The Dell UltraSharp 2007WFP ($569) is a fine example of the new generation of mainstream LCD monitors. Offering native widescreen support and a resolution of 1680-by-1050, the 2007WFP is truly stunning and will make an excellent addition to your home PC.

With a native aspect ratio of 16:10 (1.6:1), the monitor has a slightly different widescreen format from the 16:9 (1.78:1) aspect ratio prevalent in HDTVs. Even so, the 2007WFP provides many connections for video devices, including VGA, DVI, composite video, and S-Video inputs. One point worth noting is that the DVI port is HDCP-compliant (that's High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection), so you'll be able to view protected HD media such as HD DVD and Blu-ray discs; just make sure the rest of your PC supports it. The unit also has four powered USB 2.0 ports, with a downstream port for connecting to your PC.

For managing its settings, the 2007WFP uses a unique on-screen display (OSD) that keeps all the different menu options visible while you make changes. Borrowing concepts from some HDTVs, it's one of the easiest-to-use OSDs I've seen on a desktop display to date.

On the lab bench, the 2007WFP exhibited an average contrast ratio of 601:1, with the brightness control set to 50 percent. At 50 percent, the display yielded the best combination of grayscale tracking, contrast ratio, and backlight uniformity. I measured the average black-level uniformity to be 83 percent, better than average. While the rated response time for the UltraSharp 2007WFP is 16 milliseconds, which seems relatively high by current standards, the PC Magazine Labs response time test demonstrated only slight tearing and no visible ghosting.

When actual content was playing, the display revealed some muddiness in black-level details, but color rendition was quite good. Moreover, playing 3D games or fast-action sequences from DVD movies caused no ghosting or streaking. Similarly, I saw no color banding in high-dynamic-range scenes. Color banding is often a sign of limited color reproduction, and the absence of this type of artifact was welcome.

What this Dell monitor lacks, though, is a component video input. This connection would be very handy; it would allow the display to do double duty and show video from an additional device—an Xbox 360 game console, for example. The lack of component video capability is an odd oversight for such an otherwise capable display, which even supports PiP (picture-in-picture).

At $569, the 2007WFP isn't the cheapest 20-inch widescreen display on the market, but it's certainly in the lower half of the price curve compared with other, similarly equipped displays. This UltraSharp also offers good ergonomics, with full tilt-swivel and height adjustment. A speaker bar can also be added as an optional upgrade ($27.95).

Overall, this is an excellent display that takes up relatively little desk space, but offers 34 percent more pixel real estate than typical 19-inch, 4:3-aspect-ratio monitors. If you're looking to make the move to widescreen, then the UltraSharp 2007WFP is the monitor for you.

See how the UltraSharp 2007WFP measures up to other displays in our LCD comparison chart.

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