Home > Consumer Reviews > HP W2007 20-inch Widescreen Flat Panel LCD Monitor

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.