HP w1907

[weirdlookinguy]

I'm considering this monitor, here's a link:

http://computershopper.com/reviews/h...display_review (HP w1907).

Really like the looks of this monitor, has beautiful PQ too. I have a few questions though.

1: Does anyone know who the actual manufacturer is?
2: Who made the panel, is it one of those S-IPS panels? (Has 160 deg. viewing angle horizontally and vertically)
3: Is this going to have subpar capacitors that are going to bulge and need replacing in a year or two, or have newer LCD's gotten better about this?

Don't know if these questions can be answered (short of buying it and cracking it open) but if you guys have any thoughts or speculations about this monitor, I'd appreciate it.

[shadow]

I do not know the answer to the questions you have asked. However this monitor is a beauty. The only reason why I did not get this monitor or the 20" equivalent is because they are ridiculously expensive around where I am. I ended up settling for a Samsung 206BW.

I am not sure what panel technology it uses. However it is the same typical "glossy" type screen that you see on many modern LCD monitors and Laptops. The proper name for the technology has just slipped my mind.

[zandrax]

Perhaps you may find some useful info:
- flatpanels.dk: danish, its "Panel Search" often knows the panel manifacturer;
- prad.de: german, partly translated to english, has an incredible archive of model, an useful "compare" function and a complete technical guide.

Zandrax

[weirdlookinguy]

Yup, this monitor is a beauty. It caught my eye out of all the monitors at Fry's. The only problem is that the last time I saw it, I didn't know I would soon be interested in buying one. Otherwise I would have checked where it's made, and more info. It's got a 160 deg. viewing angle both ways, is that a characteristic of S-IPS panels or have TN panels gotten a lot better? My laptop has a glossy TN panel and the viewing angle really sucks, definitely not 160.

Zandrax, thanks for the link. Neither has any info on this monitor but they are loaded with interesting stuff, I'll be looking up random monitors just to try and get a feel for who uses what panels, etc. etc. Thanks.

[shadow]

I am pretty sure the HP has a TN panel.

[weirdlookinguy]

Yup, I've been reading about S-IPS and it's pretty much only in the more expensive, high-end models. Oh well, this monitor looks great anyway. Will probably end up going with it.

[zandrax]

Originally Posted by weirdlookinguy

Yup, I've been reading about S-IPS and it's pretty much only in the more expensive, high-end models. Oh well, this monitor looks great anyway. Will probably end up going with it.

IPS, VA and derivates offer a wider color gamut and a real view angle (they are truly near 180 degrees with no color change, while TNs' angle mesaures assume a fall of contrast ratio to 5 or 10:1, so colors look unreal), but their refresh time is much slower than TN's one: talking about double or triple times, so games and films look unsatisfactoring and even moving a window leaves a ghost trace. They are preferred by photo amateurs and pro, because of their color and their quality, but an high quality TN will satisfy most people (a low quality noone).
I suggest the interesting XBitLabs' LCD parameters guide: a bit outdated, but still valid from a technical point of view.

Zandrax

[willawake]

some good but brief info on wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TFT_LCD

personally i dont like the glossy panels, the reflections are way too annoying. The design of that lcd is quite nice though.

I have not seen high quality capacitors in lcd except for eizo. but i have not been impressed with their low end models generally. the high end is a different story. Still capacitors are only one thing that can go wrong with a tft, there are many other things and poor circuit design can also be a major issue.

the difference between IPS, PVA, MVA etc and TN is considerable and both have their respective markets. personally i do not agree that IPS etc are not suitable for movies or games, they are simply not optimal for that. still if anyone is interested to do photo editiing then simply a TN panel will be of no use.

But there are other things that can be wrong with an LCD apart from the choice of panel technology. The backlighting can be poor, the viewing angles not to specs, the colors can be setup completely wrong at default and quite annoying to adjust without a calibration device etc.

Again with backlighting, contrast, viewing angles etc poor performance in that respect could lead to dvds being presented in unsatisfactory manner even though the speed of the panel is very good.

This is why it is necessary to actually view the monitor in person and not with the usual dvds the shops are showing them but in typical conditions that you might like to use them in. It is a personal choice.

[zandrax]

With a glossy monitor, you should care a lot its position, avoiding any source of light beyond your shoulder or you'll be mad.[Indent: this is something you can't always do with notebooks and, of course, shops are plenty of glossy notebooks. I own one of these too, because it was the only suitable replacement tech assistance had when they told me they couldn't repair my previos computer and they were unable to refund me; as an owner, I advise against glossy finish unless you love it (to like it isn't sufficient) and can avoid any reflection at all.]

willawake may be right about IPS and [P,M]VA panels: recent models with a Response Time Compensation (RTC) electronic, aka "overdrive", can be only a bit slower than fast TNs, so can be suitable even for gaming. Models without RTC, or those with a badly implemented one, show ghosted or blurry screenshots. As usual, you can refer to XBitLabs RTC overview.

willawake is absolutely right for the latter part: reviews are a starting point, they are useful to skim a bit all products available and, sometimes, they show you pros and cons. However, it's your choice, it must fulfill your needs so you should test it by yourself in the most realistic conditions.

