HP L2335: Low Response Time and High Resolution LCD
by Kristopher Kubicki on July 8, 2005 7:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Displays
Subjective Analysis
For this portion of the benchmark, we will pit the HP L2335 display against monitors that we have looked at recently in the same size category. This is a subjective test that relies on our overall experience with the monitor after several hours of casual and thorough use. We also use test patterns and guidelines from the VESA FPDM 2.0 to rate each unit as fairly as possible.Here is generally how we rate a category:
5 - Outstanding; we have not seen anything to date that could rival our impression of this monitor's performance.
4 - Good, but room for improvement. There are units on the market that perform better.
3 - Average; this monitor performs well enough to maintain the status quo, but does not excel.
2 - Improvement needed; this monitor performs poorly in performance of this category.
1 - Unacceptable; this product does not pass even basic performance requirements.
| DisplayMate / CheckScreen / VESA FPDM 2.0 | |||||
| HP L2335 | Dell 2001FP | Dell 2005FPW | Apple Cinema 20" | Samsung 213T | |
| Intensity Range Check | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4.5 | 5 |
| Black Level Adjustment | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 5 |
| Wide Angle Viewing | 4.5 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Defocusing, Blooming, Halos | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Screen Uniformity and Color Purity | 5 | 4.5 | 5 | 5 | 4 |
| Dark Screen Glare Test | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 |
| Primary Colors | 4.5 | 4 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 |
| Color Scales | 4.5 | 4 | 4 | 4.5 | 3.5 |
| 16 Color Intensity Levels | 4 | 4.5 | 4 | 4.5 | 4.5 |
| Screen Regulation | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Streaking, Ghosting* | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Motion Blur, Black + White | 4 | 3.5 | 4 | 4 | - |
| Motion Blur, Gaming | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | - |
*Note: the streaking/ghosting mentioned in this portion of the analysis refers to streaking and ghosting as interference, not as a byproduct of poor response time.
Notes from the Lab
Even though the HP L2335 scored very well in this analysis, there is some room for improvement. The market has progressed so much since the unveiling of the Samsung 213T that outstanding intensity range in early 2004 is just accepted as the standard today in 2005. We just looked at the Dell 2005FPW and the Apple Cinema display, so those benchmarks are the most relevant of the bunch in our analysis. Even thought the differences are getting more subtle from display to display, there are a few obvious points that we can make. When we had the Samsung 213T in our lab, we did not include motion blur testing at the time, which is why those marks are left out from the table. Comparing the two displays for gaming is an easy task, however. The Samsung 213T uses a considerably slower PVA panel compared to the other four displays featured in the table, all of which use 16ms LG.Philips LCD panels.Our biggest compliment to the L2335 was the screen uniformity. Often, larger LCD displays (20" and higher) start to have more trouble keeping the backlighting consistent. This was not a problem for the L2335 even when the screen was completely black. Although color replication was very good, there is also some room for improvement here too. Our intensity levels were a little weak at times, although this was generally in the mid tones and not in the extremes as our measured contrast ratio tests on the previous pages have shown. Had this display gone on the market in 2003, we probably wouldn't have even mentioned anything, but as LCDs mature, so must our criticism.
Gaming on the L2335 was spectacular, but once we were past the 1920x1200 resolution, we started to analyze the tell tale problems of all LCD panels. Motion blur is evident in our tests, and there really is no advantage compared to a display like the Dell 2005FPW. We suspect that the response time is probably better than that of the Dell 2405FPW, since SIPS panels (like the one used in the HP L2335) generally outperform PVA panels here.
We should note that running large resolutions on this display in analog mode is extremely painful. At 1920x1200, it didn't take much interference for us to generate artifacts all along the edges of the signal, even when using one of our own high quality cables.
Another Special Note about Gaming
We took some flak during our last review when we mentioned that support for 1680x1050 on games was not as prevalent as it could be. We might have overstated a bit as most new games since 2004 generally have support for 16:10 resolutions including 1680x1050. A colleague of mine, Skip Clarke writes:While there have been notable exceptions in recent releases (including WC3, Pirates!, Rollercoaster Tycoon 3, and SW: KOTOR2), most new games support widescreen resolutions either natively or through easy hacks/tweaks. Recent major releases with native widescreen include: COH, WOW, EQ2, Guild Wars, HL2, GTA3:VC, Doom3, Sims2 (though a hack is needed for any res above 1600x1200), Warhammer 40k:DOW, UTk4. Recent releases that are hackable include America's Army, Battle for Middle Earth, COD, MOH, XIII, Painkiller, Rise of Nations, Elder Scrolls 3, Splinter Cell, C&C: Generals, and StarWars: Republic Commando.Skip has me outclassed here, so feel free to check out his website at http://www.widescreengamingforum.com/ for more details and patches!
In addition, some "old school" favorites such as the original Command & Conquer series (including RA, RA2, and Tiberian Sun), RTA2, Homeworld, Mehcwarrior 4, Doom I & II, Quake 2, Dungeon Keeper 2, and Max Payne support widescreen either natively or by hack. And, we host patches (created by forum members) to hack Sim City 4, SW:KOTOR, DAOC (pre-Catacombs, as Catacombs added widescreen), Myst: Uru, Tiger Woods PGS Tour 2004, and Prince of Persia: Sands of Time.
