XHD3000 Viewing Evaluation and Conclusion
I watched the Gateway XHD3000 in both day and nighttime settings. During the day the system functioned beautifully for computer use – and it's clear, bright display was a joy to work with. I did find, however that both color and brightness (black levels) varied with movement up and down or side to side. This means that the tonality of the image can change depending upon where you are sitting when you view the on-screen image. From 20-inches away you'd be surprised how much you can move your head just looking around the screen. This tonal shift still occurred at night, but at much less noticeable levels. In the evenings I played with the black levels to see if I could knock them down a bit, but with no backlighting control I found that, at best, blacks were merely dark gray.
Blu-ray: Dave Matthew and Tim Reynolds Live at Radio City Music Hall
This was a selection I felt showed off some very nice live concert footage. The setting was intimate so you're looking mostly at face detail, guitars and the stage. Note the detail in the black shirt Dave is wearing. While the black levels are a bit high, detail is not a problem and I noticed no real-world crushing or banding.
Blu-ray: Safari (BBC)
I'm a sucker for wildlife in HD. If I'm flipping channels and come across a nice lion attacking a herd of water buffalo – I'm going to be drolling in front of the screen in a stupor of wildlife-driven mindlessness for an entire hour... The DiscoveryHD channel is a place I need to avoid lest I misuse my time and end up trapped by the dozens of incredible looking shows they run 24/7. In this BBC show titled Safari, there was plenty to gawk at and I took several shots. Here are some of the nicer ones that exemplified the color, detail and noiselessness possible with this monitor:
He looks hungry... think I'll move along.
This guy reminds me of my cousin Wade for some reason.
Blu-ray: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
I love the Harry Potter movies. While it's funny that we're literally watching Harry grow facial hair and have his voice change it's a good series that hasn't yet descended into the “Ah, screw it, let's just make money” phase. Potter movies aren't terribly colorful, but they are laced with tons of CG – and that means perfectly crisp imagery and loads of fun and interesting video material. In the dragon sequence I couldn't take my eyes off the scene where we notice the full resolution of the dragon's skin textures as well as the minute detail of the tiled roof he tears up pursuing Harry.
Not the greatest shot of Harry, but look at those tiles!
This
is one seriously cool-looking dragon. Note not only the spine
texture, but the veins in his wings and ability to still see the roof
detail beyond.
Blu-ray:
Sahara
I
really liked this movie, mostly because of the fact that Steve Zahn
takes the role of “sidekick” and turns it into something more
than just the tired “idiot who gets hero in trouble” routine. It
was a fun movie and there was plenty of opportunity for exemplary
display material.
Conclusion
I am both impressed and a tad disappointed in the XHD3000 display from Gateway. It definitely hits more than it misses, but the lack of a backlight control means that you'll never truly have those deeper blacks that are difficult – but possible – with LCD technology. The HQV was engaged and worked very very well, though it was obvious that at least some remnants of jaggies will exist when scaling 480i all the way up to 1600p. I can live with the results. The resolution of this monitor and the sheer joy of the touch interface and ergonomic controls are beyond cool – they are trend-setting. I can say without reservation that this is the 30-inch LCD monitor to beat in today's marketplace. If you're wanting to step up to a larger screen – take a very hard look at the XHD3000.
Gateway XHD3000 LCD Display
MSRP: $1,699
Gateway,
Inc.
7565 Irvine Center Drive
Irvine, CA 92618
http://www.gateway.com/
About
Gateway
Since
its founding in 1985, Irvine, Calif.-based Gateway has been a
technology pioneer, offering award-winning PCs and related products
to customers worldwide. Gateway is the fourth largest PC company in
the U.S. and among the top ten worldwide.
The Score Card
The scoring below is based on each piece of equipment doing the duty it is designed for. The numbers are weighed heavily with respect to the individual cost of each unit, thus giving a rating roughly equal to:
Performance × Price Factor/Value = Rating
Audioholics.com note: The ratings indicated below are based on subjective listening and objective testing of the product in question. The rating scale is based on performance/value ratio. If you notice better performing products in future reviews that have lower numbers in certain areas, be aware that the value factor is most likely the culprit. Other Audioholics reviewers may rate products solely based on performance, and each reviewer has his/her own system for ratings.
Audioholics Rating Scale
— Excellent
- — Very Good
- — Good
- — Fair
- — Poor
| Metric | Rating |
|---|---|
| Detail and Resolution | |
| Deinterlacing & Scaling | |
| Contrast and Black Levels | |
| Color Reproduction | |
| Noise Reduction | |
| Calibration Options | |
| Build Quality | |
| Ergonomics & Usability | |
| Ease of Setup | |
| Features | |
| Remote Control | |
| Fit and Finish | |
| Performance | |
| Value |  |
See also:
I have contacted HSN.com but my 12 month warranty has expired and I am awaiting Gateway USA response as Gateway UK no longer exists. But due to my previous contacts with their USA customer support and technical department I am not hopeful of their cooperation in supplying a replacement TFT monitor as they seem to want to wash their hands of any responsibility for this monitors failing hardware.
