HP L2335

CNET editors' review

Before we reviewed the Apple Cinema HD display, we would have complimented the L2335's sleek, professional design at length. But we're officially ruined for other LCDs now. Still, the HP L2335 does well in the face of stiff competition. The slim, 0.75-inch bezel along the top and the sides widens to 1 inch along the bottom to accommodate the onscreen menu (OSM) buttons. The bezel and the trim are dark silver-colored plastic, and the rest of the display is black. Unlike the Apple Cinema HD, however, the L2335 is highly adjustable. The neck telescopes 3.5 inches, the panel swivels 35 degrees to the left and the right, and it tilts 5 degrees forward and 25 degrees back. It also pivots between Portrait and Landscape modes, a handy feature that allows you to view legal documents with less scrolling. You can easily make all of these adjustments with one hand and without causing the solid, rectangular base to wobble.

The L2335 also has a multitude of connectivity options, including analog and DVI connectors on the back panel (both cables are included), as well as component, composite, and S-Video ports that are hidden behind a side panel. The display has picture-in-picture (PIP) functionality, so you can set it up to display video in the PIP box while you're doing something else on the main screen. There are no USB or FireWire ports, nor is there a cable-feed system. The latter omission may not bother you, but we hate the way unsightly cable clutter disturbs the soothing minimalism of an LCD. If you're looking for a large display with all the multimedia bells and whistles and peripheral ports, check out the Philips Brilliance 230W5VS but prepare to pay a pretty penny. And if you don't mind sacrificing a couple of inches of screen space, the Planar PX212M is worth considering.

The array of seven little capsule-shape buttons along the bottom bezel is another minor irritant to our post-Apple aesthetic sensibilities. But unlike with the Cinema Display, you can tweak such things as contrast and color temperature, which gives us a pleasing sense of control. Using these buttons, you can also launch picture-in-picture, switch between inputs, autoadjust the picture, and launch and navigate the OSM. We love HP's OSM interface; it looks like a PDA screen, and it's really easy to use.

The L2335's picture quality is good. The CNET Labs DisplayMate-based tests show that it does especially well with text, which looks very sharp and has nice, stark contrast (displayed at its native resolution of 1,920x1,200). The extreme black and white ends of our grayscale tests looked good; the blacks were very dark, and the whites were truly white. However, the in-between steps of gray didn't fare so well; we saw some irregularities in what should have been a smooth progression from black to white. Very light grays also start to look pinkish, though this is even more apparent with the Apple Cinema display. Colors are decent, though we wish they were bolder and warmer. DVD performance is also tolerable, though our eagle eyes picked up a fair amount of noise, and colors--especially flesh tones--look somewhat artificial.

HP covers the L2335 with a three-year warranty, which is standard for most LCDs. Phone support is available 24/7, and HP's Web site has a FAQ section and user forums, as well as downloadable drivers and software.