Quantitative Analysis

For the duration of this review, we connected the HP L2335 to a Radeon X800 Pro with factory default settings on the DVI connections unless stated otherwise. Brightness has been set to maximum as well.

Luminance

Brightness ranked as one of our most important display qualities. On a display like the L2335, a dim image can make for a very poor viewing experience, since the resolution is so high. Fortunately, large displays are usually compensated for this with the addition of larger and brighter backlights. Too much compensation will result in an overly bright image, to which black levels and contrast ratios will suffer. Below, you can see a comparison of the brightness for each of our LCD monitors.

LCD Luminance

Technically, this is the brightest display that we have seen to date, although not by much. Visually, the Dell 2005FPW and the HP L2335 look identical if it weren't for their different sizes and bezels. This bodes well for HP as the UltraSharp 2005FPW is one of the best displays that we reviewed.

Our Contrast Ratio

We will use the same observation from the 19" LCD Roundup several months ago. Using PreCal and our ColorVision Spyder, we will measure the luminance of a pure white image and a pure black image on the LCD monitor. The observed contrast ratio is simply the highest recorded luminance divided by the lowest. All measurements are in candela per meter squared; larger contrast ratios are more desirable.

Observed Contrast Ratio
Highest Recorded (white image) Lowest Recorded (black image) Observed Contrast Ratio
Apple Cinema 20" 247.4 2.4 103.1
BenQ FP931 256.4 3.6 71.2
Dell 1905FP 234.6 2.6 90.2
Dell 2005FPW 280.4 2.6 107.8
HP L2335 280.5 2.6 107.8
NuTech L921G 278.2 2.6 107.0
Planar PE191M 234.0 3.0 78.0
Samsung 193P 230.4 2.2 104.7
Samsung 910V 219.8 2.6 84.5
Sony SDM S94 233.8 3.0 77.9
ViewSonic Q190MB 261.8 2.6 100.7

Again, there is no surprise here where the HP performed the same as the Apple Cinema Display and the Dell 2005FPW. Since all three use LG.Philips LCD panels within the same generation, we had expected this. Again, note that the accuracy of our ColorVision Spyder is within 0.2 cd/m2 only, and this plagues the accuracy of our results. Our numbers should give you a good estimation of where each display falls in line with another, but it is far from an absolute authority.

User Interface Application Analysis
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  • Gatak - Sunday, July 10, 2005 - link

    #32

    You are still wrong. A TFT need 12-14bits resolution per colour channel to be able to resolve the same levels as a CRT monitor.

    The reason is simply because a TFT is linear in its response whereas a CRT is not (Gamma). The TFT must compensate for the gamma curve, which requires up to 14bits resolution (or more if you use higher gamma than 2.2).

    So, these 14 bit LCDs/TFTs are the only ones getting _CLOSE_ to CRT native colour resolution. A CRT is inherently analogue too, which means it can utilize the 10bit resolution per channel that many modern graphics cards can produce (Matrox, ATi). Remember this is 10bit is with the gamma compensation already applied. For a TFT to reach the same resolution they would need much more than 14bits!
  • Therms - Saturday, July 9, 2005 - link

    Just wanted to add that one of the biggest games of the summer, Battlefield 2, does not properly support widescreen.

    The best it can do is basically a zoomed 4:3 image which results in a display with the top and bottom parts of the picture chopped off. This means that widescreen users actually see less than standard 4:3 screen users.
  • semo - Saturday, July 9, 2005 - link

    is there a big problem right now with all those different aspect ratios out there?

    i hear that 16:9, 16:10 and 15:9 are pretty much the same/compatible. why all the standards in the first place anyway?
  • DragonReborn - Saturday, July 9, 2005 - link

    Hmm...interesting. I was definitely ready to buy the 2405...no way to really compare the two, huh? I game, but nothing crazy, and just want a nice big screen. Probably save the $300 and get a nvidia 7800 instead of the 6800... =)
  • Gioron - Saturday, July 9, 2005 - link

    "Also keep in mind that a 21" Trinitron has about the same viewable area of a 19" or 20" LCD."

    Mostly true, but you need to specify whether its widescreen or not, since you lose a bit of area on a widescreen display.

    Screen area on a standard 4:3 display with a 20" viewable diagonal is 192 in^2.
    Screen area on a widescreen 16:10 display with a 20" viewable diagonal is only 180 in^2. (If I haven't managed to screw up the math...)

    If I were being pessimistic on your statement, a 19" widescreen would have a bit over 160 in^2, while a CRT with a 20" viewable diagonal would have 192 in^2. I wouldn't consider that "about the same".

    The other thing that some people need to consider is whether you'll be displaying a lot of 4:3 content, in which case you throw away annother 20% of your viewable area to black bars along the side (unless you fill it out and distort the image). Admittedly, this isn't a huge factor for computer use, since most gaming and desktop resolutions can be adjusted to be correct, but its something to consider if you know you're going to be doing a lot of picture viewing or have video sources that are fixed at 4:3.
  • Pastuch - Saturday, July 9, 2005 - link

    29 - Posted on Jul 8, 2005 at 5:59 PM by svi

    But most engines stretch or clip a 4:3 picture to produce widescreen output. Source is an exception, and a big one, but you can't make a generalization like that based on a single case where widescreens are better.

    Rebuttal:

    I wont be buying BF2 until they add Widescreen support. EA WAKE UP! All of the following games have official support for widescreen: Halflife 2, CS Source, World of Warcraft, Everquest 2, Far Cry, Doom 3, GTA: San Andreas PC, and I've heard Dungeon Seige 2 will be fully compatable as well.
  • KristopherKubicki - Friday, July 8, 2005 - link

    SilthDraeth: Icecrown Alliance. Biggest waste of money and time grumble grumble... ... er... Yeah I mean it's a fun game!

    kmmatney: Supposedly. Somehow I got suckered into an NEC NDA over a *year* ago which I may even still be bound to. NEC had some neat stuff to show me concerning LED backlit LCDs and medical-grade LCD monitors, but unfortunately NEC also has an elitist mentality that has completely barred them from competing on a retail level with anyone. 10-bit panels are not new, I actually saw my first one at *Comdex 2002*. Fortunately I just made a friend at Eizo and I will definitely be asking them for this display.

    Thanks!

    Kristopher
  • kmmatney - Friday, July 8, 2005 - link

    There are LCD panels out now that surpass CRTs in image quality and color reproduction. See the links:


    http://www.warehouseexpress.com/news/digpop/698.ht...

    NOte the spec: 16.77 million from a palette of 1.06 billion

    Also see:

    http://www.nec-lcd.com/english/whatsnew/press05030...

    These are the real enthusiast monitors for graphic artists.


  • MrEMan - Friday, July 8, 2005 - link

    Does anyone know if either HP or Dell has anything involvement at all with the design of their respective monitors?

    If they don't then I believe the credit should go to the monitor manufacturers and not the companies whose only involvement is to slap their name on the case.
  • SilthDraeth - Friday, July 8, 2005 - link

    Kris what server on WOW do you play on? I play Deathwing, a pvp server, Alliance side.

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