Zandrax

[weirdlookinguy]

Every review I've read about this monitor was positive, I'm going down to Fry's tomorrow and taking my laptop with me to hook it up. I saw this monitor at my uncle's house a month or two ago and even though I didn't really pay much attention to it, I remember being impressed by the image quality. I guess what matters more isn't so much what type of panel it is but how the overall PQ is.

[willawake]

Originally Posted by zandrax

willawake may be right about IPS and [P,M]VA panels: recent models with a Response Time Compensation (RTC) electronic, aka "overdrive", can be only a bit slower than fast TNs, so can be suitable even for gaming. Models without RTC, or those with a badly implemented one, show ghosted or blurry screenshots.

i have not seen any model with overdrive yet. i dont think the standard panels are shabby in respect of response. It is certainly not crap and whilst you are basking in the beautiful accurate colors and extreme view angles you might not even notice it.

[zandrax]

Originally Posted by willawake

i have not seen any model with overdrive yet. i dont think the standard panels are shabby in respect of response. It is certainly not crap and whilst you are basking in the beautiful accurate colors and extreme view angles you might not even notice it.

Perhaps my eyes are sensitive to ghosting: I often notice it.
Second choice: I'm simply paranoid.

Let's wait for weirdlookinguy response.

Zandrax

[weirdlookinguy]

So I got to spend some time with the monitor today, and I absolutely loved it. Very bright, very even backlighting, the screen doesn't look glittery the way most LCD's do, and the viewing angles are great. I like the OSD. The monitor is made in Dong Guan, China, and it is manufactured by Lite-On according to the label on the back. Is Lite-On any good, and do they use crap caps?

[weirdlookinguy]

OK, update again: I visited Fry's again and I saw a monitor that caught my eye last time, but this time I am seriously considering it. The LG L196WTQ:

http://us.lge.com/products/model/det...96WTQ-BF.jhtml

It has better specs than the HP, it has 3 times the contrast ratio (3000:1, HP has 1000:1), and a 2ms response time (HP has 5ms). It also has slightly better viewing angles (170 deg, the HP has 160). Plus, this monitor is made in Korea. No big difference, but it is refreshing to see something other than Made In China on the back. The big plus for me is that it has a matte screen. I love glossy screens but I'm having second thoughts about the HP. Any thoughts on this monitor? Right now I'm having a hard time deciding whether to go with the HP or the LG. The LG is more "technically advanced" and it doesn't have a glossy screen, build quality is probably better too, but the HP is just overall more appealing.

[shadow]

They are both great screens. However I believe you are incorrect about the LG not being a glossy screen. I am very sure that it has a TN panel. However it is also a beauty of a monitor. I seriously would have bought the LG 20" version of that monitor if it was available in Australia at the time when I was buying.

The thing about specifications is that they are very misleading. The LG has better specifications. However it is unlikely that you will notice a difference at all.

My advice is to see them both side by side, read some reviews on both and buy the one that is more appealing to you. I think the LG is more affordable (or maybe that is only because the HP units are seriously overpriced in Australia ). They are both quality monitors.

Oh and with the Lite-On panel, I never knew they made LCD panels. However chances are that both the HP and LG monitors have crap caps. Unfortunate as it is, it is probably true.

[willawake]

another thing to consider would be the pixel warranty.

HP have a bullshit warranty for their laptops, i have not seen their display warranty though. (its like 8 pixels within 15mm of each other or 10 on the whole screen). still i have seen quite a few laptops from hp (here its like EVERYBODY has one lol) and no prob.

on the other hand here LG have zero dead pixel warranty, a few years back eizo joined them also with that.

whether that bothers you or if you like teh russian roulette

The thing about specifications is that they are very misleading.

i agree. usually i consider instead how much adjustment i have to do before happy (whether in the menus or shock horror with the angle of the monitor). personally only samsung works for me in that respect. they should do a zero adjustment warranty heh.....

[weirdlookinguy]

I think I'm just going to take my laptop (also an HP, hehe) down there and ask them to let me do a side-by-side comparison, I really can't decide which one I like best.

[weirdlookinguy]

Well, I bit the bullet. I went with the LG. I do like this monitor better than the HP, but right now something is bugging me really bad: the contrast is horrible. Anything that's a really light gray gets washed out and looks white. In fact the whole screen looks washed out. Turning the contrast down to 0, I still can't tell the difference between light blue and white in iTunes. I am using VGA, but will be getting a DVI cable tomorrow. Will DVI make it look not so washed out? Other than that, I love this display.

[weirdlookinguy]

Nevermind, it was my ATI's VGA out that was causing the trouble. I switched to my DVI-VGA adapter, and all is well now. I'm loving this monitor! ATM, I'm seeing no reason to return it and get the HP instead.

[willawake]

interesting there is so much difference. i wonder if the monitor's vga circuits are poor.

will you be presenting any pics of your new monitor?

is anyone looking at any other monitors currently. I quite fancy a 22 or 24" but would have to be not TN.