HP 2311xi IPS Monitor
by Chris Heinonen on August 13, 2012 12:15 AM ESTHP 2311xi - Color Quality and Color Gamut
Straight out of the box, I set the color mode on the 2311xi to sRGB mode and then set the brightness level to 200 nits. I didn’t do any other adjustments, and I also didn’t use the HP .icc profile, as HP only allows this to be downloaded from their website as a Windows .exe file and I do the monitor testing on a Mac. Since this is a file that can be used on all OS platforms without an issue, I see no reason to only have the download as an .exe file, so I just decided it was appropriate to not use it.
Despite this, the performance of the 2311xi in sRGB mode was very good. The average dE on our Gretag Macbeth test was 5.87, which is the second best monitor out of the box that I have tested so far. The grayscale performance was pretty good, and color performance was even better. Since most users that purchase a $200 display are not going to be calibrating it I imagine, being this good out of the box is a big benefit for users. You’ll get better color than almost any other display without any adjustments, and that’s a really nice thing to see.
Since the HP was so good out of the box, I expected it to perform really well once it was properly calibrated. After using ColorEyes Pro, with a target of D65, 2.2 gamma, and 200 nits, we see that the average dE drops down to 1.74. This is good but not exceptional. The most noticeable difference is that the grayscale goes from being one of the best to one of the worst. It’s still at 1.0 or below, so the differences are incredibly small, but other monitors do wind up being better after calibration.
Targeting 100 nits instead of 200 nits for calibration, the results were almost identical. Grayscale errors were about the same, and so were the numbers for the colors. With how consistent the contrast ratio numbers were for different light output levels, I would expect the color results to be the same at different levels of light, and it proved to be that way. The HP was fantastic out of the box, but only decent once calibrated. I place more importance on the out of the box numbers here because of the target audience for the display, so I’d say it’s a very good performer in that regard.
The color gamut of the HP 2311xi can only be sRGB, as white LEDs can’t do greater than sRGB; you need to move up to RGB LEDs for an AdobeRGB or larger gamut. Right around what we would expect, we see the 2311xi can manage 69% of the AdobeRGB gamut, very close to what it is specified for. This explains the issues with certain blue tones that fall at the edge of the sRGB space on the Gretag Macbeth chart as well, since it can’t produce those at all and can only try to come close.
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XonicEQ - Monday, August 13, 2012 - link
Cheapest I can find is on amazon for $234. Where do I find it for $200?cheinonen - Monday, August 13, 2012 - link
Direct from HP.com was the price I used, and the date of that price should be mentioned in the specs. It might have changed by then, but it was from HP on the date I listed.EddieBoy - Monday, August 13, 2012 - link
As stated above, Best Buy currently has this monitor for sale for $169.99. Plus free shipping.Leyawiin - Monday, August 13, 2012 - link
HP's switch to crappy stands that don't adjust and lack of VESA holes on their lower end monitors is pretty disappointing. My last monitor was an HP w2207h - glossy screen, height adjustable, sturdy. Went shopping this summer for a new monitor and discovered how cheaply they're been making them now.micksh - Monday, August 13, 2012 - link
I don't see it mentioned in the article. It it's 6 bit it isn't good for photo work.mikato - Thursday, August 16, 2012 - link
It says panel type e-IPS so yes. It probably should have been mentioned in the article text though also. How good for photo work is subjective.OBLAMA2009 - Tuesday, August 14, 2012 - link
25" is big enough if its only 1900x 1080. they should have released this at a higher resolution, no one needs thisAdamK47 - Tuesday, August 14, 2012 - link
Chris, did you make sure you were testing with correct backlight brightness this time? ;)MobiusStrip - Tuesday, August 14, 2012 - link
Try making it look tackier next time, HP.Glossy plastic schlock. Embarrassing.
Sub Zero - Wednesday, August 15, 2012 - link
In the old days you had CRT that were 21" (20" viewable) at 2048x1536. To get anything close to that on the PC side for the longest time, I had to go 30" at 2560x1600, which I run at 2048x1536 most of the time.Why can't we have 2560x1600 on a 27" or 24" LCD? 2560x1440 isn't as productive. a 4:3 at 2048x1536 would be nice at 24" even.
But one thing that does concern me as much is the lack of detailed OSD functionality. I would like to be able to set resolution scaling and aspect ratio IN the monitor hardware. I have a 30" LCD and when I try to set it to 1280x720 to create a YouTube training video, for example, it stretches all the way out, regardless of the Nvidia or ATI control panel settings. It does not do that for 1920x1080, but it does for most of the lower resolutions.
Yes, I could get a Dell that has that built in, but I don't like Dell LCD's. I've tried one 30" and 24" of theirs, and both were returned. Both tinted to the blue side, both generated a LOT of heat and they didn't look as good - even after calibration - as a Samsung or Viewsonic in terms of color, contrast, accuracy and vibrancy.
If I could just force a 1:1 aspect ratio and DO NOT SCALE in the hardware, regardless of what LCD I purchase, it would give me a lot more flexibility.
I like that they include DVI connectors in most monitors - I would not want it to be dropped in favor or Display Port. Why not have DVI, HDMI and Display Port? Does it really cost that much more?