"You can't be a real country unless you have a beer and an airline - it helps if you have some ...
"You can't be a real country unless you have a beer and an airline - it helps if you have some kind of a football team, or some nuclear weapons, but at the very least you need a beer."
-Frank Zappa
Member since:29.01.2003
Reviews:41
Members who trust:63
HP w1907v Flat Screen Monitor **********************************
I am a big fan of Hewlett-Packard and have rarely been disappointed by their products, so after receiving this monitor as a Christmas present back in ’07 I was pretty chuffed. This particular model has a 19” widescreen screen, has a resolution of 1440 x 900 and runs at 60 Hz. The contrast ratio (ratio of the brightest white to the darkest black the monitor is able to achieve) is 1:1000 which is totally adequate for my needs. It’s essentially a great all round monitor that suits my needs perfectly.
--Installation--
As with most modern computing equipment this monitor was incredibly easy to set up and install. One simply attaches the heavy stand/base to the back of the monitor with a simple ‘push and click’ mechanism then plugs the relevant cables into the back of a computer – audio, power and VGA. There is a disk that comes with the monitor but it wasn’t necessary and all
that was required was the usual ‘have a play with all the buttons to see what happens’. If you find the you have apparently irreversibly (and stupidly) changed the settings to something highly useless then there is an ever useful ‘factory reset’ option available!
--Picture Quality--
The overall crispness and colour of this screen are excellent. Movies, images, text and the like are all clearly defined with no lag or blurring (the response time is measured at 5milliseconds). The biggest strain that I have induced on my monitor (and computer) is through using CAD (Computer Aided Design) software and it copes fine. The colours, balance, contrast, frequency, etc. are all fully adjustable to suit everybody’s needs and is done so at ease. My monitor is left on for most of the day and is not showing any of the residual colours and imprints that you often see on screens that are left on a lot.
--Sound Quality--
The quality of the sound (at a reasonable volume) is perfectly acceptable. However, the speakers themselves are not particularly loud and when turned up high the quality drops somewhat. On the other hand it is possible to argue that if you are after a high quality sounds and a large range of volumes then invest in a decent set of speakers.
Now comes my only real gripe with this monitor – there is no earphone jack. If you want to listen to some music or watch a movie without disturbing others then unless you have an earphone jack on your computer then tough. It is possible to turn it down so it’s very quiet but where is the fun in that?
--Build Quality--
I’m quite impressed with the build quality. It looks smart and feels solid, the angle of the monitor can easily be adjusted (though it can’t be raised or lowered) and the screen doesn’t seem to pick up much dust. My last monitor had so much static that any piece of dust that happened to be in the area inevitably found its way to the screen. With this screen I actually have to go to the bother of hoovering the dust off the floor instead.
It also weighs considerably more than I expected – in excess of 5kg, but this is mainly in the base and means that the monitor doesn’t slide all over your desk and can easily take a knock without falling over.
--Size--
The main appeal of a flat screen monitor is that it is flat and takes up a fraction of the space that a CRT monitor would take up. The dimensions of this monitor are 462x380x184 (mm) – width, height and depth (the depth includes the base – which can be pushed into an otherwise useless corner of a desk and has an indented tray where one might wish to keep a pen or six)
--Features--
There are a whole host of useful features that come with this monitor;
- Power saver mode helps to reduce the amount of energy you use by shutting the monitor down after a period of idle computing time.
- Sleep timer allows one to set a timer that shuts the monitor down after a fixed period of time.
- Language options. If English isn’t your native tongue then there are a selection of other languages that the monitor can be set to (for menus, etc.)
- Pre-set ‘Quick Views’ which have been modified (colour, contrast, brightness, etc.) for a selection of purposes. Gaming, watching movies, looking at photos and reading text. These pre-sets are actually quite good as movies often seem a bit bright and need toned down but with this monitor a perfect setting is only a couple of presses of a button away.
- Plenty of other screen adjustment, colour settings, information pages and the like are also available.
These features are all accessed and modified via four discreet looking buttons on the bottom right hand corner of the screen. It takes a while to fully understand how the system of selection works (and can be a bit of a pain) but once you have the hang of it it’s quite straight forward. The on/off button is located on the top surface of the monitor and glows a soothing blue when switched on.
--Advantages--
- Excellent screen quality - Power saver mode - Pre-set Quick Views - Reasonably priced - Plenty of language options - Very quiet (no fan noise)
--Disadvantages--
- No headphone port - Not HD ready - Initially confusing menu navigation system - Poor(ish) quality speakers
--Price and Availability--
Available in most decent electrical stores from Amazon to John Lewis and retails at the perfectly reasonable price of £117.00 at John Lewis but is often slightly more expensive elsewhere.
With your monitor comes a one year warranty which can be upgraded to 3 or 5 years. I didn’t bother and so far haven’t required one!
-- Overall Opinion--
All in all this is an excellent piece of kit, and when compared with the monitors I use in university, the one at work and a few others I’ve used (library, etc.) then I think that this is an excellent choice. It stays on for most of the day and is used pretty much continually without a single problem. There are no residual colours and imprints from having been left on continuously and it does exactly what it’s told. Definitely worth a look if purchasing a new monitor and you’re not too fussed about High Definition stuff or plugging all your toys into. The only real niggle that I have had regards the fact that there is no socket for your headphones but it is minor and is easily overcome.
As ever, it’s a quality piece of HP kit and I definitely recommend it.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Excellent review and very informative. This looks and sounds like a really good monitor and HP have a good reputation too. I will have to come back with an E tomorrow. x
Get larger-than-life images thanks to this w1907v 19-inch screen from HP! Employing ... more
BrightView technology for outstanding images, the w1907v gives you amazing results foryour videos and photos with the Quick View modes and a response time ofjust 5 ms....
Postage & Packaging: free Super Saver Delivery Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Get larger-than-life images thanks to this w1907v 19-inch screen from HP! Employing ... more
BrightView technology for outstanding images, the w1907v gives you amazing results foryour videos and photos with the Quick View modes and a response time ofjust 5 ms....
Postage & Packaging: free Super Saver Delivery Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Get larger-than-life images thanks to this w1907v 19-inch screen from HP! Employing ... more
BrightView technology for outstanding images, the w1907v gives you amazing results foryour videos and photos with the Quick View modes and a response time ofjust 5 ms....
Postage & Packaging: £9.89 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Get larger-than-life images thanks to this w1907v 19-inch screen from HP! Employing ... more
BrightView technology for outstanding images, the w1907v gives you amazing results foryour videos and photos with the Quick View modes and a response time ofjust 5 ms....
Postage & Packaging: £9.89 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
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