HP - Pavilion 23" IPS LED HD Monitor - Black

The image quality of this monitor rivals or exceeds many higher-end, more expensive monitors I looked it. The panel is amazingly thin and the matte finish helps eliminate glare; much better than the glossy finish that some monitors have. I haven't noticed any hotspots or brightness differences as I've seen in some other monitors (thanks to the IPS panel#. The front bezel is very minimal on 3 sides, but the bottom edge is a little large and finished with glossy piano black plastic that cheapens the look, in my opinion. The 3 inputs -- HDMI, DVI, and VGA -- mean you can use the monitor with just about any source. The image controls allow very good customization of the brightness, contrast, color temp, etc. I ended up turning the brightness down to 50% because the default of 90% actually hurt my eyes in a dark room. The stand is probably the most disappointing part. It is entirely glossy piano black, so dust and finger prints gather easily. There is no height adjustment, but the panel has good tilt range front to back. Unfortunately, there is absolutely zero cable management, and the ports are flat on the back, meaning the input cables stick straight out. That detracts a bit from the otherwise sleek look of the monitor. The stand also feels a bit cheap, but I'm used to monitors with much heftier bases. And, honestly, once you get the monitor set, you won't be moving it around much, right? I was actually so pleased with the monitor that I bought a second one. I'm using them connected to a USB 3.0 dock for my laptop #using 1 DVI and 1 HDMI). I would definitely recommend this monitor at the regular price, but especially if you can get it on sale like I did.

Summary ------------- At the $159 price point, it's "ok" but I have to say it's one of the least satisfying technology purchases I have made lately. HP monitors and most monitors now have a disappointing feature set, at least in terms of what was in stock at Best Buy. After setting this up next to my older HP monitor, I went online, bought a used older monitor to match my other, and I'm planning to return these. Pros ------ - relatively inexpensive - light weight Cons --------- - No height adjustment - so budget for some add on "lift" - No rotation.....bummer - despite being a 23" monitor, had less vertical screen than an older 22" HP monitor. - No USB port for connecting monitor - No USB Hub capability - Washed out colors - Poor representation of black -- its more like medium grey My prior HP monitors #w2207h had height adjustment, monitor rotation, USB hub, USB ports, and great color. This has NONE of those features, and it doesn't appear those features are available in HP's lineup at any price point. I bought two, only opened one, and plan to return both. I don't hate them, but they are a step down from older models. They have clearly been "cost reduced" and reflect the cheapness of a low end product. Sadly, I think I paid less for the old one. So the "cost" went down but the price didn't. Compared to other new monitors Best Buy stocked, It was the best choice for me (based on the connections I needed#, but I am going to return them and just keep my old 22" and add another used "old" 22" to match it. If you need a new monitor, these are "ok", but I was pretty disappointed in the product offering in monitors in general. Seems like they have gone the way of the DVD player....getting cheaper, more disposable, and crappier all the time. Disappointing because the height adjustment in particular is really neccesary from proper ergonomic setup.

I purchased this monitor last year when my Dell monitor of 7 years finally died. Worked great until May, when it started developing pixelation on its left side, off colors and burned in images. My father purchased the same monitor a few months after I did. He had is about 6 months and the same thing happened to his monitor, only just in the top left corner, not the whole left half of the monitor like mine did. As it had been over a year, it was no longer under warranty. It would cost me around $150 to send it to HP and have them repair it. I bought this monitor on sale for about that price. I choose to buy a new one instead of having it fixed. I went to the HP forum and noticed that this problem has happened to some people before. I'm not sure how common the issue is, but as there were a forum post or two about the issue, it seems to me that there is a defect in their product, despite the high reviews on this site. I'm rating this monitor down because it's an issue with their product and something to keep in mind. My father still has his monitor and it still works fine, as his problem stopped. Before buying this monitor, I would see if there are other monitors that are in the same price range and check their reviews upon buying. Maybe my father and I had bad luck and they all ended up from the same bad batch, but one would think that a monitor would last more than one year before it started to fail. Also I would think that the time between purchases would allow the rest made in my batch to be sold, which leads me to believe that there could be something faulty with it.

I first bought the Dell S2340M to use with my late 2012 Mac mini. It's very sturdy and well-built overall. I was used to my iMac's screen (IPS), so expectations were high. I tried various calibration settings, and the picture was just too warm. It could be brighter as well. I figured I could live with it for the price, but the next day I discovered a small patch of bad pixels. One appeared dead, and the ones on either side appeared smeared. Weird. My search for a good IPS monitor on the cheap continued. The HP 23xi had great reviews, but I could only find it at Staples. I'm assuming this HP 23bw is the same monitor, but all black instead of having silver/metal trim. For the extra money, that's what I went with. So far, this HP produces much better color and contrast. It also has HDMI connection, and comes with VGA and DVI-D cables. An HDMI cable wasn't in the box, contrary to what Best Buy's "Included" section states. The matte anti-glare screen is nice, and it doesn't really impact clarity. I'm pretty impressed with that. Assembly was pretty easy. Just look at the pieces, and fit the same shapes together. Everything snaps together, no screws involved. The only negative is the base could be more solid. It's a little wobbly, but it's not like a monitor is being played with all day long. It's only been one day, but I'd recommend this monitor based on first impressions. Hopefully it continues to be a good monitor.

