Customer Reviews

HP W2007 20-inch Widescreen Flat Panel LCD Monitor

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This monitor is my first LCD and was an upgrade to a ViewSonic 17". I cannot get over how beautiful the colors and picture are. I find myself loading up old games and DVDs just to examine the quality.

It does not come with a DVI cable which I could not find any indication of on the box itself. Also, the information listed here on Amazon under "Technical Details" and "Product Description" differs in regards to the supported resolution. The "Technical Details" are correct. The suggested resolution is 1680 x 1050 and not 1440 x 900. I suspect the smaller resolution is probably correct for the 19" w1907 model.

I did not have a DVI cable already, so at first connected it using the included 15 pin cable and was very impressed on first use. Then I managed to get a DVI-D M/M cable and was even more impressed at the gorgeous picture quality. Definitely worth the extra purchase of a DVI cable. Just don't buy one at a local store where they go for upwards of 50 bucks. Amazon is a wonderful and very affordable alternative.

Mainly my experience with this monitor is in a Windows XP SP2 environment, although I do have a dual boot with Mandriva Linux. The printed instructions that came with the hardware were limited to a simplistic poster which was clear enough and the Windows software installation from the included CD went quickly and flawlessly. Getting the monitor setup in the Linux environment, however, was a bit of a chore and I still have yet to get it do display in the maximum resolution of 1680 x 1050. But that is probably more related to my own challenges using Linux.

I highly recommend this product. The widescreen aspect is outstanding for DVDs and iTunes videos. World of Warcraft never looked so beautiful on my system. In fact it's performed beautifully for every game I've thrown at it so far: WoW, Quake3, BF1942, BF2. Couldn't be happier. Except with maybe a 30". ;)

I had my doubts about this monitor when I first examined it, because the earlier HP monitor that I owned had a distinct yellowish cast and the colors were not nearly as vivid as the competition. Obviously, HP learned from the marketplace because this monitor features brighter and more vivid colors than any other monitor I have used. This monitor is a joy to use for viewing digital photography, surfing the internet, watching DVDs or just doing work.

As is always the case with HP, the hardware on this unit is first-rate, excepting that this unit (in common with what appears to be the trend in the marketplace) does not include a height adjustment. This minor quibble aside, the unit was completely plug-and-play when I plugged it into my Intel Dual-Core PC (Windows XP) as the second monitor.

This is a very competitive product that I highly recommend.

I love the HP monitors that have the Brite Vu technology as this one does. It far exceeds other manufacturers' monitors in terms of clarity of what you are viewing with both words and photos. As far as the picture and clarity on the screen - it is fantastic. My only concern is in the design in that due to the size and the type of base I find that when I type the monitor jiggles a little as it's not really suspended to the base in such a way to prevent that. The monitor juts out from the base about 4 inches, so it's suspended in the air by this curved 4 inch base. It's just not as stable a base as some of the others. I'll be exchanging this for a different HP monitor. It could just be my desk (I have a glasstop desk so maybe it's not as stable as a wood desk) but the jiggling is annoying just the same and there is no way to correct the problem. Outside of that I'd give it five stars as far as the functions and crispness of screen image. The jiggling is the only thing I would caution someone in reference to this monitor. Outside of that - it's terrific.

I've had the w2007 for about a month, and it's performed flawlessly. It's not an inexpensive monitor, so I'm a bit irked that HP didn't include a DVI cable. If your considering this monitor, remember to buy a DVI cable.

Out of the box, with the included VGA cable, the monitor looked great. With a DVI cable, it's gorgeous...no noise or artifacts, brilliant color, and crisp text. Vista looks great, even with my $99.00 video card, and it's especially well-suited for photos and DVDs. It even looks great when it's off!

I'm not a huge HP fan, but I'm very glad I purchased this monitor.

Update 12/30/2008:
I have since upgraded my video card which solved the problem with the DVI connection. Still love my monitor, would probably go for a 24" next time.

Update 1/19/2008:
I hold new appreciation for my HP. I recently purchased a glossy screen Dell S1999WFP 19" monitor to use with a TV tuner and an old computer. The HP is superior in every respect. The Dell has stuck pixels, poor color representation, the text at the top level menus has shadowing/doubling, and it just doesn't seem bright enough. The corners of the monitor were dark, but the end of the menu bar was washed out. I didn't see any improvement with DVI over VGA. It is the worst monitor I've ever owned, and a waste of money.

Original Review:

I originally bought a 19" Samsung 906BW because I didn't think my video card could handle the resolution of a 20" widescreen. After plugging in the Samsung, a slew of new resolutions appeared in my display adapter (ATI Radeon x300 with WinXP) so I decided to eat the $55 in restocking and return shipping fees and get myself a 20".

