Monitor Reviews

This is a wonderful monitor... It competes with the super high end LCD's that cost several thousand dollars. The size is wonderful and the text quality is better than most CRT's. Don't be afraid to purchase this monitor, you'll be happy when you get it!

Pros:
Dual monitor input (a/b switch between video feeds)
Automatic configuration/tuning of image
Cool swivel base
Super high res

It's a pretty cool looking monitor and a great value for it's size. It says that it's like a touch screen but I haven't seen this feature. Maybe later. Haven't had problems with this monitor even though we keep it on for a long time.

This is a wonderful monitor... It competes with the super high end LCD's that cost several thousand dollars. The size is wonderful and the text quality is better than most CRT's. Don't be afraid to purchase this monitor, you'll be happy when you get it!

Pros:
Dual monitor input (a/b switch between video feeds)
Automatic configuration/tuning of image
Cool swivel base
Super high res

It's a pretty cool looking monitor and a great value for it's size. It says that it's like a touch screen but I haven't seen this feature. Maybe later. Haven't had problems with this monitor even though we keep it on for a long time.

15" LCDs give better picture quality. Also the colors on this monitor are too garish.

This monitor blows other LCD monitors away. My office is unusually bright and I can really customize the settings to fit my needs. It is easy to adjust and I like the fact it is Mac and PC compatible. Great monitor!

The display is crisp and vivid and at native resolution, steady and bright.

However, I find the tilt adjustment flawed. Mine goes -20 degrees to + 5 degrees, in other words, it barely tilts from straight up and down (I was used to a greater tilt). Why anyone would want to tilt it under the horizontal plane escapes me.

The monitor is simply too heavy for the rather crude tilting mechanism.

We're a graphics and animation company. We've been buying Planar LCD monitors for the last year and are thrilled. We like the look much better than our high-end CRTs even! Our first 19" PL191M is wonderful. We love it, and will be buying more immediately!

The Samsung SyncMaster line of monitors have been reliable and made for the high end user. Once again, Samsung has not disappointed the consumers. The SyncMaster 151P is an LCD monitor that delivers sharp and brilliant colors to the user. There are very few LCD monitors that look as good off as they do on. The 151P was expertly designed by F.A. Porsche making it a sight for sore eyes anytime. Being an LCD monitor the 151P has a small footprint and takes up no more depth than the stand that supports it. This is really handy to anyone who has a messy desk and realizes that there is just no way that the CRT in front of them belongs there. The 151P comes with support and cables for both digital and analog input, but when using one of the two the other cable must hang behind the monitor making it a nuisance to move around. (full review @ bytesector.com)

I have been looking for a 15" LCD to replace my 17" CRT. After much research, I decided I wanted a Samsung syncmaster. Originally, I wanted the 152B, but wasn't sure which online retailer to buy from. Meanwhile, I saw a great deal for a new 151P (under [$$]0000000) and jumped on it.

It's a great monitor and I can barely notice the size difference from my old 17". It was a breeze to set up and the clarity seems great. It's amazing how empty my desktop seems now. It took a little bit of tweaking to get the colors right, but I love my new monitor.

The design is wonderful. The tilt is adjustable. It's great for watching DVDs, but get up close and you'll notice that it suffers from not having a DVI connection; text looks like it's smudged, sort of ghosty-like, even at the native resolution. If you're just looking for a flat panel television then it's great, but if you need a computer monitor look for something with a digital interface.

This LCD monitor is simply superb. Even when it is powered off, it looks superb. A 17" screen that is only about 2" thick. This is a very compact and extremely lightweight LCD (10.4 lbs) that displays gorgeous visuals for PC, TV, and my PS2.

I have a GeForce2 graphics card, and the image quality at its native resolution of 1280x1024 is bright and crystal clear with great vivid colors. You must make sure to touch the Auto adjust button which calculates the best image quality for the signal coming from your video card signal at each resolution. After you do, even the scaled-down resolutions of 1024x764 or 800x600 is very good. (At these lower resolutions, games have an anti-aliased look.)

I also have the highly-respected Samsung 770TFT, and using the 770 as a benchmark for comparison, the 171MP seems to outperform the 770 overall in picture quality, especially in brightness. Blacks look very black (best I've seen on an LCD), and the presence of the backlight cannot be detected in full-screen black, even around the far edges of the screen.

TV quality seems to be better than on a regular television, having higher detail and clarity. However, the quality of the TV output on the 171MP seems dependent upon your incoming TV signal. On a weak or bad signal, the 171mp's TV mode will bring out all the noise and graininess more so on its high-resolution screen, possibly making TV viewing worse than on the television in your living room. So make sure to have a good strong signal. If you don't, lowering the sharpness will help. Btw, the remote controller is great and does not have the problem of the 150/170mp models; the remote sensor is very sensitive, and one does not have to point towards the screen to change channels.

As far as viewing moving images, the display performs wonderfully. I use WinDVD, and DVD movies look absolutely stunning and incredibly detailed and sharp (appears sharper than the 770). Ghosting and "trails" is very minimal in the 171MP, a problem prevalent in most LCDs today. "Trails" is slightly noticeable in high-motion fast-paced FPS games such as UT and Q3, but not enough to detract from your fragging performance. Playing FPS games on the 770TFT was barely bearable, but now with the 171MP, it is an improved LCD fragging experience.

