HP ZR24w

The reason why the color is so drastic is because of the hue/saturation levels of his cam recorder. For you it might be extremely blue, on his monitor it might look greenish or red depending on the white point of the monitor. Like mentioned a couple of posts above me you need to calibrate to get the colors & blacks right.
 
The monitor while it lasted for two or so weeks was exactly what I was looking for. The time after that has been horrid. HP support has been terrible. A week after my monitor died I received the wrong monitor a zr22w. The following week I received a stand for the monitor and no panel. Now this week I finally received the correct model but the monitor has beautiful red streaks all over the screen and reaks of refurbishment. Hopefully the third time is the charm.
 
For those of you that are confused why I posted 2 sets of screens: 1 set containing stills taken directly from a Blu-Ray [captured as PNG's, converted to high quality JPEG's in PhotoShop, FYI], the other set containing said images taken by my camera...is merely for other ZR24w owners to gauge each others black levels. In my case, I felt/feel my black levels weren't up to snuff so I decided to take pix w/ my digi cam. No, it's not an exact science, not even close. It's merely for fun, testing purposes.

As far as what I'm seeing...the cam seems to have made the images look slightly yellow/green-er than they actually appears to me. But the black levels captured appear somewhat consistent to what I see. So I'm not that pleased in that regard. Otherwise, it's a beautiful monitor!

In closing...to ZR24w owners (sorry, Dell w/e-TN-panel-troll), feel free to take snaps of the images posted and compare 'em to see whose is better.
 
it is almost impossible to show people how a monitor looks from screenshots like these.
too many factors involved: camera speed, aperture, iso/grain, color etc.
 
Yeastwood said:
For those of you that are confused why I posted 2 sets of screens: 1 set containing stills taken directly from a Blu-Ray [captured as PNG's, converted to high quality JPEG's in PhotoShop, FYI], the other set containing said images taken by my camera...is merely for other ZR24w owners to gauge each others black levels. In my case, I felt/feel my black levels weren't up to snuff so I decided to take pix w/ my digi cam. No, it's not an exact science, not even close. It's merely for fun, testing purposes.

As far as what I'm seeing...the cam seems to have made the images look slightly yellow/green-er than they actually appears to me. But the black levels captured appear somewhat consistent to what I see. So I'm not that pleased in that regard. Otherwise, it's a beautiful monitor!

In closing...to ZR24w owners (sorry, Dell w/e-TN-panel-troll), feel free to take snaps of the images posted and compare 'em to see whose is better.
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There is no point in doing so...

The default black level varies around 0.45 cd/m² if i remember correctly which is poor so it's normal you are not pleased at how the display performs in this regard. Calibrate & it will be fixed.
Every type of display needs to be calibrated to get the most out of it, if the black levels are good out of the box the color accuracy might be bad. There is always something...
 
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serendip1ty said:
There is no point in doing so...

The default black level varies around 0.45 cd/m² if i remember correctly which is poor so it's normal you are not pleased at how the display performs in this regard. Calibrate & it will be fixed.
Every type of display needs to be calibrated to get the most out of it, if the black levels are good out of the box the color accuracy might be bad. There is always something...
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I agree, I had mine setup based on settings from sites that did reviews. The other day I spent $97 and got a Spyder 3 Express. No doubt in my mind it looks better now. You can find them a bit cheaper online, I will always use hardware from now on.
 
Seems everyone agrees on hardware calibration. Obvious problem: Way too expensive for one-time use. Are there any camera shop or outlets that rent them?
 
Yeastwood said:
Seems everyone agrees on hardware calibration. Obvious problem: Way too expensive for one-time use. Are there any camera shop or outlets that rent them?
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You don't just use them once, heck check ebay, you can find others that will also work fine, like a Huey etc.
 
When money was tight I used to share a calibration puck with several friends. The first calibration is the most important. I used to recalibrate my Apple Cinema Display every couple of month, but changes were minimal. The main thing is that the backlight fades over time and so you slowly have to bring up the brightness level.
 
