Gateway's FPD2185W: a 21in widescreen 2005fpw killer!

R

rek981

Limp Gawd
Joined
Dec 6, 2004
Messages
130
Check out the specs on the Gateway FPD2185W. I was just about to get a 2005fpw, but the specs on this thing are awesome. Its also got a HDCP input, thats a first. Lets hope it doesn't have any blacklight bleeding ;-) Retail of $599 is not too bad at all, esp if some coupons come out.

http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000423061801/
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage...t&productCategoryId=cat01013&id=1125466651583

-Ultrafast 8 ms response time
-300 cd/m² brightness; 1000:1 contrast ratio
-31-81kHz horizontal frequency, 56-76Hz vertical
-178° horizontal and vertical viewing angles
-Portrait screen rotation with automatic image rotation
-Enhanced video processing with DCDi by Fajoudja for sharp video images
-HD-ready via DVI with HDCP and component inputs
-Powered USB 2.0 hub with 4 ports
-15-pin mini D-sub VGA, DVI-D, S-video, component video and composite video inputs
-Dynamic and transparent adjustable picture-in-picture
-On-screen display menu for easy adjustment of menu options
-Antiglare screen treatment
-Wall-mountable with included VESA-compliant stand; stand with tilt up/down, swivel left/right and height up/down adjustments

Ross
 
Wow, pretty cool. If the quality is good, this could turn into a steal with some of the coupons and rebates that big retailers like best buy offer.

It's HDCP compliant, but doesn't have hdmi so I'm assuming they mean over dvi. HDCP is not an input.
 
Hmm, 21" widescreen, who would be the TFT manufacturer for that?
 
Looks good. But I've never noticed BB offering discounts on their monitors the way Dell does.

Definitely competition for the 2005, but a 'killer' it doesn't become.
 
With Dell's alleged new product positioning strategy, you can't be too certain that Gateway won't outright replace Dell in this area.
 
hmm interesting. now i gotta decide if i wann build a new dual core system or just get a dual 21 in setup
 
Sweet! I'm very happy about the 8ms and HDCP.. Now as soon as their 8ms 24" 1920x1200 with HDCP comes out, I'm all over it. :D

I may have to take back some of the things I've said about Gateway in the past.. maybe..
 
This monitor looks awesome, now if I could get one for under 500, I would be all over it.
 
hehe.. ok, so, I just looked around Gateway's site and went into their live chat. Their sales person in there said that they aren't aware of a 24" model in development, but they were just a sales person...
 
Well the excitement is over (at least for me). I went to BB and since they did not have any on the display and did not want to open a new one for me to look at....I bought one after reassuring that there is no restocking fee.
I've spent about 5 min with it, here is what I've found out so far.
As I suspected it is S-PVA panel, most likely Samsung. Dead giveaways are high contrast ratio and the familiar viewing angle/color wash. When looking at an angle colors do change, it's enough to look at the sides of the screen. This is especially visible when looking at pictures with lot's of shadow details. When looked dead on you they are much darker, looking from an angle reveails the details.
It has amazingly even backlight, not a slightest sign of bleeding.
I don't know if the have a small fan inside this thing but my unit is making annoying buzing sound from the bottom right corner, it's too low in the frequency to be an inverter noise.
I'll give it another look after work but I think it's gonna go back since I primarily bought it as a PC monitor and this color wash is rather annoying (that's why Dell's 2405 went back)
 
I saw the Engadget article and Best Buy in Hawaii has it in stock. I don't know if they have a demo of it which I am hoping.

Alexpronko can you post pics? Maybe four if possible:

1. Desktop
2. Game playing
3. DVD video or HD WMV :D
4. The backlighting that you are experiencing.

I saw the HDCP and I was saying ready for Windows Vista, and buying things from the mainland and shipping here is a killer. If I need to spend $599 than I will spend $599.
 
