HP L2045W

The L2045w sports the simplest no-frills bezel of the bunch, which makes sense since this LCD is part of HP’s professional line. What this monitor lacks in shiny plastic it makes up for in adjustability options. A telescoping neck lets you raise and lower the screen with ease; you can also swivel the screen from side to side, tilt it to and fro, and rotate it into portrait mode.

Options also exist for the screen itself; via the OSD buttons on the bezel or the bundled software, you can adjust brightness, contrast, and the red, green, and blue color channels. You can also connect the display to your PC by way of an analog or digital port, and two built-in USB ports will accept your peripheral devices. In short, it’s the kind of well-rounded, no-nonsense package we can really get behind.

Its performance is similarly solid. In our tests, the screen produced a deep, uniform black, with virtually no evidence of backlight seepage. Grayscale reproduction was also strong, with smooth, distinct gradations of shades even at the extreme light and dark ends, although we did glimpse subtle signs of color-tracking issues at 85 steps and greater. Serif text was easily readable at nine points, high-resolution digital photos and illustrations looked crisp and color accurate, as did DVDs, and games played without incident. In fact, we’d say the screen is as well rounded and no-nonsense as its trappings.

Being a professional model, the L2045w is not equipped with HDCP and thus, like the ViewSonic model, is unable to play copy-protected high-definition content, such as commercial HD DVD and Blu-ray discs, so take heed