HP's New 30 inch LCD Display looks Sick!

[Jonathan Stevenson]

http://gizmodo.com/5552558/hps-new-30-zr30w-display-can-show-over-a-billion-colors

HP's new ZR30w S-IPS LCD display has a color resolution of 30-bits per pixel, resulting in some 1.07 billion displayable colors. If you're keeping count, that's about 64 times as many as you can see on an average LCD.

The ZR30w has a 2560 x 1600 resolution—over 4 million pixels in all—though it's targeted towards small businesses (price: $1,299) which means that you're obligated to use that massive resolution for staring at even bigger, even more mind-numbing Excel spreadsheets.

The behemoth display has DisplayPort and DVI-D inputs as well as a 4-port USB hub built-in and is available now at HP. For full details on how great the internet could be looking right now, check the release below.

 

[jake blackstone]

http://gizmodo.com/5552558/hps-new-30-zr30w-display-can-show-over-a-billion-colors

HP's new ZR30w S-IPS LCD display has a color resolution of 30-bits per pixel, resulting in some 1.07 billion displayable colors. If you're keeping count, that's about 64 times as many as you can see on an average LCD.

The ZR30w has a 2560 x 1600 resolution—over 4 million pixels in all—though it's targeted towards small businesses (price: $1,299) which means that you're obligated to use that massive resolution for staring at even bigger, even more mind-numbing Excel spreadsheets.

The behemoth display has DisplayPort and DVI-D inputs as well as a 4-port USB hub built-in and is available now at HP. For full details on how great the internet could be looking right now, check the release below.

iMac's 27" resolution is 2,560x1,440. Not sure if the screen is 8 or 10 bit. So, that means, that for extra $400 one can get an i7 based computer with keyboard and mouse with almost the same screen as ZR30w. Personally, I just would pay the difference and get a 27" iMac. And it would look heck of a lot more attractive.

 

[Jonathan Stevenson]

Aaaaand a low end iMac is only $400 more than Apple's 24in LED Display... So, that's not really the point. The point is the monitor is basically a poor man's version of the Dreamcolor, which I cannot afford. So this new one seems like a pretty sweet option.

 

[Eren Ozkural]

I'm very happy to hear about this "poor man's dream color" indeed...

 

[jake blackstone]

Aaaaand a low end iMac is only $400 more than Apple's 24in LED Display... So, that's not really the point. The point is the monitor is basically a poor man's version of the Dreamcolor, which I cannot afford. So this new one seems like a pretty sweet option.

And what's the point of Dreamcolor? Grading with present technology LCD monitor is a waste of time, 10 bit or not. No amount of color resolution will compensate for lack of true blacks and off axis color shifts.
So, I would rather pay an extra $400 and get a GREAT $400 computer, that actually is useful, than spend $1300 on just a monitor, that I can't even use for grading.
HP or Dell should lower the price of their monitors by the amount they don't spend on industrial design. May be then it would be a sweet deal.

 

[Jonathan Stevenson]

And what's the point of Dreamcolor? Grading with present technology LCD monitor is a waste of time, 10 bit or not. No amount of color resolution will compensate for lack of true blacks and off axis color shifts.
So, I would rather pay an extra $400 and get a GREAT $400 computer, that actually is useful, than spend $1300 on just a monitor, that I can't even use for grading.
HP or Dell should lower the price of their monitors by the amount they don't spend on industrial design. May be then it would be a sweet deal.

I agree, not a good grading monitor. But for the work that I (and many of us) do, such as web delivery and DVD, it's pretty damn good. If I'm doing super important grading work, I'll hire someone. Plus, since I already have a Mac, spending $400 more to get an iMac isn't important to me. But, to each his own I guess.

 

[Blair S. Paulsen]

Bear in mind the IPS (In Plane Switching) tech in the DreamColor and apparently the new 30", dramatically reduces the color and density shifting you might be used to on LCD screens. In terms of the black levels, unless you happen to have a Grade 1 CRT with decent resolution laying around... The series 11 & 12 Panny Plasmas are a bit better than the DreamColor in terms of blacks but IMHO, not by much.

It would be interesting to see a proper evaluation of the new 30" HP monitor and also to find out if it has the level of calibration control that the DreamColor has, a feature, IMHO, not to be overlooked.

Cheers - #19

 

[Jeff Kilgroe]

Hmmm... I'll have to check one of these out. They're 1/3 the price of the 30" EIZO that does 30bit color. There's a good bet that it's using the same LCD panel that EIZO is using.

As for color work, if you have the space for it, I highly recommend a plasma over an LCD. The new VT25 series plasmas are looking amazing. The new pro plasmas, the PF20 models, are using the same panels, but they integrated HDMI on them this time around and yet crippled the HDMI inputs to not allow 24fps. They do allow 10bit color now... It seems that Panasonic is trying to force people into buying the HD-SDI board, which once again costs more than the monitor. And the new panels use a different board interface than the PF12 and earlier, so if you have an old HD-SDI module, it's not compatible with the new screens.

