THE GLITCH REVIEWS
This is a review of the Samsung SM223 21.6" Widescreen TFT Monitor.
INFORMATION
This product was reviewed by The Glitch on the 06-08-2008
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Dimensions: 51.5 x 35.3 x 6.3 cm ( W x H x D ) |
Samsung
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This is a truly striking screen, not strictly a 22" screen at 21.6" but close enough to not worry that your missing anything of tangible use. The look and build quality of the screen are first-rate. When you open up the box and unpack the screen you will quickly realise that you need to fit the screen's swivel base before you can proceed, this is a very easy operation with the base only fitting on one way and then it's just a matter of tightening a finger screw under the base. The native resolution of 1680 by 1050 is a little short of true HD (1900x1080), but still high enough for all but the most discerning customers and then you have to argue maybe you should be looking else where if true HD is high on your priority list. The screen does come with both VGA and DVI interfaces (VGA and DVI cables are provided). The DVI connection also supports HDCP (High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection), which is a mandatory HD protection system that detects when a non-HDCP compliant device is being used and then significantly reduces image quality. What this means is that you should have no HD issues if you decide to watch Blu-ray discs via this screen. |
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Now on to the important things, image quality. Straight out of the box the image is great, but should you feel the need to play with the settings the screen's menus are well laid out and easy to navigate. Photos are displayed without any evidence of colour hues or other nasty effects that would otherwise detract from your pictures, in fact my photos have never looked so good! A quick visit to the Apple Trailers site and a not so quick download of the latest HD movie trailer for 'Wall.E' revealed a screen that was capable of displaying remarkable video quality, with no sign of artifacts or other video nasties, just loads of fine detail. Text quality is also very good with the likes of Microsoft Word and Excel both looking clean and crisp. On a side note, the screen's widescreen resolution allows you to work with two pages in Word side-by-side (at 99% view). Which is great when working on larger documents. Games; this panel has a 5ms refresh, which is great for gaming, the screen showed no evidence of ghosting or smearing, in fact gaming takes on a whole new dimension, with the large display area able to really immerse you in the action, which is something I've never experienced with using smaller sized screens. The last thing you should know about the screens display capabilities is it's ability to interpolate/display lower resolutions, and I am again pleased to report that this screen does a great job. Obviously games look their very best when played at the screen's native resolution (1680x1050) , but not everyone will have a graphics card that is up to the job, thus it is nice to know the screen still looks good at interpolated resolutions. |
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Now to the only subtle flaw that I could find during this review. There is a slight (and I stress slight) uneven backlight issue, where an image looks vaguely darker in one corner than it does in another, but this is really nit picking, because in everyday use you really don't notice this; besides many modern widescreen displays suffer from this. The screen has no real frills (apart from the display quality). There's no USB hub or speakers on-board and there's no pivot option either, why you would want to pivot a 21.6" screen is beyond me, but there we go. One of the reasons the screen has few extras is down to it's price. At around £160 you cannot expect too many frills, but to get a high quality 21.6" display for this, is genuinely excellent value for money. |
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Advantages: Fantastic Image quality with all forms
of media |
Disadvantages: Slightly uneven backlights |
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The Glitch Five Star Award |
Overall Score 95% |
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YOUR FEEDBACK
 All images and trademarks remain the property of their respective owners E&OE |
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The Samsung SyncMaster 223BW 21.6"
widescreen monitor features a fast response
time that makes it a attractive choice for
gamers who seek true-to-life images and a vivid gaming
experience. The monitor features other excellent
specifications that provide premium performance, value
and style to home and commercial users. With 16:10 wide
aspect ratios, the 223BW offers precision and enhanced
productivity for a range of professional and entertainment applications.
