AnandTech: Dell 2707WFP: Looking for the Middle Ground of Large LCDs

Viewing Angles

Viewing angles are one of those specifications that have become very inflated by the manufacturers. The basic requirement is that a display has to maintain a 10:1 contrast ratio in order to qualify as "viewable". The reality is that most LCDs are unfit for viewing outside of beyond a 45° angle. The good news is we really doubt that most people would want to view a display from anything more than a 45° angle, and typically a lot less. For that reason, we used our camera to take shots from head-on as well as from the left and right sides at ~30° angles, showing how brightness and contrast ratios are affected in off-angle viewing. We also took pictures from above and below at ~30° angles. Links to the viewing angle images of previously reviewed LCDs are available for comparison below:

Acer AL2216W
Dell 2405FPW
Dell 2407WFP
Dell 3007WFP
Gateway FPD2485W
HP LP3065

Click to enlarge

Within a 60° viewing arc, the colors and image quality of the 2707WFP are very good, but we can say the same about most of the other LCDs. We would rate the 2707WFP as being slightly ahead within a 60° arc, but it's when you move beyond a 30° angle that it begins to pull ahead of the other displays. We would put this display right up there with the HP LP3065 for having the best overall viewing angle. Certainly, it's more than sufficient for use from any reasonable viewing position - after all, we doubt that anyone would really want to look at a display from an oblique 80° angle.

Color Gradients

Taking a look at the ability to reproduce a smooth color gradient on all of the displays, the 2707WFP again does very well, subjectively ranking at the top of our charts. Those interested in comparing the display to previously tested LCDs can open their gradient images via the following links:

Acer AL2216W
Dell 2405FPW
Dell 2407WFP
Dell 3007WFP
Gateway FPD2485W
HP LP3065

Click to enlarge

It's difficult to say which display is the best, but the 2707WFP appeared to be just slightly better than the 3007WFP and LP3065. Prior to calibration, many of the results were worse, with clear banding visible in various portions of Futuremark's 3DMark benchmarks. Using a camera to photograph each display is not a perfect way to convey color accuracy or many other aspects of a display, so the above images should merely be taken as a rough estimate, and our evaluation is based on what we could actually see with our eyes. If you're concerned about color and image quality, the only real way to see the difference is to view a display in person.