HP w2207 Review

I had bought this HP w2207 22" inch LCD monitor last March 2008 to replace my old Acer 19" and to serve as my main external monitor. I was in need of a higher resolution and larger screen since an extra desktop real estate would really help during Photoshop work sessions. Initially, I was torn between Acer P223W and this one but decided to go the HP route.

Display
This HP has "BrightView" glossy coating on it's screen as opposed to traditional matte screens. One disadvantage of  glossy screens is that they tend to be reflective especially if you work near windows or light sources but on glossy screens, images come out vibrant and crisp due to the special coating. Maximum resolution of w2207 is 1680x1050.

This March 2008 photo shows the plastic around the bevels are still intact :)

Speakers
This was a big factor for my buying decision since I can't stand the tin-can sound of the Asus notebook that this monitor is hooked to. The sound is decent, it has bass and produces a full sound. This may not be the best, but it certainly is good for a built-in speaker.

One problem I had encountered with this monitor is that it has noise and slight flickering. I researched online and realized that others were also experiencing this. Apparently, this is caused by power interference from the powerstrip/wall socket to which the monitor is plugged into. I tried turning off the AC adapter of my notebook and switch only to battery mode and the noise really disappeared meaning the culprit is the power, not the monitor. I don't really know the technical reason why this is happening.

The solution would be to separate the socket of your computer from that of the monitor. (this is sometimes impossible to do)  My solution was that I just bought a cheap DVI cable from the ever reliable cdr-king and voila! the noise was gone, no more flickering. It must have something to do with analog signals...

Advantages

• Large and bright 22" glossy screen
• Has built-in speakers, sounds good IMHO
• Has 2-USB ports on the left
• Has rotate-pivot function, great for reading documents and long texts

Disadvantages

• Suffers from noise

Manufacturer's specs

• Resolution: 1,680x1050
• Dot pitch: .28mm
• Pixel-response rate: 5ms
• Contrast ratio: 1,000:1
• Viewing angle: 160 degrees horizontal, 160 degrees vertical
• Connectivity: Analog, digital, USB
• HDCP-compliant
• Included VGA, USB, and audio cables (no DVI)
• Integrated, two-watt speakers