Dell Ultrasharp 2408WFP Monitor - Mini Review

Andy Wilkinson · February 13th, 2009, 06:19 AM

Second "swap" occurred today. I now have a refurbished (but again perfect) A00 > A01 revision 2408WFP with a stand (slightly chunkier / 1 cm higher reaching) that exactly matches the one on the brand new 2408WFP that it sits next to in my editing studio.

This one does not have a A01 sticker over the top of the A00 tag on the back.... but I know it's got A01 firmware as the sharpness settings can be adjusted in increments of 10. Sharpness could only be adjusted in increments of 25 on the original 2408WFPs and there have supposedly been improvements in reducing lag etc. that some gamers apparently wanted - I never had lag issues on my original anyway.

So my "monitor swap gamble" paid off! Thanks to all at Dell UK for arranging this (and I should say at absolutely no charge). You've a very happy customer here!!!!!

Nevin Styre · February 20th, 2009, 01:42 AM

just ordered myself an ultrasharp, 22"er though not the 24"er(darn economy).
However it's the only 22" LCD on the market that doesn't use a TN panel(as far as I know), the 2209WA(e-ips panel). I've been hearing good things about it, although it only has DVI & VGA unlike the plethora of connections on the 2408.
I'll only be using it for a secondary monitor for my mbp so the limited connectivity isn't really an issue, I'll be using it for cutting on final cut, after effects, & photoshop.
I'll post my impressions a couple days after getting it.

Yang Wen · April 16th, 2009, 04:22 PM

Hey Andy. thanks for info.

In your picture of the desktop, what is the size of the LCD that's showing the fullscreen preview of the Vegas timeline, and how are you getting a full screen preview of the timeline showing on that second monitor? Thans.

John Gerard · May 13th, 2009, 02:03 PM

Hi all,

Great information and discussion. I originally got the 2407 Monitor over 2 years ago with my Dell 490 computer. At the time I was also using a Dell 17" flatscreen monitor as my second viewing monitor and Premiere Pro 2.0 plus a 13"TV. A few months ago I upgraded to the 2408 screen, PPro CS3 and what a difference compared to the 17" monitor. I don't have any specific specs to report but just having a larger screen that look really great and I love the fact that both my monitors can be used as HD TVs is great. I also have a 13" TV for viewing SD projects. The colors don't match between the 2 24" sceens. Maybe if you work at it you could get it close. I tried adjusting the settings on the monitors for a while and then gave up. Although I knew I was not viewing them in ideal conditions. My project don't need exacting color as long as it looks good. I am creating projects for both HD TVs and Standard TVs even though the output is all recorded on standard DVDs.
Does anyone know if there is a way I can view correctly SD Tube TV setting such as field setting, blening modes, etc. on one of these monitors so I could get rid of the 13" TV for monitoring? I am also using the Blackmagic intensity Pro card. The Monitors both have Composite inputs. Is this all I need to use or is there fundamental differences between a Tube TV and these monitors that will not allow me to do that?

Thanks,

John Gerard

Andy Wilkinson · April 18th, 2011, 06:46 AM

In the last few days my oldest Dell 2408WFP Monitor of the pair I have is displaying a vertical purple line on power up (Actually this monitor is the second swap one for the one I originally bought in March 2008 - see above).

This line is about 3.5 inches in from the right hand side when it wakes from cold - but this line disappears in an instant, with 1-2 minutes as the monitor warms up - so it's something I can easily live with..... assuming it gets no worse! It displays it when running from my Windows 7 box or my Mac Pro and no amount of wiggling cables, light taps on the monitor etc. changes the scenario.

This monitor is 3 years 1 month old - yep, that's 1 month after the warranty ran out!

Never seen anything like this before but a quick google revealed this is a pretty common fault with Dell monitors and that it's apparently not repairable. What I have not been able to establish is how long I'm likely to be able to continue to use it before this line becomes a permenant fixture on this display.... :-(

If anyone with experience of this problem can answer that question I'd love to hear. If I've got a few months or longer, all well and good, but if it's just a few weeks I need to start considering what to replace it with as this line will drive me nuts!

Thanks for any information.

Marcus Martell · April 22nd, 2011, 08:18 AM

I would def call Dell customer care! They r the best!Maybe they could give you a new one!

Andy Wilkinson · August 27th, 2011, 01:21 PM

Well to answer my own question....

The out of warranty, older monitor of my two 2408WFPs has developed nothing worse than showing this line on power up for a few minutes every day. Despite continued intensive use since April (when this fault first occurred) all is well and becomes perfectly normal within 1-2 minutes - as the line disappears by then!

Phew! Long may that continue!

