Hewlett Packard 2009M 20 inch LCD Monitor

Well, so there I was. Happily using my Dell 8300 with a Dell LCD monitor, running UBUNTU Linux. Suddenly, the screen seemed to brighten, then the LCD monitor died.

Dead. No picture. Just blackness. The power light was on, but no picture. Kind of like when the heart monitor is hooked up to a patient and there is no heart beat.

So I started on my quest to find a new monitor.

I knew I had to educate myself fast, since the last monitor I bought was that Dell. And I bought that in 2003!

First I called Dell to see what they had. I do have access to another computer, so I started researching on-line as well.

I decided I would like to get a wide screen, flat panel monitor. I was concerned that getting a smaller wide panel say 20" or lower would severely affect my ability to see things comfortably on the screen.

Now I use my computer to watch DVD's, stuff like YouTube video's, do heavy graphics, build websites, manipulate photographs. So crispness and color accuracy IS very important to me. As is the ability to comfortably see what's on the screen.

I looked at the offerings of Dell. Then I looked at some of the second tier monitor companies. Then I looked at several technology specific review sites. I kept seeing the HP wide screen monitors were getting excellent reviews. Both by people who allegedly bought them, and by the expert reviewers.

So me being me... I decided to look into the HP monitors. First I went over to my local Office Max. I saw some AOC monitors, and a HP wide screen. But the HP looked soooo small. It was NOT even a 19" wide screen on display. No wonder it looked so small.

The AOC LCD wide screen monitors screens were very dull and lifeless looking. The colors looked faded out. The Hp screen was brilliant! The colors popped. In fact everything on the screen popped. It looked like a very high quality TV set with a glass tube!

But the size monitor they had was waaaay to small. So I thought I needed at least a 22" maybe even a 24" monitor.

Off for more research. I went to HH Gregg, CompUSA, and a couple of other stores to look at monitors. I kept getting drawn back to the crispness of the Hp monitors. The pictures on the screens looked better than any other I had seen. The reviewers were right!

So I decided I would get a 22 or 24" Hp Monitor. And I began shopping for price. I went to Epinions but thee were no reviews on the HP 2009m (my review will be the first... which is why it is written the way it is, telling you the research I did).

Based on reviews I read, my mind got set on either the Hp 2159m (21.5" 16:9 HD Ready Wide screen LCD Computer Display) or Hp w2338h 23" 16:9 full HD Wide screen LCD Computer Display, and Last resort was the

The W2338h has:
VGA + DVI-D + HDMI1920 x 10801000:1 Contrast300cd/m2 Brightness160°/160° Viewing Angle5ms Response Time Integrated Stereo Speakers The Hp 2159m has:
VGA + DVI-D + HDMI1920 x 10801000:1 Contrast300cd/m2 Brightness160°/160° Viewing Angle5ms Response Time Integrated Stereo Speakers The Hp 2009m has:
VGA + DVI-D1600 x 9001000:1 Contrast300cd/m2 Brightness160°/160° Viewing Angle5ms Response Time Integrated Stereo Speakers I checked out various price comparison engines. Then I went to Office Max, Office Depot, Staples, and Best Buy web sites. Normally, I will buy over the web because the pricing is generally better, but I did not want to wait several days for shipping. But for jollies, I went to two of my favorite shopping sites Buy.com and bhphotovideo.com

Since there was really very little price difference between the
W2338h, and the 2159m (about 20 bucks) I felt I could settle for either one.

Turned out that Staples had very good pricing. And I could get the monitor the very same day... which is what I wanted.

So I got in my car, drove over to Staples, and had a look at the monitor. Turns out the Staples did not seem to carry the 2159m. But they had a 2009m. And the 2009m was priced at a minuscule $129.95 And I had a coupon from Staples for dollars off on purchases over $75.

When I got to Staples, they only had the 2338h out on display. They also had some Dell LCD monitors, and AOC as well as a couple of other brands. And they had some LCD's in 20" size.

Well, the Hp was so much more brilliant. So much brighter. So much better picture quality than any other on the floor. I called over a sales rep to ask some questions.

I asked about returns he has seen on the Hp monitors. He said in 2 years he has not seen a single Hp monitor come back. I asked him what complaints people had about the Hp monitors. He said while everyone admired and loved the picture quality on the Hp monitor, because the screen was glass, some people complained it reflected too much. I'm looking at the monitor right now, while I'm typing this review, and I'm here to tell you. I see no reflections. No problem like that at all.

So I was pretty much sold on the 2338h. But I really liked the price of the 2009m About $100 buck cheaper... well $90 buck actually. And if it could fit. And if the picture looked as good...

So I went off to Best Buy. They had both the 2338h and the 2009m on display and right next to each other.

