HP 2311xi IPS Monitor
by Chris Heinonen on August 13, 2012 12:15 AM ESTHP 2311xi - Display Uniformity
Until now, all measurements on the HP 2311xi have been done in the dead center of the screen where we would expect the best performance. The best displays remain uniform across the whole panel and not just the center, so we measure nine spots across the display to see how well it does overall.
Looking at the white level for 200 nits of light output, most of the screen is very uniform given the price. The right side begins to have some drop off, with light output falling off by 15% at the right center location. This isn’t perfect, but it’s still pretty decent as most of the display is very uniform.
Since the uniformity issues with white are typically caused by uneven backlighting we might expect to see something similar with black levels, and we do. They are uniform across the left and center of the display, but then rise again on the right side of the display. This combination is a bit disappointing as lower white levels and higher black levels mean that we will see a lower contrast ratio when we look at that next.
As mentioned, the contrast is very variable across the screen. It ranges from very good on the left side to pretty poor on the right side. The center is right around what we expect from our previous measurements, but the rest of the screen measures from 780:1 on the left to 409:1 in the lower right.
Looking at the color uniformity, here the upper right corner has the largest issue. Since the backlighting is uneven on the right side, that unevenness can lead to a slightly different shade of light being used in that corner, which can lead to the higher dE we see there. Most of the difference is with the grayscale and not colors, which is common. Overall the color errors are very consistent across the display, even if the level of light isn’t as much on the right side, and it performs better than most displays I see pass through my system as far as uniformity is concerned.
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
68 Comments
View All Comments
kyuu - Monday, August 13, 2012 - link
What? External power bricks are quite common. You can make the monitor significantly thinner, and you don't have to worry about the additional heat generated by the power brick. Honestly, this is a weird complaint anyway.cheinonen - Monday, August 13, 2012 - link
I completely agree with disliking the external power brick. I understand it makes it thinner, and easier to design, and possibly easier to ship around the world as you just replace the brick by region, but it makes wiring my desktop more of a pain. The trade-off in thinness isn't worth it to me, but I know some people don't mind, but some do.Impulses - Monday, August 13, 2012 - link
It's definitely not for me... Poor stand w/no VESA mounting, 1080p res, and no DP are just too many compromises... But having decent IPS displays like this one available at $200 is great for the consumer in general, two years ago you were looking at $300+ for a display like this, three or four years ago it would've been $400+. Low cost IPS displays are finally in the same pricing realm of rock bottom TN displays, and that's not bad at all.Olaf van der Spek - Monday, August 13, 2012 - link
Isn't the U2412M more like a $300 monitor? Even the U2312HM is $260 on NewEgg.No DP & no VESA sucks. :(
cheinonen - Monday, August 13, 2012 - link
I mention that the U2412M is more expensive and that the U2312HM might be a better comparison, but as I haven't reviewed the 2312 but have reviewed the 2412 it was the best comparison I could make.mikato - Thursday, August 16, 2012 - link
You can buy the U2412M for $270 right now from Dell with free shipping -http://slickdeals.net/permadeal/78498/dell-small-b...
mikato - Thursday, August 16, 2012 - link
U2312HM is $210 at Dell Small Business right nowhttp://slickdeals.net/permadeal/78498/dell-small-b...
ananduser - Monday, August 13, 2012 - link
Chris, when are you guys gonna review some 120Hz monitors ?StickerLover - Monday, August 13, 2012 - link
...needs more stickers !Oh, and more glossy plastic !
DanNeely - Monday, August 13, 2012 - link
Would it be difficult to reorder the labels for the curves so that the upper left label was in the top left position, the lower right was in the lower right position, etc?