HP FLAT PANEL MONITOR. Brighter than the giant LED signs in Times Square!!
Written: Nov 30 '03 (Updated Jun 15 '06)
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Pros: It is bright and gives more worktop space.
Cons: I didn't purchase it sooner.
The Bottom Line: This has all the features with the accompanying benefits that I need.
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| popsrocks's Full Review: Hewlett Packard Pavilion F1503 15 inch LCD Monitor |
I'm really excited about this. We needed a new PC. This computer ignorant guy, who just had surgery, asked his wife and daughter to go out to "Best Buy" and purchase something to replace our failing four year old windows 98 system. We all wanted something out of the new PC. My wife wanted to be able to work with her digital photos and to transfer our videos to disc. The kids wanted a built in dvd burner. My need was different. I told them to go the extra step and, instead of taking the usual box monitor that takes up half my work area, spend a bit more money and get a compatible flat panel monitor with the PC.
After going through different deals on HP brand they got the f1503. There was also a rebate involved with the price. They brought it home and set it up the other night with me looking over their shoulder. I was useless to them but still wanted to be involved. All went well, no thanks to this guy.
INSTALLATION
Being this was new and compatible with the HP pavilion it was a snap. They were told it is compatible with other computers too but the installation has an extra step or two. Anyways, the kids followed the instructions of connecting the video cable between the monitor and PC.
They followed with the power cable to the monitor's power adapter and then the power adapter to the monitor. The last part of this step was to plug into the power strip.
They then connected the speaker power cable from the right speaker to the monitor. This is the speaker with the volume adjustment and adapter plug for head phones. The plug from the right speaker then went to the matching port on the back of our new PC.
The final step was to turn it on by pushing the button in the front.
I had a huge grin on my face. No adjustments to the display properties had to be made. We didn't have to go to the menu button or any of the browse buttons or auto select. It was all set!! I then knew I was out of the dark ages!! The screen was bright and beautiful!
IT'S BRIGHT
Have I told you, it really is incredibly bright! We could have gone up to a 17" or even a 19" monitor. For the area I work in, the 15" is perfect.
My computer desk happens to be in front of a window on the south side of the house. Even with the light coming in it is still bright. I also happen to have a light just above and in front of the monitor, no problem. In fact due to the anti-glare screen I get no bad reflections or terrible glare. I am amazed at how clear and defined everything is.
For those who follow such detail, the box and paperwork tell me that the .3 mm fine dot pitch helps to give the bright crisp images. The 1024 x 768 @ 75HzMax resolution/true color (16 million colors). Hey that's a lot of colors!! In simple terms, "it looks great".
It's like having bad vision and then putting on a pair of corrective lenses. It all comes into sharp focus. It's that good. I did not expect this clarity. I really wanted the flat screen so I had more room on my desk.
GIVES MUCH MORE ROOM
Getting rid of that big ol' box of a monitor I had was a pleasure. This new one gives the desk an airy feel about it. The monitor is very sleek looking. The viewing area of 15" is surrounded by a inch or less border on the top and sides. The bottom border that houses the on/off switch and four adjustment buttons is a bit less than 2" wide.
It has a platform support area that is pretty much an open 8" square. Look at the picture at the top of this page. This gives me so much more space.
There are two hinges on the support arms. The box tells me they are for "ergonomic" viewing. Duh, this guy doesn't even know for sure what that means. I will tell you that the design of this unit makes the screen adjustable to many different angles for best viewing for the operator. Less stress, more output. The hinges are tight enough that you must use one hand to steady the base and the other to adjust the screen. Once in place there is no droop.
SPEAKERS TOO!!
In the box are two Harmon Kardon speakers. I remember way back in the sixties when my Harmon Kardon amp and speakers joined together with my BSR turntable to make an awesome sound system. Actually I should say it was "groovy".
So Harmon Kardon comes into my life again. I was pretty impressed with the 3 1/2" x 4 1/2" x 3 1/2" speakers. They sounded really good. They are on about five foot of wire each if you want to spread the sound. What I liked is that the two speakers could be set side by side in the open space of the support base. That makes a pretty neat little home for them. This does take away a bit of the "ergonomics" built into the hinged spectrum of movement.
The right speaker has the volume control. Though they hold the sound well in most ranges, they did not get too loud in volume.
TESTING OUT the MONITOR and SPEAKERS
Yesterday afternoon, when everyone was out of the house shopping or whatever, I decided to watch a movie on my new flat screen. Into the PC I popped in the dvd of the movie "Deliverance" that my son gave me as a gift. I was blown away!
It came on and filled the screen with great colour and brightness. It isn't as good as on a full screen TV but it was pretty darn good. I noticed that the clarity changes from different angles.
I listened to "Dueling Banjos". It sounded great. The sound, though you must stay fairly close because of poor volume, was excellent.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
I really am pleased with the clarity of this new monitor. As I write this review everything is so much sharper than what I was used too. I can read everything with precision.
I also like the space saving and clean look. Hey, there will be a lot less dusting too.
Other papers told me that the monitor is under a one year warranty and to never to clean the screen with water. Other like information is offered. Other specs about this machine can be found under the details section on the top. I was surprised about how much the site gives. The monitor, besides coming with the written information, also provides a disc with further facts and helpful hints.
I'll be recovering from my surgery at home for another month or two. I'm really happy I have a new toy to play with while writing reviews. I hope to review my new PC once I ask to see if it can be added to the Epinions database.
Almost forgot, digital photos look great on here too! Also, my wife, an art educator, was especially pleased at the definition shown in some prints of Oriental art she was looking through.
....and, did I tell you? "I am really pleased with my new hp flat panel monitor!"
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Epson 1250 Scanner
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Hewlett Packard Pavilion F1503 15" LCD Monitor WoW!
Hewlett Packard Pavilion (A384X) PC Desktop
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 449
Operating System: Don''t Know
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