Tech*Anovitas has largely served as a bulletin board of sorts for rumors, news and theories about the Dell 2407 24'' widescreen LCD monitor. There's actually a reason for this, and it's not that I'm one of those rabid Dell fanboys. (I don't have anything against the company per se, I simply don't own any Dell products.) I was/is in the market for a monitor upgrade and it seemed that the 2407 might hit the sweet spot between performance/features and value. (Incidentally, in the previous post I reported that the 2407 rev A02 was going to be the initial product release in America; actually, rev A01 was released first, but Dell will be shipping revision A02 starting Friday June 9th, 2006. I’m not sure what the latest revision attempts to fix yet but I’ll provide specifics as soon as possible.)

The point is that the ongoing saga leading up to its release was of personal interest because I wanted a reasonably priced HDCP compliant 24’’ LCD monitor. Since the Samsung 244t appears to have more input lag (rumored to stem from DVI circuit problems) than either the 2405 or 2407 and an unreasonable 14 to 1500 USD price tag (Eizo has a 24’’ offering [CE240W] that’s real hardcore but even more expensive), my choices were limited. Well now there’s an even newer kid on this new 24’’ block, the Benq FP241W, which will supposedly be priced at around $900 USD.

The listed resolution is 1920x1200, with an 800:1 contrast ratio, 300 cdm2 of brightness, a 6ms gtg response (I rely on real-world experience rather than pixel response times from the manufacturer, and this case is no different), and a whole lotta inputs: Check this out- DVI-D, D-Sub15, Composite, Component, S-Video, and HDMI inputs (plural)! The HDMI inputs are fully HDCP compatible and are said to accept signals up to a full 1080p (1920x1080) resolution. Dailytech has some information on it as well.

The Benq is probably using an S-PVA panel, which is a guess based on the specs. I’ll try to confirm this ASAP. I don’t know of any online retailer that’s currently stocking this item but I’ll keep an eye out…

EDIT: June 1st, 2006- it appears the 2407 is now available in the USA, rev A02- link

This may be it! The press release says the 2407 is available worldwide for $949 USD...However, the US Dell website doesn't appear to be part of the world, because it isn't listed there yet.

OK OK, no more jokes...THIS TIME when I say the 2407 will be released any day now, it's actually true!

I’d like to thank the people from Japan, Australia, and The UK who have taken the time to share information about the 2407 on various forums (WS Gaming Forum and Hard Forum especially). There have been reports from individual users who have indeed received the rumored A01 and even A02 panels; Dell seems to have corrected the color banding and text blurring issues in “desktop” mode. There are varying theories on how they accomplished this, but suffice it to say that there was banding and “fuzzy” text in the pre-set “desktop” mode, and now there isn’t. This “fix” appears to be consistent with “stick-over” revisions (where an A01 or A02 label was placed over an A00 original) and new-issue monitors. As of yet, the Dell 2407 IS NOT available in the USA or Canada, so it’s not clear which revision the initial release will be.

In reading user reviews of the 2407, you’ll find claims of 10 to 40ms of lag, but these results are always (as far as I know) obtained by testing 2 or 3 monitors with a stopwatch application. This method will show that under certain circumstances the 2407 will lag more or less than the monitor it’s being compared to, but unless some “0” lag device is used as a control, a definitive, objective lag time can’t be arrived at. It does seem that there is “often” less lag on the 2407 than on the 2405. We’ll wait for more user reviews. Manufacturer "lag" claims have a lot to do with marketing, so stated numbers don't tell the whole story.

Another complaint revolves around 1080i display over component input. Gamers have reported that 1080i is not possible over component (720p is available), whereas it was possible on the 2405. We’re waiting for the final word on that. However, if this is indeed a problem, it WILL NOT affect viewing video from your PC, as your video card is probably fully capable of 1080i output and your monitor probably has adequate resolution for it. This issue applies to component input, which gamers are using for consoles like xBox 360.

Another note on the 24’’ LCD front is the availability and price drop (to $869 USD) of the HP LP2465. Granted, there are people screaming bloody murder that the LP2465 can’t be considered an update over the L2335 because it utilizes a more “cost-effective” P-MVA panel rather than S-IPS, but I’m curious to see what owners will say about HP’s latest offering. Furthermore, IT IS HDCP compliant, for those that have been asking. It DOES NOT have component inputs (gamers take note), instead opting for twin DVI. Good price, but is it a result of the impending 2407 release or a comment on its quality. We shall see…