Misfiring Neurons Just another geek with a blog

Dell Ultrasharp 2408WFP Review

Dell 2408WFP

A couple of months back I started a quest to upgrade my aging 19" LCD. First, I bought a Samsung SyncMaster 2232GW which I'd seen a friend of mine use. This turned out to be a disappointment - I didn't care much for the glossy finish or the shiny black case, but the real deal breaker was the colour banding and, to a lesser degree, RTC artefacts. After reading lots about the different LCD panel types, I decided that I had to get a display that isn't based on TN technology. The Dell Ultrasharp 2408WFP is one of three monitors based on the same Samsung S-PVA panel (the other two being the Samsung 245T and the aging HP LP2465). Short of high-end LaCie and NEC monitors, these three together with the Apple Cinema Displays are the only high-quality enthusiast-level LCDs available in South Africa at present. The Apple Cinema Displays don't play very nicely with PCs (they don't have a built-in scaler so text mode in particular does not work) so I went ahead and ordered the Dell based on my very good experience with the Ultrasharp 1707FPs I use at work.

For the advanced PC or Mac user who values wide viewing angles and colour accuracy, this is an excellent LCD. Dell recommends this monitor for "accurate color representation" in the "home and office", and describes it as offering a "satisfying viewing experience when engaging in digital content creation, gaming and HD entertainment". Depending on where you're coming from, this could be the best monitor you've ever seen or just not good enough to make the grade. Read on for my experience with it. Ergonomics and connectivity are certainly top notch. One possible issue is the extended colour gamut - colour managed apps will display colour accurately, but some apps will have ridiculous neon colours as a result. Lightroom, Photoshop CS3, the Vista desktop (Explorer, photo viewer etc.), and Mozilla Firefox (once configured) all work correctly.

I ordered my monitor on September 4, 2008 and received the original revision, despite a firmware update being released all the way back in June already! I wouldn't ordinarily mind but the original firmware only allows the user to adjust sharpness in increments of 25. The default value of 50 is too high, causing colour halos around text. Dropping it to 25 results in a picture that is way too soft. This also tends to emphasize grain in photos and jagged lines in vector graphics. The new revision firmware should sort this out but don't assume that you'll get it - you might need to send it back to Dell for an update.

What is a more serious issue for graphics/photography users is the so-called "contrast shift" or "gamma shift" that is inherent to PVA matrices. This means that the halftones will shift in brightness when viewed off-centre. This is a major problem as you only need to move your head a few centimeters to notice it. With a panel of this size, simply moving an image from one side of the screen to the other will result in a visible change as you drag the window across. This is the reason we don't buy cheap TN panels in the first place! Except, TN panels change contrast when you move your head up and down. PVA panels change (and quite significantly) when you move left to right. This is arguably even worse, as monitors are wider than they are tall, and typically you'll stay at a constant height when sat in front of a computer.

My last problem with this monitor is hard to describe - some users report is as "DLP-like colour rainbows". I can notice it easily if there is some white text on a black background (e.g. a command shell), or a low-key black and white image on the screen, and move my eyes from one side of the screen to the other. As your eyes move across the screen, the B&W image will temporarily appear to have vivid red/green/blue colour stripes across it. This effect happens to me often enough (without specifically looking for it) to be annoying.

Now onto the positives, of which there are many. The stand is excellent - moves smoothly, yet manages to be well damped. It has a small footprint yet is very stable, and rotates nicely along the vertical axis. The portrait orientation pivot feature might come handy to some. The monitor looks like a serious piece of kit and feels very well put together. On the back, there are all the inputs one could wish for - including the new DisplayPort connector. I think it's particularly well suited for general multimedia and productivity tasks. Watching video on it is fantastic thanks to bright colours and wide viewing angles. Gaming is another strong point - I tried Crysis (using PC over DVI, scaled from 1600x1000) and Call of Duty 4 (Xbox 360 over VGA connection, scaled from 1280x800), both were stunning although I still prefer my couch + plasma TV when it comes to recreation

My monitor is going back to Dell as a result of the above mentioned issues. I still believe it is a very solid choice but not the right one for me. However besides the inherent S-PVA problem of contrast shift, the remaining issues are inexcusable at this price level from a major manufacturer like Dell. Especially when a fix for at least one of them has been available for some months now. Service from Dell SA was outstanding though so I'll be more than happy to deal with them again. In the mean time, I'll be waiting for the new HP LP2475w to launch in SA. This monitor uses the latest generation H-IPS panel from LG and so has the potential to be even better than the Apple Cinema HD Display 23" and as good as the Apple iMac 24" (but without the glossy finish).

Other reviews from around the 'net: TFT Central, TrustedReviews.