samsung 930b out in the wild

it's hit retail shelves. samsung 930b is out. i saw one at bestbuy today. pretty impressive. here are the specs and the price i saw it for....


19" lcd flat panel, 8ms response, 700:1 contrast, 1280x1024 native res, 300cd/m3 brightness, dvi/vga........ unit has a matte finish, not glossy like the sony's. imo this is better and reduces alot of glare for me. price i saw, 470-70 rebate, 400 total.

anyone pick up one of these yet? i'm on the brink of doing so. seems like the perfect lcd.

Looks like it has the same specs as the L90D+ and SAMSUNG 915N (except the 915N doesn't have DVI) Maybe even the same panel?

I picked one of these up Friday, and so far "it's very impressive". I'm still in the process of calibrating the picture quality..... but so far, I LIKE IT. . Gaming shows very little blur or crawl... in FPS's or racing. In RPG's I detect none. It's fast. But, in the end... fine tuning will be the key.

how's the brightness? overpowering or laid back?

Any color banding on gradients?

I have not noticed any banding to speak of. Brightness is a tad bit harder to tame, but not overpowering. Colors are do not get washed out, but during the transistion of signals "black" is a tad bit backlit too much. But, this might be from my coming from using a CRT for as long as I have.

do you have any experience with any other lcd's that you can compare the samsung too on the brightness scale?

This is the first LCD that I have owned. But compared to others I have seen... the brightness level does not seem to overpower. I get crisp, vibrant colors, that are not washing out. I do have the brightness level cranked down to 20 though. I have no problems with it.

Anyone know if this is the same panel as the LD90+ and Samsung 915N? I'd be hardpressed to think Samsung would design a completely new TN panel with the same exact specs as the aforementioned monitors... This could be in response to poor sales of the 915N because it has no DVI and has the L90D+ (Same panel with DVI) as competition. Pessimistic, but it's the best way of knowing the truth of such things.

I'm thinking of picking up one of these today. Like Novablade, this will be my first LCD...so I'm a bit apprehensive.

Anyone else using a 930b yet?

zaaaaaap

Novablade said:

This is the first LCD that I have owned. But compared to others I have seen... the brightness level does not seem to overpower. I get crisp, vibrant colors, that are not washing out. I do have the brightness level cranked down to 20 though. I have no problems with it.

Click to expand...

I'm interested in it as well as I prefer to buy it at a store. Did you order it online or buy it at BB? My local BB (Phoenix) does not have any on display.

Any other impressions or opinions on it appreciated too.

Wasn't the 930B supposed to be a 4ms LCD? Blah. It was probably a grey to grey response time which obviously doesn't mean anything at all.

Roger said:

Wasn't the 930B supposed to be a 4ms LCD? Blah. It was probably a grey to grey response time which obviously doesn't mean anything at all.

Click to expand...

No, it's 8ms.

morgan said:

No, it's 8ms.

Click to expand...

Yeah, but at first it was marketed as a 4ms monitor which in the end is just a grey to grey response time spec. From tomshardware:

But be careful, because marketing is evolving along with the technology, and while many manufacturers are claiming response times of under 8 ms, many are also distancing themselves from the ISO standard, using only a "Gray-to-Gray" measurement. The most flagrant example is Samsung, which claims that its 930B is 4 ms Gray-to-Gray!!!

And a few yards farther on, the 930B is claiming a response time of 8 ms.

Needless to say we're very wary of this new unit of measurement. We'll continue to test LCD panels using our own method, which is more demanding than the ISO standard, to make sure you continue to get information that's "marketing-free." We've already requested sample models of these monitors from the manufacturers, so stay tuned.

Click to expand...

morgan said:

I'm interested in it as well as I prefer to but it at a store. Did you order it online or buy it at BB? My local BB (Phoenix) does not have any on display.

Any other impressions or opinions on it appreciated too.

Click to expand...

I purchased mine at a Best Buy near me... They also did not have them on display yet... You can go to Best Buy.com and check store availibility near you. For the money, this is a very nice display. As I mentioned before... there is zero pixel blur that I have noticed. I see no color banding and once calibrated, looks killer. Before, I would have never purchased an LCD because they just did not measure up to a CRT for gaming, now that has changed.

peacetilence said:

Looks like it has the same specs as the L90D+ and SAMSUNG 915N (except the 915N doesn't have DVI) Maybe even the same panel?

Click to expand...

The 930B is my first panel monitor and it is like the L90D+ but has a large square base and the buttons are on the bottom not the front and mine was made in Mexico not China.

CKA_JackDaniels said:

Any color banding on gradients?

Click to expand...