I purchased this monitor after researching the Best Buy website for several days and comparing several competing items in-store for two hours. I wanted a 1080p IPS LED display with HDMI input, clean design and a great warranty. I was all set for an Acer, but there were none available at any Best Buy store in Southern California. I did not consider this display until I saw the box sitting high up the shelves in store. I compromised and purchased mainly on my comfort with the HP brand and prior experience with HP monitors at work. Plus, the price was too good to pass up. I rated the image quality as 4 because I was forced to use an HDMI-to-DVI adapter to achieve desired results with my Mac mini. If you own a Mid 2011 or newer Mac mini, for best results you will have to dig out the HDMI-to-DVI adapter. When I first setup the monitor, the pure HDMI connection was so awful, I decided to return the item. I had to adjust for overscan because I couldn't see the menu bar or Dock. When that adjustment was made, the text was blurry. HP does not supply a Mac driver for this display. As a final act of faith to avoid returning the monitor, I used the DVI cable included with the monitor and the HDMI-to-DVI adapter that came with my Mac mini. When I restarted my Mac, the results were night and day! The default Mac settings were perfect. Text is sharp, image quality is excellent. I will perform a calibration again to maximize my results with this display. The only issue I have with the display is white seems subdued - it does not "pop" like it does on glossy displays. This may be due to the anti-glare coating on the display, which I personally do not like. I highly recommend this monitor. The only way to perfect this monitor is to correct the HDMI input issue and offer a glossy version to improve white. One other note - an HDMI cable is not included with this monitor. No problem because this display works best with the included DVI cable.

The HP Pavilion 23bw is a very strong contender in the IPS market. It provides an assortment of useful settings, from changing the brightness of the picture to changing how smooth or sharp your want your picture. As far as gaming goes, this monitor doesn't hold anything back, the image is much clearer than what I have seen on traditional TN monitors, there is no major ghosting problems and any trails you will see are caused by the LCD technology itself. The only real way to get rid of ghosting without affecting input lag is to get an OLED monitor which don't exist for consumers right now. The bad thing about this monitor, like every other monitor, is it suffers from major light bleed in the corners due to the device being Edge-lit LED. Being edge-lit also keeps the monitor from being a true edge to edge display due to the internal bezel having to house the LED's. There are ways to counteract the light bleed by using the Dynamic contrast ratio setting, but in doing causes the monitor to take a hit in color reproduction. There is also a minor issue with the stand, it seems to make the screen a little crooked sometimes, it also has horrible grips on the bottom and causes the monitor to slide very easily. Overall this is a fantastic monitor, but the Edge-Lit LED prevents this monitor from being a perfect monitor.

I was looking for awhile for a new monitor, and this just came out today 2/3/13, and I assume that it's replacing the old 2311xi. This has a matte/antiglare screen, which I love, and will never use a glossy screen again. The OSD is very easy to use, it's easy to tell where the buttons are, and they're spread apart. The options are normal HP ones, brightness, contrast, color, etc. I use brightness at 0, and it's still bright. The antiglare isn't too aggressive like some monitors I've used before, so text is still very clear. Now if only they made the bezel matte as well it'd be so much better. Not height adjustable, but I'm use to that now from HP, and well most other manufacturers. Nor is there VESA mounts, so you can't mount it to a wall. Colors are great, mine was a little too green, so I turned that down in the OSD. Connections are great, has HDMI, DVI, and VGA... So overall it is a great monitor, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a new monitor.

I bought this to go with my new Mac Mini. When I opened the box, I was disturbed to find that the only documentation supplied was in Spanish (an English owner's manual can be downloaded at http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/manualCategory?cc=us&lc=en&product=5304268), and the supplied software was no good for a Mac. I shouldn't have worried though; it was easy to set up and the Mac required no third-party software to run it. There was one problem, but it wasn't the monitor's fault. Mac ships the Mini with the display controls set to maximum over-scanning. When I set it all up, I couldn't see the menu selections at the top of the screen. I could just barely see the tops of the images in the dock at the bottom of the screen. I managed to get into System Preferences>Display, and slid the control for the over-scan all the way to the right, and then everything was perfect. I recommend that you get into System Preferences by using the dock image. The top menu offerings are impossible to see, though they are there if you send your cursor all the way to the top.