 

[jake blackstone]

Had anyone had a chance to test the new LED LCD panels with local dimming? Just curios how are blacks. Still see no reason to switch from plasma. New LCDs, even if they're any better, still at least two to three times more expensive than good Panasonic 12 gen. plasma.

 

[Jeff Kilgroe]

I've worked with some of the new Samsung LED HDTVs and found the local dimming feature to be more annoying than practical. The new Samsungs also have terrible light leakage in the corners. The 2009 B8500 LED LCD is superior to any 2010 model as it didn't have any light leakage and actually had pretty good blacks. I would go as far as to say its blacks are deeper than a PF12 plasma, but they lack detail. The LCDs also suffer terribly in the gradations in bright areas. The 13th-gen plasmas (VT25, PF20) are quite an improvement over the 12th generation panels in terms of black levels and overall color and noise.

 

[Paul Lee]

Sounds great. But now I'm worried as HP cuts 9000 jobs and is said to be focusing on services. Maybe these will be made by Lenovo soon...

 

[jake blackstone]

I've worked with some of the new Samsung LED HDTVs and found the local dimming feature to be more annoying than practical. The new Samsungs also have terrible light leakage in the corners. The 2009 B8500 LED LCD is superior to any 2010 model as it didn't have any light leakage and actually had pretty good blacks. I would go as far as to say its blacks are deeper than a PF12 plasma, but they lack detail. The LCDs also suffer terribly in the gradations in bright areas. The 13th-gen plasmas (VT25, PF20) are quite an improvement over the 12th generation panels in terms of black levels and overall color and noise.

So, did you ended up with PF20 or VT25? Do they support 10 bit on HDMI or is it still SDI on VT25 only? Does PF20 supports 72 or 120 Hz or is it only native 24 Hz? I need to start thinking about the choice of monitor to use with Resolve. Not sure if Decklink Extreme supports 10 bit 24 fps output on HDMI.

 

[Blair S. Paulsen]

What Jake asked...

I have been considering the VT25 but have concerns about using a consumer targeted device in a professional setting. That said, I have no interest in paying more than $500 for a SDI board...

If anyone has seen an article on the VT25 put through its paces as a professional grading monitor please link :thumbsup:

Cheers - #19

 

[Jeff Kilgroe]

I ended up with the 50" VT25 (TC-P50VT25). That combined with a tilting wall mount and AJA Hi5-3G HD-SDI to HDMI converter all came to about $3K. I was considering the new TH-50PF20, but the monitor itself was $700 more and the integrated HDMI ports are crippled to only support 30p and 60i.

The HDMI on the VT25 is v1.4 and supports both 10bit and 12bit input. It also supports input and sync rates of 24, 30, 60, etc.. Hz. 24fps playback can be set to be shown at 48Hz or 96Hz. The latter shows much less peripheral flickering, as 24fps content on plasma screens has always been somewhat of an issue. Some people notice it, some people don't, the 96Hz refresh for 24fps content works well and my eyes are pretty sensitive to it. No SDI input on the VT25, but it has full ISFCC calibration controls. I will be calibrating my monitor sometime in the next 10 days or so, I'm still letting it settle in a bit, but it's looking really good. I'm also still waiting on my Hi5-3G converter to get here, should be here tomorrow I think. The VT25 accepts conventional HDMI input up to 60Hz, but it is technically capable of 120Hz and it does support 3D. The display ships with one pair of Panasonic's crap-tastic shutter glasses. I haven't checked out the 3D on it - other than what was being shown at NAB or the VT20 demos at BestBuy. I will soon enough I guess. The reason I went with the VT25 over the lower model G25 is the VT series has a better AR filter and will do true 24fps playback at 48 or 96 Hz. The G25 series only does 3:2 pulldown. OTOH, the G25 is still a bit better than the 12th-gen panels. If you can live without the direct 24fps support and 3D, it would be a fine choice and would save a thousand bucks.

The PF20 has integrated HDMI, Component and DVI inputs. So that saves from buying a number of interface boards. Panasonic decided to force their customers to purchase an input board for professional work it seems. They crippled the HDMI so it only accepts 30 and 60 Hz input, no 24fps. So if you need 24fps support on the PF20, you will need to buy the $2500 HD-SDI board. The reason these monitors are the "PF20" series and not "PF13" as most people were expecting is because they're named for the new Slot-2.0 interface they use for add-on boards. The 50" and 42" PF20 monitors have only one Slot-2.0 interface. Technically there are two peripheral slots on the back of the monitor, but only one has an actual interface connector in it. This is to facilitate possible double-width boards that may come along. The display is capable of supporting up to 120Hz, but it accepts no inputs greater than 60Hz with any of the current interface options. A lot of people are expecting a better HDMI 1.4 board or a 2 X Dual-Link HD-SDI with additional hardware in a double-width form factor so the PF20 can do 3D.

The DVI input on the PF20 accepts 24fps signals, but is restricted to 8bit.

