HP's 'colour-critical' LCD

One of the key products introduced at HP's 'Connecting Your World' event in Berlin earlier this week was the 24in. DreamColor LP2480zx, a 30-bit (10 bits per primary colour channel) LED-backlit monitor featuring HP's DreamColor Engine technology (first seen in a number of printers last year).

HP's 24in. DreamColor 2480zx sells for 2,299 euros and is shipping now. The DreamColor brand is designed for graphics professionals, who require accurate and consistent colour across a range of devices. HP has a close relationship with DreamWorks Animation, which clearly has a pressing need to ensure that the artistry of its animators — most recently seen in Kung Fu Panda (premiered at Cannes and released in the UK on 4 July) — is reproduced faithfully through the production chain, from graphics workstation to movie theatre or living room. According to HP, technical types at DreamWorks had been reduced to scouring eBay for old high-end CRT monitors, such was the expense of existing 'colour-critical' LCDs.

With its billion-colour gamut, CRT-class black, programmable white and six factory-calibrated colour spaces plus one user-programmable space, the 2,299-euro DreamColor LP2480zx does the job for about a quarter the price of previous solutions, according to HP. An optional calibration kit (colorimeter and software) is also available.