HP w2558hc review

The w2558hc has a 16:10 aspect ratio and 1,920x1,200-pixel native resolution. The 16:9 monitor trend currently sweeping the market has given many smaller monitors higher resolutions than they were capable of at 16:10. A 22-inch monitor with a 16:9 aspect ratio now has a potential high-definition native resolution of 1,920x1,080 pixels, as opposed to 1,680x1,050 pixels. Still, we understand why HP chose 16:10 for the w2558hc, since, with such a large screen, you'd want to make sure that users have the highest resolution possible to take advantage of its size.

Strong performance
We tested the w2558hc with its DVI connection. The w2558hc scored well in most of our colour tests, but faltered in the colour-tracking test, which looks for unwanted colour in the greyscale, as it yielded more of a green tint than we wanted. In the black-screen test, we saw clouding at the top and bottom edges of the screen. The w2558hc achieved a brightness score of 387cd/m² -- slightly lower than HP's claimed 400.

Our Kill Bill: Vol. 1 DVD produced minimal ghosting. We played the film under the movie preset and appreciated its deep blacks and vibrant colours. Unreal Tournament 3 looked great running at 1,920x1,200 pixels -- as long as we didn't use the gaming preset. We didn't see any blurring or evidence of input lag.

The optimal viewing angle for a monitor is usually directly in front, about a quarter of the screen's distance down from the top. At this angle, you're viewing the colours and gamma correction as they were intended. Most monitors are made to be viewed only at that angle. Depending on the panel type, picture quality at non-optimal angles varies. Like most monitors, the w2558hc uses a TN panel, which gets overly bright or overly dark when viewed from non-optimal angles.

Conclusion
Stuffed full of features and offering good performance with movies and games, the HP w2558hc is a worthwhile monitor.

Additional editing by Charles Kloet