Has anybody been able to source a original or alternative comparable replacement 30 inch screen from a reputable third party OEM manufacturer or supplier, preferably in the UK or European market? If not I would consider a USA or Taiwanese supplier because looking at the current crop of 30 inch monitors nothing seemed to be close to this monitor with regards to its dual PC display /HD TV credentials even two years after its release. Unless anybody knows that this is not the case with a current or up and coming alternative model am prepared to repair this model at a reasonable cost.
Any arguments for or against repair will be gratefully considered, thanks in advance. :-)
bmoshier;395473
Hello,
3) When I boot my Windows XP Pro x64 system, Windows' Plug & Play asks me to provide the "Gateway XHD3000 driver." Contacting Gateway results in talking to people who simply say "monitors don't need drivers." Yet, I keep getting this message whenever Windows scans for new hardware. So, there are two issues: (A) The software issue with the driver and (B) Gateway is unable support this monitor.
After searching on my own, I found USB device drivers for the XHD3000. When I try to install the driver, Windows says it can't find the hardware associated with the software from Gateway. I pointed this out to Gateway support. Their response was to say they don't know what to say.
At this point, I'm at a loss for where to go for help.
Do YOU know someone at GATEWAY who is willing to take ownership of technical support? If so, please, send them my way. (Major / Critical issues)
Bert.
I too own this monitor and overall I am happy with it. However about your driver issue with USB and XP 64-bit I can concur that I had the same problem with Vista 64-bit until I upgraded the bundled "EzTune CD" software that came with the monitor. I hope you have already solve this problem if not this solution should help.
I myself have a new problem and I was hoping that you could tell me if you have such a problem as well.
When I initially turn on the monitor, for TV or computer use, I get a green single pixel vertical line 1 inch from the right hand side running straight down top to bottom. Although this line disappears after 15 to 20 minutes of use I can't ignore it any longer because as of today it is now joined by a single pixel red vertical line very close to it but not quite next door to the green pixel. Both lines seem to be present with a general shower of red single pixels randomly presenting on and off erratically all over the screen which are visible in black background areas mostly.
I've had the monitor since November 2007 and I'm hoping that this isn't the end for this monitor.
I have had absolutely no joy from Gateway technical support, as they seem to be clueless as many other people have testify to. My problem is also compounded as this model of monitor never sold in the United Kingdom so I had to get a friend to exported it from the States to me in the UK. This also gave Gateway the excuse of washing their hands of any after sales support even under warranty. As you can imagine this is the last Gateway product I will ever purchase which is a shame as this product still has very many unique features like 1080p to 1600p upscaling which the competition still hasn't emulated.
In the meantime I would be grateful if any one who has knowledge of such an issue as the red and green vertical lines and also the cascade of red pixels appearing and disappearing in the warm up time could advise me as to the cause. Here's hoping that I need to upgrade my cabling rather than replace the LCD, fingers crossed.
Cheers :-)
I purchased this monitor 4 days ago and have had both joy and pain with it since.
Pro: I love the PIP support, such as sizing the window, moving, and transparency. While there are limits when using 2560x1600 mode, Gateway denotes these limits up front and discusses how to work around them.
The 2560x1600 is wonderful. The color width / saturation could be better (e.g. like the Dell 3008WFP, but you can't have everything).
The multiple input support works very nicely.
The Con, though, are significant, IMHO.
1) Lacks a Media Card Reader as the Dell 3008WFP or 3007WFP provide. (Minor nit)
2) The color width / saturation is not as good as the Dell 3008WFP (which is at 117% of NTSC and shows it). (Moderate)
3) When I boot my Windows XP Pro x64 system, Windows' Plug & Play asks me to provide the "Gateway XHD3000 driver." Contacting Gateway results in talking to people who simply say "monitors don't need drivers." Yet, I keep getting this message whenever Windows scans for new hardware. So, there are two issues: (A) The software issue with the driver and (B) Gateway is unable support this monitor.
After searching on my own, I found USB device drivers for the XHD3000. When I try to install the driver, Windows says it can't find the hardware associated with the software from Gateway. I pointed this out to Gateway support. Their response was to say they don't know what to say.
At this point, I'm at a loss for where to go for help.
Do YOU know someone at GATEWAY who is willing to take ownership of technical support? If so, please, send them my way. (Major / Critical issues)
Overall:
This really seems to be a 21st monitor but the support is almost 1980 Microsoft with no one wanting to take ownership and/or help.
Bert.
I had a feeling it might invoke such a responce, and I have no clue why. I assumed everyone read your reviews.
