The EliteDisplay S14 is a bus powered portable monitor that you might initially think it’s a tablet, but it’s not. It’s a high-quality IPS, matte 1920×1080 and bus-powered via USB-C or some kinds of Thunderbolt. Ahead I’ll tell you all of the reasons I love it and the only inaccurate statement on the official spec sheet.
I shot the above photo of award-winning actor and voiceover talent Memo Sauceda using my Google Pixel XL smartphone. We connected the HP EliteDisplay S14 to his MacBook Pro’s Thunderbolt 3 port, and it worked perfectly. Then we selected the EliteDisplay S14 as the main monitor in macOS’s Display control panel and activated Final Cut Pro’s A/V Output option, as covered in Apple’s article here.
PRECAUTION: I only recommend a direct-connected monitoring option with Mac if your video project is exactly 24.000, exactly 25 or exactly 50 fps. (See my When exact 24 fps beats 23.976… and when it doesn’t.)
If your project is any non-integer framerate like ≈23.976, ≈29.97 or ≈59.94 fps, then I recommend purchasing —at a minimum— an interface like the UltraStudio Mini Monitor (illustrated above), since current Macs don’t offer proper non-integer framerates directly, and these professional interfaces from AJA and Blackmagic do. Some Windows configurations allow displaying non-integer framerates after going through hoops, as I covered in HP ZBook Studio G3: How to output standard framerates over HDMI (illustrated below).
Everything I love about the HP EliteDisplay S14, and why
- It’s matte (“anti-glare”) so I don’t see reflections.
- It’s IPS, so it looks good both straight ahead and from off-axis angles.
- It’s bus-powered, so no extra cable or battery is required.
- It’s so light and thin, it seems to be a tablet, but it’s not.
Official specs
Native resolution: 1920×1080 60Hz
Supported resolutions:
- 1024×768
- 1280×1024
- 1280×720
- 1280×800
- 1440×900
- 1680×1050
- 1920×1080
- 640×480
- 720×400
- 800×600
Viewing angle:
- 178° horizontal
- 178° vertical
Contrast ratio:
5000000:1 dynamic; 700:1 static
Brightness: 200 cd/m²
Pixel pitch: 0.161 mm
Response time: 5 ms gray to gray
Display features:
- Display features
- Matte (“anti-glare”)
- IPS (In plane switching)
- Language selection
- LED backlights
- On-screen controls
- Plug and Play
- User programmable
Dimensions (W X D X H)
32.78 x 0.86 x 20.95 centimeters (12.91 x 0.34 x 8.24 inches)
Weight: 1 kilogram (2.20 pounds)
How to use the HP EliteDisplayS14
- Plug the supplied USB-C cable into a compatible host device with USB-C DisplayPort Alt or Thunderbolt 3 (see details about Thunderbolt compatibility in the next section).
- Adjust the display panel of your host device to either mirrored or extended desktop as desired. If you choose extended desktop, set the alignment in the same control panel. If you use a particular app made for en external display (i.e. Adobe Premiere, Apple Final Cut Pro X as described earlier, Apple Keynote, Microsoft Powerpoint), select the HP EliteDisplayS14 there if you want it to be the “program” or “public” display. On the other hand, if you want to use the HP EliteDisplayS14 as the primary display for your user interface (as Memo and I did), select it as such in the host’s display control panel and select the other display as “program” or “public”.
The only inaccurate statement on the official spec sheet
HP’s official spec sheet says that the EliteDisplay S14 works with: “…USB-C DipslayPort Alt or any version of Thunderbolt.”
At first, I ordered a cable from Amazon to go from the Thunderbolt1 (Mini DisplayPort) on my MacBook Air 11”. That didn’t work, and HP’s very nice public relations person offered to send me a cable that would. However, after further investigation, he discovered that there is no way to make it worth with Thunderbolt 1. Apparently, it has to be Thunderbolt 3 or USB-C with DipslayPort Alt mode.
Conclusions
I believe the HP EliteDisplay S14 is an ideal second display for any compatible laptop, be it a Chromebook, MacBook or Windows. I also believe it’s ideal if you want to use the new Mac Mini 2018 in the field. (See Apple’s October 30, 2018 triple play: A home run?).
I plan to test the HP EliteDisplay S14 together with an upcoming review of HP’s 14” matte IPS Chromebook (illustrated above), since it has USB-C. To be sure you are informed,subscribe or re-subscribe to my email bulletins if you haven’t after the GDPR change.
(Re-)Subscribe for upcoming articles, reviews, radio shows, books and seminars/webinars
Stand by for upcoming articles, reviews, and books. Sign up to my free mailing list by clicking here. If you previously subscribed to my bulletins and no longer receive them, you must re-subscribe due to new compliance to GDPR. Most of my current books are at books.AllanTepper.com, and my personal website is AllanTepper.com. Also visit radio.AllanTepper.com.
Si deseas suscribirte (o volver a suscribirte) a mi lista en castellano, visita aquí. Si prefieres, puedes suscribirte a ambas listas (castellano e inglés).
Suscribe to his BeyondPodcasting show at BeyondPodasting.com.
Subscribe to his Tu radio global show at Turadioglobal.com.
Subscribe to his Tu salud secreta show at TuSaludSecreta.com.
Subscribe to his award-winning CapicúaFM show at CapicúaFM.com.
FTC disclosure
No manufacturer is specifically paying Allan Tépper or TecnoTur LLC to write this article or the mentioned books. Some of the other manufacturers listed above have contracted Tépper and/or TecnoTur LLC to carry out consulting and/or translations/localizations/transcreations. Many of the manufacturers listed above have sent Allan Tépper review units. So far, none of the manufacturers listed above is/are sponsors of the TecnoTur , BeyondPodcasting or TuRadioGlobal programs, although they are welcome to do so, and some are, may be (or may have been) sponsors of ProVideo Coalition magazine. Some links to third parties listed in this article and/or on this web page may indirectly benefit TecnoTur LLC via affiliate programs. Allan Tépper’s opinions are his own.
Copyright and use of this article
The articles contained in the TecnoTur channel in ProVideo Coalition magazine are copyright Allan Tépper/TecnoTur LLC, except where otherwise attributed. Unauthorized use is prohibited without prior approval, except for short quotes which link back to this page, which are encouraged!