Still checking on that but I did noticed it brought out all the color noise from my Minolta 7HI digital camera which looks like banding but on my newer digital, Nikon D70 looks much better. I am using the digital input using ATI 9800 pro. Some of the colors are deep and the flesh tones are well saturated. Only had it two days

EDIT: It looks like there is some confusion in the article as it's citing the 4ms response. I'm interested in knowing if this holds true for the 8ms 930B...

Hmm, FWIW from Tom's:

But be careful, because marketing is evolving along with the technology, and while many manufacturers are claiming response times of under 8 ms, many are also distancing themselves from the ISO standard, using only a "Gray-to-Gray" measurement. The most flagrant example is Samsung, which claims that its 930B is 4 ms Gray-to-Gray!!!

And a few yards farther on, the 930B is claiming a response time of 8 ms.

Needless to say we're very wary of this new unit of measurement. We'll continue to test LCD panels using our own method, which is more demanding than the ISO standard, to make sure you continue to get information that's "marketing-free." We've already requested sample models of these monitors from the manufacturers, so stay tuned.
http://www20.tomshardware.com/business/20050317/cebit2005-05.html
Dated March 17, 2005.

On the official Web page for Samung http://www.samsung.com/nl/products/monitor/lcdmonitors/files/730b.pdf

there is no mention of a 4ms time. There was a press release on a Asian web page saying that the 4ms is faster that the 10ms of current monitors. I am not going to get hung on with numbers. I did a banding test on the LCD monitors at work and can see some banding on the different monitors. I will try on with the 930B at home when I get off from work and see what difference in the banding on the 930B will show. One thing is certain the digital input is far shaper at the native resolution than anthing I have seen in stores makes all the defects in digital photos very obvious.

Sounds good, I'm looking forward to hearing your results although at this point, I've pretty much made up my mind to go with the Sony HS95P. The specs on the Samsung look good, but after seeing the Sony, well if you've seen one you know what I mean. Still, my top picks are the Sony, the Samsung and if sold at a store the Viewsonic VP912B.

The info I posted wasn't the 4ms vs 8ms, it was the comment about Samsung being a little deceptive about not using the standard test and instead used the gray-to-gray.

According to Samsung this LCD only displays up to 16.2 million colours . Does this support DVI?

Yes, it has DVI.

Edit: But a DVI cable is not included!!

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage...=cat01011&type=product&tab=6&id=1099394930415

Accessories Included D-sub cable; power cord; user's guide, monitor driver, Natural Color and MagicTune software

I just got back from Circuit City. I was sooooo close to picking up the Samsung 930B for $469 with a $70 rebate but while they have it in, it won't go on display until tomorrow. The DVI cable is NOT included and even after knocking off ten bucks, it would have cost $70+tax which bumps the after rebate price of $399 back up to $470. They had a Sammy 712N right next to the Sony HS95P. Granted it's older but the 930B even looks the same (the guy opened the box and the only big difference AFAIK is the 930B has DVI and 8ms response). The Samsung had deeper blacks but not as good as the Sony's colors. There were more subtle color details that the Sammy displayed as one color rather than 2-3 shades of green the Sony delivered. I would have bought the Samsung tonight if not for their 15% restocking fee if I decided I wanted the Sony later. I spoke to a manager and he was firm on the 15%. No thanks! I'll have to be patient and go to CompUSA on Friday even though for the moment they don't carry the 930B. I called CompUSA and had them double check that there is no restocking fee which seems very odd since CC and BB both charge it.
Also w/both monitors I hit the reset buttons so it was a more fair comparison.

I have been reading reviews until my eyes feel like they are popping out of my head and I am more confused now it seems than ever.

since when does CC have a restocking fee? I thought it was 30 days no hassle returns on anything, except perhaps software and music/movies.

I don't know, but the guy was a jerk. He said if I swapped it out he'd have to sell it way below the retail price as an open box. I'm going to call another CC and double check as I wouldn't want to deal with the other guy again anyway. And check this out---when I got home I was cruising aound on their site and you can order by phone on the 800 number and have it ready for pick up at the store for $70 off. The woman I spoke with on the phone said it changes every Sunday, but I just looked and the deal is even better now. $629.99,
$479.99 after rebates

Sony HS95P
Price was: $699.99
You save: - $70.00
You pay: $629.99
Mail-in rebate(s): -$150.00
Price after rebate(s): $479.99

That is a great price! But I wonder if that means something else is on the horizon. At least the $70 DVI cable is included with the Sony. This makes the Sony a mere $9 more.

morgan said:

I .
Sony HS95P
Price was: $699.99
You save: - $70.00
You pay: $629.99
Mail-in rebate(s): -$150.00
Price after rebate(s): $479.99

That is a great price! But I wonder if that means something else is on the horizon. At least the $70 DVI cable is included with the Sony. This makes the Sony a mere $9 more.

Click to expand...

