HP ZR24w

Well I managed to trap it somewhere between the pixels and it's hardly noticeable now. A simulated dead pixel looks far, far worse. Loving the colors on this monitor. I am now seeing what all the IPS talk was about :)

I've noticed another tiny issue though and just want to check is this normal or common with these screens. The panel doesn't seem to be perfectly centered horizontally and the plastic of the bezel covers up the first subpixel column in the bottom left corner. So when there is a one pixel wide vertical white line on the left side of the screen, it is white on the top half and blue/green on the bottom. That's from my normal seating position right in front of the screen. If I move my head literally an inch or two to the right the problem disappears because the red column of subpixels isn't covered by the plastic frame anymore. Same thing when I get closer to the monitor. Does anyone experience this? It's a minor thing really and probably not something the majority of people have ever had displayed on their screens but a couple of applications that I use do just that and it's a little ugly to see. Could anyone with an ZR24W load up this image in paint, display it in full screen (F11) and tell me your findings?



I'm not going to return the monitor because of this of course, I'm just curious are they all like that.
 
Well I decided to go with the ZR24w over the U2410. Looks like there aren't any 20% coupon deals for the U2410 and so it's selling for $600 minimum. In addition Dell isn't shipping any till January. I like the U2410 but I'm not sure its worth the $200 premium over the HP offering (I only do photography as a hobby). The ZR24w is also oos at most resellers but I did manage to find an HP store on eBay selling a bunch of new monitors for just under $400 with no taxes and free shipping. The seller will accept returns for dead pixels too. Should be here in a few days so I'll give my impressions soon.
 
My employer recently bought me a ST2410 and I didn't really realize how nice the ZR24w was until I got this. The ST2410 isn't bad for the work I do but the ZR24w is wayyy better with color. My only gripe is the lack of windowed mode for lower res inputs and the lack of an HDMI input (although is HDMI in even an option with displays that are greater than 1080p?). I'll probably get another ZR24w or two.
 
Getting this one tomorrow with calibrator, what should I do? Anything particular.......
 
mryerse said:
although is HDMI in even an option with displays that are greater than 1080p?
Click to expand...
Yes HDMI still works at 1920x1200, I feed my Samsung T260HD just fine with HDMI. IMHO there is no advantage using HDMI over DVI as long as the display has no speakers.
 
Thanks good to know - yes I agree about digital just would be nice to not have to buy an adapter.
 
vshin said:
Well I decided to go with the ZR24w over the U2410. Looks like there aren't any 20% coupon deals for the U2410 and so it's selling for $600 minimum. In addition Dell isn't shipping any till January. I like the U2410 but I'm not sure its worth the $200 premium over the HP offering (I only do photography as a hobby). The ZR24w is also oos at most resellers but I did manage to find an HP store on eBay selling a bunch of new monitors for just under $400 with no taxes and free shipping. The seller will accept returns for dead pixels too. Should be here in a few days so I'll give my impressions soon.
Click to expand...

Ok so here's some quick impressions. Just briefly, I do an equal mix of web surfing, document work, gaming, and photo editing. As far as games go, I'm an avid first-person shooter fan so I have to pay special attention to response time and input delay. My old monitor is a Samsung 226bw.

- Overall the ZR24w is leaps and bounds better than the Samsung in nearly every respect.
- Colors are marvelous, which I expected going from TN to IPS.
- Response time is a tad slower than the Samsung, but I barely notice any trailing.
- More importantly, there is practically NO input lag with the ZR24w.
- Black levels were a concern based on reviews, but turns out it's better than my Samsung.
- I do recommend turning on Dynamic Contrast, which had a noticeable effect to me.
- Very minor backlight bleeding, certainly much less than the Samsung 226bw.
- IPS "glow" is present when viewing dark scenes at an angle, but not straight on.

As a very lag-sensitive gamer, I can reassure any others out there that it's safe to go with this IPS monitor even for demanding FPS games. From a competitive standpoint, I've seen much greater input delay from bad wireless mice. The only thing that I could wish for is 120 mHz refresh for ultra-smooth motion but that's a downside of IPS panels in general. Probably not a deciding issue unless you intend to do 3D gaming.

