Dell 2707WFP: Looking for the Middle Ground of Large LCDs
by Jarred Walton on April 4, 2007 10:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Displays
Features and Specifications
As usual, we refer back to our earlier Gateway FPD2485W review for a brief glossary of terms we use in our display reviews. In theory, higher values in many of these areas indicate a better LCD panel, but marketing definitely influences the importance of many of the scores. We will see how the Dell 2707WFP rates in actual testing in a moment, but let's start with the manufacturer's specifications.
The only other 27" 1920x1200 LCD we are currently aware of is the Samsung 275T, which was announced at CES 2007 but is not yet available. Another similar LCD that should be out in the relatively near future is the Viewsonic VX2835wm, which boasts a 28" screen size. While Dell could not officially confirm or deny this, all indications are that the 2707WFP uses a Samsung panel.
Most of the specifications are similar to what we expect to see in any of the best large LCDs. The response time, contrast ratio, and maximum brightness are all similar to the HP LP3065 and the Dell 3007WFPHC. Like both of those LCDs, the 2707WFP also uses a new CCFL (Cold Cathode Fluorescent Light) that improves the color gamut to 92% of the NTSC standard (versus 72% for the older CCFL). In theory, that should result in more vibrant and accurate colors, although in practice we found it relatively difficult to discern the difference. Imaging professionals might feel otherwise, of course.
The remaining options are nearly identical to the 24" 2407WFP. You get VGA, DVI, S-Video, composite, and component inputs; you can easily switch between the various inputs at the press of a button on the front of the display. You also get the standard flash memory reader and four extra USB ports that are present on all of Dell's larger LCDs. One feature that does get cut - most likely due to the larger panel size - is the rotate functionality that many 24" LCDs have.
On the surface, then, we basically have the Dell 2407WFP with a slightly larger panel and a new backlight that improves the color gamut. Alternately, we have the 3007WFPHC with more inputs, a smaller panel, and a lower native resolution. From a purely functional standpoint, either of those might be an accurate description. However, Dell has updated the design and styling quite a bit relative to their other xx07 LCD models.
We have previously covered Dell's warranty and support options, and nothing has changed in the past six weeks. Dell's high-end LCDs all come with a standard three-year warranty, including Dell's Advanced Exchange service. If at any point it becomes necessary for Dell to replace your LCD during the warranty period, they will ship out the replacement monitor to you. You can then unpack the new monitor, place your old monitor into the box, and ship it back to Dell. For a moderate fee you can also extend your warranty to four or five years. The pixel defect policy is also pretty reasonable, as we were informed by a support technician that they will replace an LCD if you have six or more dead pixels or three or more clustered together. All told, the display warranty policy is about as good as you can expect.
As usual, we refer back to our earlier Gateway FPD2485W review for a brief glossary of terms we use in our display reviews. In theory, higher values in many of these areas indicate a better LCD panel, but marketing definitely influences the importance of many of the scores. We will see how the Dell 2707WFP rates in actual testing in a moment, but let's start with the manufacturer's specifications.
| Dell 2407WFP Specifications | |
| Video Inputs | Analog (VGA) DVI with HDCP support Component Composite S-Video |
| Panel Type | LCD Active Matrix TFT S-PVA |
| Pixel Pitch | 0.303mm |
| Colors | 16.7 million |
| Brightness | 400 cd/m2 |
| Contrast Ratio | 1000:1 (typical) |
| Response Time | 16ms TrTf 6ms (GTG) |
| Viewable Size | 27" diagonal |
| Resolution | 1920x1200 |
| Viewing Angle | 178 vertical/horizontal |
| Power Consumption | 95W typical |
| Power Savings | 2W |
| Power Supply | Built-in |
| Screen Treatment | Ultrasharp |
| Height-Adjustable | Yes - 3.5 inches |
| Tilt | Yes - 30 degrees back/-5 degrees forward |
| Rotation | No |
| Auto-Rotation | N/A |
| Swivel | Yes - 45 degrees left/right |
| VESA Wall Mounting | 100mmx100mm |
| Dimensions w/ Base (WxHxD) | 24.96"x17.39"x9.57" (lowered) 24.96"x20.97"x9.57" (raised) |
| Weight w/ Stand | 27.5 lbs |
| Dimensions w/o Base (WxHxD) | 24.96"x16.23"x3.27" |
| Weight w/o Stand | 17.5 lbs |
| Additional Features | (4) USB 2.0 (USB connection to PC required) 9-in-2 flash reader (CF/SD/MS/SM/MMC) |
| Audio | Optional Dell AS501 |
| Limited Warranty | 3 year parts/labor warranty standard 4 and 5 year warranty optional Advanced Exchange policy |
| Pixel Defect Policy | 6 or more total stuck pixels 3 or more clustered (one inch circle) |
| Panel Revision | A00 |
The only other 27" 1920x1200 LCD we are currently aware of is the Samsung 275T, which was announced at CES 2007 but is not yet available. Another similar LCD that should be out in the relatively near future is the Viewsonic VX2835wm, which boasts a 28" screen size. While Dell could not officially confirm or deny this, all indications are that the 2707WFP uses a Samsung panel.
Most of the specifications are similar to what we expect to see in any of the best large LCDs. The response time, contrast ratio, and maximum brightness are all similar to the HP LP3065 and the Dell 3007WFPHC. Like both of those LCDs, the 2707WFP also uses a new CCFL (Cold Cathode Fluorescent Light) that improves the color gamut to 92% of the NTSC standard (versus 72% for the older CCFL). In theory, that should result in more vibrant and accurate colors, although in practice we found it relatively difficult to discern the difference. Imaging professionals might feel otherwise, of course.
