HP ZR2740w

High-resolution 27″ Display with 1 Billion Colors

The HP ZR2740w is a 27″ LED backlit, nonglare display with an impressive screen real estate and native resolution of 2560×1440—a 16:9 aspect ratio.

It has a slim .75″ black bezel with a clearly marked control panel and power switch at the bottom-right corner. A reassuringly large, sturdy base supports the display and allows for smooth movements, including 4″ height adjustment, 45° side-to-side swivel, tilt forward and back, and screen rotation to either portrait or landscape orientation. The ZR2740w has one DisplayPort and one DVI port. There's no support for HDMI or component video. There are five USB ports; two conveniently on the frame's left side and three inconveniently placed on the bottom of the frame, making access difficult. Surprisingly, the ZR2740w doesn't have an onscreen display (OSD). No access to an OSD means no preset modes or manual adjustment of color temperature, contrast, gamma, etc. This might make it a nonstarter for graphic pros.

There's a brightness control; however, as you adjust the brightness, no incremental numerical values in cd/m² are displayed. I was able to calibrate and profile the display with a Spyder4 puck and software. Another area of concern for graphics professionals is that the ZR2740w covers only 77.2% of the Adobe RGB color space, whereas many displays offer wider color gamut, closer to 100% of Adobe RGB. Text is distinct and the screen is uniformly lit, except for some very minor illumination falloff at the edges. The display uses in-plane switching technology, which provides a wide viewing angle from all sides. The 12ms response time covers fast action for gamers and flicker-free movie watching.

The ZR2740w is a good monitor but might be better suited for an office environment than for a graphic studio.

Company:  Hewlett-Packard
Price: $714
Web: www.hp.com
Rating: 3.5
Hot:  Ergonomics
Not:  No OSD; narrow color gamut