These monitors use the same LG panel as the Apple 27 inch Cinema display. But it's a gamble, because some people have had dead pixels and it is probably going to be expensive shipping the monitor back for an exchange. But I decided to take the gamble and bought the QH270-IPSB aka QH270-Lite.
The QH270-IPSB is the very basic model and it was the cheapest at $340 on eBay (at the time, prices seem to still be dropping a little every day). This model has no image scaler so it just has a single DL-DVI input and won't work with consoles or anything without DL-DVI (most desktop graphics cards have DL-DVI). This model has no front glass or speakers either (not really something I'd want on a desktop monitor anyway).
Mine arrived today...
QH270-IPSB
27 inch S-IPS LG panel (glossy)
2560x1440 (16:9) resolution
No OSD menu.
1 power button and 2 backlight brightness buttons on the right back side.
Glossy black bezel with white outer trim.
Basic stand with tilt adjustment (no height or rotation movement)
This monitor is going to replace my 30 inch Dell monitor for the following reason.
* Image quality. This is the main reason, the image quality on my Dell monitor was no longer what it used to be. I suspected the problem was at least partly because of the AG coating. The screen seemed more grainy now that I remembered it originally being. Also I had an odd bit of screen distortion on the right side, hard to see most of the time, but with solid colors would be very visible. While removing the AG coating did help a lot with fixing the screen quality on the Dell, it introduced some new problems.
* Heat and power. My 30 inch Dell uses CCFL backlighting and the monitor radiates a lot of heat. So I've been kinda wanting an LED backlight monitor for a while now. Much more energy efficient and cooler running. Hopefully it'll make my Phoenix summers a bit more bearable.
* Brightness. The brightness on the Dell 3007 is on the low side. Even as maximum brightness it still seemed insufficient. So I've always had to increase the gamma settings in my video drivers to compensate for this. With this LED monitor the brightness is much better, don't need to tweak my color settings anymore in the drivers. Side note, removing the AG coating on my Dell did noticeably improve the brightness on that monitor (the AG coating is pretty heavy on that monitor).
I'm really impressed with the monitor. It's bright, the S-IPS display looks great, contrast and colors look very good. I've been a long time matte screen fan, but I think I'm starting to dig these gloss displays. The reflections aren't bothering me so much anymore and things just seem more vibrant on the glossy display. And thankfully this monitor seems to have no dead or stuck pixels.
The stand is naturally very cheap, but it does hold the monitor steady and has a tilt adjustment. The stand screws into the bottom of the monitor. And there is also a VESA mount on the back if you want to use your own stand or mount. The control buttons are on the back right side. There is a round power button and two rectangle brightness buttons. There are 4 more buttons below that, but they do nothing on this model (they are for the OSD and volume controls on the higher end models). The front has a blue LED when the power is on and red when it's off. The LED light is dim, so will not be distracting.
Compared to my Dell 30 inch monitor. This monitor is less than 2 inches narrower and more than 2 inches shorter. So the size difference is noticeable. This monitor has the same 2560 pixels horizontally as the Dell, so the pixels per inch is a bit higher on this monitor than the Dell.
Summary, I'm so very happy with this monitor. Ya'll asked recently if I was ever happy with anything I buy. And this time I can say I am. For $340 this monitor has the same quality of panel found in 27 inch monitors that cost almost 3 times more money. I gave up a little size compared to my Dell, but I got slightly better PPI, more efficient LED lighting, better brightness, and a nicer looking screen. And luck was on my side, because there was no shipping damage and no bad pixels.
Overclock.net and HardOCP have some lengthy discussions on this model.
This QH270 is one of a few different Korean monitors available. Crossover and Catleap monitors are also quite popular. The Catleap seems to have a better stand and maybe better bezel, but it usually costs a bit more too. You can also find some monitors with additional inputs (built in scaler), but extra features increase the price of course.
Earlier some of these monitors had refresh rates up to 100Hz, but people are now saying they are all mostly 60Hz, because they switched to a cheaper PCB in these monitors.
http://www.overclock.net/t/1215866/reviewed-400-2560x1440-ips-no-ag-90hz-achieva-shimian-qh270-and-catleap-q270
http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1675393
If you are interested in a CCFL backlight, some people are because they feel these provide better or more consistent lighting (I really don't see the difference, but some do) and a matte screen, then this thread might be of interest.
http://www.overclock.net/t/1237328/davi-d279sv-vgq2-korean-27-ips-2560x1440-ccfl-and-possibly-matte-screen