I'll do a write-up about the VT25 here once I get it up and running.

As for the Decklink Extreme, I believe it does output 24fps via HDMI, but I'm not 100% sure. I'm considering getting one and probably will if I decide to pick up Davinci.

 

[jake blackstone]

I ended up with the 50" VT25 (TC-P50VT25). That combined with a tilting wall mount and AJA Hi5-3G HD-SDI to HDMI converter all came to about $3K. I was considering the new TH-50PF20, but the monitor itself was $700 more and the integrated HDMI ports are crippled to only support 30p and 60i.

The HDMI on the VT25 is v1.4 and supports both 10bit and 12bit input. It also supports input and sync rates of 24, 30, 60, etc.. Hz. 24fps playback can be set to be shown at 48Hz or 96Hz. The latter shows much less peripheral flickering, as 24fps content on plasma screens has always been somewhat of an issue. Some people notice it, some people don't, the 96Hz refresh for 24fps content works well and my eyes are pretty sensitive to it. No SDI input on the VT25, but it has full ISFCC calibration controls. I will be calibrating my monitor sometime in the next 10 days or so, I'm still letting it settle in a bit, but it's looking really good. I'm also still waiting on my Hi5-3G converter to get here, should be here tomorrow I think. The VT25 accepts conventional HDMI input up to 60Hz, but it is technically capable of 120Hz and it does support 3D. The display ships with one pair of Panasonic's crap-tastic shutter glasses. I haven't checked out the 3D on it - other than what was being shown at NAB or the VT20 demos at BestBuy. I will soon enough I guess. The reason I went with the VT25 over the lower model G25 is the VT series has a better AR filter and will do true 24fps playback at 48 or 96 Hz. The G25 series only does 3:2 pulldown. OTOH, the G25 is still a bit better than the 12th-gen panels. If you can live without the direct 24fps support and 3D, it would be a fine choice and would save a thousand bucks.

The PF20 has integrated HDMI, Component and DVI inputs. So that saves from buying a number of interface boards. Panasonic decided to force their customers to purchase an input board for professional work it seems. They crippled the HDMI so it only accepts 30 and 60 Hz input, no 24fps. So if you need 24fps support on the PF20, you will need to buy the $2500 HD-SDI board. The reason these monitors are the "PF20" series and not "PF13" as most people were expecting is because they're named for the new Slot-2.0 interface they use for add-on boards. The 50" and 42" PF20 monitors have only one Slot-2.0 interface. Technically there are two peripheral slots on the back of the monitor, but only one has an actual interface connector in it. This is to facilitate possible double-width boards that may come along. The display is capable of supporting up to 120Hz, but it accepts no inputs greater than 60Hz with any of the current interface options. A lot of people are expecting a better HDMI 1.4 board or a 2 X Dual-Link HD-SDI with additional hardware in a double-width form factor so the PF20 can do 3D.

The DVI input on the PF20 accepts 24fps signals, but is restricted to 8bit.

I'll do a write-up about the VT25 here once I get it up and running.

As for the Decklink Extreme, I believe it does output 24fps via HDMI, but I'm not 100% sure. I'm considering getting one and probably will if I decide to pick up Davinci.

Great info Jeff, thanks.
So, correct me if I'm wrong. If I decide to go with Resolve (actually it's not if, but when) and I will use required Decklink HD Extreme (or 3D version) and it will output 23.98 (Tech specs says it does @http://www.blackmagic-design.com/products/decklinkhdextreme/techspecs/) on HDMI at 10 bit (I'd prefer not to do SDI at this point and save some money), does that mean, that my only option is VT25? Native 23.98 displayed at 96Hz is an only way I could stomach looking at 23.98 all day long.

 

[RivaiC]

Hi Jeff,

How about the color gamut and can you adjust that to specific need ?

 

[Tyrone Braithwaite]

I just got the G20, lettting it bed in at the moment. Seems pretty nice. Again will be calibrating shortly.

Thye G20 has some type of CMS, how good I don't know yet.

 

[Hrvoje Simic]

Had anyone had a chance to test the new LED LCD panels with local dimming? Just curios how are blacks.

Unreliable.

The display ships with one pair of Panasonic's crap-tastic shutter glasses. I haven't checked out the 3D on it - other than what was being shown at NAB or the VT20 demos at BestBuy.

Works great. The best so far on any display device.

It would be even better if glasses design wasn't so open to the light on the sides.

 

[PatrickW]

Will we be seeing a new monitor from apple to update the aging 30" CD next week with this panel?

 

[L. Langer]

Will we be seeing a new monitor from apple to update the aging 30" CD next week with this panel?

Maybe. The 30-inch Apple LCD never sold very well outside of the Apple fanboys, as many prefer to use better third-party LCDs or other options with their MacPro desktops, so it's possible they may not update it until the next big jump in LCD tech comes. Hopefully, if they do bring out a new 30-inch offering, it will be something decent this time. Anyway, Anandtech has a review on this new 30-inch badass so if you want to give it a peep, head over there.