Bottom line is this: If you are a star-crossed gamer that demands good gaming performance but refuse to sacrifice IQ or 16:10 ratio, then I recommend this monitor. I've also considered the Dell U2410 as well, but it costs $200 more without a 20% coupon.
 
I bought this monitor when it first came out and posted a bunch of pics, etc., on this thread back in March. I used it for many months to mainly program and almost immediately noticed that my eyes were getting strained from something. I asked if anyone would know what that might be caused by, because I never have problems with TFT panels.

This was my first IPS panel, and also I have never been able to work on CRTs before suffering severe eye strain within a few hours.

This IPS panel affects me the same way as a CRT but it takes many hours before my eyes feel bad. It was hard for me to accept because I know the backlight on this panel and the TFTs are typically CCFL generated (right?) and it seems so similar to a TFT. But nevertheless, the eye strain...

Anyway, I wanted to do an eyefinity setup, but yesterday replaced the HP ZR24w with an Asus VE276Q as my primary monitor. So far, no eye strain whatsoever, whereas the IPS panel, currently my secondary monitor still bothers my eyes just having it on - even with a blank white screen.

Oh well, my wife scores a very nice IPS panel (she is not bothered even by CRTs) and I get two more Asus panels for eyefinity - if my eyes are okay for a week longer on this first Asus.

Just an update for those with sensitive eyes to try one IPS before you buy three for eyefinity, etc.

And if anyone has an idea as to why an IPS panel would cause my eyes to strain, and never before by a TFT panel, I would appreciate knowing. (I tested various modes of brightness, contrast, etc., too.) Thanks in advance.
 
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bb23 said:
And if anyone has an idea as to why an IPS panel would cause my eyes to strain, and never before by a TFT panel, I would appreciate knowing. (I tested various modes of brightness, contrast, etc., too.) Thanks in advance.
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That's strange. I would guess that the issue is not necessarily the IPS panel technology, but rather something to do with the display itself, such as the backlight. Have you tried other IPS monitors like the NEC EA231WMi, Dell U2311H, Dell U2410, or even an Apple Cinema Display? The Apple displays are LED-backlit and that might make a difference to your eyes.
 
U2311h finally absolved eye strain for me. I did have to dim the extremely powerful backlight down to 50%, though.


Anyhow, IPS is basically TN x2, from a very simplified standpoint, so I guess I can say a "better controlled TN panel." :p
 
Thank you very much for the feedback, eddieck and jeremyshaw - much appreciated.

eddieck said:
That's strange. I would guess that the issue is not necessarily the IPS panel technology, but rather something to do with the display itself, such as the backlight. Have you tried other IPS monitors like the NEC EA231WMi, Dell U2311H, Dell U2410, or even an Apple Cinema Display? The Apple displays are LED-backlit and that might make a difference to your eyes.
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No, this is my first IPS monitor. I read that the LED-backlight version of the ASUS VE278Q was causing someone else eye strain due to flicker frequency(?), so I avoided that (also more expensive) model and stuck with the standard CCFL type backlighting that the ASUS VE276Q employs.

Again, I have never had problems with standard TFT screens, now including this ASUS VE276Q.

jeremyshaw said:
U2311h finally absolved eye strain for me. I did have to dim the extremely powerful backlight down to 50%, though.
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Interesting. Did you have other IPS monitors causing you problems?

********************************************************************************
Edit: Ignore this next section of this post - see subsequent post.

My plan to do Eyefinity with three of these ASUS VE276Q models is having a problem and I am hoping someone can help me. I wrote this up on another thread that someone started who had the same problem, except for them it was resolved with a cable change. Not so for me.

I have tried 3 different displayport cables and the ASUS VE276Q monitor will not display using displayport. It works fine using DVI, but not displayport. The cables all work on my other (HP ZR24w) displayport monitor. The video card is an ATI HD5850, with current drivers. I assumed there was something incompatible with the cables and monitor, but I have tried 3 - one from HP, one from StarTech (Amazon), and one from RadioShack.

Since the VE276Q works with DVI, I am reluctant to return it for another one - at least before I ask for help here. Thank you.
 
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Heheh, I feel like an idiot. I thought the ASUS monitor would auto-sense what input to use (like the HP ZR24w does) - but it does not recognize the Displayport input unless you manually switch it to that, using the input button on the front panel. Of course, their single sheet instruction manual in the tiniest print and 10 different languages didn't help...