So did everyone notice that there is a clear protective film going around the gray part of the bezel? I just took mine off today after noticing it.
 
WaTaGuMp said:
So did everyone notice that there is a clear protective film going around the gray part of the bezel? I just took mine off today after noticing it.
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If you didn't notice until now, you should have kept it on. Makes it look nicer for resale down the road when it's time to upgrade... ;)
 
You can get a decent hardware calibrator for under $100 on ebay, with free software (such as HCFR) it's a lifetime investment.
 
Is there anything worthwhile on the CD that comes with this monitor? I recently set up the monitor on an old Apple G5. Works well, but I just noticed that the CD is PC only.
 
elliot_n said:
Is there anything worthwhile on the CD that comes with this monitor? I recently set up the monitor on an old Apple G5. Works well, but I just noticed that the CD is PC only.
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I don't use anything on the CD, but that's just me.
 
elliot_n said:
Is there anything worthwhile on the CD that comes with this monitor? I recently set up the monitor on an old Apple G5. Works well, but I just noticed that the CD is PC only.
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Kinda. You can do some basic calibration and it'll save each preset you desire. For example, I have 3 of TFTCentral's presets saved for reference.
 
A little offtopic, but since a bunch of people here bought the monitor from macmall:

Has anyone gotten their rebate back from macmall? I'm going through hell since they sent a rebate denial letter. When I called in and asked, they said it was probably a mistake and that I should scan the documents and email it to them. Well today I get home and I see yet another denial letter for the rebate.

I'm seriously considering a credit card chargeback. I bought 3 monitors, and $150 is not exactly pocket change.
 
black0ut said:
A little offtopic, but since a bunch of people here bought the monitor from macmall:

Has anyone gotten their rebate back from macmall? I'm going through hell since they sent a rebate denial letter. When I called in and asked, they said it was probably a mistake and that I should scan the documents and email it to them. Well today I get home and I see yet another denial letter for the rebate.

I'm seriously considering a credit card chargeback. I bought 3 monitors, and $150 is not exactly pocket change.
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Please keep me up to date about this. Something to me seemed VERY fishy about Macmall and the entire deal with these ZR24W's. Everything from the deal ending in a matter of hours, to the store manager saying cost was like $349.
 
sethk said:
You can get a decent hardware calibrator for under $100 on ebay, with free software (such as HCFR) it's a lifetime investment.
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HCFR is more like reporting software. It doesn't actually calibrate. You manually make some changes and check with HCFR, repeat that cycle endlessly until satisfied or exhausted...

I have used HCFR to improve white balance/greyscale on my TV, but LCD monitors typically don't have as much control as HDTVs.
 
Anyone here know if the ZR24w's scaler issue has been resolved?
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I too would love to know the answer to this question. I'm sorry I haven't kept up with this thread, but I'm still considering buying this monitor. Do I remember correctly that when people try to display a source recorded in 16:9 aspect ratio, such as a Pixar movie, that the image gets stretched vertically to fill the 16:10 screen? Has this been fixed with later firmware, etc?
 
An update about the scaling issues I posted in this thread:
http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1526984

TMcK said:
To make a long story short, I've spoken with the engineers at HP and the scaling issues are a hardware limitation and CANNOT be fixed via firmware update. There is no planned fix for the monitor so 1920x1080 content will remain stretched.

The longer story:
I purchased the monitor soon after it was released, based on initial impressions on this forum, and based on the fact that the HP ZR24w user manual lists 1920x1080 as a fully support resolution. After a few months of owning the monitor with little information available about a fix, I decided to contact HP directly. It was a painful process that has cost about 18-20 hours worth of trouble shooting and calls to tech support.

Most of my time was spent trying to prove to the HP techs that there was a problem with the monitor itself and not with all 5 of the devices I had tested with the monitor. When HP phone support suggested I reformat my hard drive and uninstall Windows, I officially knew I was talking to the wrong people. After considerable effort, HP sent me a replacement ZR24w, which I knew would feature the same flaw, but they didn't accept that fact at this point.

