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Tom's Hardware: HP LP2480zx

Alexandre Botella
September 1, 2008 9:00 AM


                                             Specifications
Diagonal screen size
 24''
Type IPS
Resolution 1920x1020
Response time
 6 ms
Input(HDMI/DVI/VGA/YUV) 1 / 2 / 0 / 1
Viewing angles
 178°/178°

After testing the HP w2408h, which left something to be desired, here we have the LP2480zx, part of the manufacturer’s pro range. According to HP, this screen has an extensive colour range and a rich visual quality and homogeneity. At first glance, this monoitor has a rather crude look about it. Beyond its appearance however is a real pearl in terms of ergonomics: vertically adjustable base, pivot, mounted on a platter, a 4-port USB hub and all the connection sockets you could wish for, not to forget the IPS panel which guarantees open angles of vision and colour homogeneity. Difficult not to give it maximum points.



Viewing angles

The screen is photographed from the front and then from 50° at all angles
If from below the screen darkens, there is no doubt that this is a TN type technology screen. Otherwise it's a VA or IPS. Ideally, we want the largest possible viewing angles.


Energy use

We measure energy consumption on a standard test image in two contexts: first at 200 cd/m² (classic use) then at 100 cd/m² (pro image editing).
From our experience, a normal 17'' LCD consumes around 30 watts, a 19'' = 35 watts, a 20'' = 45 watts, a 22'' = 50 watts, and a 24'' = 70 watts. 19'' CRTs use 70 watts.



Colour homogeneity does not automatically signify colour fidelity and and the default settings on the LP2480z do not give sufficiently good results for a monitor that aims at the professional image market. The colour temperature measure confirms what you can see with the eye, namely a dominance of blues which gives a dE of 3.9. Happily, by using the AdobeRGB mode and putting the temperature at 6000K you can reduce this twice over. The screen then settles at a dE of 1.8 and a contrast ratio of around 830: 1. Another plus point is that the panel is almost as homogenous as the colours themselves, with the average difference in luminosity between the different parts of the panel under 8 % as compared with 30 % for a standard monitor.

Colors with factory settings

Analysis of colors of factory settings with the LaCie Blue Eye Pro colorimeter. The graph shows DeltaE, or the difference between perfect colors and what is actually displayed on the screen.
If DeltaE > 3, the desired color differs noticeably. Below this figure results are good, very good at < 2, and perfect at DeltaE < 1.


Contrat measurements

Brightness and contrast are adjusted for a comfortable display with brightness established at the center of the screen with the help of our sensor, first at 200 cd/m² (movies, games and office use), then at 100 cd/m² (image editing). The purpose is to verify if blacks are washed out or are deep.
Black should be as deep as possible and the closer to zero the better. In practice, monitors at 0.1 cd/m² are close to perfection while a measurement above 0.3 is already very good.


Evenness, test results

We use a sensor to measure the brightness of individual pixels in 25 different areas of a screen showing a single color, and then calculate the average discrepancy between the darkest and brightest areas.
On a screen designed for professional users, the average gap between the brightest and darkest areas should be under 10%, and 20% is still a good score. Most monitors average around 30%, but the human eye can only detect average discrepancies of around 40% or more, unless two adjacent pixels are very different.
Reactivity is on a par with a good 2 ms TN which, coupled with a low luminosity in the dark, gives slightly better results than the average for films. However, unless you add a graphic correction chip, you’re far from television quality results. Gamers will also be disappointed to hear that the input lag is around two frames.
Game rendering

Photo of our test scene with very high shutter speed. Here we show you the best/worst results selected from at least 50 photos shot in burst mode.
Ideally we only see the superhero without any remanence (ghost images) behind. The more persistent and bright the images trailing the main one, the less sharp objects will be in movement.
Delay compared with a CRT

We put the screen in clone mode as well as our CRT reference (tube screen), a Mitsubishi DiamondTron, in clone mode and time them with an accuracy of 1/1000 of a second. We then photograph them in order to find ten consecutive time differences.
We give you the average of 10 delays as well as the minimum and maximum. In games, a delay of 16.7 ms equals a delay of one image, 33 ms equals 2 images, etc. The graph on the right represents the stability of this delay.

Is a “pro” screen necessarily more expensive?

 Sorry for those who were hoping to hear otherwise but the answer is yes! At least in comparision with monitors for the general consumer, you can easily triple the price or more. Even for a pro screeen however, HP has really lifted the ceiling on this one. On HP’s own site, the price before tax is just under 2299 euros while for 1100 euros (tax included) you can get a Lacie 324 with an equivalent performance level (excepting energy consumption that is)

Pluses Minuses
- Responsiveness

- Default colour settings
- Colours after resetting  
- Ergonomics  

Conclusion

A product with many qualities but unfortunately quite over-priced, even for a pro screen.



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