Watch the game while you work!
Written: Apr 15 '01 (Updated Apr 15 '01)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Very Sharp, Crisp Display, TV Tuner included, remote control
Cons: Inputs are in a bad location
The Bottom Line: This is an incredible machine. Picture Quality warrants the price, and the TV functions are an added bonus.
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| jatooley's Full Review: Samsung SyncMaster 170 MP (White) 17 in. Flat Pane... |
BACKGROUND
I was forced to buy a flat panel display when I bought a new desk. The desk was a 2 piece unit, and everything was fine until I decided to build and attach the hutch a few weeks later. My 17 Inch CRT monitor resided on the left of my desk. After I attached the hutch, I was forced to place the 17 inch monitor in the center. It made my work unbearable. I have to audit many reports, many of them with a pen and a ruler while entering data into a spreadsheet. When I moved the monitor to the center of the desk because of the hutch, I lost almost all of my desk space. I had about 6 inches to work on. I had a decision I had to make. Remove the hutch, or consider buying a less obtrusive monitor.
I didn't want to remove the hutch, so I chose to investigate the latter. My first concern was the lack of screen size. Would I be able to live with a 15 inch screen? The move from a 15 inch CRT to a 17 was so beneficial that I shuddered at the thought of going back to "only" 15 inches. Then I discovered something about CRT screens. Because of the imperfections at the extreme corners, along with the excessive curvature, most 17 inch screens have frames built around the usable area. I measured my 17 inch monitor and it only measured 15.5 inches corner to corner. My concerns of going from a 17 inch CRT to a 15 inch LCD were dismissed.
I didn't know about Epinions at the time, so I checked all of the online sources that I knew of. PC Magazine, PC World, etc. I didn't care if I had the best of the best because I really didn't want to invest $1200 on the monitor. After checking these sources, I found that the Samsung appeared to be the best monitor for the money. Although the monitor was less expensive if I had bought it online, I chose to buy it locally in case there were any problems. I went to Comp USA and picked up a Samsung 570S for I believe $899. I brought it home and was very disappointed. The fonts were not crisp at all. No matter what I did with the settings, the text was very fuzzy. Also, there was a green pixel in the top of the screen that would not go away.
I really liked how the monitor freed up my desk space, but I hated the way that text looked, and I was concerned about the faulty pixel. I went back to Comp USA and saw the 150MP. It was an additional $100, and I am so glad I bought it.
THE REVIEW
This is an incredible monitor. This monitor is better than any CRT I have ever used. The text is as sharp as my old 17 inch, but there are things about this monitor that can not be matched by a CRT. The screen has no flicker! When you look at a CRT, you may not realize it, but it is constantly refreshing the screen and there is a noticeable flicker. This leads to fatigue of the eye. Also, have you ever tried to "Dial in" the settings of a CRT monitor? They have settings for Horizontal and Vertical Location and Size, along with it seems like a billion settings for Pincushion, Trapezoids, etc... I could never, ever get it perfect. If it was linear on the left, it was off on the right and vise-versa. This monitor gives a perfect rectangle, edge to edge. The colors are vibrant. Whereas the Samsung 770 made me think that I had to make a picture quality compromise, the 150MP showed me that there were no losses, and many gains in picture quality.
Desktop Gain
This monitor takes up 4.5 inches of my desktop versus 16 inches for the old CRT. I have my desk back!
Control Layout
This monitor has one of the most user friendly on screen menus I have ever seen. Here are the settings:
Computer Display Setting:
Auto Adjust
Contrast
Brightness
Image Lock
Position
Color
Position
Picture in Picture Settings ( To be discussed later)
TV Setup
Video Adjustments
Audio Adjustments
Image Size
Image Effect
Timer
All of these controls are easily set via buttons below the display or the remote control. Everything is set by use of 6 buttons: Menu: enter the menu or select a submenu
Exit: exit menu, or back out of a submenu
Cursor: 4 arrow keys to help you navigate
Picture in Picture
This is the coolest bonus about this monitor. It is also a complete Video Monitor and Cable Receiver. It has a 181 Channel Cable Ready tuner built in. All you have to do is attach a standard RF cable from your cable outlet, and you can watch TV while you are working! You can locate the PIP picture ANYWHERE on the display using the remote control.
You also have 3 size options:
Small: this is really too small to be useful about 1 inch by 2 inches.
Large: this is where I have mine set at. It is 2.5 by 3.75 inches. I am currently watching the Knicks play the 76ers while writing this review. In fact, I was inspired to write this review when I noticed the Samsung Monitor on the halftime show.
Full Screen: When you just can't look at that Word Document for another second, and need to take a break and want to watch the news, you can set Video to full screen.
In addition to the standard cable input, there are 2 Video Inputs. 1 is your standard RCA Audio and Video Inputs, and there is also a S-VHS input, so you can run a VCR and a DVD player through it as well. There are also Audio Outputs as well as a headphone jack.
The only drawback I can find on this monitor is the placement of the inputs. It is hard to describe, but all of the inputs must come from the bottom and go straight up. I had a hart time getting the VGA plug in. I had to force the cable to bend at the connector. Be very careful when installing this connection because you will bend one of the many prongs in the connection if you don't set it perfectly in place. Also, if you locate your tower in a cabinet below, you will need a monitor extension cable.
This is one of the most innovative pieces of hardware out there. No one else combines a Flat Panel Computer Monitor with a full featured TV/Tuner Monitor.
Thanks for taking the time to read my review.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 999
Operating System: Windows and Macintosh
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Epinions.com ID:
jatooley
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Reviews written: 26
Trusted by: 3 members
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