The new monitor comes, same problem, and after even more effort I get the case escalated to an actual engineer, not just a phone support person. The engineer spoke with the ZR24w team and confirmed the problem. The engineers at HP say the scalar chip they are using has limitations that cannot be fixed with firmware.

Now that HP has admitted that the monitor has a problem, they still will not refund my purchase. It is an interesting case that HP will admit the problem, admit that there is no fix, and still not act to refund the purchase. From a customer standpoint, it does not make sense to verify a problem and not receive a fix, which in this case the only fix is to return the monitor. After all, I already knew there was a problem; I did not need them to simply verify it.

I should note that a lot of effort went into my interactions with HP, and the effort could have been saved if just one tech support person had the monitor in front of them during our interactions.

I hope that this effort will help other owners and potential owners of the HP ZR24w.

Bottom line: The scaling issue will not be fixed by HP, so if you buy the monitor make sure you do not mind the scaling issues of the monitor.
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TMcK, thanks for your very hard, unappreciated work, and what a downer! That is clearly a major oversight/design flaw that HP should not have allowed to happen. Could I just verify one more question? Does this lack of proper 1:1 pixel mapping occur universally, or only with external HDMI devices such as DVD players and game consoles? In other words, if you choose 1920 x 1080 as a computer graphics card resolution, will you see the proper black bars top and bottom? Or is there even any option to enable 1:1 pixel mapping so that 1280 x 800 would show black bars on all four sides?

I'm afraid to hear your answer. This will definitely stop me from buying this monitor if my fears are confirmed. :(
 
X-ray Doc,
The lack of proper 1:1 pixel mapping occurs universally. If I set my video card to output 1920x1080, the image will be stretched, just as it is stretched with my ps3 output set to 1920x1080. Also, the scaling issue exists using both the DVI and DisplayPort interfaces.

The HP ZR24w manual lists the following resolutions as supported with 1:1 pixel mapping:
640 × 480
720 × 400
800 × 600
1024 × 768
1280 × 960
1280 × 1024
1440 × 900
1600 × 1200
1680 × 1050
1920 × 1080
1920 × 1200

Some of these resolutions scale 1:1, and some of these resolutions are stretched to fill the entire screen; so the problem does not occur for every non-native resolution listed. I have only tested 1920x1080 and 1600x1200, so I can't comment on all of these resolutions. I do not have the monitor with me, so I cannot test the rest of these resolutions, unfortunately.

Although 1920x1080 does not scale 1:1, I found that 1600x1200 DOES scale properly, and results in black bars on the left and right side of the image.

Hope this helps.
 
NO need to worry about MacMall rebate.

I got my $50 rebate check today.

If you filled out the rebate properly, no reason you shouldn't get it.

$299 after rebate :D
 
Which retailer has the best return and exchange policy? I am not willing to put up with even one dead or stuck pixel, so if the ZR24w I receive has any dead or stuck pixels, I want the retailer to exchange it for a NEW one. I hear if I buy it directly from HP and want to exchange it if it's defective, HP will send me a used or refurbished one. I do not want that. So, which retailer has the best return and exchange policy?
 
BTW.

Finally calbirated with Spyder2 (I know, not the best, but its all I have).

IQ is much better. Color is more accurate. Had to turn brigtness down and lower RED. But much better than manually *calibrating* with my eyes.
 
Cliff Couser said:
NO need to worry about MacMall rebate.

I got my $50 rebate check today.

If you filled out the rebate properly, no reason you shouldn't get it.

$299 after rebate :D
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Good to see you did get your rebate. I REALLY tried to get in on the MacMall $299 deal. I was going to go buy one at one of their retail stores. The whole deal lasting such a short time and the info I got speaking to people that work for the company really made me leery they were going to scam people.
 