Whatever "color wash" is, it can't possibly be more annoying than poor blacks and purple tints at angles like S-IPS. That said, this looks like a nice alternative for people who thought the 2405fpw was too big. Also, it will be interesting to see if there are any "lag" issues, "whine" issues, or backlight bleeding. This might be manufactured better and use higher quality parts than the cheaper dells. Who knows. Thread needs more input!
 
alexpronko, before you take it back, plug a console or something (if you have one) into the composites and let us know if there's lag and how it scales the image and stuff. Is there settings like the 2405 for stretch, 1:1, etc.?
 
Lord Twilight said:
Sweet! I'm very happy about the 8ms and HDCP.. Now as soon as their 8ms 24" 1920x1200 with HDCP comes out, I'm all over it. :D

I may have to take back some of the things I've said about Gateway in the past.. maybe..
Click to expand...

yea same, if they make that screw everything else
 
Couple observations.
The menu buttons are on the side of the monitor (lower right) this makes navigation pretty non intuitive. There is NO option for custom scaling when using VGA or DVI !!! The picture is always stretched. The scaling is only available for video inputs.
Before doing anything I let the monitor warm up than calibrated it with Spyder 2 Pro.

I thought that I was being paranoid disqualifying it based on the "color wash", since everybody here seems to think that it's OK to have it (like on dell 2405). So with open mind I gave it another shot and have to say that it is unacceptable for me and I really don'tunderstand how can it not bother other people with S-PVA matrices ?! I played far cry, than watched DVD and you can clearly see loosing details when looking straight on, than details reappear when looking at slight angle but the colors also wash out. To make things worse there is this hard to describe glittering effect when looking at any gray scale colors. Even playing games it looks unnatural, anything grayish-black is glittering , like there is a flash light behind the screen there.
The 0.27 dot pitch seems to be making difference too. The text looks less sharp than VP2000s.
Anyway here are some pictures, I took all of them dead on and than at the angle to show the wash and the reapperance of details. I took them off hand so they may look a little blurry.
The other LCD in the pictures is the Viewsonioc VP2000s, using same S-IPS panel as Dell 2001fp. Looking at the backlight we can see that the black level is not that much different betweeen them, even though contrast ratio is roughly 2x on the Gateway.
After warming up for an hour or so, there is some backlight unevennes on the gateway, it's like the 4 courners of the letter X. The picture exaggerates it but it's there.
I didn't feel like dragging X-box from upstairs so there are no shots from component os s-video.
I'll be packing it in the box now, so if anyone wants to know anythiong better let me know within half an hour.

VP2001s and FPD2185W



Dot pitch sharpness difference, VP is at 1600x1200 , gateway at 1680x1050, same size explorer window


backlight





Nokia monitor test bars and bars at angle



desktop




dvd playback on PC (lord of the rings)




FarCry




Another Nokia monitor test shot showing angular wash




Hope that helps
 
Thanks, I sure hope this isn't as much as a dissapointment as you say it is :(

But, so I can see all the pictures, would it be possible to fix the picture links, I get a "no hotlinking allowed" error.

thanks again

edit- nvm, it was firewall
 
This definately looks like the Samsung Panel DCDi scaling is off the hook and is considered a killer chip in the videophile world. We do need to see some test but this monitor will be buyable under $500 very fast. I will pay more for it than the Dell because I think it got a much nicer panel and it's faster. It looks like Samsungs 1680 panel will be showing up in various models, been waiting for this for a while I'd like to see Samsung just make there own. This looks outstanding though in my book.
 
thanks for your input Alexpronko,

I dunno, if it is the same panel in the 21in HP widescreen (how many 21in widescreen panels are there?), CNET had this to say:

http://reviews.cnet.com/HP_f2105/4505-3174_7-31453816-2.html?tag=top
"The HP f2105 turned in a stellar performance on CNET Labs' DisplayMate-based tests, outscoring even top-notch LCDs such as the Eizo FlexScan L997 and the LaCie 321. Tested at its native resolution of 1,680x1,050, the f2105 performed especially well in some notoriously difficult areas: displaying grayscale and color gradients. The f2105 created smooth, gradual progressions of gray tones from dark black to bright white and back again without compression--the tendency to crowd sections of a gradient into one or both ends of the scale. The f2105's grayscale gradients were also free of red, green, or blue color tints--another common pitfall for flat-panel displays. Color gradations were also much smoother than the norm; the f2105 displayed changes in hue cleanly, without bright or dull spots. Text was reasonably sharp and easy to read but not exceptional. The f2105 showed no signs of streaking or ghosting during our gaming tests, and DVD playback showed some slight irregularities, but no more than on other LCDs."

