Performance
In our DisplayMate-based labs tests, the V7 D24W33 was one of the best performers we've yet seen, posting a composite score of 90--just shy of the highest score we've seen of 92. That score was achieved by the two 30-inchers we recently reviewed, the Samsung SyncMaster 305T and the Gateway XHD3000. The D24W33's score is tied with the Dell UltraSharp 2408WFP, but the two monitors excelled in different areas. The D24W33 got high marks in our screen uniformity tests. The screen uniformity tests look for things like streaking in static images as well as backlight bleed-through. The D24W33 saw quite a bit less backlight bleed-through compared with the Dell. The Dell--thanks to its higher contrast--was able to ace our Extreme Grayscale tests, which tests a display's ability to produce true black while still delivering the darkest grays of the grayscale. The V7 had trouble with this test thanks to its low max brightness and low contrast ratio, each which contribute to dark grays being difficult to distinguish from black.
DVD playback on the Dell UltraSharp 2408WFP was very impressive when we reviewed it, but the V7 overshadows it and all displays we've tested recently. In particular, Kill Bill Vol. 1 on DVD looked great with an impressively sharp picture and accurate colors. Also, one scene we use to test for image ghosting is the "wiggle your big toe" scene. When viewing this scene on other displays, it's usually very easy to spot the ghosting, but here we had a hard time finding it. It's there, but you really have to look closely to see it. Blu-ray playback was outstanding as well, with fine details such as facial blemishes seen very easily on character's faces in Swordfish. As we've come to expect, World of Warcraft looked great, with vivid colors and no motion smearing whatsoever.
The one caveat to such great entertainment performance is the disappointing viewing angle. V7 claims a viewing angle of 160, but we found that the quality of the screen dipped noticeably when viewing the screen just about a foot to the right or left and about half that when viewing above or below.
V7's claim of a maximum brightness of 250 cd/m2 was somewhat lofty as our tests showed a max brightness of 190. Its contrast ratio was even more off the mark compared with our scores. V7 claimed a contrast ratio of 1,000:1 and our result was 670:1, which is quite a difference. Our labs results usually don't achieve 100 percent parity with a manufacturer's claims, but this is a larger difference than we typically see. We don't know what methodology V7 used to get its contrast ratio result, which makes it impossible to ascertain why there was such a disparity.
The built-in speakers produce decent sound, but they had a slight tinny ring to them. Also, we wish the volume could have been increased. The speaker's "10" sounded more like a 6 or 7 to us.
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
Find out more about how we test LCD monitors.
Service and support
The V7 D24W33 is backed by a three-year parts-and-labor warranty and toll-free phone support Monday through Friday from 5:30 a.m.to 5:00 p.m. PT. No weekend support or e-mail support is offered. Also, no drivers were available at V7's Web site, but the user manual and specification sheet were.
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