I chose the hp 1706 monitor because it is very similar to the hp monitors I use at work. My workplace happens to be a very large office where there is a lot of hotdesking. As you can imagine, people don't always treat the equipment with respect.
We have had these monitors installed for nearly three years and they're in use for up to 15 hours a day, 7 days a week. They've been plugged and unplugged and shifted around all over the place. They've had the most horrible substances spilled on them and they've been cleaned with all sorts of unsuitable cleaningagents. They're adjusted daily to suit the users' needs. There are no dead pixels or problems with any of them and as far as I know we haven't had to replace a single monitor. In fact they still look as good as the day they were installed. It was because of the sheer robustness of the hp monitors that I chose to buy one from this manufacturer.
I'm not disappointed with the hp 1706. The viewing angle is slighlty different to the 1702, but at 140 degrees horizontal and 130 degrees vertical it's perfectly adequate for normal use.
This model has plenty of brightness at 300 candelas per metre squared. (I couldn't work out how to do superscript, but no doubt someone will tell me.) For most people the brightness will need to be set to less than 50%. Similarly the contrast is good with a ratio of 500:1.
I tried out a few games using this monitor. The refresh rate of 8 to 12ms seemed pretty good but I must admit I didn't go for an all action shoot 'em up. I'm afraid card games and "yeti sports" are more my style. What I did notice was that hp recommended a resolution of 1280 x 1204 at 60Hz. However, I found that when using this, the icons and menus were too small. I chose a resolution of 1024 x 768 at 60Hz but I soon realised that there was a constant flickering all down the left hand side of the screen. To cure it I downloaded a little "quickres" program from www.dougknox.com. This free program allows Windows XP users to change the resolution of their monitor without having to restart the computer. I chose the 75Hz frequency and this completely stopped the flicker.
I am very pleased with the monitor overall. The colours are good and I like the good solid pedestal that the screen sits on. I find the adjusment intuitive and the controls are easy to use. The monitor cannot be adjusted in height but it can be tilted from -5 degrees to 30 degrees. This means you can tilt it right back or have it tilting forward a bit.
I have every confidence in the hp name and I was glad to note that on this item there is a three year warranty on parts and labour with on site service depending on where you live. All in all I think I made a good purchase.
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I'm using it in my office as well and as it turns out these monitors are perfect for office conditions (home use great as well). Great price, good colour and easy of use. Great review on office conditions thow!!! Cheers!!!
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