Dell’s new $289 2009W 20″ LCD looks to become a strong contender in the high end bargain monitor market. It also boasts “halogen free” technology, a 102% color gamut and a 5ms response time.
DELL UltraSharp 2009W
20-inch Widescreen Flat Panel Monitor
A question I’ve often been asked – how do I run two monitors using the single video port on my laptop? In 2005, Matrox answered that question with their DualHead2Go Analog solution. The small box allows a computer with a single VGA port (and enough graphics horsepower) to drive two external VGA monitors up to 1280×1024 pixels, the common resolution for 17 and 19 inch LCD monitors. In early 2007, Matrox released the second iteration of its product, the DualHead2Go Digital Edition. This new model allows for two monitors to be connected via DVI and provides support for higher resolutions as well.
Matrox, a Canadian graphics company known better in the professional imaging and architecture fields for their graphics products, created the DualHead2Go Digital Edition with the goal of high quality dual head capabilities for computers with only one (or two, in the case of a 4 or 6 monitor setup) video output.
See more. Do more. Be more productive.
This external multi-display upgrade is a compact box which sits outside your system and connects to the VGA output of compatible notebook or desktop computers. The multi-display configuration delivered by DualHead2Go Digital Edition permits working with multiple full-screen documents or applications simultaneously—eliminating the need to constantly open, close, or minimize applications. It is the ideal solution for professional and business users looking for a simple and cost-effective solution to quickly increase their productivity.
Through patent-pending technology, the operating system detects the DualHead2Go Digital Edition as an ultra-widescreen monitor which is then split into two or more standard resolutions compatible with the attached displays. DualHead2Go Digital Edition also enables support for high resolution panels, offering a stretched desktop of up to 3840×1200 (or dual 1920×1200)1 across two displays.
A big thanks to Matrox for providing us with a sample for this review!
We looked at the dual port solution, but there is a tri-port product called the TripleHead2Go available as well.
Initial Reactions:
It works! Anything else here should be preceded with the fact that the DualHead2Go very much works as advertised, and with little hassle. I will say that the software aspect of things does work more naturally in Windows, with the maximize function understanding the separation of monitors where the Operating System couldn’t. Mac worked well for the most part, but it lacked the sophistication of the Windows software.
Installation:
Installation is not hard, but it has occasional moments of frustration. In Windows, it was very easy. Using the supplied driver disk, the installation went smoothly and we were up running dual (and triple) monitors in no time. When testing with a Mac, it often required a restart before anything would take hold (even though the software had given confirmation that the resolution was applied) and the software often was just unresponsive, which was frustrating. We later used version 1.1 of the Mac software, which was recently released and comes as a great improvement to the original shipping drivers and control panel. It also adds official support for 20” widescreen panels.
We tested using a pair of 15″, 20″ and 24″ monitors powered by an Apple Macbook Pro. Initial testing was carried out on a Sony Vaio laptop but the video card was found to be inadequate for full range comparison testing. The Macbook Pro was using OSX 10.5 Leopard, Windows Vista Ultimate and Windows XP through Bootcamp. It has the nVidia 8600m-gt video card and a native resolution of 1440×900. The 15″ monitors required VGA adapters to connect, but the others had DVI native connections that matched the DualHead2Go.
Image Quality:
With a product like this, aimed at professionals, image quality is often going to be an important point. With that said, image quality is good. Using properly calibrated monitors and the “adjust image quality” button in the Matrox panels, the image quality is good. Its not great – I could notice a difference between a direct DVI connection from my laptop to a single monitor, versus the VGA to Matrox to DVI configuration that the DualHead2Go employs. I’m a little curious as to why there isn’t an all-digital, non-converted product of this nature available but for what it is, the image quality is between good and great. (Editor’s note: this is actually due to the fact that non-dual link DVI connections do not support the required resolutions to power two monitors combined; as well as the widespread presence of VGA connections on laptops). Definitely usable for almost any application, and I found photo editing to be up to par as well. The sharpness and clarity were also good, but not spectacular. I would say that this is a very reasonable compromise for the actual functioning operation of the product, but it should be noted.
Usability:
We tested the DualHead2Go Digital Edition with a number of applications and tested a variety of scenarios. Included were web browsing, photo editing, word processing, file management and gaming.
Across the board, things went well. It was excellent having so much real estate when it came to web browsing, and the ability to open 5 or more pages in a Word document is very useful.
Software:
The software is very capable, but it’s not perfect. In Windows XP and Vista, things feel very polished and features like snap to each monitor work wonderfully well. In Mac OSX, this is obviously a newer development and it caters to a smaller market, so the product is less polished but it is still very functional. Since OSX’s window maximize feature is barely functional to begin with, it’s not surprising that the snap to feature is not entirely functional.
Quirks:
For whatever reason, if you’re running a Mac, don’t expect to run two 15”, 20” or 24” monitors alongside your open screen. In our testing, we discovered that the only way we could get the build in display of our 15” Macbook Pro to work alongside the dual monitors properly was when running two 19” widescreen LCD monitors that had the same vertical resolution as our 1440×900 resolution laptop screen. Otherwise, the image would be skewed and distorted. This contributes to the lack of sophistication on the Mac side, as we were required to run our computer in closed-lid mode for it to operate normally. However, under Windows we did not have this problem and were able to successfully run a triple-monitor setup with the laptop display and our other pairs of LCD monitors.