Anyway, this issue with the displayport apparently not working is now resolved.
 
vshin said:
Ok so here's some quick impressions. Just briefly, I do an equal mix of web surfing, document work, gaming, and photo editing. As far as games go, I'm an avid first-person shooter fan so I have to pay special attention to response time and input delay. My old monitor is a Samsung 226bw.

- Overall the ZR24w is leaps and bounds better than the Samsung in nearly every respect.
- Colors are marvelous, which I expected going from TN to IPS.
- Response time is a tad slower than the Samsung, but I barely notice any trailing.
- More importantly, there is practically NO input lag with the ZR24w.
- Black levels were a concern based on reviews, but turns out it's better than my Samsung.
- I do recommend turning on Dynamic Contrast, which had a noticeable effect to me.
- Very minor backlight bleeding, certainly much less than the Samsung 226bw.
- IPS "glow" is present when viewing dark scenes at an angle, but not straight on.

As a very lag-sensitive gamer, I can reassure any others out there that it's safe to go with this IPS monitor even for demanding FPS games. From a competitive standpoint, I've seen much greater input delay from bad wireless mice. The only thing that I could wish for is 120 mHz refresh for ultra-smooth motion but that's a downside of IPS panels in general. Probably not a deciding issue unless you intend to do 3D gaming.

Bottom line is this: If you are a star-crossed gamer that demands good gaming performance but refuse to sacrifice IQ or 16:10 ratio, then I recommend this monitor. I've also considered the Dell U2410 as well, but it costs $200 more without a 20% coupon.
Click to expand...

Vshin,

I believe from the absence of any mentioned dead pixels that they weren't an issue, but can you confirm? Also, was yours a refurbished monitor?

Thanks for the info, I'm considering whether to buy a ZR24w refurbished.
 
Maestro2U said:
Vshin,

I believe from the absence of any mentioned dead pixels that they weren't an issue, but can you confirm? Also, was yours a refurbished monitor?

Thanks for the info, I'm considering whether to buy a ZR24w refurbished.
Click to expand...

Is refurbished significantly cheaper than a new one?
 
Maestro2U said:
Vshin,

I believe from the absence of any mentioned dead pixels that they weren't an issue, but can you confirm? Also, was yours a refurbished monitor?

Thanks for the info, I'm considering whether to buy a ZR24w refurbished.
Click to expand...

No dead or stuck pixels. Mine was brand new.
 
bb23 said:
...And if anyone has an idea as to why an IPS panel would cause my eyes to strain, and never before by a TFT panel, I would appreciate knowing. (I tested various modes of brightness, contrast, etc., too.) Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

No idea, but it was kind of the opposite for me. Coming from a PVA monitor, I've always thought the gamma shift is bothering my eyes. The ZR24w has been a real relief for my eyes after long hours of staring at the screen. I can notice this on the HP though which I don't on some LCDs. Perhaps it might have something to do with it?
 
Walker said:
I can notice this on the HP though which I don't on some LCDs. Perhaps it might have something to do with it?
Click to expand...
Thanks for that link to the other thread - it is an interesting read. I will see if this new ASUS has the same color effect using the line down the middle test.

I have the two monitors side by side and the HP ZR24w makes my eyes feel lazy, burning, and under strain - while the ASUS is just neutral in effect. Anyway, I tried the HP for months and am certain that it causes this strain for me. I am going to test the ASUS for a few more weeks to be certain about it being okay, before buying a few more.

It's obvious that what works for some doesn't for others and vice-versa.

Thanks again for your useful posts here and on that other thread.
 
bb23 said:
Haha! 124 pages isn't enough? ;) What are you mainly interested in?
Click to expand...

well it's weird for me coming from 20'' 4:3 LG L2000C, at least for white levels....etc...should i leave dynamic contrast on? :rolleyes:

do you guys have installed hp display assistant?
 
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I'm looking into buying this monitor..Quick question about the scaling issues: is it only when you use something that is native 16:9 like a game that can only run in 16:9 or an external source like an external blu-ray player or gaming console? (note: If this is the case then I don't really care)

In other words, if I have an internal blu-ray/dvd player and I watch a movie that is 16:9 will this scaling issue still come up? It seems like this shouldn't be an issue if your using your comp and programs like vlc media player..

