HP z27x Review
by Chris Heinonen on December 2, 2014 4:00 PM EST_678x452.jpg)
The HP z27x is loaded with features. Beyond the usual features like a USB hub and multiple inputs it offers multiple color space support for AdobeRGB, DCI, and even Rec. 2020. It goes well beyond this by offering the ability to self-calibrate any of the presets to your own requirements and an Ethernet jack for network management.
With all of these features it is obvious that the HP z27x isn’t a monitor generally meant for home use. It is very much targeted at the professional world, say someone like Pixar, where control and flexibility are necessary. The first feature that the HP z27x brings to the table is support for a very large color gamut.
While AdobeRGB support is common in professional displays, a gamut that goes beyond that is not as common. The HP z27x also has support for the DCI P3 (Digital Cinema Initiative) and Rec. 2020 which is the color gamut of the UltraHD TV standard. Now nothing can actually display the full Rec. 2020 gamut, and that includes the HP z27x, but it gets much closer than other monitors out there on the market today. We will see later just how large the gamut is on the HP z27x.
It also has features for working with digital cinema material. It is still a QHD display with 2560x1440 resolution but can display true 4K content (4096 pixels wide) through either scaling or 1:1 pixel mapping. Using this mode lets you scroll around a larger desktop or scale it to fit onto the screen so you can see your whole desktop and then zoom into 1:1 mode when you need to edit. Very few displays can handle a 4096 pixel signal but the HP z27x can.
Your inputs are limited to a single HDMI 1.4a and dual DisplayPort 1.2 inputs. Either of these can accept a 4096 pixel signal, though at 24Hz and not 60Hz due to bandwidth limits. There is a complement of USB ports with four USB 3.0 ports and two USB 2.0 ports. Four of these are on the bottom of the display and are harder to access but two are on the side and convenient for flash drives and other accessories.
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All the features of the HP z27x are accessible through a well designed on screen display. Straight out of the Dell handbook for how to do it right, buttons on the right control the features while they are clearly labeled on-screen. There are no annoying touch sensitive buttons that are hard to use or controls that don’t work intuitively. Finding the setting you need is easy, as is switching between calibrated presets. HP seems to have actually spent time working on the OSD of the z27x to make sure it is easy to use, which I can’t say for most companies.
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The Ethernet jack on the HP z27x is a first for a display that I have reviewed. After all, why does a monitor need Ethernet? What it allows is for complete management of the display over the network and to tie it into your account management. Once again, let’s look at a company like Pixar. You have people that work on film production and home video production. Each of these has a different color gamut and a different setting in the HP z27x. With the management features in the HP z27x you can tie accounts to those profiles. Log in to a machine and the display automatically chooses the appropriate profile for you. If it is a work environment where people share machines during different shifts, this prevents errors from happening. You can get notifications on how long it has been since a calibration happened, letting you know that a monitor calibration needs to be done and sending someone to do it. It’s another feature that the home user will not need, but it can prove very useful in a large corporate environment.
| HP z27x | |
| Video Inputs | 1x HDMI 1.4a, 2x DisplayPort 1.2 |
| Panel Type | AH-IPS |
| Pixel Pitch | 0.2331mm |
| Colors | 1.07 Billion |
| Brightness | 300 cd/m2 |
| Contrast Ratio | 1000:1 |
| Response Time | 7ms GtG |
| Viewable Size | 27" |
| Resolution | 2560x1440 |
| Viewing Angle (H/V) | 178 / 178 |
| Backlight | LED |
| Power Consumption (operation) | 65 W |
| Power Consumption (standby) | < 1.2W |
| Screen Treatment | Anti-Glare |
| Height-Adjustable | Yes |
| Tilt | Yes, -5 to 20 degrees |
| Pivot | Yes |
| Swivel | Yes, 45 Degrees |
| VESA Wall Mounting | Yes, 100mm VESA |
| Dimensions w/ Base (WxHxD) | 25.24" x 9.55" x 15.55" |
| Weight | 19.4 lbs. |
| Additional Features | 3.5mm stereo out, 4x USB 3.0, 2x USB 2.0 |
| Limited Warranty | 3 year |
| Accessories | DisplayPort Cable, MiniDP to DP Cable, USB 3.0 Cable, HDMI Cable |
| Price | MSRP: $1,499 Online: Starting at $1,396 |
The HP z27x has all the features it needs to be a great performer, but it still has to prove itself on our test bench.
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SanX - Sunday, December 7, 2014 - link
The author has done absolutely right things. HP indeed does not care even to cherrypick. HPs and Dells became more and more a rebranders of Chinese goods. And actually it is not the China the final reason in bad quality control of everything but WE THE BRAINDEAD PEOPLE and of course our croocky american sales/middlemen who exploit this vulnerability of average technically illiterate Joe and are just interested to drop more larger margin shiny crap on the heads of dumb public, on our heads.DanNeely - Tuesday, December 2, 2014 - link
It might've been the 1st time it crossed your desk; but NEC's offered in monitor calibration since (at least) the the Multysync 3090 (released around 2008). I'm not sure how it compares with HP's offering; but they've got something called NaViSet to allow centralized admin of display settings. Lastly, IIRC their internal calibration does have some ability to adjust for uneven backlighting (presumably at the cost of some overall contrast).http://www.necdisplay.com/support-and-services/nav...
cheinonen - Wednesday, December 3, 2014 - link
I've used and reviewed the NEC PA series, and while they offer an internal LUT with calibration options, it has to be done through the SpectraView II software. The HP allows you to do it entirely inside the display without a PC at all, making it easier to do a large number of them. The NEC PA series also lacks the Ethernet control. The uniformity on the NECs is top notch.baii9 - Tuesday, December 2, 2014 - link
Wide gamut -> GB-r LED -> uniformity issue, why am I not surprised.Here is when good warranty kick in, panel lottery.
Doomtomb - Tuesday, December 2, 2014 - link
This monitor came out in 2014? This looks like something that would've come out in 2009. The bezel is huge. The body is thick. The resolution is nothing special. I don't care if it has features, and the color gamut. Seriously, this is the mind of the average consumer.D. Lister - Tuesday, December 2, 2014 - link
This product isn't targeted at the average consumer.DanNeely - Wednesday, December 3, 2014 - link
Although one of the reasons why pro-grade monitors tend to be significantly thicker than consumer ones is to put an array of evenly spaced backlights behind the panel instead of just a few on one or more edges using mirrors to bounce it around; because the former results in more even illumination.Something that clearly didn't happen with this monitor; and since AT has proven willing to hold reviews if they see unexpectedly bad results and the vendor says "looks like something broke, let us send you a replacement to test" or "we didn't test that case and need to write a new firmware to fix the problem" I can only assume that HP considers the level of backlight variation Chris saw in this model acceptable.
kyuu - Thursday, December 4, 2014 - link
Based on Chris's own statement in these comments, your assumption would be wrong. It seems that Chris didn't inform HP or offer them the chance to send a replacement in order to avoid the appearance of receiving a "cherry picked" sample.... Seems kinda silly to me. Unless Chris purchased the review unit himself, HP already had the chance to submit a cherry picked sample. Giving them the chance to fix what may very well be damage incurred during shipping does not somehow break reviewer ethics.
baii9 - Wednesday, December 3, 2014 - link
average consumer don't drop 1.4k on a 27" monitor.jann5s - Wednesday, December 3, 2014 - link
The ASUS MX229Q is using more power at minimum then at maximum, I guess there is a booboo in the database (LCD Power Draw figure)