HP Brings DreamColor Accuracy to Mobile Power Users

Today at SIGGRAPH 2008, HP expanded its DreamColor technology portfolio with the introduction of a powerful mobile workstation – the HP EliteBook 8730w Mobile Workstation with DreamColor Display – that offers professionals exceptional color accuracy.

In addition, HP introduced the HP EliteBook 8530w Mobile Workstation, the HP EliteBook 8530p Notebook PC, a custom calibration kit for the now-shipping DreamColor LP2480zx Professional Display, and two additional high-performance displays to meet the demands of a new generation of visual computing customers.

Designed for the most sophisticated graphic-intensive applications, the new HP EliteBook 8730w is the only mobile workstation on the market to offer a 17-inch diagonal HP DreamColor Display, which offers over 16 million colors, a significant improvement to the 260,000 available colors on traditional notebook PCs. The notebook also offers an Intel quad-core processor,(1) 8 gigabytes (GB) of memory(2) and NVIDIA’s next generation of Quadro FX cards with up to 1 GB dedicated video memory.

The HP EliteBook 8530w and HP EliteBook 8530p add professional graphics capabilities in a convenient mobile format, making the notebooks ideal for extreme power users in fields such as animation, video production, broadcasting, photography, design and engineering. Both systems include a 15.4-inch diagonal display, Intel CoreTM 2 Duo processor(1) and 8 GB of memory.(2) Additionally, HP EliteBook 8530w supports Intel quad-core mobile processors.(1)

Incorporating the latest mobile technologies and engineered to meet multiple durability tests, the EliteBook series features the HP DuraCase, a visually appealing, brushed anodized aluminum exterior combined with a magnesium alloy chassis designed for maximum protection to keep the PC looking good, longer.

Delivering on DreamColor display technology
The HP DreamColor LP2480zx Display, the world’s first affordable, color-critical display, was developed through a first-of-its-kind technology collaboration between HP and DreamWorks Animation SKG. The 24-inch diagonal HP DreamColor liquid crystal display (LCD) provides a range of more than 1 billion colors in a 30-bit, LED-backlit widescreen display.

The new HP DreamColor Advanced Profiling Solution, now shipping as an option, allows users of the HP DreamColor LP2480zx Display to custom calibrate color settings beyond the built-in factory pre-sets. The solution includes a customized DreamColor colorimeter and calibration software.

The DreamColor Display becomes even more powerful when combined with the new generation of 30-bit graphics accelerator cards – such as the ATI FireGL V7700 – for the most advanced application performance and visualization beyond 3D. The ATI FireGL V7700 delivers true 30-bit color, enabling never-before-achieved color palette ranges. When the display is combined with a 30-bit card, the user can both generate and display content using the full pallet of more than 1 billion colors, providing unrivaled color accuracy and the smoothest color transitions.

Widescreen displays for workstation users
The new HP LP2475w 24-inch Widescreen LCD Monitor and the HP LP2275w 22-inch Widescreen LCD Monitor are designed for workstation users who appreciate an expansive presentation for graphics, video and data projects. With high-resolution onscreen presentation, the monitors also offer a 1,000:1 contrast ratio(3) and extra-bright screens.

The LP2475w holds a sharp resolution at 1,920 x 1,200 and has a 102 percent color gamut; the LP2275w has a resolution of 1,680 x 1,050 with a 92 percent color range. Both displays have wide viewing angles and feature height adjustment, tilt, swivel and 90-degree pivot rotation – including a built-in HP Quick Release stand that enables wall and arm mounting for panoramic presentation. Both displays also meet stringent ENERGY STAR guidelines and are EPEAT Silver registered.

Pricing and availability(4)
The HP EliteBook 8730w Mobile Workstation is expected to be available later this month at the starting U.S. list price of $1,699. The HP EliteBook 8530 series is expected to be available in September starting at $1,499.

The HP LP 2275w 22-inch Widescreen LCD Monitor is available today and the HP LP2475w 24-inch Widescreen LCD Monitor is expected to be available in North America in September for estimated starting U.S. street prices of $459 to $649, respectively. The HP DreamColor Advanced Profiling Solution is now available for Microsoft Windows® users for a price of $349. It is expected to be available for Macintosh users in September.

(1) Dual/Quad Core is a new technology designed to improve performance of certain software products. Not all customers or software applications will necessarily benefit from use of this technology. 64-bit computing on Intel architecture requires a computer system with a processor, chipset, BIOS, operating system, device drivers and applications enabled for Intel 64 architecture. Processors will not operate (including 32-bit operation) without an Intel 64 architecture-enabled BIOS. Performance will vary depending on hardware and software configurations. More information is available at http://www.intel.com/info/em64t.

(2) Maximum memory capacities assume 64-bit operating systems. Microsoft Windows XP (32-bit) supports 4 GB (with Microsoft 32-bit, the amount of usable memory will be dependent upon system configuration. It may be less than 4 GB); 32-bit Linux can support up to 8 GB.

(3) All specifications represent the typical specifications provided by HP’s component manufacturers; actual performance may be higher or lower.

(4) Estimated U.S. list prices. Actual prices may vary.

Source: ProVideoCoalition