Dell S2409W 24 inch LCD Monitor

I saw the ad in Best Buy today and just had to pick one up. At $220 it was $20 more than Dell's own web site. Yet, the ability to just run down and get it immediately was worth the extra money to me.
I set it up next to two 24" Dell monitors I already own (2407's) and noticed an immediate difference. The S2409W's screen is at exactly 24" diagonally but is 1/2" wider and a full inch shorter. This may not mean much to most folks. I'm not sure if that's a bad thing or a good thing yet.
The extra width will allow other small programs to be show whereas I've grown to like seeing two word documents side by side, zoomed in slightly. On the S2409W's screen you can easily see the same, at about the same size as an 8 1/2 x 11 piece of paper, with an extra 3/4" of an inch in height to zoom. Yet, I can see a bit more on the side AND I'm able to look over the top a little easier.
I will be working with it and edit my comments later if I find anything better or worse or that I think I need to amend.
I'm surprised and a bit dissapointed that it doesn't have "True HD" as is advertised both here and on Dell's website. Now, don't get me wrong. I guess it depends on what you would classify as "True HD". Myself, that would be 1080p. When people ask if I have a "HiDef TV" I reply 'Yes". However, if they asked if it was *really* HiDef I would reply, "Well, it's only 1080i". A minor distinction for most folks I'm sure. but an amazing one.
Unfortunately, even with a Blu-Ray player and using an HDMI cable it will only show at 1080i.
If you've been viewing a regular CRT screen or a 19" LCD, you'll probably be impressed, delighted, and happy to have gotten such a nice monitor (like this - the S2409W) at a really (truly) great price.
But 1080i means that only the odd lines are being shown, THEN the even lines.And if it's running at 60Hz, that means the lines are actually being drawn at only 30 (THIRTY!) Hertz. (which is also why you will be BLOWN AWAY if you see the new 1080p 120Hz TV's)
I'm probably quite a bit pickier than most. I'm a pretty techie guy who has worked with thousands of computers and monitors over the last 16 years.
So, leaving most of my personal feelings aside, here are some *facts* I believe to be true.
- This is an Excellent monitor at an amazing price.
- It doesn't have the full features of others such as:
  .. USB inputs
  .. adjustable stand (it tilts, does not raise or lower. However it IS, incredibly, at the same height off my desk as my other two 24" monitors!) It also does not turn left/right.
  .. an overbright backlight. (the 2407's are set at the lowest brightness settings - even after 3 years, anything higher would be too bright. However, the S2409W is just the right amount of brightness out of the box.)
  .. There are only 3 inputs, HDMI, VGA (what it was set for, out of the box), & DVI-D.
  .. It came with a DVI-D cable and a VGA cable (which was actually attached during shipping leading me to think the folks at Dell assumed most people will use it instead of the much sharper/clearer/more defined DVI-D)
  .. There are a few settings for picture: Video or Graphics. If you choose Graphics, then there are 6 color settings including: Multimedia, Standard, Game, Warm, Cool & Custom. Video mode includes: Movie, Game, Sports, Nature.
  .. Other settings include, Brightness/Contrast, Input, Audio (?!! not sure why...) and generic display settings.
  .. 5ms response time. 5ms is fine if your only viewing bad video on the internet, Word Processing documents, Spreadsheets, Solitaire or slow moving love stories or documentaries. But, if the camera begins to pan at all, or if there is any action, everything begins to blur somewhat.
    **Note: Most people wouldn't notice this. But, if you're a gamer like I am or have seen true 1080p HD video at 240Hz, it's a bit of a let down.
To be specific, I can not recommend this as a *gaming* monitor if you play FPS games (FarCry2, Crysis, World at War). I run an nVidia 8800GTX at the highest settings and 5ms is just too slow. 4ms is much better (yes, you CAN see a difference) and 2ms is nirvana - meaning "Outstanding". This is not that. It is very good, excellent in fact, for what most people will use it for. But for someone who plays games where there is only the 'quick and the dead' may find themselves the latter because of the slower focus.
  .. The lack of Component inputs (Red, Green, Blue Coaxial wires) is moot. They would only allow you to have 1080i anyway.
Bottom line: If you're running a 19" CRT, buy this. If you have a 24" or smaller LCD, or it's running at less than 5ms (8ms, 10-12ms) buy this, use it as a second monitor. Its screen is a full inch taller and 6 1/2 inches wider than my 19" CRT I was using for watching my cameras around the house, email filtering program etc. I am actually excited to use this S2409W instead. I can always give it to one of the kids (to replace their pitiful 17" monitors) when an affordable 2ms/1080p monitor comes out. My wife actually thought it was too big (Yes!!) for her desk and would rather have a much smaller (17") monitor. Personally, I think that's just wierd, but am happy to use it instead.
Definitely buy this if you are thinking of a 22" or 23" monitor. The 22" models have 6 bit color and other less desirable traits -imho-.
The 1080 lines also mean you will get perfect pixel to LCD matching for any graphic display rendered at that resolution.
In case you don't know what that is, a pixel is simply a dot of color (or 3subpixel dots of various Red/Green/Blue shading to create a pixel of any one of 16,777,216 colors. And they can be sized very large or small by adjusting the "resolution" of the software image shown on your monitor. However, LCD means that there are actual crystals - hard/real crystals (that "twist" to allow light to pass through - the MilliSeconds -5ms- setting means that's how long they take to react. The faster they can allow or block light, the less blurring effect is shown on fast moving images). When your pixels are larger than the actual crystals, the color "bleeds" into other crystals. Since each crystal can ONLY show one color, some will be showing a full crystal's worth of color when the size of the pixel should have only covered a portion of it.
Having a 1080 screen would be more perfect fit than the 2407's whose "Native Resolution" is 1920x1200. If I go down in resolution, it takes me to 1050. Neither is a perfect match for the 1080 lines like on the S2409W.
Considering that my 2407's cost $600 each, at less than $250, the S2409W is a GREAT bargain. Buy two. Seriously. Anyone who has gone dual monitor tells me they'll never go back to just ONE.
Oh yeah, also be sure your video card can handle the resolution. If you're using "on-board" video (plugged into the motherboard directly instead of an AGP or PCIe card that was added on) you may find you will want to add a video card too. Don't worry, you can get some great deals for less than $50. You will want to do this anyway if you do not have the DVI port.There is a distinct difference between it and the VGA port that's been used for the last 20 years.

The scene #24 from the BluRay of James Bond "Soltice of Solace" on a *true* 1080p 120Hz screen the scene is breathtakingly alive. It is as clear as watching a daytime soap opera. Kinda freaky wierd in a way too.
But, this monitor's 1080i and 5ms response (at 60Hz) just seems very nice. Better than a normal TV and becuase it's widescreen, it's much better than the usual 19" CRT monitor.
And very much worth the price.
Oh yes, one final thought, It comes with a 3 year warranty - from Dell - no strings attached, no extra cost. A definite plus.