Samsung SM245B 24" Widescreen 5ms Black LCD Monitor TFT with DVI 3000:1, Windows Vista Premium Ready

 

 

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I finally plumped for this monitor due to its price and the consistency of the reviews I found and I am very pleased with it. It comes with a sturdy stand and two cables (aside from the power lead), each with DVI at one end, one with a mini-D-range VGA connector and the other with another DVI at the other. There are 2 power switches, which gave me some concern initially, as I forgot to check the rocker under the back of the unit when installing! The other switch is circular with a nice blue led in the centre which flashes when the monitor is "resting".

It is light, smart and performs well. As has been mentioned elsewhere, the default settings are very bright and it is difficult to adjust to match another monitor, but I reckon that is seldom of critical importance: with the large display area available you are only being greedy wanting to use it with another monitor! Having said that, I would rather like to marry it with an identical unit ... The on-screen menu is not difficult to navigate so much as awkward, and pressing the "Auto" button (which is next to, in line with and is almost indistinguishable from the navigation buttons) by accident can be an annoyance!

I have had some trouble, albeit temporary, with what I suspect is some kind of synchronisation problem leading to hroizontal yellow streaking on some white areas on images such as a Win2k logon screen. This may be a problem with my display card rather than the monitor, however, as it was solved by resetting the display resolution from Control Panel -> Display -> Settings.

I have used the monitor for non-games oriented uses such as code development, word processing and a little image processing, revelling in the available viewing area, and still more would be even better, especially on the code development side: the more I can see, the better. Image manipulation can also benefit from plenty of space, so who knows, when I have made some more room on my desk ...

The package is not perfect, however, and the stand at least gives the impression that it was designed to allow for rotating the display to portrait attitude, as a few degrees of rotation is "available", but I haven't managed to get it to turn yet. This means that there is some unnecessary play in the mounting, but the monitor doesn't move by itself, so it's not much of a problem! There is some degree of tilt, which is useful as the range of viewing angle is not very impressive. Personally this is of no concern to me, but for potential purchasers who may wish to use the monitor as a multimedia display, it could be a significant disadvantage. The base of the stand is large and provides a sturdy support but, at the same time, takes up a generous amount of space! Clearly this is a delightful improvement on a similar CRT (I have a huge old Belinea 23" CRT which is on a wall-mounted arm) but is worthy of consideration.

It's hard to know where to start the eulogising.

I needed another monitor for our other pc. The first has a Samsung 244T that is absolutely superb and so it should be for the cost.

Once you've got used to the real-estate of a 24" screen you really can't go back, so knowing I couldn't afford another 244T I shopped around and was glad I did.

This screen (not purchased through Amazon) is simply superb. Don't be mistaken on the 300:1 brightness level, I had to turn the brightness way down out of the box. This also helps to promote backlight longevity as they do fade over time.

The DC (Dynamic Contrast) works, and works well. Build quality is typical Samsung: Superb.

It does have HDCP despite other reviews on other sites. But Amazon's max resolution (of 1680x1050) is incorrect. The screen displays 1920x1200 with either an analogue or DVI connection at 60hz.

Watching HD content how it's meant to be watched is easily accomplished by this screen. 1080P anyone?

Lastly, you can pay nearly this much for a (good) 1680x1050 (20-22") screen, so force yourself to find the extra £60 or so and stump for this, it nicely displays photoshop with menu's leaving enough space for a decent sized rendition of the image you're working on. Document pages side by side are equally viewable.

Honestly, you simply cannot do better for the money. Forget the pretenders at this resolution and price point and just purchase this.

I bought this monitor for gaming, so I may go on about computer game related issues a bit.

I bought this monitor recently, replacing a 20" widescreen Belinea 102035w . I was worried about this being a TN 6 bit panel. However, I haven't noticed any difference in quality. If anything, this monitor is brighter (in a good way). From the beginning it has had one red, dead pixel in the corner. I've always worried about them since my friend got a cheap 15" LCD with a glowing red blob in the centre. However, it honestly doesn't make much of an impact and is impossible to see unless you are viewing a white screen. When it's a monitor of this size you lose where it is unless you're staring right at it, any way... and I'm very fussy about these sorts of things.

Very big jump up from the 20" monitor, certainly worth an upgrade if you have a powerful PC. It's not quite the jump from my old 17" CRT to the 20" monitor, but that didn't stop me from repeatedly murmuring 'this is insanely big' whilst running about de_dust 2 on Counter Strike Source for the first time after the purchase. I pity my friends who are still on 17" panels, and it's certainly the first thing they notice when they sit down in front of my PC. This may seem obvious, considering that it's a massive glowing slab in front of you, but for anybody thinking of upgrading their computers to the latest specs and settling for a second hand beige monitor, the upgrade is going to be severely limited. I would say that going from a 17 inch monitor to a 24" one is about the same impressiveness as going from low detail in the Elder Scrolls Oblivion to highest everything.

If any body's interested about the resolution jump from 1680 x 1050 to 1920 x 1200, it slows my computer down about 30% in games but even old titles appear to have better clarity and you'll find yourself picking out details you hadn't noticed before (Such as the gun models on Counter Strike Source). I haven't noticed any ghosting or delay on this monitor. I've never really cared much about viewing angles, though if you have your head level to the top of this display the bottom of it has a bluish tint. From the base of the monitor, the top has a yellow tint. However, with a monitor of this size I find it easy to remain facing the centre of the display. I know there is a 'T' version of this monitor which offers superior quality for about double the price. I am no expert on picture quality, but I can't imagine how it could be any better. I'm sure I would notice if they were compared side by side but at double the price I can't really see it as worth it unless you're really fussy about the image quality. All I know is that this is at least as good as any other monitor that I have ever seen and I am certainly not disappointed.

If you are upgrading from a 20 inch widescreen, you will notice the difference and it will make the first couple of days a pleasure to behold. If you are upgrading from a 17" LCD or CRT, you'll never want to go back again. It consumes your entire vision and really does make the game appear more realistic... and it finally tops my CRT's resolution of 1600x1200.

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2.0 out of 5 stars Amazon: Great. Monitor: Great. Shipping: Total Rubbish.
On arrival, my monitor had disintegrated into three pieces. The electronics, the screen and the front bezel. Read more

Published on 22 July 2008 by Mr. C. Bauers

4.0 out of 5 stars A bit dissappointed on arrival but it is good.
Firstly that it arrived from the carrier with a box corner flattened and torn from obvious impact (what do they do throw them on the lorry ? Read more

Published on 17 Jun 2008 by Tellboy

3.0 out of 5 stars viewing angle is not great
Although for sharpness colour contrast and looks of this monitor are superb, there is a big flaw if you are considering this for any graphics or photo work. Read more

Published on 26 Mar 2008 by P. Hogg

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Value
I bought one of these beauties as the centre screen for my 3-screen setup (am I mad, I hear you ask) - well, once you get used to having multiple screens, it's addictive. Read more

Published on 9 Mar 2008 by Robert Groom

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