It outscores the 2405 and 2005 in cnets opinion. Not saying cnet knows what they are talking about, but maybe you are being overcritical alex? Seems like a good display to me. I want to see it in person.

Ross

PS

"There is NO option for custom scaling when using VGA or DVI !!!"
I have a 6800Ultra, and I'm pretty sure you can set the scaling in the nvidia control panel. can't you?
 
rek981 said:
thanks for your input Alexpronko,

It outscores the 2405 and 2005 in cnets opinion. Not saying cnet knows what they are talking about, but maybe you are being overcritical alex? Seems like a good display to me. I want to see it in person.

Ross

PS

"There is NO option for custom scaling when using VGA or DVI !!!"
I have a 6800Ultra, and I'm pretty sure you can set the scaling in the nvidia control panel. can't you?
Click to expand...

You are right, I have 6600GT and using video card scaling takes care of that - aspect or 1:1
Am I being over critical? Maybe, maybe not. I just look for things that obviously stand out bother me. For someone else the viewing angle may not be an issue. I do a lot of work with video and digital photography (I know, I know, I shouldn't be using LCD in the first place, well I thought that technology has advanced enough to let me loose the 21" Sony trinitron at 70lb) and seeing details in shadows is important to me. I cannot constantly move my head left and right to see if the color is the right one. S-IPS may have lower contrast and black level but at least it show the colors and shadows consistently. I wish there was some kind of hybrid of PVA/IPS that had all the pros and none of the cons of them. I know I'm dreaming. Well, let's wait another year or so.
But than again this are only my opinions and nothing beats first hand experience. So for all the lurkers out there if after reading this you're still considering it, go and try it for yourself. I doubt they gonna have it on display in BB soon since they get it in small quantities for now, so the only way to see it is to actually buy it.
 
alexpronko, Did Best Buy let you return the monitor with out a problem ? Was there a restocking fee ?
 
water1 said:
alexpronko, Did Best Buy let you return the monitor with out a problem ? Was there a restocking fee ?
Click to expand...

I'm heading there right now. There better not be any fees, or I'll make hell of a scene, I specifically asked 2 people about it yesterday
 
I think I am going to pick one of these up within the next week or so to try out. I'm in "desperate" need of a new lcd, I've been using this awful 17in lcd for awhile. The colors are washed out, the contrast ratio is crap, the shadows in games just turn into grayish/black patches with no definition, viewing angles stink, brightness is low. I've been researching a new lcd for awhile. I would like a dell 2405, but its a little too rich for my blood. I've been seriously considering the 2005fpw b/c of its great price, but i've also been looking at 4:3 20-21 in displays. Dunno, I got pretty excited about this Gateway.

While Alexpronko seems to think the Gateway is just average, he also seems to think the the Dell 2405 isn't that hot, which so many people rave about. The pic of the blacklight bleeding was pretty ugly though.

Hopefully we'll see a Tomshardware, Anandtech, cnet, etc. review soon. Not that those reviews can be 100% trusted, but they should help form a better opinion of the product.

Ross
 
The Gateway looks like a great screen and all, but if something calls for warrenty work, Dell's warrenty is 1000x better than Gateway's, by far.
 
http://www.gateway.com/programs/lcd/index.shtml?cmpid=index*HDLCD21W_overview*tab


It looks nice but this is why buying sight unseen can burn you - look were they have the DVI connection at thats very srange it's ussually at the bottom. It seems very weird to me to have the input connecting from the side. It might be no big deal at all but your connector usually needs about 2 - 3 inchs to clear or bend, Just seems kinda odd to me.....

