The Hewlett-Packard w2007 is a sleek, attractive 20.1-inch widescreen display set in a silver body with a glossy black frame. Like most 20-22-inch widescreen displays, the w2007 has a native resolution of 1680X1050 pixels that provides plenty of room for your desktop and applications. Its contrast ratio is a superb 1000:1, which is unusual for a monitor in this price range. This unit's brightness isn't exceptional, although it has a rating of 300 nits, which should be more than enough for almost any use. In fact, we expect most individuals will want to crank the brightness down a bit, if not slip on shades.

HP chose to outfit the w2007 with a glossy LCD panel. Glossy panels have their pros and cons; most notably, they display vivid color and rich, deep blacks, but they also tend to show reflections more than matte LCD panels. We find the glossy LCD panel to be great for watching movies and viewing photos, but we are easily distracted by background reflections when viewing dark images. This is likely to be more of a problem in a business setting than in a home or home office.

The w2007's stand offers tilt and swivel capabilities, but lacks height adjustment and rotation options. The stand uses a pseudo-Lazy Susan system that allows the monitor to swivel a full 360 degrees, although swiveling the display to this extent is likely to end up tangling the cables. Nevertheless, the swivel system is a convenient feature, particularly if you review documents with colleagues onscreen or want to show a photo to one of your cubicle neighbors.

Connectivity is limited to standard VGA and an HDCP-compliant DVI connector. We consider this to be the bare minimum of connectivity for a display, and we would prefer to have additional video input options. In keeping with the bare minimum theme, the w2007 lacks USB connectivity, though it does include a DVI cable.

In the end, our complaints about the HP w2007 are relatively minor and are easily outweighed by its many pluses, which include crisp text, good image detail, vivid color and deep blacks. We also like the w2007's budget-friendly price. This monitor should almost certainly be on the shortlist of anyone who is considering purchasing a 20.1-inch widescreen display.


Pros: Sleek design, crisp text, vivid color, good image detail
Cons: Limited connectivity

Warranty
1 year, limited