I narrowed my choices down to the HP w2007, the Samsung 206BW (because I was pleased with the performance of the 906BW) and the Optiquest Q20WB because it was cheap and had the same specs as the HP. This time I paid a visit to a retail store to see the monitors in action. Immediately I was smitten with the glossy BrightView screen of the HP. (The Samsung wasn't hooked up in the store so I couldn't compare the two, but the HP had me at hello.) I was also concerned with the buzzing that some people reported after lowering the brightness on their Samsung 206BW.

When I plugged in the HP next to the 906BW I was delighted with the crispness of the text thanks to the smaller dot pitch of the HP, and the extra real estate offered by the increase in resolution. 20" was definitely the right size for me, and I do not regret losing the money on the exchange. No dead pixels, some backlight bleeding. (The Samsung had neither dead pixels nor bleeding.) Reflections have not been an issue for me, unless I'm looking at an all black screen. My major gripe is that whites on the HP aren't truly white, and there is a noticeable color shift from white to yellowish-white as your eyes travel closer to the edge of the screen. It's almost as if the display isn't bright enough to keep the whites uniform. I tried making adjustments and color calibrating using the HP My Display software, to no effect. It is what it is. The Samsung had a much brighter screen, and whites were better. That surprised me because I read many reviews about how bright the HP was. I understand that color shifts and viewing angles are a concern with most, if not all LCDs at this point so it's something I will have to live with. These monitors are worlds better than my 10 yr-old CRT anyway.

Just to make sure I didn't have a defective unit, I replaced it with another w2007 but there was no improvement. (By the way, the second HP, manufactured 5/07, came with a DVI cable.) I also have trouble with the monitor losing the input signal when using the DVI connection. Either there is a problem at boot up or I can't get it to wake after going to sleep. I don't have any difficulties when using the VGA cable by itself. A visit to the ATI website showed me the fault rests with my video card, and so far there is no solution. (Quite a few of their cards can't handle DVI, so be warned).

Although I don't think it's fair comparing a 19" to a 20", the HP looks better on VGA than the Samsung did. The text on the Samsung with the VGA connection appeared smudged, but it cleaned up with the DVI connection. The HP has clean text on either connection, although it looks better with DVI.

The 22" version of this monitor, the HP w2207, comes with a height adjustable stand and USB ports, but the resolution is the same and the dot pitch is larger. I had also read a number of reviews where people who had originally purchased the Samsung 226BW had returned it for the HP w2207. I think it comes down to personal preference, if you want a glossy screen and are willing to pay a premium for it. I imagine I would have been happy with either of the two monitors mentioned above had I not been seduced by the BrightView display. The other thing is the Samsung comes with a three year warranty, the HP and Optiquest, only one year.

If I had to do it again, I might purchase the Optiquest instead as it was half of what I ended up spending on the HP.

I purchased this Monitor after reviewing and actually observing the demos of other monitors in the similiar price range and functionality...
I am glad I chose to buy this HP W2207 20" Monitor. Arrived in excellent condition from Amazon..with All the cables including the HDMI cable
Set up was a breeze
The CD that came with the monitor is very helpful...but i did not need it..the auto set up works great for me... It is a real plug and play..
Now about the Monitor
It is a beauty in itself . Crisp and crystal clear.. I am 80 yesrs old I have 20/20 vision after my recent Cataract op. but I needed reading glasses to view with my old 17" CRT monitor ..
Now I donot need any glasses at all with this monitor .
I do wordprocessing, surfing on internet and lots digital photoediting etc. The wide screen is big and lots of real estate specially for when I am editing photos etc.
viewing slideshows of my pictures on this monitor is a great video experience...( not much can be said about the enclosed speakers..they are just so so..and again I donot care I did not buy it for Audio part..I have my own external speakers)...I am using the VGA connection with my HP mulitmedia Desktop. It works great. crystal clear...When I get the miniDVI cable adaptor I will onnect it to my Macbook..I donot know what more quality I can expect...the VGA connection in itself is already great...
I have not noticed any dead pixels and like that some people talked about.
One word of warning though ! I got so much addicted to viewing this beautiful monitor..I am afraid , I am kind of procrastinating other pending chores..
I love this monitor...If I can get a suitable stand alone TV tuner I am thinking of buying one more HPw2007 20" monitor to watch TV...
I am very happy with my purchase

In what we can collectively call "the good ol' days" of computing we had computers that were Spartan, utilitarian beige boxes and monitors that were glorified beige or grey TVs. Even many latter day PC LCD monitors have no frills cases that merely get the job done.

This HP monitor, however, gets it done in unparalleled style. Rare is the computer component that makes me want to stare at it for hours drooling, but this HP LCD has definitely tempted me. It is absurdly gorgeous. Nothing inflates your consumer pride like being able to see your reflection in a 20 inch widescreen monitor. The case is beautiful, the screen is truly spacious and expansive, the power indicator is alluringly subtle in the upper right hand corner, visible but not intrusive at all. It is evocative of the understated beauty that is the entirety of this monitor.

Oh right, how does it actually *display*...