Lastly, playing console games with this thing is near unbelievable. Once you plug your Playstation2 with the Monster S-video cable for PS2 into the 171mp, you realize that you were missing out on the true graphical capability of the PS2. If you have been playing games such as GT3 on a normal TV and you thought the graphics for GT3 were impressive, then I must tell you that playing on the 171mp with monster s-video makes GT3 even more impressive. It almost seems as if your PS2 is suddenly outputting video at a higher resolution. This setup makes the PS2's graphics seem better than the Xbox. This graphical improvement of the PS2 is not seen when connecting the monster cable to a regular TV--so it is the 171mp that is bringing out the best of the PS2.

The speakers on this monitor are better and more powerful than the 150/170mp, and they are surprisingly very good for built-in monitor speakers, which are usually disappointing.

Overall, this monitor is THE ONE for anyone who is seeking great image quality, style, multitasking work with play, easy portability for presentations or LAN parties, or a compact all-in-one entertainment center.

Although Samsung claims a revolutionary 12ms response time the overall gaming experience was no better than a 2 year old 15" TN+film Samsung Syncmaster 151S. I'm not using the bogus PVA-based sample either, this review is based on a retail version purchased in Taiwan.

What IS most disturbing about this display is that out of the box: 1. whites are WAY too blue (probably 10,000K) and 2. the internal gamma circuitry is set way too high. You can fix problem 1 only in analog mode because the color temperautre controls are completely disabled in DVI, and problem 2 can only be remedied if your video card drivers support gamma correction. On my system I had to lower the gamma to around 0.65 to produce a similar image to the old 151S.

If you video card drivers don't support gamma correction, don't get this display, because everything will be permanently washed out. If your video card drivers don't support indenpdent RGB color correction, and you want to use DVI, don't get this display, because your display will be permanently blue.

Other than that, it's a great display... bright, vivid, decent blacks, and to my eyes, extremely minimal ghosting.

I just fired up this monitor three days ago and I don't want to leave my office. I am a regular windows user and semi-technical person. Not a certifiable geek. This review is from the perspective of a 39 yo guy who loves using computers but wouldn't build his own and isn't an overclocker.

There are many reviews that you can read on the net that cover this monitor from a gaming perspective. Initially these reviews panned the Samsung 172x for ghosting and blurring during game play.

Don't pay too much attention to these reviews. Apparently that was due to Samsung shipping models that had a 25ms response time. The version that you will receive has a 12 or 13ms response time. That means it is practically as good as any CRT you can buy. Color saturation and crispness is incredible. This the case whether you hook this up with the VGA cord or, if you are equipped with an advanced video card, DVI. Both are supported and you can switch between them. There are no hookups for S-video, cable or component video. Do not plan to put this in your kitchen to watch tv. This is meant to be hooked up to a computer.

This is the most beautiful consumer product that I have bought in some time. The thin bezel, the slim, narrow dimensions, the way the cords can be hidden so they don't clutter up your desk. This is one beautiful monitor.

If you want to buy a great LCD monitor for your office and are willing to pay $600 More than the typical 17" LCD by at least $100), buy this thing. You will not be disappointed.

We just had one of these blow up on us. It was glowing like a xmas tree until we unplugged it. If it was a few hours earlier and no one was around we could have had a serious office fire.

I cant seem to find any recall notice. I sure it it was an isolated incident.

This monitor is great. I like it better than my flat screen. I am a fan of smaller monitors -- I just feel that the color quality is better.

I am a developer and am constantly working with Photoshop and Illustrator and this monitor provide the truest, clearest color you can get---

Great picture at times, but often shows a dark "shadow" down the center of the screen. The folks where I bought it said it wasn't the TV, but some kind of electrical interference and sold me a $70 surge protector thing. It's probably 90% better now. For the money, I'd hoped it would be trouble-free.

REcently acquired the Aquos 20" LCD Tv from a retailer in New York City (harvey electronics), when I found it a small discount. It's an excellent LCD TV that can also double as a PC monitor. The contrast and brightness are just great to boot and the surround sound is fabulous. I place it on my desk next to my PC so I can watch CNBC and also play DVD movies while I pretend to be working. :) This is a great product. It's expensive but if you have the money, get one.

After carefully going over many different makes/models of CRT's i finally decided on the Sony CPD-G200. Due to space contraints, i went with this relativly small-footprint 17" monitor. I work mainly with spreadsheets and 2D(some 3D) graphics, and so far the monitor has had GREAT color, clarity, contrast and looks rock solid at 1280x1024 @ 85Hz with no eye strain from all night work sessions. It turns on fast, looks simple/clean, leaves me more desk space and is trouble free. i use his bigger 19" brother at work all day and am very satisfied with my purchase.

A lot of reading and visiting stores went into this purchase..time well spent. When compared to Samsung and Viewsonic, this Sony wins hands down. The aperature grill tube is 50% brighter than the shadow mask tubes. The price was a little more, but the Sony reliability and techology is worth the difference. Set up was a snap, took 5 minutes. The only draw back is the On Screen Display controll ball (located under the front edge of the screen). It's location puts your wrist at an awkward angle to make adjustments, which are easy and logical to do. There is a nice reset button which fixes your initial errors in geometry adjustments. Focas is sharp and crisp even at 1280x1024. This model's 85mhz refresh rate has absolutely no flicker.