Hannstar iF-281DPB 28 inch LCD Monitor

I have been using a Viewsonic VX922 LCD monitor for the last year and it has been a good monitor. I recently purchased a high definition television and a HDTV tuner/capture card for my PC and I wanted a monitor with HDMI input and a widescreen display. I also wanted a larger monitor for gaming and video editing. I found the Hannstar I-Inc iF-281DPB 28 Widescreen LCD Monitor at TigerDirect.com for $559.99 which is a really good price for the size and specifications of the monitor. Wouldn't it figure that three days after purchasing the beast, TigerDirect.com put it on sale for $519? …Oh well.

Hannstar I-Inc iF281

The monitor is listed as a 28 inch but the viewable area is actually 27.5 inches (no complaints from me) which is by far the largest monitor to ever grace my desktop. It is a flat panel display so it takes little room front-to-back but it does have a substantial footprint from side-to-side. I had to move my PC and subwoofer to make room on my desk for it.

The monitor controls and power switch are on the right side of the display if you are looking directly at it, which seemed strange at first but they are actually very accessible and easy to use. The on-screen display is virtually self-explanatory and navigating the menu is easy enough to master with a few button clicks.


In the box

* Hannstar I-Inc iF281 LCD monitor
* DVI-D to HDMI cable
* Stereo RCA to 1/8 inch audio cable
* Stereo 1/8 inch to 1/8 inch audio cable
* D-Sub to RGB component video cable
* Driver and documentation CD
* Quick Start Guide
* Written limited warranty


Features

The monitor has only two video inputs; D-Sub and HDMI. There are no DVI-D ports but the monitor includes a DVI-D to HDMI cable for attaching a computer with DVI-D out. Using my ASUS Radeon X1950Pro video card with the cable produces an excellent digital video display on the screen. Native resolution is 1920 x 1200 pixels and looks absolutely fabulous on this screen. The contrast is very high and the display is very bright with good color quality.

The viewing angle is good enough for several people to sit and watch a movie with no problem seeing the entire screen without washout. The monitor is on a swivel and tilt stand that allows easily adjusting the monitor for the optimum viewing angle as well.

The response time is better than my Viewsonic VX922 and even on this monster display there is absolutely no ghosting during video playback or on any games I have played. In fact, playing games is much more fun on this large monitor and makes 3D first person games more realistic. You feel more like you are actually in the game.

HD video content displays beautifully on this monitor. I have an HD camcorder that I used to record some home video and the playback on this screen is so vivid I feel like I am looking through a window. The size of the screen also makes video editing much easier, especially when working with several clips at once. There is enough desktop room to work on four video clips at a time. This really saves me some time when composing a video from several sources.


Specifications

* Screen Size: 28" WUXGA TFT LCD (27.5" viewable)
* Resolution: 1920 x 1200
* Response time: 3ms
* Brightness: 500 cd/m?
* Display Colors: 16.7 million
* Vertical Refresh Rate: 56 ~ 75Hz
* Horizontal Frequency: 24 ~ 80kHz
* Contrast Ratio: 800:1
* Viewing Angle: 160? H/160? V
* Pixel Pitch: 0.309mm H/ .0309mm V
* Input Connection: HDMI, VGA 15-pin mini D-Sub, DVI and component via cable (cables included)
* Audio: Line in, Integrated 2.5 Watt Stereo Speakers
* Energy Star Qualified
* VESA Wall Mount Capable
* Full HD 1080p
* Tilt Stand: 0? - 20?
* Swivel Stand: Right 30?/Left 30?
* Windows Vista Premium Certified
* Dimensions: W 26.4" x H 19.2" x D 8.4"
* Weight: 24 lbs.
* Warranty: 3 Year Limited


Personal use

This is my main monitor and I use it daily for gaming, monitoring audio recording, video editing, watching movies and TV. I probably do more audio recording and gaming than anything else but the monitor has been fantastic for all my uses. It fits snuggly on my desktop without being to much of a real estate hog (any larger and I would need a larger desk).

I noticed that it does produce a fair amount of heat so that may be a concern to people who plan to have shelving over the monitor or other things around it. A small table fan (like a 3-4inch fan) positioned behind the monitor would help keep it cool if you had any heat issues arise. So far I haven't had any heat issues, it just runs warm.


Conclusion

If you want a large widescreen monitor with great contrast and excellent response time, this is your beast. Just make sure you have a place to put it first. The monitor comes with all the cables you would need to hook up any computer straight out of the box, so you won't have to go out and buy any new cables unless you plan to hook up a cable box or other digital video source that may use HDMI.


Thanks for reading,
Gr8ful ;-)