibility for all these to happen. You need a big retailer to supply you with monitors. I’m sure it would be very beneficial for them, because they would have professional evaluation of products they’re carrying (they could stock more of highly rated monitors and sell them like hot rolls), and gain a positive reputation for helping their customers to choose the right product.
But maybe in IT world this kind of cooperation is just not possible for some reasons. I don’t know, why don’t you enlight us?
SoBizarre - Sunday, December 23, 2007 - link
Something else I forgot to say:MERRY WINTER SOLSTICE and a HAPPY NEW YEAR!