Circuit City now has the 930B for $379.99 with the $90 rebate at CC web site. I saw the Sony at Micro Center more closely and notice that screen is glossy and the 930 screen is more matt. I saw that the 930B does give deeper blacks and the gradations tests on grays are very good. The 930B has a silght more stepping on the green gradations test. playing DVD's I noticed that 930B is more edegy and the Sony which was on a analog input was softer. I like the base on the Sansung.

i'm waiting for us to stop using CCFl back lighting and use LED's

or canons SED technology with has < 1 ms thinner than an lcd and 8700:1 contrast ratio

Man, I thought I read that as 930sb.

jack57 said:

Circuit City now has the 930B for $379.99 with the $90 rebate at CC web site. I saw the Sony at Micro Center more closely and notice that screen is glossy and the 930 screen is more matt. I saw that the 930B does give deeper blacks and the gradations tests on grays are very good. The 930B has a silght more stepping on the green gradations test. playing DVD's I noticed that 930B is more edegy and the Sony which was on a analog input was softer. I like the base on the Sansung.

Click to expand...

So do you own the Samsung? How were you able to run gradiation test on grays? Yeah, the rebate helps cover the cost of the $70-$80 DVI cable not included. It looks like the 712N. Same base, casing.

Hello everyone,

I was excited to see this monitor arrive as well. Thought I would post my comments in hopes it may help some of you decide yes or no on this monitor. Disclaimer: I am not a professional monitor tester! I am a hardcore FPS gamer - mostly RTCW. Some Doom 3 and some HL2. I have been computer gaming for ages, (read I am veeeery old). This is the 2nd LCD flat panel I have used. I use a Hewlitt-Packard L1955 at work. Very nice 19" monitor...but its 20 ms response time means it is NOT a gaming monitor.

Below is what I posted yesterday on some other sites.

Testing a new Samsung 930B 8ms monitor. Apparently, they just got released. Picked one up tonight at BestBuy for $470. $90 mail in rebate applies this week only. Final cost will be $380.

I have a feeling Samsung was getting a lot of complaints and losing a lot of business to competitors with 8ms flat panels that had analog AND DVI connections, (namely the Hyundai Imagequest L90D+ that uses the same Samsung panel). The Samsung 915N had analog only capability. No word yet on whether they will offer both models or this will replace the 915N.

Initial impressions - Day 1:

Pros - Looks very clean and stylish. Black finish complements all of my other computer components. Installing the driver and additional software very simple from included CD. Adjustment buttons seem well designed and fairly sturdy. Text seems very clear right out of the box. Colors very vibrant. So called "Magic-Bright II" feature gives 6 custom settings for Text/Internet/Movies/Sports/Games/Custom.

Cons - Out of the box the instructions not very specific though assembly is basically a no-brainer. No height adjustment, no side-to-side adjustment, no pivot feature to view websites, etc. vertically. Adjustment buttons on bottom of monitor seem well-designed and sturdy; yet labels for buttons are merely recessed letters in same black color. No contrasting color makes them virtually impossible to read due to brightness of monitor. Hmm... Will let you know how easy the on-screen menus are to operate once I get the freakin buttons figured out. This part is quite lame.

So...even thought the monitor looks gorgeous it has the feel of a product that was rushed to market due to Samsung losing business to competitors. Not really striking me as an extremely well thought out product so far.

Further thoughts to come after I go test Wolf and Doom 3 for a bit.

Day 2 - OK guys - this thing is growing on me. Reaaally starting to like this monitor a lot. Pros are becoming more so and cons becoming less important. Really like the clean styling and matte black finish. Buttons seem sturdy and are easy to find by "touch". Monitor is bright but not overly so. Still really like the vibrant colors. All of this while testing so far with only the analog input and having done no calibration at all save the "AutoAdjustment" button. Still think the text looks very crisp. I am having fun trying out the "custom" modes.

Man is it fast. I like to play RTCW a LOT. Initial testing in both RTCW and Doom 3 reveals no visible ghosting, tearing, blurriness, etc. Maybe some others could see some bluriness...I definitely can not. It seems every bit as fast as my trusty old CRT, but the colors will blow you away. Text also appears razor-sharp.

As for the cons from yesterday. It is true that there is no height, side-to-side, or pivot adjustability on this monitor. But you know what? My work monitor has all of those and I never use them. Not saying you wouldn't. I am saying I don't. This monitor sits at the correct height for me and I don't need to move it from side to side for any reason. Also, while the pivot feature on some monitors is cool you may want to ask yourself two questions. 1 - Would you ever use it. 2 - How much twisting, turning, pivoting, is the monitor going to take before something is out of spec or doesn't work correctly any more?

Lack of labeling in a contrasting color on push buttons on underside of monitor is still bothering me a bit. There is really no reason this could not have been done. However, I am now only in day 2 and I have already learned by "touch" which buttons operate which functions. This is becoming less of a major concern to me and more of a minor annoyance. On screen menus are fairly intuitive.

