We put the Dell, HP, and Samsung units through our series of screen tests, displaying a total of 11 text and graphics images to a group of jurors. We evaluated each monitor on its demonstrated sharpness, accuracy, and vibrancy. Overall, they scored closely with one another--we rated their image quality Very Good across the board.
All three monitors earned similar scores for their text display, but we saw some subtle nuances in photos and graphics. The HP LP3065 edged out the others with its accurate color and first-rate representation of detail in photographs. It also rendered text that was very easy to read, even at 6-point size.
The Dell showed excellent text quality and nice graphics, though a few photos looked slightly darker than they did on the HP. The effect was barely noticeable, and not enough to be a turnoff.
The Samsung also put up impressive text, but, like the Dell, some of its photos took on just a slightly darker cast.
For text, the high resolution of these monitors can be an issue, especially at small font sizes--when you're trying to read, say, a Microsoft Word document written in 10-point text, you may have to increase the font size display setting in Windows. But the high resolution certainly makes photographs look better: The visible detail is quite remarkable, especially when compared with what you see on a smaller monitor showing the same picture.
Making Sacrifices
With their strong image quality, the 30-inch LCDs we tested are indeed tempting. You should consider other important points before you decide to buy one, however.
For starters, because of their high 2560 by 1600 resolution, these 30-inchers require a high-bandwidth dual-link DVI cable, as well as a graphics card that drives dual DVI-out. (DVI stands for Digital Visual Interface.) All three of the monitors here include this cable in the box, but you'll have to supply the graphics card, which can add at least $150 to the cost if you don't already have a card that's compatible.
Also, these displays lack controls accessible through an on-screen display (OSD), such as you'd find on monitors of other sizes, even 27-inchers. The only controls these three have are buttons on the front to increase or decrease brightness.
According to Dell, HP, and Samsung, the monitors lack an OSD because no components exist that support the high resolution. If you want to make adjustments, you'll have to calibrate the display by using the graphics card. Even so, each monitor is limited by whatever parameters were placed on it at the time that it was manufactured.
And though some graphics cards can offer limited adjustments--namely, red, green, and blue controls and gamma (for setting accurate color representation)--not all cards have them. (The monitor companies state that the components should be available soon, so on-screen controls will likely be found in future versions of these LCDs.)
Finally, as you might expect with monitors of this size, they cannot pivot (that is, change their orientation from landscape to portrait)--their big dimensions prohibit such movement. All of the models do tilt and swivel with ease, however, and they are also height-adjustable.
Nice Extras
In addition to their generous size, these 30-inchers provide some useful extras. For instance, the HP LP3065 has four USB ports on the left of the bezel, as well as four more in the back. It also supplies three DVI ports, which is quite unusual (the other displays we tested have only one). Having more DVI ports allows you to connect the display to two PCs at once via DVI cables, instead of via an analog VGA port (which the three units we reviewed do not have).
The Samsung unit comes with a power-saver feature that switches the monitor to a low-power mode when the monitor has not been in use for some time. It includes just two USB ports, however.
Dell's 3007WFP-HC has two media card slots on the left of the bezel (one of which is a four-in-one; the other accommodates just CF cards). Two USB ports are also located on the left, and two more are situated in the back of the unit.