Trusted reviews take a look at the Dell Ultrasharp 2407WFP 24in Widescreen LCD monitor. The changes from the 2405FPW are thus: the new panel is now based on S-PVA technology rather than PVA, the upshot of which is that response time is down from 12ms grey-to-grey to only 6ms. However, to achieve this Dell has switched to a 6-bit panel, rather than the 8-bit used on the 2405. The black to white time is the same however, which indicates a more aggressive overdrive mode on the new panel to reach the lower figure. The other change is the addition of HDCP support over DVI, which is important if the technology is employed in HD-DVD and Blu-ray, and if Sky chooses to use it on its HD box.

Working with large high-res images, I actually couldn't see any effects of the banding, but colours and details did look subdued compared to the best I've seen. Comparing with other monitors it was a little like the difference between 16-bit and 32-bit colour, though not nearly as extreme. This is clearly the result of Dell moving from an 8-bit to a 6-bit panel. However, it's still an issue and if colour accuracy is important in your line of work then I wouldn't recommend this screen. I then tested by watched a Superbit version of Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon on DVD and then I tried some downloaded HD movie files. All appearing striking and smooth, with no hint of response time issues and there was detail in dark scenes despite the lack-lustre DisplayMate performance. Playing a fast action game, Counter-Strike: Source, was also a great experience. In these kind of conditions minor banding issue just aren't noticeable. Xbox 360 images also looked great when hooking up via component.