There has been some call for a separate thread for the Hazro HZ30W, which has recently come back into stock at OcUK at a very attractive price. This thread is for discussing the various strengths and weaknesses of the monitor, and for those who own one to help those considering buying one to make an informed decision. See also the big Hazro thread here.
As many of you will know, the Hazro HZ30W is a 30" screen featuring an S-IPS panel, available at a much reduced cost relative to other 30" screens. The screen has only the most basic features in order to keep the end cost low. The basic principle is that advanced configuration of colours and other standard options are readily available through software, and so including them in the OSD is be somewhat redundant.
The screen can be bought from OcUK here. Also, for a review look here
The screen is wide gamut (92%), with a 2560*1600 resolution. The input lag is low for an S-IPS screen; at 7.5ms it is better than many TN panels. Also, the black point is reasonably good for an S-IPS panel (subjectively, box 5 and onwards are visible in this test).
I recieved one of these screens recently, and my initial impressions are fairly positive.
*** First off the good points:
The colour reproduction is excellent. Coming from a TN panel I was expecting an improvement, but the HZ30W is in another league. I was also prepared for unrealistic colors, owing to the 92% NTSC gamut, but this does not seem to be the case. The colours look vibrant, without seeming unrealistic (at least to my eye).
I'm generally very sensitive to input lag, and have not been able to detect any lag whatsoever with this screen, even in fast paced FPS games. So, in this regard the monitor lives up to its billing.
As far as response times go, I have not noticed any ghosting or other adverse effects. The monitor performed well in this regard in the TFT central review (despite its relatively high stated response time of 12ms), and this is reflected in my testing. I also tested the monitor in a couple of games, with v-sync off. The visibility of tearing was minimal, certainly no worse than with my 2ms-response TN panel. If anything, this screen offers a small improvement (although of course enabling vsync is still going to be the best option, if your framerate is high enough).
There was some suggestion in the TFT central review that such a large, high-resolution screen could lead to an apparent loss of quality when watching high- and standard-def DVDs in fullscreen mode. This is not something I would agree with. Of course, viewing a standard-res DVD close up is going to reveal the inherent lack of quality (due to low output resolution), but I certainly don't feel this is highlighted by the screen. Watching DVDs at a comfortable distance is a good experience with the Hazro.
The build quality is generally high. The aluminium frame is quite sturdy and (to my eyes) elegant.
*** Now the not so good:
First, I must mention the stand. There is no vertical hight adjustment, and for me the screen stands about 10 - 15cm too low. I think I will end up raising the monitor off the desk slightly. This being said, I am quite tall and have a relatively long body, so you might find it sits at the right height for you.
Another point of note is that the screen comes with only a single DVI input (although you will likely know this already from the reviews). For me this is no issue, as I intend to use it purely as a PC monitor, but those looking for it to double as an HDTV might perhaps require more flexible input options.
NOTE: If you use windows XP, then do yourself a favour and download the drivers for the Dell3007 in order to get 2560*1600 resolution in games in XP. click here.
In conclusion; this is an excellent monitor with a pricetag which is unmatched for a 30" screen. The picture quality is top notch, with clear text and vibrant colours. For the price, you can't do better. Excellent buy IMO.
As many of you will know, the Hazro HZ30W is a 30" screen featuring an S-IPS panel, available at a much reduced cost relative to other 30" screens. The screen has only the most basic features in order to keep the end cost low. The basic principle is that advanced configuration of colours and other standard options are readily available through software, and so including them in the OSD is be somewhat redundant.
The screen can be bought from OcUK here. Also, for a review look here
The screen is wide gamut (92%), with a 2560*1600 resolution. The input lag is low for an S-IPS screen; at 7.5ms it is better than many TN panels. Also, the black point is reasonably good for an S-IPS panel (subjectively, box 5 and onwards are visible in this test).
I recieved one of these screens recently, and my initial impressions are fairly positive.
*** First off the good points:
The colour reproduction is excellent. Coming from a TN panel I was expecting an improvement, but the HZ30W is in another league. I was also prepared for unrealistic colors, owing to the 92% NTSC gamut, but this does not seem to be the case. The colours look vibrant, without seeming unrealistic (at least to my eye).
I'm generally very sensitive to input lag, and have not been able to detect any lag whatsoever with this screen, even in fast paced FPS games. So, in this regard the monitor lives up to its billing.
As far as response times go, I have not noticed any ghosting or other adverse effects. The monitor performed well in this regard in the TFT central review (despite its relatively high stated response time of 12ms), and this is reflected in my testing. I also tested the monitor in a couple of games, with v-sync off. The visibility of tearing was minimal, certainly no worse than with my 2ms-response TN panel. If anything, this screen offers a small improvement (although of course enabling vsync is still going to be the best option, if your framerate is high enough).
There was some suggestion in the TFT central review that such a large, high-resolution screen could lead to an apparent loss of quality when watching high- and standard-def DVDs in fullscreen mode. This is not something I would agree with. Of course, viewing a standard-res DVD close up is going to reveal the inherent lack of quality (due to low output resolution), but I certainly don't feel this is highlighted by the screen. Watching DVDs at a comfortable distance is a good experience with the Hazro.
The build quality is generally high. The aluminium frame is quite sturdy and (to my eyes) elegant.
*** Now the not so good:
First, I must mention the stand. There is no vertical hight adjustment, and for me the screen stands about 10 - 15cm too low. I think I will end up raising the monitor off the desk slightly. This being said, I am quite tall and have a relatively long body, so you might find it sits at the right height for you.
Another point of note is that the screen comes with only a single DVI input (although you will likely know this already from the reviews). For me this is no issue, as I intend to use it purely as a PC monitor, but those looking for it to double as an HDTV might perhaps require more flexible input options.
NOTE: If you use windows XP, then do yourself a favour and download the drivers for the Dell3007 in order to get 2560*1600 resolution in games in XP. click here.
In conclusion; this is an excellent monitor with a pricetag which is unmatched for a 30" screen. The picture quality is top notch, with clear text and vibrant colours. For the price, you can't do better. Excellent buy IMO.
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I've updated the original post to reflect this. Thanks for the suggestion, gibbo!
