HP unveils ultra-accurate DreamColor LCD

As part of a wider device launch, HP this morning upgraded its monitor lineup with a screen it claims is the most affordable display yet for video editors and other pros working in color-accurate situations. The DreamColor is designed with help from DreamWorks Animation SKG and uses a rare 24-inch LCD panel that produces 30-bit color, generating more than one billion colors; the color range is 64 times that of even better everyday LCDs and also results in blacks four times deeper than normal LCDs. An LED backlight both contributes to a better contrast ratio (1,000:1) and also ensures that colors are uniform across the entire screen.

Software inside and outside the LCD further contributes to that accuracy. Seven presets automatically tune the DreamColor to match common color spaces used in editing, such as Adobe RGB, while a bundled calibration kit and matching software can set white points and other color values for more specific conditions. Motion video performance is still strong with a 6ms gray-to-gray pixel response time, a 12ms absolute response time, and support for artifact-free video playback at 60Hz (for North American and Japanese video) and 50Hz (for countries using PAL).

A single model, the LP2480zx, starts the line at $3,499 and includes connections for DVI and the new DisplayPort 1.1 format for computers, HDMI 1.3 and component video for HDTV sources, and both RCA and S-video for basic analog video. A four-port USB hub is built in with the screen, which is available effective today.

Filed under: digital imaging, Graphics/Web Design
Other story tags: HP, DisplayPort, DreamWorks, DreamColor