I viewed the movie of the butterfly on each monitor side by side.

The 2338h has a resolution of Resolution 1920 x 1080 while the 2009m has a resolution of 1600 x 900. I thought the picture would be better on the 2338h.

Makes logical sense. Right?
But the 2009m had a better picture! The size was perfect. i could see clearly. The screen size was prefect!

I still could not believe the picture on the 2009 with a lower resolution was better, so I called over another customer and asked them which screen they thought had a better picture. Lo and behold... they also said the 2009m had a slightly better picture.

Weird!

The price at Staples was a lot lower than Best Buy. And I had not spoken to any sales reps at Best Buy. And I had an additional discount at Staples. So back I went to Staples.

I bought the Hp2009 monitor. Got my discount. I brought the computer back home, and opened the box.

COOL!

Hp gives you a regular VGA cable, AND a DVI cable. Also, a cable to attach the monitors speakers. But I have a great pair of Harmon/kardon speakers with a woofer so there is no need to use the monitor's internal speakers. So, Kudo's to Hp. Nothing else to buy in order to get the monitor working! Hurray!

I started to swivel out the base. It got really tight before it opened all the way. I started getting concerned I might break the base, or I was opening it wrong. After looking at the base again. I saw I was opening it right. So I used a bit of muscle figuring if the base broke, hey it's brand new and under warranty... The base opened and I set the monitor on my desk. What's really a great idea though I don't know if they meant this to be... but on the back of the base, there is a little hole. So I passed the chords (power and VGA cable) through this hole. It helps to keep them in order. Great idea Hp. Thanks!

I plugged in the VGA cable. Plugged in the power cord.  I saw a graphic that looked like the on switch for the monitor. I pressed that graphic. And... and... nothing happened. So I pressed it again. Nothing happened. I was starting to get angry. Then I noticed a clear little button below the graphic. I pressed that up and the monitor turned on. Whew!

Note to self, the control buttons are all below the graphic at the lower right hand side of the monitor. Do not press the pictures. They do nothing.

Turned on the computer, and the monitor and had a moment of panic. "Would this monitor work with Ubuntu Linux without a hassle?" The monitor fired up. Ubuntu loaded. The monitor was recognized. No problem.

The only problem I had was the monitor seemed a little too bright. Kind of like I could get a tan just sitting in front of it :)

Also, there was no printed manual. That's OK, because Hp gives an installation disc with the manual in pdf form. And if you like, you can do what I did and go to the Hp web site, and get the manual there.

In reading the manual, it talks about how to install the monitor controls for windows from the installation disc. Since I use linux, I would not install the controls. In fact so far, that is the only criticism of the monitor. It seems to be more windows centric. It will work with any operating system it appears hp likes windows better because you get more control.

At home I tested the monitor with a video. Perfect! Better than a TV set picture.

I brought up some photo's. I noticed things in the photos I had not noticed before. And the pictures looked really crisp.

I browsed the web, and everything was so clean and bright.

So far it has worked perfectly. It's plug and play right out of the box. All the cables you need are included in the box. It has a 1 year warranty.

I have found nothing wrong at all with the monitor. It gives a fantastic picture quality. Some people may complain that it's a 16:9 ratio instead of a 16:10 but to them I say Big Deal, it's working great for me. Since the video's (DVD's and You Tube) were really crisp and the details popped. The colors flew out at me. I believe this monitor will also be perfect for gamers. Remember the Contrast ratio is 1000:1 and the Brightness is 300 cd/m2, and the Response time is 5ms.

And for less than $150!

The only two negatives I have seen. And they are minor. The monitor seems to be more windows centric. And the Warranty is only for 1 year. Dell gives a 3 year warranty.

I do not believe you will go wrong if you get this monitor. I'm thinking of buying another one to use with the notebook computer!

A couple of things I should add...

1. In order to use the DVI mode on the monitor, you need a graphics card in your computer than has a DVI port.

2. Automatically Adjusts Resolution -- My computer, though it appears to be the monitor actually seems to read the graphic card before the computer actually fully boots up and the monitor automatically adjusts itself to the maximum size the graphics card will allow.

3. Regarding the Pixel size the screen looks as sharp as if it was printed on a laser printer. The pixel size is very, very small. I don't seem to see lines or angles breaking up much. About like what you would get if you printed on a laser printer at say 300 dpi.

4. Response Time -- it is rated at 5ms. I watch DVD's and do not see any jerkiness, or any waiting.

5. Screen Space -- I have found using the wide screen I have become more efficient. I always have 3-4 maybe more windows open. With the wide screen, I can position them so I do not have to go searching. It speeds up what I am doing, and makes my life easier.