Closing Observations:
If you need more screen resolution then your laptop and just an external monitor can offer, you really don’t have much of a choice in the way of solutions. Docking stations provide a much less elegant option and USB video cards are often crippled and slow, and this is where the DualHead2Go shines. If you’re buying it for a Mac, make sure to install the latest drivers from Matrox’s website before anything else.
Through the testing, I found that a 20″ widescreen LCD monitor is the sweet spot, where performance is still good but image quality is also up to snuff. I would recommend a Dell 2007WFP LCD monitor for use with the DH2G.
For these reasons alone, the Matrox Dualhead2go is definitely worth a look. However, its also worthwhile on its own merit. The product works very well and even if you did have an alternate capacity, I would still recommend it providing that you are willing to deal with a few small quirks in an otherwise excellent product.
Released in late 2004, the Dell 2005FPW received positive reviews for its image quality, numerous inputs and lots of options. However, one of the main complaints was that it was simply ugly. In typical Dell fashion, it lacked any style whatsoever. Employing a thick, black bezel and an awkward looking circular stand, it was hardly a design piece. Enter the Dell 2007WFP, the next generation 20’’ widescreen Dell LCD. Released in early 2006, it brought the acclaimed quality of the 2005WFP into a gorgeous package and did so at a very competitive price.
The 2007wfp is not without controversy. In an apparent cost-cutting measure, Dell created a “lottery” of sorts with the 2007wfp; randomizing which panel was used. Early production runs used the excellent LG.Philips S-IPS panel, but later models began to feature Samsung built S-PVA panels. The S-IPS panels are the same as those used in the expensive Apple Cinema Display, but the S-PVA that began to be used was a much more mainstream panel. The panel type is apparently random, although late models (revision A04 and later) generally do not ever have S-IPS panels.
The model used for this review is a LG.Philips S-IPS panel.
Features:
The Dell 2007WFP does not skimp on inputs. Where the Apple Cinema Display only has a single DVI input, the 2007wfp includes a VGA input, a DVI input, a S-Video input and a composite video input.
Other interesting features include picture-in-picture, which is admittedly limited to one computer input and one non-computer input.
Tilting is an excellent feature. The 2007WFP is able to rotate 90 degrees and the software (should be) is able to make your display show in portrait. In Mac OSX, there is a setting in the Display Preferences setting window to adjust the rotation.
Design:
The Dell 2007wfp’s design is a major improvement over the dull look of the 2005wfp. Out is the round, matte black and in is a gorgeous silver and black contrast with pronounced corners and a more “boxy” design. That is not a bad thing at all; it looks much better then the round 2005fpw bezel.
The stand of the 2007wfp is both nice to look at and very functional. It is built to route all cables in an attempt to reduce “cable clutter” that results from loose wires.
Quality:
The Dell 2007wfp uses the same internal panel, with a few small tweaks, as the overwhelmingly well-regarded Apple Cinema Display. If you do end up with a S-IPS panel, then you have an excellent model. Calibration and a few OSD adjustments bring it up to par with much more expensive LCD monitors in terms of color accuracy and graphic performance. Dell backs up the build quality with a strong 3 year warranty (better then Apple, unless you buy the additional AppleCare).
Price:
You can’t argue with the price of the 2007wfp. Dell officially asks a slightly steep $400 MSRP, but the street price is significantly less, around $300. At the latter price, it’s a very good deal and an excellent pick up. For anyone except a Getty photographer or a print designer, its more then good enough in terms of accuracy and image quality.
Try to find an older model if you are in the market for a 2007wfp. A revision A02 or A03 with a confirmed LG-Philips S-IPS is the best bet in terms of quality, but all the revisions make for excellent monitors.
It looks very similar to Dell’s now legendary 2407wfp, with the indisputably sexy ultrasharp bezel. Whats under the hood is even more impressive:
DisplayPort, HDMI, 2xDVI, VGA, Component, Composite and S-Video make up the home team on the Dell’s back side. That should be enough connections to keep even the most high-source users happy with ports to spare. In typical Dell fashion, the LCD enjoys extravagant rotation and adjustment abilities.
Are you sold? You can enjoy some 2408wfp love for the low, low (well, not really) price of $750 at Dell Small Business. Price will be much more reasonable with readily available coupons.
You can save $75 right off the bat with an easily available 10% off Electronics and Accessories coupon, bringing the cost down to $675.
Don’t need the latest and greatest? Thanks to the 2408wfp, prices on Dell’s last-generation products are falling. Now is the best time to pick up a 2×07 product if you don’t mind the lack of a displayport option.
According to Gizmodo, the quality of the wireless HDTV’s demonstrated at CES was indistinguishable from its wired counterparts. Sporting 1080p resolutions, high contrast ratios and a suspicious lack of wires, these TVs could make it a whole lot easier to set up a home theater. I’m all for progress, but I don’t think I will be strapping one of these to my wall until the power cord is as wireless as the rest of it, though.
Recent Comments