Hazro HZ30W

Hot on the heels of last month's achingly beautiful Eizo FlexScan SX3031W (web ID: 137331) comes another 30in monster. Hazro is a new name to the pages of PC Pro, and the HZ30W completes its HZ line, a small family that already consists of 23in, 24in and 26in models.

The sturdy aluminium chassis totally encases the monitor so it should withstand the rigours of public locations, and the carry handle on the top of the stand is a nice touch given its rather hefty 11kg weight.

It isn't aimed at the same market as the Eizo, though, as Hazro clearly believes in offering this huge size for as low a price as possible. Thus, you won't find a raft of consumer inputs - only a dual-link DVI with HDCP support - or integrated stereo speakers; the stand offers no adjustment beyond basic tilting; and there isn't even an onscreen menu system.

Working on the assumption that most graphics professionals will already have their output calibrated in the graphics driver, the HZ30W has just two touch-sensitive buttons beneath the screen, which raise and lower the brightness as required. The Super-IPS panel offers better colour reproduction than the TN panels more commonly used in smaller TFTs, and the response time of 5ms is impressive.

The contrast level of 1,000:1 sounds good, but our technical tests were imperfect, with the darkest few shades of grey largely merging into black, but that was the only major weakness we could spot. The backlight was perfectly even and the black and white levels, while certainly not stunning, were just about right for such a large screen. It has a mottled finish to it, though, which shows itself as a slight graininess if you sit too close. You'll need a deep desk to avoid this and the sore neck that comes from sitting in the front row of a cinema.

Its main rival at this price is Dell's 3007WFP (web ID: 84912). But the simple fact is that, while the Hazro tries to make such a huge TFT affordable by stripping it of extras, the Dell actually costs £100 less - yet still manages to offer a fully adjustable stand, an integrated card reader and superior brightness and contrast as well. It may not quite match the colour accuracy of the Hazro but, for most people, it's the better choice.

Author: David Bayon