Quick example: If i watch a 16:9 show on Hulu full screen, will I see this scaling issue ??

^^ Just trying to better understand this issue, hope that made some sort of sense lol, thanks for the help :D
 
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Agreach2 said:
I'm looking into buying this monitor..Quick question about the scaling issues: is it only when you use something that is native 16:9 like a game that can only run in 16:9 or an external source like an external blu-ray player or gaming console? (note: If this is the case then I don't really care)

In other words, if I have an internal blu-ray/dvd player and I watch a movie that is 16:9 will this scaling issue still come up? It seems like this shouldn't be an issue if your using your comp and programs like vlc media player..

Quick example: If i watch a 16:9 show on Hulu full screen, will I see this scaling issue ??

^^ Just trying to better understand this issue, hope that made some sort of sense lol, thanks for the help :D
Click to expand...

Correct, your computer will be sending a 1920x1200 image to the display, a 16:9 show will display with the correct aspect ratio and appropriate black bars.
 
OldSchool said:
Correct, your computer will be sending a 1920x1200 image to the display, a 16:9 show will display with the correct aspect ratio and appropriate black bars.
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Ok, very good. I think I will go ahead and pull the trigger on this display.

Anyone have any suggestions as to where to buy from? It seems Amazon is out of them...
 
Agreach2 said:
Ok, very good. I think I will go ahead and pull the trigger on this display.

Anyone have any suggestions as to where to buy from? It seems Amazon is out of them...
Click to expand...

I got mine off of ebay for $388 shipped. The place I bought it from right now has some refurbs on there for $358.
 
anodize said:
Is refurbished significantly cheaper than a new one?
Click to expand...

I just got a refurbished from HP for $339; bought a new one when they came out and was wanting another. Refurb carried the same warranty as the new one I bought from HP. Turned out it was a good thing because the refurb suffered damage in shipping. Turned in a service request to HP on Thursday the 9th (day of receipt); was told I would get onsite repair by the Tuesday the14th.

A tech called and said they'd try and get someone out by the next day if possible. Got a call on Friday the 10th that the new screen had to be ordered from HP so the onsite repair would be delayed (a weekend came in the middle of all this). Got a call on Monday the 13th from onsite repair tech that he had the screen in hand from UPS and was en route to repair. Met him at the shop, he replaced the screen, made sure it worked, boxed up the old screen and took it away. Not sure this repair could have happened any faster (Thursday PM to Monday afternoon).

Being as the ZR24w is business class it qualifies for the onsite service and quick turnaround service from HP. I could not be more thrilled with HP's service and the price on the refurb monitor. Am already saving to get a third one. Off topic but HP has tons of refurb stuff on their website; learned about it from the Envy 14 forums. Much of it carries the exact same warranty as new. Might have gotten the same service from some other provider but HP has never let me down over the years.

BTW, bb23 good to see you again around the forum. I've been lurking around since May when we were all enthralled with the "new" monitor. Sorry it didn't work for you--I've been lovin' mine.
 
I can get a used with a 2.5 year warranty left for $350 shipped, do you think I should go for it? Seller says it's mint condition
 
thanks guys, will post some pics & comments once i receive it

upgrading from a u2311h which i sold to a buddy for 220
 
I got one last week and I don't know how anyone is running it at 20 brightness unless you are in a pitch black cave, that is way too dark for me.
 
tordogs said:
I just got a refurbished from HP for $339; bought a new one when they came out and was wanting another. Refurb carried the same warranty as the new one I bought from HP. Turned out it was a good thing because the refurb suffered damage in shipping. Turned in a service request to HP on Thursday the 9th (day of receipt); was told I would get onsite repair by the Tuesday the14th.

A tech called and said they'd try and get someone out by the next day if possible. Got a call on Friday the 10th that the new screen had to be ordered from HP so the onsite repair would be delayed (a weekend came in the middle of all this). Got a call on Monday the 13th from onsite repair tech that he had the screen in hand from UPS and was en route to repair. Met him at the shop, he replaced the screen, made sure it worked, boxed up the old screen and took it away. Not sure this repair could have happened any faster (Thursday PM to Monday afternoon).

