Ultra high end displays are things of sheer beauty, and their accompanying price tags are the things heart attacks are made of. Eizo is at the top of its game in this market segment, which produces objects of desire that can be justified by professionals but few others.

The HD2441W, however, is a little more consumer grade. Not only does it sport a VGA and HDI input but also two HDMI ports, and all the digital options support HDCP. The resolution is exactly the same as all other 24” models, a standard 1920 x 1200 offered by single link DVI. Higher resolutions need to be sent through dual link DVI; a standard usually used only by 30” monsters.

Resolution may be directly comparable with other manufacturers, however image quality is another thing entirely. It blitzed through our Display Mate tests with flying colours, providing perfectly smooth gradients and identical levels in colour bar tests.

The stand is fantastic; a sliding section is braced against a tilting section that results in stable height and tilt adjustments. Although this can’t compare with the height adjustments offered by the NEC MultiSync LCD2690WUXiv, the Eizo swivels a full 360 degrees on its base.

The black levels and contrast are remarkable, as are the amount of calibration options available. In addition to the standard adjustments we’re accustomed to seeing, gamma adjustments and even black levels for the primary colours are definable through the touch sensitive controls.

Hardware options that aren’t related to the image include multiple picture-in-picture modes as well as a power-off timer and backlight adjustment that compensates for any changes in ambient light. You can even disable the power LED. Rudimentary KVM facilities are provided – the two USB ports on the left side of the monitor can be routed through one of two downstream USB ports which are switched through the OSD.

In spite of all this, the monitor seems caught between a rock and a hard place. Innovative though they are, professionals won’t need the HDMI ports and the $2799 price tag keeps it out of range of gamers and others considering a 24” screen.