Fianlly, as has been pointed out by others this monitor does support DVI connections. However, it does NOT come with a DVI cable. For me this is less of an issue as the 6 new flat panels we got at work did and we do not have any graphics cards with that functionality. The 6 DVI cables that were just sitting around have now turned into 5. Somehow, one appeared at my house and I will be testing this with DVI connection shortly.

All in all...really liking this thing and thinking it is NOT going back to BestBuy beofre the end of my 14-day return window.

If anyone has any questions for me please feel free to ask. I will try to reply.

Thanks for the review. When I was in the store I checked out the 712N which is not the same (not 8ms, no DVI). I noticed the blacks seem good, but didn't seem to move to more detailed colors. Displayed one shade of green rather that Sony's 2 or 3. So I'm very interested in your experience with DVI as I am getting this or the Sony. I get my bonus check on Friday and will be purchasing one of them.

Decisions, decisions!

Day 3 - Testing the monitor with "Dead Pixel Buddy" revealed 0 stuck/dead pixels and no backlight bleeding on black screen. Program is available here:

http://www.topqualityfreeware.com/diagnostic11.html

Image quality in Windows appears very good to me. Word, Excel, etc. look very nice. Let's put it this way. On the few other LCDs I have used in the past I have always used the Windows "Clear Type Tuning" program to make the text clearer. On this monitor, I have not even bothered to install it because it looks very good without any adjustments. Disclaimer: I do not do any CAD design, Photo editing, etc. (Your results may vary)

I am really enjoying the Custom settings button. This feature enables you to toggle between 6 different custom settings, each with a different combination of pre-programmed brightness/contrast levels all with repeated pushes of a single button. Very nice feature.

Liking this thing more and more every day.

Thanks for the updates as I'm trying to decide if I should pick it up before the rebates expire this weekend. Please keep us up to date just a little bit longer!

morgan said:

So do you own the Samsung? How were you able to run gradiation test on grays? Yeah, the rebate helps cover the cost of the $70-$80 DVI cable not included. It looks like the 712N. Same base, casing.

Click to expand...

I will reun the gadiation test since I found out that I left the ViewSonic graduations curve running in the ATI 9800 pro card. I am starting over calibrating the screen and then the printer. The printer calibration will take the most time since each printer has a limited graduation range for each color depending on other factors like paper. I install the natural color program that allows you to modify the ICC profile. I ran in some compatibly issues with the modified profile with some of my editing programs. I have another ICC and ICM editor program to use. Color management is not always easy to setup. However I like the 930B and I am aware of the shine of the colors with the back light. The greens tend to glow a little more than the others as it seems at this point. The flat panel sure frees up a lot of space

I went to Fry's during my lunch break to check another Sony out up close and personal. I reset it factory defaults. They had Fry Cry installed on it and I watched the intro. Very nice. Opened a bunch of Notepad files and dragged them around really fast...no blurring. But text files, so big deal. Then I changed the screensaver to none and set it to a black background. It's so hard to tell in an overly lit store, but I think I detected less color toward the bottom. But eveything else looked incredible. So I have made up my mind. I'll be getting the Sony. If for some reason it does not work out, I'll return it and get the 930B. I'll be getting it at CompUSA for $629, then the $100 rebate. They recently did away with their restocking fee and I can exchange/return it within 21 days which is a week longer than BB or CC.

I'd like to accumulate testing tools before I pick it so I can check it out right away on Friday. Please send me a private message and I'll send my email address so folks can send me some testing apps. Dead Pixel Buddy is member's only and they want a fee to join.


Thanks!

Dead Pixel Buddy is free. I just accidentally sent you a link to a members only download site. I sent you a private message as well as the program itself. You can get it for free here:

http://www.laptopshowcase.co.uk/downloads.php?id=1

I just bought the 930B. Like it no problems so far/ ? for today using a custom build (my 7th ASUS A7N8X-E Deluxe, one gig ram, pny 6600gt board,80 & 60 gig HDs) how to get DVI mode to work. Hooked up DVI cable and get on screen display no signal. annie works fine.

turn off your computer and monitor.
plug in your dvi cable to both monitor and computer.
unplug your analog cable from both monitor and cable.
turn on computer. turn on monitor.
if no video, hit the fourth button from the left on your monitor.

that little button switches between analog and dvi.

They are truly the best monitors I have ever seen from Samsung. I would even go as far as tosay they are just as nice as the sony's. I have been fooling around with the setting a lot and they can really look great. The colors are very vibrant and blacks are great. I am getting ready to buy one.

got dvi to work, used both cables extended desk top to digit unplug annie reboot, now in digital mode. strange but that little switch did not work.