HP LP2065

The HP LP2065 ($649 direct) may be Hewlett-Packard's flagship business display, but this versatile LCD will bring style and functionality to any setting—home or office. And its relatively fast pixel-response rating will even make the monitor appealing to some gamers.

The 20.1-inch screen, which is framed by a thin silver bezel, has a resolution of 1,600 by 1,200 pixels and includes a built-in USB hub. The black rectangular stand tilts 35 degrees, swivels 90, and lets you adjust the height by up to 5 inches so you can easily get the perfect viewing angle. The panel also pivots 90 degrees counterclockwise and comes with Portrait Display's Pivot Pro software, letting you rotate the screen image between portrait and landscape modes. A quick-release latch at the rear of the display lets you quickly remove the panel from its pedestal for wall or swing-arm mounting without having to hunt for a screwdriver.

Four well-marked function buttons along the lower bezel let you change screen image properties such as brightness, contrast, color temperature, and clock/phase settings via an intuitive OSD (On Screen Display) menu. There's also an auto-adjustment button for one-touch image optimization while in analog mode. If you prefer not to use the OSD, HP's Display Assistant software lets you play with the image via a wizard using your keyboard and mouse. On the left side of the panel are two downstream USB ports, and at the rear of the monitor are two DVI-I connectors, an upstream USB port, two more downstream USB ports, a cable-lock slot, a power cord connector, and power switch.

We love having dual DVI-I connectors, which transmit both digital and analog signals and let you choose any combination of input sources—dual digital, dual analog, one of each—you name it. Most of today's dual-input LCD monitors come with DVI-D (digital only) and RGB (analog) connectors, which limit your connection options. Still, we wish the LP2065 included S-Video or composite video inputs, like those found on the Gateway FPD2185W.

The monitor also comes with two DVI-to-DVI cables, two DVI–to–15-pin analog cables, and a PC-to-monitor USB (upstream) cable. A removable shroud on the neck of the stand keeps the cables organized and hidden from sight.

We were impressed with the LP2065's performance (especially grayscale) when hooked up to a digital signal, but analog performance was only so-so. In analog mode, our DisplayMate tests revealed compression of light-gray shades, which was also evident at the light end of the primary color scale, resulting in a slight loss of light-color definition and highlight detail in our photo images. For users working with highly detailed images, a digital signal is the way to go.

The monitor did an excellent job of displaying small fonts (down to 5.3 points) in both modes, and text appeared sharp at every font size. Viewing angles were very good in both vertical and horizontal planes, with no major color shifting and only a slight loss of sharpness at the far end of the viewing arc.

Though not quite as impressive as the speedy ViewSonic VX924, the LP2065 did a fine job of displaying fast-motion sequences on our test DVD and gaming tests, thanks to its quick (8-ms) gray-to-gray pixel-response rating. We saw occasional artifacts during a viewing of The Matrix, but overall image quality was good. During a session of Doom 3, we noticed some ghosting and flicker, but game play was mostly smooth and enjoyable.

The monitor comes with a CD containing an electronic user guide, drivers, HP's Display LiteSaver and Display Assistant software, and the Pivot Pro utility. The three-year warranty, which covers labor, backlighting, and defective parts, also includes on-site service or 2-day replacement for a bad unit.

There are less-expensive 20-inch LCD monitors out there, but at $649, the HP LP2065 is a good deal for corporate or home users who demand high-end performance and require flexibility when connecting to their various PCs.

Check out the HP LP2065 alonside other recently reviewed displays in our side-by-side Desktop LCD Comparison Table.

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