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(More customer reviews)One of the crazes of 2006-2007 seems to be monitors, and many people seem to get specs-crazy. For good reason though - who wants to spend hundreds of dollars on a piece of bad hardware? I'll attempt to cover most of the major topics people are worried about.Panel Technology:
Definitely a TN Panel. At the time of this review, most 22" panels are manufactured by Chimei, which I believe is a Taiwanese company. The ramped up production of the Dell 22" may change that, but until then... So, how do I know this is a TN (twisted neumatic) panel? Well, mainly by the response time - at this price point, it's going to be a TN. TN panels are the cheapest, and are the most used consumer panels. They have fast response times. However, they are 6-bit, compared to 8-bit. This means there are fewer colors, and the colors will also be less accurate than a non-TN panels. It also means some banding. If you're not doing graphic design, etc, then you won't have to worry about it. Word documents and Excel spreadsheets aren't going to present the opportunities to complain about the subtle color differences and gradient banding. If you are a graphics pro, gamer with good eyes, etc., then go for a panel with S-IPS technology. PVA panels also work, with accurate colors and great contrast ratios, but they have slower response rates. In general, S-IPS and PVA are also noticeably more expensive than TNs.Banding
Even though there are a lot of TN panels out there, they all have different banding levels. The Samsung 225BW performs very well, with minimal banding. On VGA, there is barely noticeable banding, but the monitor works a lot better on DVI input: banding is barely noticeable. I literally have to put my face to the monitor to find it.Backlight Bleeding
This is a general problem on the 22 inch TN panels. There is backlight bleeding on the top and bottom, but it's not too bad, and only noticeable if you make the screen entirely black. Usually, your taskbar covers the bottom, and an open application will cover the the entire screen, not to mention the top of the screen. But if it bothers you, then the bleeding IS there, and noticeable on a black screen.Response Time
Response time on all TN panels will be lower, as that is a feature of the technology. However, the 5ms is measured grey-to-grey. The response times between black and white are unlisted. Generally, they are higher. Overall, the Samsung 225BW performs pretty well in gaming and movie tests.Stand Construction
One of the main reasons you would buy a Samsung is 1) Better Quality Control and 2) Stand Construction. The stand looks durable, unlike many of the flimsy/cheap looking stands out there. This stand pivots, twists, and has height adjustment. All that it is lacking is portrait/landscape rotation.Connectivity
Has VGA and DVI. Simply said, DVI looks better than VGA, and eliminates much of the banding, color image quality issues, and flickering text (on black background) that are present in VGA connection. If you don't have DVI already, that usually means getting a dock/port replicator for a laptop, and probably a new video card for a desktop.On Board Controls + Brightness + Contrast + More
I notice that many readers complain about brightness - not just in this monitor - but in many other monitors. Contrast is also related to this. I noticed that the older population generally wants a panel that's less dim. For example, I noticed that on the HP f2105 reviews, many people said that the default was brightness was too high, though I thought it was perfect. The hard button settings work as they should; I generally don't bother going through the settings, and most people won't need to. Brightness is adequate; contrast is very good; on the contrast scale of 0 to 255, even blacks at level 1 are noticeable on a pitch black background. Resolution:
Text is clear and crisp; no fuzzy areas. My monitor came without any dead or stuck pixels, which I partially attribute to Samsung's better quality control (though it's not perfect). Much better than lesser-known brands, for sure. Also, I recommend buying the monitor from Amazon because there's no fee to restock, as other stores have. 15% is a pretty big cut for a restocking fee. Also, other stores have dead pixel policies that generally allows for 5-8 dead pixels. Personally, one dead pixel bothers me. I couldn't imagine trying to live with 8! Amazon is great for this because they don't seem to have a dead pixel policy. The customer service representatives I've spoken to don't even know what dead pixels are! (Sorry, Amazon CSRs). Thus, monitors with even 1 stuck pixel can be exchanged as defective, as they really are.Other Options:
A 20" LCD. They have the same 1680x1050 resolution as this 22", which means you won't be seeing any more on the bigger monitor - it'll just look bigger. The advantage of 20" monitors are that they are cheaper. Examples of good 20" LCDs are the Viewsonic VX2025wm and the Samsung 204BW/205BW. The HP f2105 is a good 21" monitor for a decent price. It has either a PVA or S-PVA screen, which looks a lot better: no backlight bleeding, full 8-bit color. Expect to spend around $250 for a 20", and $300-400 for a 22"
A 23"+ LCD. In contrast, 23" and larger LCDs have higher resolution (1920x1200), but are more expensive. They are a lot more beautiful though. =) Examples of good 1920x1200 monitors are the Dell 2407WFP, the Apple 23" Cinema Display, the Samsung 244T, and the BenQ FP241W. Expect to spend $650+ for a 23-24". There are also 26" and 27" monitors out there with this same resolution. They are a bit more expensive.
A 30" LCD! The Apple 30" Cinema Display (expensive), and the Dell 3007WFP (cheaper but still pretty good) are simply amazing. Be warned that you'll need dual-link DVI. They run at 2550x1600 resolution though, which is amazing. Price? Anywhere from $1200-$2000.
And of course, another 22" LCD. The Viewsonic VX2235wm, the Viewsonic VG2230wm, the Acer AL2216WBD, and the Acer AL2223WBD are decent 22" LCDs for around $300.
OLED panels. Displayed by Sony at CES 2007, these panels are amazingly beautiful, have contrast ratios a thousand times higher than LCD monitors, and are amazingly thin. No word on pricing or availability at the time of this review.
Feel free to comment on this review if you find incorrect information, have comments, questions, etc. By no means do I guarantee the perfect accuracy of my information. Keep in mind that panels vary in construction; your 225BW might be better or worse than mine. Also, monitor companies do change panel manufacturers; so you panel purchased a year ago or a year later may have different specs from mine. Example, the Dell 1907WFP switched to TN panels in late 2006 (unfortunately).
Good luck monitor shopping!
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Samsung SyncMaster 225BW 22-Inch LCD MonitorItem #: SAS225BW. 22 wide digital LCD monitor offers a 160 degree/160 degree viewing angle, 1680 x 1050 resolution, 16.7 million display colors, 5 millisecond response time, a 16:10 aspect ratio and a 300 cd/m brightness. MagicBright3 provides optimal combination setting for the various contents. With one click, you can control OSD easily. Dynamic contrast ratio of 700:1 delivers crisp easy-to-view images. MagicColor improves hue and saturation of colors, and adjusts mid-level colors to shades that the human eye accepts as natural. Height adjustable LCD monitor has a narrow bezel. Interface is 15 pin D-Sub, DVI-D. Customers also search for: Samsung Electronics America, Inc,Computer Accessories,22" Wide Digital Monitor, 729507700281
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