Samsung 192T Review

By Brandon King September 22, 2003

Samsung 192T

MSRP $715.00

Score Details

“Of the LCD panels we have seen, the Samsung 192T stands out as the all around best performer.”

Pros

Minimal ghosting
bright vibrant colors
attractive design
DVI input

Cons

Slightly yellowish whites
max resolution 1280x1024

Summary

Of the LCD panels we have seen, the Samsung 192T stands out as the all around best performer. While ghosting is inherent to all LCDs, it was minimal enough to make games playable, the image quality overall was excellent, as was the display’s brightness.

Introduction

The Samsung 192T impressed us from the moment we turned it one. The .264mm pixel pitch allows for sharp vibrant text and fluid animation. Unlike most LCD’s, we had to actually keep the sharpness setting lower to avoid pixilation on the 192T, a sure sign that LCD technology is advancing. The 250 cd/m² brightness and 750:1 contrast ratio means you can wave goodbye to the washed out displays of the past. Even in direct sunlight, we had no readability issues. The 192T features Magic Bright technology, allowing you to switch visual settings for any type of media at the push of a button. This serves to relieve eyestrain when viewing text, and make colors appear more vibrant during movies and other visually rich media.

Features and Design

The 25ms response time makes gaming possible, but we still noticed some ghosting and would still recommend a CRT if you are a hardcore gamer. However, for casual gamers looking to jump on the LCD wagon, the advantages of this monitor outweigh this minor flaw. The 192T has a native resolution of 1280×1024 at 16.7 million colors (24-bit color) and a scanning frequency of 30-81 kHz horizontal and 56-75 Hz vertical. We found no dead pixels in our review unit.

The 192T uses an unusual bezel and stand which allows it to be tilted forward and back but unfortunately has no swivel or height adjustment. The 192T’s bezel design allows for the DVI, analog and power adaptor to be plugged in without causing any tipping of the monitor; plus the bezel looks great. What sets the 192T’s bezel design apart from the competition is the location of the VGA and DC connections. Instead of plugging the connections directly into the back of the monitor, they are plugged into the rear of the bezel base thus hiding the cables from view and making the wires more manageable. The built in speakers are actually decent, but don’t toss your Klipsch setup yet. The display comes with both DVI and RGB cords, and everything you need for mounting the 192T on a wall.

The OCD (on screen display) that the 192T uses is nearly identical to the previous model, the 191T. Everything is very intuitive to use and can be controlled using the six control buttons located on the bottom of the display. One thing to remember if you will be using this monitor with a DVI connection is that the Auto Adjust function will be deactivated once the monitor detects a DVI signal. Both the input and MagicBright controls can be activated using a one-touch button instead of navigating through the monitor’s menu system. Those that are active at their computer and watch movies and play games will be delighted with the 192T’s ease of use.

6 control buttons are located on the front of the 192T allowing for easy adjustments

Use and Testing

We tested the Samsung 192T with Microsoft’s Word (with ClearType turned on) for contrast and eye strain. We then used Tribes 2, Unreal Tournament 2003, and Age of Mythology for gaming. Finally we used the Matrix, Dark City, and A.I. for movie viewing. If you do a lot of typing you will want to make sure that the ClearType feature is turned on by accessing it through the display properties in your Microsoft operating system. ClearType was developed by Microsoft to help increase the readability of text using an LCD display, such as a monitor or laptop computer.

Whites did not appear pure white, but instead showed a slight yellow tint. It was only noticeable next to our Sony E540 CRT, and was not easily correctable through the temperature controls. Each manufacturer tends to have a hint of color present (Sony has a bluish tint, NEC yellowish brown) against a pure white background, but the yellow tint was not bothersome and we quickly adjusted to it.

As we mentioned above, ghosting was very minimal but we would love to see a new incarnation of the 192T with the newer 16ms substrate. The ghosting was more apparent in lighter games, such as ice planets in Tribes 2. Minimal ghosting was seen in A.I. during the ultra-bright scenes. Dark City displayed perfectly and the Matrix exhibited momentary ghosting in the high speed scenes. The ghosting exhibited was certainly subject to the game or movie which was played on the 192T, but it is apparent that LCD technology has come a long ways from years past.

Conclusion

The Samsung 192T is an all around great performer. The ghosting is very minimal if at all, the colors are vibrant, and the monitor overcomes all the brightness limitations of past generations. While hardcore gamers may want to wait for the next of kin, the 192T is an excellent choice for nearly everyone else.

Summary

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