The remaining options are nearly identical to the 24" 2407WFP. You get VGA, DVI, S-Video, composite, and component inputs; you can easily switch between the various inputs at the press of a button on the front of the display. You also get the standard flash memory reader and four extra USB ports that are present on all of Dell's larger LCDs. One feature that does get cut - most likely due to the larger panel size - is the rotate functionality that many 24" LCDs have.
On the surface, then, we basically have the Dell 2407WFP with a slightly larger panel and a new backlight that improves the color gamut. Alternately, we have the 3007WFPHC with more inputs, a smaller panel, and a lower native resolution. From a purely functional standpoint, either of those might be an accurate description. However, Dell has updated the design and styling quite a bit relative to their other xx07 LCD models.
We have previously covered Dell's warranty and support options, and nothing has changed in the past six weeks. Dell's high-end LCDs all come with a standard three-year warranty, including Dell's Advanced Exchange service. If at any point it becomes necessary for Dell to replace your LCD during the warranty period, they will ship out the replacement monitor to you. You can then unpack the new monitor, place your old monitor into the box, and ship it back to Dell. For a moderate fee you can also extend your warranty to four or five years. The pixel defect policy is also pretty reasonable, as we were informed by a support technician that they will replace an LCD if you have six or more dead pixels or three or more clustered together. All told, the display warranty policy is about as good as you can expect.
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AnnonymousCoward - Friday, April 6, 2007 - link
Slightly off topic, but what's the easiest way to get color profiles to apply in games, and not just Windows?JarredWalton - Friday, April 6, 2007 - link
If you set a color profile, it applies to everything but overlay. So games automatically use it, AFAIK. It's only video content that has problems.AnnonymousCoward - Friday, April 6, 2007 - link
You're probably right, since I tried changing the color profile to make everything hot pink, and the game also looked that way.Whenever Windows is booting up, the desktop first looks slightly lighter, and after a second it seems like the color profile kicks in. When I run the game Dark Messiah, right before the screen switches to the game, the desktop switches back to that lighter appearance, so it doesn't look like it's using the profile. I've also seen a few sites indicate that profiles don't apply for games: http://www.hex2bit.com/products/product_mcw.asp">http://www.hex2bit.com/products/product_mcw.asp says "...to prevent other programs from changing the color profile Windows uses. This is especially important to gamers as most games will change the color profile Windows uses." and http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1064124&...">http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1064124&... someone said "Also, that color profile won't effect videos, games, or your mouse cursor. I calibrated through my spyder2..."
sm8000 - Wednesday, April 4, 2007 - link
"single-link with a very limiting 1280x800 resolution"Isn't single link's max res 1920x1200? I'm pretty sure it is. Is the article saying dual link panels by design won't display more than 1280x800 on single link?
JarredWalton - Wednesday, April 4, 2007 - link
Right. There are no scaler ICs for 2560x1600 right now, but apparently they can manage a simple doubling of resolution. If you use a 30" LCD with a single-link DVI connection, they will only support up to 1280x800. In the case of the HP LP3065, any other resolution ends up being garbled (i.e. the BIOS, POST, and boot sequence is illegible). Within Windows, you can change the resolution and apparently the GPU will handle the scaling, but outside of Windows you're basically out of luck unless you're running 1280x800.jc44 - Wednesday, April 4, 2007 - link
I feel the need to take issue with the assumption in the article that a denser pixel pitches must lead to smaller text. OK - that certianly happens by default, but it is possible to increase the number of dpi that windows associates with amonitor and that should increase the size of the displayed text. I'll admit that support is somewhat patchy with web pages being amongst the greatest offenders - but in general it works.Personally I'm a dpi junkie and normally use a 204dpi monitor which can lead to somewhat interesting results on applications & web pages that are convinced that all monitors in the world run at 96dpi!
These days you don't need to spend a lot on a graphics card to a a dual-link dvi connector - I'm not sure where the bottom of the range is but an nvidia 7600 costs less than £100 and can be found with one dual + one single link DVI connectors.
JC
JarredWalton - Wednesday, April 4, 2007 - link
Adjusting DPI is certainly possible, and I believe this is one of the areas that Vista is supposed to be a lot better than XP. (Anyone able to confirm that?) However, my personal experience with modifying the DPI has been less than stellar. I usually end up just increasing the font size in Firefox, using the magnification in Word, etc. There are plenty of other applications that have no respect for the Windows DPI setting.nullpointerus - Wednesday, April 4, 2007 - link
Vista is definitely better than XP in this regard, but there are still many areas that could use some polish. For example, Vista still appears to use tiny bitmapped icons, which do not scale very well on the high-dpi title bar and task bar. Moreover, many third-party applications and even many Microsoft applications still have icons and images that scale horribly without the standard 96-dpi setting.Nonetheless, font-handling and layout for non-Aero-native applications has improved dramatically since the early Vista RC1 release; instead of merely upscaling the fonts and controls into a blurry mess, the layout engine does proper spacing and the font engine draws crisp, high resolution fonts. Visual Studio 2005 shows *major* progress in this regard.
For anyone interested in getting a higher density display and using the Vista DPI setting, I definitely trying it first. You could enable 120 dpi on your old monitor and stand back an extra foot or so to mimic the effect of a lower pixel pitch. Or get a friend to do this if you do not have Vista on your own computer.
strikeback03 - Wednesday, April 4, 2007 - link
I always reduce the size of my windows icons anyway. they are huge in the stock setting.on a related note, anyone know how to change desktop icon size and spacing in Gnome/Ubuntu? do you need a whole new theme? icons for mounted drives are way large.
nullpointerus - Wednesday, April 4, 2007 - link
typo: I definitely recommend trying it first.