HP z27x Review
by Chris Heinonen on December 2, 2014 4:00 PM ESTThe z27x offers the ability to select from multiple preset gamut choices. It is the first display I have seen that offers the Rec. 2020 gamut as an option. If you do not know, Rec. 2020 is the gamut that is officially defined in the UltraHD picture specifications. It has a color gamut that is much larger than anything else on the market today. Importantly, it is a gamut that you cannot even produce today as we don’t have phosphors or other technologies to create it. It really is a target, and not one that can currently be achieved.
The HP z27x offers a large selection of different color gamuts in the preset modes. Beyond the standard sRGB/Rec.709 and AdobeRGB, there is DCI/P3 and Rec.2020. There is also a preset for D50 which is very similar to sRGB/D65 but has a shifted white point as D65 is based on sunlight and noon while D50 is later in the day.
Below you can see a comparison of the preset choices in the HP z27x compared to those targets inside of CalMAN 5.3.6. The only issue is that CalMAN has no D50 preset, only D55, so I used that instead. The fact that the color points are not aligned here is likely due to that issue.
What stands out is that the HP z27x has no issues with sRGB, AdobeRGB, or ever the DCI color space. Once you get to Rec.2020 it is beyond what the HP can do, but it comes closer than any other display I have used to date. Many companies could produce a display with a massive gamut like this, but the problem is you get blown-out, over-saturated colors. Most programs don’t utilize ICC profiles so the monitor has to have a mode for the color gamut you want. The HP can easily move between the color gamut of your choice, making it easy to work in multiple color spaces accurately.
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Wwhat - Sunday, December 7, 2014 - link
It's probably enforced by the damn HDMI consortium. But that's why it's nice to have displayport on monitors eh. Graphics cards use those and computer monitors like this one do.teddyboyd - Tuesday, December 9, 2014 - link
There are a number of higher rated monitors, I recommend seeing http://www.topreport.org/monitors/ among others.dgingeri - Tuesday, December 2, 2014 - link
I have the predecessor for this monitor, the ZR2740w, and I hate it. I had to have it replaced twice under warranty in three years. The support for it was difficult to reach and difficult to convince I deserved to get a new one because the old ones wouldn't power up at all. (Apparently, they thought I couldn't attach the cable properly, even though I'd worked in IT for over 15 years.) I am simply not getting another HP monitor again because of my experiences. I recommend the same to others.Dell makes much better monitors at has better support. Right now, they have the 27" UHD P2715Q for only $700, including a 3 year advanced replacement warranty. That sounds like a much better deal than this to me.
cheinonen - Tuesday, December 2, 2014 - link
The ZR2740w, and the Dell, are consumer targeted while the z27x (which isn't a predecessor to the ZR2740w, it's more related to the LP2480zx) is aimed at professionals. Neither the Dell not the ZR2740w have the expanded gamuts or calibration options, they're a different market.fumanstan1 - Tuesday, December 2, 2014 - link
I actually had a different experience with their support for the ZR2740w. Mine started failing where it wouldn't power up either, but they sent a technician out to my apartment to replace the monitor completely and basically came with a brand new warranty without any questions or problems at all. I came away impressed with their support.YazX_ - Tuesday, December 2, 2014 - link
Dell or HP is same rebraded crap originally manufactured in china, you could get same one as these for 300-400$, but the HP logo costs around 1k$.Things extra in this monitor:
LAN: Not important, well external USB 3.0 NIC is for 25$.
USB Hub: not important, costs around 10$.
save your money and get Qnix/X-Star, same quality for fraction of the price, also Qnix comes with Samsung PLS which is better than LG IPS.
Samus - Tuesday, December 2, 2014 - link
You're forgetting the HP logo comes with an excellent on-site warranty, and Qnix tech support doesn't even speak English (they're Korean)wolrah - Wednesday, December 3, 2014 - link
I think you missed the point on the ethernet port. It's not exposed to the PC, it's a configuration interface for the display itself. Still probably unimportant to you as it is to most, but certainly not equivalent to a random USB NIC.ijozic - Wednesday, December 3, 2014 - link
What are you on about? The z27x is a wide gamut monitor, while the ones you mention are not. Furthermore, IPS screens generally seem to have better color accuracy than PLS ones.Samus - Tuesday, December 2, 2014 - link
I had a ZR2740w, it isn't a "successor" to this monitor. The ZR2740 was never a "Dreamcolor" display. As cheinonen said, it's a cheap consumer monitor. I hated it too. I could never get it close to calibrated. But it was a cheap, name-brand 2560x1440 display, and decent for gaming (other than FPS's)