Dell 2407WFP-HC
We reported about Dell’s 2407WFP model in our previous review. The HC suffix of the newer model means backlight lamps with improved phosphors. These lamps are going to provide an extended color gamut.
The other parameters of these two models coincide in general except that the HC version has a lower specified brightness. Anyway, 400 nits is more than enough for any application including watching movies under daylight.
Dell’s monitors are known to undergo several revisions to get rid of found defects. My sample of the 2407WFP-HC was revision A00, i.e. the very first revision.
It is pretty on the outside with the combination of black and silver, an elegant stand (it is made from steel for the necessary rigidity), and superb ergonomics.
The stand allows adjusting the tilt of the screen, its height (4 to 14cm counting from the desk surface to the bottom edge of the matrix). You can also pivot the screen into portrait mode or turn it around its vertical axis (the sole of the stand remains motionless at that). The height adjustment is blocked if the screen is lowered to its bottommost position. To unblock, press the button at the back of the stand while pulling the screen up.
The stand can be detached (by merely pressing a button) and replaced with a standard VESA mount.
The monitor offers a large selection of inputs: analog and digital interfaces for the PC and three video inputs (component, composite and S-Video). It also has an integrated USB hub. Two USB ports are available at the back panel, too.
Two more USB ports can be found on the left panel, which is handy for connecting flash drives and other such devices. Next to them there is an integrated card-reader. The monitor cannot view the contents of memory cards independently, though. The card-reader will only work when connected to the PC via USB.
The control buttons are located in the bottom right of the front panel. They are large and have easily readable white icons. Quick access is provided to switching between the inputs (the number of the current input is shown to the left of the button), to the Picture-in-Picture mode, to the brightness setting, and to the automatic adjustment of analog connection.
The traditional menu of Dell monitors is beautiful but unfriendly to the user. The current position of the cursor is not marked consciously, the menu doesn’t remember the last changed option, and it takes a lot of pressing on the buttons to get to the necessary menu item. Oddly enough, the simpler onscreen menus of Dell’s budget models are far more user-friendly.
What is good, the menu offers not only Picture-in-Picture mode but also the option of choosing an interpolation variant. You can stretch the image out to full screen, stretch it out but keep the aspect ratio intact (it’s handy for images of 4:3 format), or to display it on a per-pixel basis (that’s handy for working with HDTV signal in 1080i and 1080p formats).