Being as the ZR24w is business class it qualifies for the onsite service and quick turnaround service from HP. I could not be more thrilled with HP's service and the price on the refurb monitor. Am already saving to get a third one. Off topic but HP has tons of refurb stuff on their website; learned about it from the Envy 14 forums. Much of it carries the exact same warranty as new. Might have gotten the same service from some other provider but HP has never let me down over the years.

BTW, bb23 good to see you again around the forum. I've been lurking around since May when we were all enthralled with the "new" monitor. Sorry it didn't work for you--I've been lovin' mine.
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Thanks, tordogs. Glad it is working out well for you. Sounds like you may have gotten a brand new screen now for the refurbished? Even if it is not, the monitor is so new, it wouldn't much matter.

Having the HP and the ASUS side by side is interesting - the HP very clearly has better resolution (it looks much "crisper"), easier to read text, etc., but it unfortunately bugs my eyes after several hours. Come Christmas, my wife gets the HP - which is actually fine with me because she does a lot of Photoshop work, etc., which I don't do. She will actually get more use out of this IPS monitor than I will. I just wish the ASUS was 1920x1200 rather than 1920x1080, but it is a 27", $100 cheaper - and also has displayport like the HP.

It seems very odd to me that more manufacturers have not added displayport. It was pretty easy to choose the ASUS as there are not that many choices with displayport. Plus the ASUS has a very fast response time - at least on paper. Unfortunately, my gaming time has been greatly minimized these days, but three monitors are actually great for work too. I wonder if just one of those new 6900 ATI cards can actually handle 4 monitors using the two mini-displayports and two DVI ports. The reviews I read were ambivalent, so I will research more. Four would be fantastic, at least for work, obviously not for gaming where three seem ideal using Eyefinity.
 
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bb23 said:
Thanks, tordogs. Glad it is working out well for you. Sounds like you may have gotten a brand new screen now for the refurbished? Even if it is not, the monitor is so new, it wouldn't much matter.

Having the HP and the ASUS side by side is interesting - the HP very clearly has better resolution (it looks much "crisper"), easier to read text, etc., but it unfortunately bugs my eyes after several hours. Come Christmas, my wife gets the HP - which is actually fine with me because she does a lot of Photoshop work, etc., which I don't do. She will actually get more use out of this IPS monitor than I will. I just wish the ASUS was 1920x1200 rather than 1920x1080, but it is a 27", $100 cheaper - and also has displayport like the HP.

It seems very odd to me that more manufacturers have not added displayport. It was pretty easy to choose the ASUS as there are not that many choices with displayport. Plus the ASUS has a very fast response time - at least on paper. Unfortunately, my gaming time has been greatly minimized these days, but three monitors are actually great for work too. I wonder if just one of those new 6900 ATI cards can actually handle 4 monitors using the two mini-displayports and two DVI ports. The reviews I read were ambivalent, so I will research more. Four would be fantastic, at least for work, obviously not for gaming where three seem ideal using Eyefinity.
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Glad you found something that will work for your eyes; after all, that is what it is all about with a monitor. I didn't get a brand new screen according to the usage hours but it works great and no defects. The refurb that arrived had taken a big lick right in center screen and had a big red dot there; not talking pixels, more like the diameter of a pencil eraser--was heartbroken. Quite obvious it was damaged during shipping. So glad HP held up their end of the deal on replacement.

Yeah, I almost must have 1920x1200 and matte screen. Both those items are getting harder to find by the month. ZR24w hits on both of those as well as having DP connection. Sadly, I got rid of my 5870 for a GTX580 so I could fold again and the nVidia cards don't have DP! So am back to DVI. Wish everyone could get everything standardized again. Got an HP Envy and it has miniDP so can't use it with the ZR24w as don't have the right adapter. Had the idea of doing Eyefinity but now that the 5870 is gone that isn't an option. Will do dual monitors and maybe pick up another refurb ZR just to keep on hand. As you well know the trend is to 1920x1080 and glossy screens. Is your Asus screen matte or glossy? Been wanting a new, thin LED tele but they all seem to be glossy, too. Resolution is pretty easy to determine but whether the screens are matte/glossy is hard to find out. A guy at Crutchfield told me that if it says LED, it is most likely glossy. Also, is your Ausus an LED monitor?

Well, seem to have hijacked this thread all over the place. Good to get your input again.
 
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