Glossy.
Alas, I also long for the days of 1920x1200, but I’ve not seen such a display in better than 2 years. It seems that most manufacturers have completely switched their large-ish displays to the apparently cheaper 1920x1080. The next step in rez would appear to be 2560x1600, and that’s likely what you’re looking for, but those displays are 30"+ and around $1000 (and with the recent explosion of note/netbook computers, stand-alone monitors have almost become niche/specialty equipment).
I bought my SyncMaster 2232BW (22") a couple years ago for $200 and I love it. From everything I’ve read, this is every bit as good (even refurbished), so in reality, you’re probably not going to find a better deal than this.
what’s the best way to hook up an xbox w/ only component cables to this?
I’d pick up a VGA cable. Been using one for years myself. There’s an official version, but you can get away with an off-brand for $10 on the internets
I agree with you about the resolution. Is it a computer monitor or a TV? I’ve had 1200 lines of horizontal rez for over 15 years & I’m not giving it up.
However, I do not see this as a good deal. Hannsg sells a 28" version that runs at 1920 x 1200. Asus still sells their 25.5" on Newegg. Both of these are under $300. Dell still sells their excellent panel, 24" Ultrascan but it’s pricey. As a refurb, low res, bloated 27" it is not that good of a deal IMO.
-joe
I bought this monitor about a month ago and so far the only cause for concern is the wobbly stand. As long as the table isn’t getting knocked around, everything works great… otherwise, I start to worry.
Same monitor, brand new, is available at costco for $279.99
I bought one at Costco. I use it for gaming and ms office type work. Love it, works like a champ.
If you are the video / photo / artist type, and must have extremely correct color, this is not the monitor for you. It’s perfectly fine for watching movies and gaming, but not suitable for commercial artist work.
You forgot to add that if you enter code EMCZNZR83 you get $30 off that price for a total of only $289. I love refurbs but the price delta between these is too little. If the Woot price was $199 or lower I would probably bite.
This Samsung is a new model, and is clearly aimed at the hybrid TV/computer monitor crowd. The 1080p is optimized for HDTV. The problem is that, at 28", you’ll really want more than 1080p when you use it as a computer monitor, since you’ll be sitting closer to the screen.
It also uses twisted-nematic technology, which provides fas response time for gamers, but sacrifices color accuracy that video/photo editors depend on for their livelihood. Another drawback is that the stand does not allow for much adjustment - tilt is all you get.
It does come with a remote - again, clearly aimed at the TV crowd.
BTW, Samsung makes a similar model with speakers, and the reviews say they sound tinny and wimpy. Best to get this one and use external speakers.
In conclusion, it’s something of a “jack of all trades” monitor, and it does have it shortcomings. But photo and video editors usually spend a lot more on a monitor.
Finally, there are inexpensive large-screen monitors with 1200p, if that’s what you want. Try the Hanns-G HZ281, which has a near 5-star rating at techradar.com. It doesn’t have all the features of this Samsung, but I got one for PC use only, for $260 shipped.
On the website? All I see is a Samsung 27" LCD TV that looks similar for $349.00.
I’ve decided to go with the Samsung over the Sceptre. Reviews for both are pretty solid, with Samsung seeming to be slightly favored. Even though the price on the Costco website for the Sceptre is cheaper, shipping and tax make the total cost a few bucks higher.
In the warehouse. I was pricing them this past weekend.
Can this monitor give deep blacks at low brightness?
Many of the newegg reviews mention how bright it is, but for a computer monitor I’d want it less bright.
This review says:
“Its black levels are rich and deep.”
The major complaint I read about the image was in this review, which said:
"As is our wont, we used DisplayMate Multimedia with Test Photos (www.displaymate.com) to evaluate the display, and the first flaw we detected was an inability to render colors uniformly over the entire monitor. While displaying low-saturated colors (bright shades of gray and very light cyan, for instance) an arc of darkness drooped from the top edge of the panel. We encountered a similar problem while rendering DisplayMate’s 256-step grayscale screens (despite the name, this test also displays red, blue, green, cyan, and yellow scales, not just gray). No matter which scale we were viewing and no matter which direction the scales progressed (right to left, top to bottom, etc.), the same arc of darkness bowed out from the edge toward the center of the screen. We also encountered problems at the high end of the grayscale, where very light shades of gray blew out to white.
We didn’t notice this shortcoming while playing games or watching movies, because there are few occasions in those scenarios where one color remains static across broad stretches of the display’s borders. It could be a serious problem, however, if you’re trying to match colors while painstakingly editing a photograph. And while we’ve yet to find any TN panel that we could recommend for that type of work, this monitor’s 23-inch cousin performed far better."
Finally, you can lower the brightness if you wish.
Can this monitor be mounted to a desktop arm?
Anyone considering this monitor should know that it is a GREAT monitor. I visited a local Costco and even at the standard settings they use on the sales floor it looked good. The only issues that I see with this deal are:
-
Its a TN panel. What do we expect at this price-point, an IPS screen? If you are expecting IPS then keep dreaming. They are much more expensive.
-
This is a refurbed monitor. I would expect a deeper discount for a refurbed over new. This is the issue keeping me from buying.
-
If you want a 1900x1200 monitor (who doesn’t) then check an on-line retailer like NE. Only a small fraction of monitors are sold in this format … anymore. If you check NE you will find that they sell 21 monitors in this format (seems like a lot) but many are OOS and the only (as I see it) viable 1900x1200 monitor is the 25.5" Asus VW266H at $260 (after rebate).
Unknown as the monitor does not have a VESA mount on the back.