ThomasJL said:
Which retailer has the best return and exchange policy? I am not willing to put up with even one dead or stuck pixel, so if the ZR24w I receive has any dead or stuck pixels, I want the retailer to exchange it for a NEW one. I hear if I buy it directly from HP and want to exchange it if it's defective, HP will send me a used or refurbished one. I do not want that. So, which retailer has the best return and exchange policy?
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I would like to know as well.... my first thought would be Amazon... they have a 30 day return policy and I have spoke with them and they say if there is an issue with it they will sent out a new next day and you have 30 days to return the old so you are not without a monitor.

I think regardless of the Macmall price and rebate, piece of mind and fast shipping would be worth the extra money for me. Plus I am still in my free trial of Amazon Prime so I get free 2 days shipping or pay 4 bucks and get it overnight!!!

I will be buying one next week.
 
Rock&Roll said:
Just a heads up to anyone here who's looking to pick up a ZR24W

I have 3 I was previously using in an eyefinity setup. I'm going to be posting them up in the FS/FT section later this week. Each has a little over 1000 on them, and about 2 years on the MFG warranty. (I'd help through RMA should the situation arrise). Perfect condition. No dead pixels. No problems at all. Probably going to ask about $250 each + S/H.

PM me if you have any interest or questions.
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Dayuuuuuuuuuuuuum, great price if you indeed go with $250.
 
Damn, the Macmall deal looks nice. Problem is they say the mail in rebate must be postmarked within 20 days of the Invoice date. I'm currently living overseas and it takes 3 weeks to get anything shipped here. I don't think I'd be able to get the rebate postmarked in time. :(

Anyone know if there is a successor to the ZR24W on the horizon? Prices seem to keep coming down. I'd still consider picking one up at $379.99 sans rebate. But if a refresh is coming out soon I might just continue to make due with my 20" NEC.
 
Cliff Couser said:
NO need to worry about MacMall rebate.

I got my $50 rebate check today.

If you filled out the rebate properly, no reason you shouldn't get it.

$299 after rebate :D
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Just called in, and they said my rebate had already been processed and is on its way.... after sending me 2 rebate denial letters and telling me over the phone once that the rebate was invalid, wtf?

I don't know whether to be suspicious or glad.
 
Darksword said:
Damn, the Macmall deal looks nice. Problem is they say the mail in rebate must be postmarked within 20 days of the Invoice date. I'm currently living overseas and it takes 3 weeks to get anything shipped here. I don't think I'd be able to get the rebate postmarked in time. :(

Anyone know if there is a successor to the ZR24W on the horizon? Prices seem to keep coming down. I'd still consider picking one up at $379.99 sans rebate. But if a refresh is coming out soon I might just continue to make due with my 20" NEC.
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The ZR24W was made to replace the LP2475W, so it should stick around for a bit.
 
Rock&Roll said:
Just a heads up to anyone here who's looking to pick up a ZR24W

I have 3 I was previously using in an eyefinity setup. I'm going to be posting them up in the FS/FT section later this week. Each has a little over 1000 on them, and about 2 years on the MFG warranty. (I'd help through RMA should the situation arrise). Perfect condition. No dead pixels. No problems at all. Probably going to ask about $250 each + S/H.

PM me if you have any interest or questions.
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PM Sent, I look forward to your reply! :D
 
addictedto60fps said:
Rock&Roll - just curious, but what are you upgrading to? :)
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Depends on your definition of upgrade...haha.

I spent 6 months running a tipplehead setup. It really made a huge difference in a few select games (Metro 2033, Mafia II, All kinds of racing games). But it many games, it just really didn't matter that much having the two outside screens. And ultimately, I fell out of love with eyefinity.

As well, the ZR24W's had really really good response times, for an 60HZ LCD. And, for my purposes, the color quality was top notch. But, at the end of the day, I just really love being able to game at 85Hz to 140Hz on my 24" WS CRT. Makes a huge difference in competitive FPS matches.

And since, I'm back to using my CRT, I decided it would be wise to recoup some cash. I had considered keeping them for a rainy day. But, I know well enough. I'm not going back to LCD's any time soon.
 
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