HP F2304
With this monitor, HP no longer only targets users with a central unit from the same brand but all users. HP’s positions itself as a real monitor manufacturer with a product price in the average range of wide monitors.
Ergonomics
No SCART inputs, this one is too French, but many others are included. DVI, analogical, composites (S-Video) and components (YUV), this monitor has everything you need to connect it to a DVD player or a computer or even both. By the way, it also features the PIP function useful for the second configuration: you work in full screen and on the lower right there is a second, smaller window with your favourite TV show.
Despite the big size of this monitor, 64 cm long, HP was able to maintain a reduced thickness, slightly inferior to 20 cm. That is less than quite a few 17" monitors…However unlike the Dell, the F2304 isn’t vertically adjustable and doesn’t have a pivot mode either.
Color quality
Our last doubts have vanished: this monitor is built around an IPS panel. And that isn’t a compliment, taking into account the competing technologies’ recent improvements. With these panels the black is as usual less deep than TN and especially VA panels. So the result is an average accuracy for dark shades. The white is at 197 cd/m² and the black a 0.51 cd/m². The contrast ratio measured is thus lower than the one announced 385:1 (instead of 500:1 in the characteristics).
How to interpret the graph?The X axis is 0 to 100, 0 is black and 100 is white.
When Delta E > 3 the desired colors are noticeably different from the ones on the screen.
When 1 < Delta E < 2 colors are accurate. When Delta E < 1, the result is perfect.
Viewing angles
HP says that they have almost complete viewing angles of 176° for every direction. That is almost true because you still see an image even from the top of the monitor. However, this image is only perfect up to 90°. Beyond 100° it darkens and tends to get yellow.
In the vertical viewing angles, there are important image alterations from around 90° (loss of brightness).
Games
World of Warcraft provides particularly good results with this monitor. For other games, the task is more difficult. Faster games show the weakness of crystals, not reactive enough for an intensive FPS practice. Blur effects, trails of light, all the possible versions of the afterglow are present. And yet HP say they included one of the latest panel generations.
Video
With such a monitor you really want to watch videos. From a certain distance the result is very good. It is hard to say that we weren’t satisfied with the results. However, if we compare it to other competing products of the same size or smaller, there is quite a gap. For example, it is difficult to imagine that this monitor really displays 16.7 million of colors. Once more, the IPS technology provides results closer to the TN technology than the VA. There are strong twinkling effects in all sequences and wide color areas instead of color scales. From a distance of two meters, these problems tend to disappear, but it is hard not to be disappointed compared to the monitor characteristics: perfect for HD movies, 16.7 million of colors… Despite a native resolution perfect for HD movies, A VA 19" monitor is in fact better than this monitor despite the sequences’ rescaling. It is disappointing…
Take a look at this manufacture’s dead pixel policy by clicking here! 