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cbreaker - Tuesday, August 16, 2005 - link
I wanted a big wide-screen monitor and I really only had two options- the L2335 and the new Dell 24". While I would have liked the extra inch on the dell, the L2335 is so big it barely matters. And they do the same resolution.The response time on this monitor is simply amazing. I went from a 21" Sony CRT which I really liked, to this. I was apprehensive about gaming on the thing, but the first time I ran Counterstrike I was at ease. There's such a small amount of ghosting that you can't even tell it's an LCD - except for the fact that the picture, colors, and sharpness are unbelievable. I've played every FPS and racing game I could find on this thing, and all of them run beautifully. Honestly, guys. Once you use the L2335 you won't even remember the words response time. It's that good.
The warranty on this monitor is almost as good as the monitor itself! HP lists this item as a business item - so the support is better. Three year no questions asked replacement. I had a few dead pixels on the screen, so I called HP and asked what I could do. They shipped me out a new one with no credit card number, I got it in two days (and while I had both for a couple days I just *had* to hook them both up at once, holy crap! I need to buy another one of these soon!) and put my old one in the box, slapped the label it came with over the old one, and dropped it off at the UPS store. It couldn't be easier.
The inputs on the monitor are great too. Composite, S-Video, Component, DVI, and VGA. Unlike the review by Anandtech, I had exceptional results using a standard VGA cable. Perfect picture - although not quite as bright as when on DVI. But no bleeding, no artifacts, nothing. Sharp, clear picture. This would vary a lot depending on your video card and cable. On DVI, it works perfectly. I connected my XBox to the screen with the HD cable, and it looks great! Set the Xbox to use "Widescreen" and even games that run at 480p (most games) will still adjust for the aspect ratio. XBox Media Player at 1080i looks sharp and perfect.
The monitors scaling abilities are great. When using lower then 1920x1200 resolutions, it scales the picture very well - the picture is very clean and crisp. It looks better then my friends' 19" Samsung LCD.
You can also tilt the screen on axis into landscape mode. While the picture isn't as clear when it's sideways (as is true with any LCD) it still looks sharp and bright. It's pretty cool for viewing web pages or documents!
The only one thing that I would like improvement on is the black levels - it doesn't get as black as I would like. However, even while watching a DVD on the monitor or playing Doom 3, it's not a big issue.
I just can't say enough good things about this screen. It really is a gem for gamers.
(PS. The new "consumer" version of this screen uses the same LCD, but the warranty isn't as good and it has speakers built in. Who wants speakers built into their screen? I don't. But I guess it would be good if you wanted to use the screen as a TV.)
Galvin - Monday, July 11, 2005 - link
Since noone is commenting on dead pixels im assuming that these highend displays are made with none.Also how low can you set the display. In the picture it seems like its rather high. So I assume the display can be adjusted to be lower to the base?
eastvillager - Monday, July 11, 2005 - link
This thead has posts by somebody with both of the hp panels.http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=757963
DarkFudge2000 - Monday, July 11, 2005 - link
Hi, Im curious about the differences in the Business HP L2335 ( reviewed here on ANandtech ) and the HP f2304 listed in their Home shopping website....the specs look the same and the f2304 is $799 after an instant and mail in rebate!!can someone please discuss this me
eastvillager - Monday, July 11, 2005 - link
I have an L2335, they've been out for a long time, much longer than the dell offering, fyi.Dell owners need to stop taking this review as a slam on their purchase. They're both great displays. The money on was well spent on your Dell panel, fear not.
I use the component inputs on my L2335 too, but I use them for game consoles. Whenever I don't feel like turning on the projector, I game on the L2335 instead.
CRTs aren't hands down better than LCD, and they never have been. One great example is geometry. The geometry on an LCD is perfect, out of the box, and forever. CRTs almost never have perfect geometry out of the box, and require calibration to approach it---calibration that has to be redone if you move a larger CRT. They're(LCD) also much easier on the eyes, especially for those of us who have to look at multiple screens on multiple machines day after day after day. As a UNIX consultant, I'm happy LCD has taken over because CRTs were giving me bad eye strain and I was tired of calibrating every CRT I sat down in front of, often multiple times.
CRTs have traditionally had better color reproduction and of course no significant latency in gaming. The color issue is becoming less of one with each generationg, and the same can be said for panel latency.
I'd stick with a CRT if I was making money involving color pro/repro work, especially if I had to make my own prints, but that would be it.
Kamakzie - Monday, July 11, 2005 - link
I also have the L2335 and it works great for HD viewing through component video inputs as well as a computer monitor!CtK - Monday, July 11, 2005 - link
in the Cable Management, Pivot, Stand Page why is there only a drawing and no real pictures of the Cable Management, Pivot, Stand?!?!?!JNo - Monday, July 11, 2005 - link
Yeah have just bought a Dell 2405 1920x1200 recently and it's a shame I didn't know about this monitor beforehand just so I could have more choice. I am v happy with the Dell but echo others' sentiments that I did not get a very clear impression of how this HP compares to the Dell (I know there were a couple of references but they were opaque at best ie anandtech did the comparison from memory, rather than side-by-side analysis). If the HP is too slow for gaming purists than my Dell should definitely be according to this article but I am v happy with it (play CS Source etc).Galvin - Monday, July 11, 2005 - link
What about dead pixels. Or the top end good with no dead pixels. To drop 1 grand on an LCD it better not have no dead pixels. Nothing more anoying than getting dead pixels.Murthunder - Monday, July 11, 2005 - link
Does anyone know if the HP monitor in the review (the business-oriented L2335) is functionally the same as the HP Pavilion f2304 23" retail channel monitor? The specs look similar, but the stands are different and the f2304 includes speakers.