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.