To test the 230WP7NS we put the monitor through a series of tests including gaming, high-definition video, and a few monitor benchmarks. For gaming tests we used Half Life 2, Doom 3, and Battlefield 2. Colors looked good, darks very solid with hardly any back-light bleeding, and no noticeable ghosting. It seems ghosting isn't as much of a problem now-a-days as it was when LCD technology was first introduced; a majority of recent displays reviewed have had no problems. After games we loaded up our three LCD benchmarks (download them here, here, and here) that test for a multitude of things including ghosting, crosstalk, dead pixels, and color to name a few. We were disappointed to notice the display had a four stuck pixels scattered across the screen.

Above is an attempt to take a picture take of one of the dead pixels. Please note that the room was very dark when taking the picture so the camera defaulted to a very long exposure time which is why the image of the pixel is smeared. In reality the green area is just a single small pixel but we wanted to report it with an image as well. The dead pixels we either of green or red color. This particular pixel displayed the color white just fine which indicates that the green color was "stuck" or always on. Aside from the stuck pixels the 230WP7NS showed no flaws in terms of crosstalk, bleeding, or ghosting during these tests.

Lastly we of course had to watch some high-def video on this WUXGA display. Using Windows Media Player 10 we downloaded some 720p and 1080p movie trailers from this site. Running at 1920x1200, the 720p video looked good but was medium sized compared to the 1080p video which looked superb and nicely filled a large portion of the 23" screen.

Overall the Philips 230WP7NS is a good performer. Targeted towards small businesses and industry professionals, this display is not for the average consumer. The price tag of $1499USD retail, or $1007USD street, is a pretty good indicator of that. While disappointed with the 4 stuck pixels on the screen, the rest of our experience with the display has been quite positive. Dead/stuck pixels are currently the biggest downfall for many LCD's and because they happen seemingly at random there's no guarantee that the next 230WP7NS off of the line will have as many or as few stuck pixels as our model did. The 4 USB ports located on the monitor is a nice addition, especially in the business setting where a user may have quite a few USB-based gadgets that are connected and disconnected on a regular basis. Tilting and swiveling the monitor's screen is also extremely smooth and the resistance to movement is small enough to allow one hand to perform adjustments.

Based on the price of the 230WP7NS, there are cheaper 23"-24" LCD solutions available on the market. Dell's 2405FPW, for example, is currently listed at around $800USD and has received high marks from the community. However, because we haven't reviewed the 2405FPW we can't say it's a better monitor than the 230WP7NS. We can say that the 230WP7NS is a very good monitor and is backed with 3 years free labor/3 years free services on parts/1 year of exchange.

*Editor's Note* We were recently informed about Philips' policy on dead/broke pixels. Please read the following paragraph which comes directly from a Philips' representative.

Although some manufacturers consider pixel defects inevitable, Philips does not. Philips is compliant with the ISO 13406-2 Class I standard and the monitors are produced with a zero-tolerance for LCD panel defects. Philips is the only manufacturer to offer their exclusive Perfect Panel warranty, that repairs or replaces any monitor displaying a single pixel defect, bright or dark dot. So, noticing your comments about the pixels on the 230W7, Philips guarantees they will be repaired or your monitor will be replaced.

Correction - this monitor is NOT covered by the Perfect Panel Warranty. We apologize for this error. Panels that are covered by the warranty are: 170B6, 170B7 170P6, 170P7 190B6, 190B7, and 190P6.

The BFR Breakdown

Display Quality : Very good. Monitor color and brightness was even throughout the entire screen. There were 4 dead/stuck pixels found on the screen.
Ease of Calibration: The monitor was self adjusted the first time I plugged it, never needed any adjusting. If the picture still needs to be adjusted it comes with a one-touch auto calibration button (for analog input only).
Accessories: Comes with an analog cord, digital cord, power cord, and USB cord.
Exterior Looks: Silver front cabinet with a 1" bezel. Back is mostly black in color.
Ease of Installation : Easy. Attaching the stand to the monitor arm is simple, just snap on and fasten with included screw. Then install the driver, plug in the analog/digital cord to the monitor and video card, plug in the power cord to the monitor and you're done.
Ghosting: No noticeable ghosting during gaming or movie watching.
Warranty: years free labor/3 years free services on parts/1 year of exchange

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