OK wait - now I realize that they have the monitor rotated so they can show you the inputs, but then that puts the USB's on the bottom hmmm... nice pannel by samsung I'm sure we'll be seiing alot more of it in various models.
 
BB took it back without fees. It seems that they are in a transitional state betwen new return policy that removes restocking fee for monitors. So anyone thinking about this monitor can go out buy it and try, if you don't like it - return it.
 
So alexpronko are you saying the new return policy removes the restocking fee or when they start the new policy it will have a stocking fee ?
Thank's for your help alexpronko.
 
tronmaster said:
I saw the Engadget article and Best Buy in Hawaii has it in stock. I don't know if they have a demo of it which I am hoping.

Alexpronko can you post pics? Maybe four if possible:

1. Desktop
2. Game playing
3. DVD video or HD WMV :D
4. The backlighting that you are experiencing.

I saw the HDCP and I was saying ready for Windows Vista, and buying things from the mainland and shipping here is a killer. If I need to spend $599 than I will spend $599.
Click to expand...

Yeah BB in hawaii has it on display last time I checked.
 
I went down to Best Buy and checked out the monitor. It looks fine I couldn't test out the internet (no web access) and any video playback.

It was connected via VGA so I couldn't tell if the dot pitch was the factor but after staring at text, it seems to get a little blury.

I also noticed that the upper right hand corner was darker than the other 3 corners.

The stand seems sturdy and it was cool that I could turn the monitor left or right.

I think I will get this around Christmas 2005 (unless something else comes along).

That's my slight review.

Oh almost forgot there was a monitor tutorial that indicated that the Gateway had a night mode for better viewing of movies. I couldn't figure out how to turn that on but that sound interesting.
 
Does anyone who has or had this monitor have any problems with the DVI input? I'm using my shuttle with a BBA X800XL (AGP) and whenever the DVI is plugged in, my computer refuses to get past the post screen. If I just have the VGA plugged in, it boots fine. If I plug the DVI in after its up and in windows, it's fine as well. But if I reboot or cold boot the system with the DVI plugged in, it just fails to boot. I have a feeling it's a problem with the HDCP communication, but I'm not sure. Just wondering if anyone else has had this problem.
 
thanks for the mini-review alex... well appreciated, im curious what lcds do meet your standards.
 
alexpronko said:
Well the excitement is over (at least for me). I went to BB and since they did not have any on the display and did not want to open a new one for me to look at....I bought one after reassuring that there is no restocking fee.
I've spent about 5 min with it, here is what I've found out so far.
As I suspected it is S-PVA panel, most likely Samsung. Dead giveaways are high contrast ratio and the familiar viewing angle/color wash. When looking at an angle colors do change, it's enough to look at the sides of the screen. This is especially visible when looking at pictures with lot's of shadow details. When looked dead on you they are much darker, looking from an angle reveails the details.
It has amazingly even backlight, not a slightest sign of bleeding.
I don't know if the have a small fan inside this thing but my unit is making annoying buzing sound from the bottom right corner, it's too low in the frequency to be an inverter noise.
I'll give it another look after work but I think it's gonna go back since I primarily bought it as a PC monitor and this color wash is rather annoying (that's why Dell's 2405 went back)
Click to expand...


You make alot of valid points. I mean the backlight color wash and buzzing noise are solid points. Out of curiosity though what kind of vid card are you running? Those pics of farcry are very low quality. If I had to guess I would say a geforce 4 or FX Maybe radeon 9500 or so. Could the monitor be slightly held back by your vid card? Note that some of your points are solid and it doesn't matter which vid card u have, but I am curious. Maybe if you had a bit more vid card to give the pannel it will truly shine. Reason I ask is I find it a bit hard to believe that both the dell 2005 and this pannel are not good enough for someone. It is possible though.

L.E.
 
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