Words can't describe(In the good way, of course). This monitor (which did come with a DVI cable, I bought it brand new) displayed beautifully right out of the box with *no* adjustment whatsoever, nor even bothering to use the (in my opinion superfluous) install CD. Without even touching the menu at all, it was crisp, colourful, sharp and completely gorgeous- no dead pixels or anything of that sort, either. I upgraded to this model from a 17" Dell flatscreen which had served me well without incident- but I felt a new monitor was in order for a new computer I just purchased, and I had some spare change.

Speaking of spare change this really feels like a bargain at 250- For under 300 dollars you are getting a *high* quality piece of equipment that can score perfect marks in form and function, and looks decidedly up-market. At maximum resolution (16x10) this monitor offers a valley of space and real breathing room that'll wow even those who use 12x10 on a normal aspect ratio monitor. As a gamer this monitor is an even grander boon. World of Warcraft never looked so good, I have to say. This monitor gives your games an even more cinematic feel, all I would recommend is that you have a good graphics card to back this beauty up if you intend to game. With my 512 MB video RAM I noticed a slight decrease in framerate in WoW when I switched from the 17 inch to this. Not damaging at all, I only noticed because WoW has an FPS meter- but it may be noticeable to those with less processing/graphics power.

There are some minor downs to this otherwise grand monitor. One, as others have mentioned, is the stand. It does feel pretty weak. Because my desk is fairly solid, typing doesn't really cause the monitor to jiggle, but even stroking it to wipe away dust makes it move more than it should. It also swivels too easily. But so long as your desk is solid and you don't have an unnatural desire to touch your monitor a bunch (something you *could* be forgiven for with this model) you won't notice it.

This monitor has been gorgeous, especially with the DVI cable. Truly worth every last cent. I had previously tried to upgrade to a 19 inch widescreen from I-Inc... waste of 150 dollars, required lots of calibration to produce an *okay* image. I gave it as a gift to my father though. If you're used to high (12x10) resolution and want a widescreen, go for 20 inches or more. 1440x900 likely won't cut it for you- I learned that the hard way. When you do and you choose this monitor- it's worth every cent for the beauty this screen offers in both its casing and its display. 5 stars easily.

I can say safely that the 20 inch model is tremendous. If you want to spend less than 300 I would argue the 22 inch definitely isn't worth the extra hundred dollars. You'll get bragging rights, an inflated ego, you name it, with this 20 inch alone. It is *big*.

Finally, shipping was great. 10 dollars for One Day Shipping for me- though it shipped from Pennsylvania and that might have contributed, certainly. Still, check out your shipping options. Unless you live in Alaska you may be pleasantly surprised. If you want a 20 inch: Get this.

I normally wait a while before I write one of these. However my wife and I are both very pleased with this monitor; and it has been in the house less than one week. We have been scanning quite a few old photos lately, some dating back to the early 1900's. This has involved quite a bit of editing and fixing to repair spots and tears. We also recently purchased a mid-high end DSLR and I have found myself doing quite a lot of post-processing of new photos; especially in the area of increased brightness and contrast. A few weeks ago I did some of this processing on our laptop and realized the LCD was much brighter than our tube. We bought the W2007 and it opened a new world.

Image quality is WOW! Bright, wonderful contrast and color - Even though the graphics card in our two year old media machine is below the monitor's capability. Photo editing and touch up is easier, and I am doing much less post-processing because the screen is much closer to the camera image.

Working with photo editing software is a new experience. Infaview, Paint,net and the proprietary software that came with our K10D camera display the photo and an array of menu and dialogue boxes that appear all over the screen - usually on the image. There is plenty of room at the sides of this wide monitor to spread menus out and work unimpeded.

Same story with MSOffice software. You can run menus on both sides of Word or PowerPoint and still have all kinds of viewing area on your documents. You can also display two pages side-by-side and READ THEM!!!

Prior to purchase I saw some comments regarding reflection on the glossy screen. I have to say it is not an issue for us. As the machine boots, and the screen is black, there is a fair amount of reflection from overhead lights and objects behind me. Once the screen comes up, reflections seem to disappear. Granted, some web pages with a lot of dark background do display refection. However, minimal playing with screen tilt has fixed this.

Other problems - None. Great monitor at a reasonable price $259.

I purchased this HP monitor a few months ago. I was originally looking at the LG or Samsung. This model had the glossy screen and was cheaper. I always check out the reviews on Amazon, even though I didn't buy it from them. I did get a DVI cable with this, however I am not using it right now and the picture is still way beyond my old CRT or the LCD I have at work. I didn't notice how good it was until I found a website of 1680x1050 wallpapers and have the same picture on my home PC and Work...
Now the Down side.... This monitor stand looks great but is not as stable. Small movements of the desk are translated to the screen. It really bothers my wife, I can deal with it. I have even thought of wall mounting it. That being said, I am very happy with the purchase.

The monitor itself is great. Installation is more of a pain. When the HP software/driver package installed it messed up the video driver for the systems integrated graphics. HP was called and had no clue as to what the problem was. Reinstalled the video drivers and everything is OK.