When I reviewed HP's LP2465 display last year, I was impressed with the 24-inch monitor's image quality and feature set but bemoaned its lack of entertainment connections. Although the new HP w2408 ($570 direct) has a completely different look from the earlier model, it, too, delivers good performance and is equipped with some handy features. Unfortunately, those additional A/V ports are still nowhere to be found.

The 24-inch widescreen panel boasts a 1,920-by-1,200 resolution and a 92 percent NTSC color gamut, dubbed VividColor Technology by the folks at HP. The NTSC color gamut is the measure of how much of the full range of colors a monitor can display (most LCD panels typically cover 72 percent of the gamut). Wide-gamut monitors are nothing new, but this is the first time HP has featured this technology in a consumer-oriented display. As a result, the w2408 produces much bolder and sharper colors than the w2007 model, and the overall image appears much brighter as well.

Like the w2007, the w2408 sports a high-gloss black cabinet offset by silver trim. A notched bezel accepts HP's Easy Clip accessories ($12.59), or you can spring for a 2-megapixel webcam ($89.99) that also snaps into the grooved edging. The rectangular base is height-adjustable and provides plenty of room to stash your keyboard beneath the monitor. It also has tilt maneuverability as well as a pivot adjustment for viewing in portrait mode. On a panel of this size, that means minimal (if any) scrolling while you're viewing Web pages. This brings me to my first gripe: The panel has a terrible bottom (vertical) viewing angle. Normally this wouldn't be a big issue, but when you rotate the display into portrait mode, the image undergoes serious color shifting when viewed from the left side at a 100-degree angle. That's just 10 degrees off center, which means if you move your head slightly to the left, the screen appears washed out. However, the vertical angle from the right side and both horizontal angles are much better (around 170 degrees).

At the rear of the display is an HDCP-enabled DVI port, an analog input, three USB ports (one upstream, for connecting the monitor to the host PC's USB port, and two downstream, which lets you plug USB devices into the monitor), and an audio jack for the integrated speakers, which are also mounted at the rear of the display. The 2W speakers are adequate for light listening duty, but since they are rear-firing they aren't as loud as they could be. Two additional USB ports are located on the left-hand side of the display. I'm puzzled by the lack of extra A/V ports such as S-Video and component video inputs, especially since HP touts this model as a home-entertainment/home-office display. If entertainment connectivity is key, the similarly priced Westinghouse L2410NM gives you plenty of A/V connections, including an HDMI port, but it lacks DVI and USB ports.

I like the addition of the ambient light sensor that's built into the HP w2408's left-hand bezel and adjusts the brightness according to your current lighting environment. The bottom bezel holds four well-marked function buttons to use for accessing the on-screen display menu. With them, you can adjust brightness, contrast, and color temperature settings. You can also disable the light sensor and change the panel's aspect ratio. The buttons also act as hot keys for adjusting speaker volume and switching between four preset Quick View screen settings, which are optimized for specific applications and include movie, photo, gaming, and text modes.

While viewing images from the DisplayMate (www.displaymate.com) suite of tests, I observed some blurring at the extreme ends of the 64-step gray scale, but the flaw is minor and does not affect the display's overall image quality. In fact, primary and secondary colors appeared uniform and ramped evenly from dark to light, and there were no color-tracking errors or signs of tinting. The panel's 5-millisecond pixel response rate (black to white) delivered a bright, smooth widescreen video and gaming experience. The action was fast and furious (and smooth) while playing a round of F.E.A.R., and my favorite DVD movie, The Departed, looked spectacular, with no evidence of motion artifacts or ghosting.

The HP w2408 comes with DVI, analog, and audio cables, as well as a CD containing a comprehensive user guide. The monitor is covered by a one-year parts and labor warranty, which unfortunately is fast becoming an industry standard. If you want a full three-year plan, it'll cost you another $110.

Despite its shortcomings, the HP w2408 is a good choice for users seeking a big, bright widescreen display for work or play. The panel's wide color gamut technology delivers bright, vibrant colors, and the adjustable stand gives you the flexibility to maneuver the screen for optimal viewing in both portrait and landscape modes.

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