February 13th, 2009, 06:19 AM	#31
Andy Wilkinson Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Cambridge UK Posts: 2,853	Dell 2408WFP stands now match! Second "swap" occurred today. I now have a refurbished (but again perfect) A00 > A01 revision 2408WFP with a stand (slightly chunkier / 1 cm higher reaching) that exactly matches the one on the brand new 2408WFP that it sits next to in my editing studio. This one does not have a A01 sticker over the top of the A00 tag on the back.... but I know it's got A01 firmware as the sharpness settings can be adjusted in increments of 10. Sharpness could only be adjusted in increments of 25 on the original 2408WFPs and there have supposedly been improvements in reducing lag etc. that some gamers apparently wanted - I never had lag issues on my original anyway. So my "monitor swap gamble" paid off! Thanks to all at Dell UK for arranging this (and I should say at absolutely no charge). You've a very happy customer here!!!!! __________________ Andy K Wilkinson - https://www.shootingimage.co.uk Cambridge (UK) Corporate Video Production

May 13th, 2009, 02:03 PM	#34
John Gerard Major Player Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Berkeley, CA, USA Posts: 227	Dell 2407 and 2408 Ultrasharp monitors Hi all, Great information and discussion. I originally got the 2407 Monitor over 2 years ago with my Dell 490 computer. At the time I was also using a Dell 17" flatscreen monitor as my second viewing monitor and Premiere Pro 2.0 plus a 13"TV. A few months ago I upgraded to the 2408 screen, PPro CS3 and what a difference compared to the 17" monitor. I don't have any specific specs to report but just having a larger screen that look really great and I love the fact that both my monitors can be used as HD TVs is great. I also have a 13" TV for viewing SD projects. The colors don't match between the 2 24" sceens. Maybe if you work at it you could get it close. I tried adjusting the settings on the monitors for a while and then gave up. Although I knew I was not viewing them in ideal conditions. My project don't need exacting color as long as it looks good. I am creating projects for both HD TVs and Standard TVs even though the output is all recorded on standard DVDs. Does anyone know if there is a way I can view correctly SD Tube TV setting such as field setting, blening modes, etc. on one of these monitors so I could get rid of the 13" TV for monitoring? I am also using the Blackmagic intensity Pro card. The Monitors both have Composite inputs. Is this all I need to use or is there fundamental differences between a Tube TV and these monitors that will not allow me to do that? Thanks, John Gerard

April 18th, 2011, 06:46 AM	#35
Andy Wilkinson Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Cambridge UK Posts: 2,853	Dell Ultrasharp 2408WFP Monitor - Vertical Line Fault In the last few days my oldest Dell 2408WFP Monitor of the pair I have is displaying a vertical purple line on power up (Actually this monitor is the second swap one for the one I originally bought in March 2008 - see above). This line is about 3.5 inches in from the right hand side when it wakes from cold - but this line disappears in an instant, with 1-2 minutes as the monitor warms up - so it's something I can easily live with..... assuming it gets no worse! It displays it when running from my Windows 7 box or my Mac Pro and no amount of wiggling cables, light taps on the monitor etc. changes the scenario. This monitor is 3 years 1 month old - yep, that's 1 month after the warranty ran out! Never seen anything like this before but a quick google revealed this is a pretty common fault with Dell monitors and that it's apparently not repairable. What I have not been able to establish is how long I'm likely to be able to continue to use it before this line becomes a permenant fixture on this display.... :-( If anyone with experience of this problem can answer that question I'd love to hear. If I've got a few months or longer, all well and good, but if it's just a few weeks I need to start considering what to replace it with as this line will drive me nuts! Thanks for any information. __________________ Andy K Wilkinson - https://www.shootingimage.co.uk Cambridge (UK) Corporate Video Production

April 22nd, 2011, 08:18 AM	#36
Marcus Martell Trustee Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: spain Posts: 1,202	Re: Dell Ultrasharp 2408WFP Monitor - Mini Review I would def call Dell customer care! They r the best!Maybe they could give you a new one!

August 27th, 2011, 01:21 PM	#37
Andy Wilkinson Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Cambridge UK Posts: 2,853	Re: Dell Ultrasharp 2408WFP Monitor - Line on Monitor Fault Well to answer my own question.... The out of warranty, older monitor of my two 2408WFPs has developed nothing worse than showing this line on power up for a few minutes every day. Despite continued intensive use since April (when this fault first occurred) all is well and becomes perfectly normal within 1-2 minutes - as the line disappears by then! Phew! Long may that continue! __________________ Andy K Wilkinson - https://www.shootingimage.co.uk Cambridge (UK) Corporate Video Production

February 20th, 2009, 01:42 AM	#32
Nevin Styre Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Kelowna Canada Posts: 34	just ordered myself an ultrasharp, 22"er though not the 24"er(darn economy). However it's the only 22" LCD on the market that doesn't use a TN panel(as far as I know), the 2209WA(e-ips panel). I've been hearing good things about it, although it only has DVI & VGA unlike the plethora of connections on the 2408. I'll only be using it for a secondary monitor for my mbp so the limited connectivity isn't really an issue, I'll be using it for cutting on final cut, after effects, & photoshop. I'll post my impressions a couple days after getting it.

April 16th, 2009, 04:22 PM	#33
Yang Wen Major Player Join Date: May 2003 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 991	Hey Andy. thanks for info. In your picture of the desktop, what is the size of the LCD that's showing the fullscreen preview of the Vegas timeline, and how are you getting a full screen preview of the timeline showing on that second monitor? Thans.