Samsung SA850 on PLS - the first review has been published (preproduction unit)

kevinsbane said:
However, a 24" 1080p monitor will have ~5% more viewing area than a 24" 1920x1200 displaying letterboxed 1080p content.
Click to expand...

My mistake, I thought 1920x1200 and 1920x1080 were both the same dot pitch (0.27mm) but in fact 1920x1080 is slightly larger at 0.277mm.
 
blueled said:
So, is it finally 1920x1200?! As a gamer I say come on! :( Question, right now I'm using a 23" 1920x1080, if I switch to this one in 1080p mode with black bars, can I expect the same viewable area?
Click to expand...

Field of view in 3D games will be identical, and 24" 16:10 monitor has 23.5" viewable area for 16:9 letterboxed content.

GuyClinch said:
^^^It will probably score in the 700 to 800 contrast ratio like the Dells and such do.
Click to expand...

Dell U2412M is 947:1 calibrated according to the TFTCentral review. That's the new baseline IMO - SA850 shouldn't come in below that.

Galvin said:
I heard the 24 inch panel is using 6bit + FRC. This is a form of dithering. So it may not look as good. Not sure why they're cheaping out on the 24 inch model though if they're aiming at professionals.
Click to expand...

Probably so they can compete on price with the U2412M which is also 6-bit + FRC (which looks fine according to TFTCentral).
 
Last edited:
Damn it, I was really interested in these monitors until I noticed the uneven bezels (really thick bottom one) which makes 3x portrait Eyefinity an awful idea using these. Oh well, guess the only real option remains with Dell.
 
Ramza said:
Damn it, I was really interested in these monitors until I noticed the uneven bezels (really thick bottom one) which makes 3x portrait Eyefinity an awful idea using these. Oh well, guess the only real option remains with Dell.
Click to expand...

Portrait Eyefinity will work. You'll have one thicker bezel either side of the centre monitor so it'll still be even.
 
sblantipodi said:
are you really sure about it?
Click to expand...

Absolutely sure.

I have a Dell 3008WFP (8-bit+FRC) NEC LCD2690WUXi-BK (8-bit + FRC), NEC LCD2490WUXi2-BK (8-bit) Dell U2412m (6-bit+FRC) and I had a Dell U2711 (8-bit+FRC) recently.

I've also looked closely at a friend's U2311H with some test images for some period of time.

Many test images with gradations stared at up close for hours, shuffling the different monitors on and off my desks, and one image showed dithering on the U2412M (6-bit+FRC) only in FireFox because the browser was doing something with dithering. Same image viewed in Internet Exploder, Chrome, Windows Picture viewer and Photoshop, no dithering.

So effectively yes, I am as sure as my eyes allow me to be.

Also another user here that provided me with some test images was worried about it, bought the U2412M and has told me he can't tell it's 6-bit + FRC either.

Only time will tell if the S24A850DW has the same quality of FRC as the IPS panels I've seen. If it does, you can be sure that you will not notice it.
 
10e said:
one image showed dithering on the U2412M (6-bit+FRC) only in FireFox because the browser was doing something with dithering. Same image viewed in Internet Exploder, Chrome, Windows Picture viewer and Photoshop, no dithering.
Click to expand...

I've had this happen too. Firefox cannot really be trusted and I suspect it's to do with it being profile aware and doing some bad conversions to colours sometimes. For instance the gradient pattern on lagom.nl shows noticeable banding in Firefox, but when I view the same image in image viewer it's totally smooth.

And I concur with regards to 6-bit+FRC, there is no visible difference between it and 8-bit. Ramps are just as smooth and zooming in them each individual shade can be discerned from the previous without any dithering artefacts.
 
sonic_blue said:
And I concur with regards to 6-bit+FRC, there is no visible difference between it and 8-bit.
Click to expand...

Not to get off-topic, but has anyone compared the new 6-bit+FRC IPS displays to a TN 6-bit+FRC display? I have seen several TN displays (2007-current) and they appear to have fine time-varying static across the whole display.
 
How many times do you need to ask the same question?

No one can tell you anything except to refer to the preproduction review.
 
Samsung is taking their sweet time delivering the goods. I'm beginning to think the wait won't be worth it. Really tempted to get the 2412 and call it a day.
 
What happened to "Bladestorm"? He's been really quiet.
Did the monitor make him lose his eyesight? Did Samsung pay him a crazy amount of money to make him keep quiet? :D

Just kidding of course...
 
I thought someone on the forums here actually HAD the 27" in hand already? So asking if it is good or not isn't a stupid question.
 
Hmmm it is back on Buy.com. I really want a 30" monitor, but if the Samsung doesn't have a bad AG coating then that is very very tempting. Would be nice to see some reviews though.
 
Hey guys, I bought one of these(S27A850D) as soon as they hit the market. Not going to do a full review right now due to some issues I have with the monitor. Here's the basics though since so many are asking.

When I opened up the package the first thing I noticed was the sleek looks and AWESOME AG filter. It's what I would call semi-gloss. If you turn the monitor off and put a penny in front you can see its reflection. Turn the monitor on, however, and there is no glare whatsoever. There is also ZERO "graininess" on the whites. AWESOME. Out of the box, the gamma on my S27A850D was 2.3 and somewhat green shifted. After calibration, everything is spot on. If you're worried about brightness in this LED edgelit display, don't. The stock luminance was around 370, well above the 120 I use. Ghosting is not an issue either. Playing a slew of different games, I found there to be some ghosting. However, it was minimally noticeable. This is a great gaming monitor.

So, awesome so far. Here's the problem. OMGWTF backlight bleed! The uniformity is ATROCIOUS. The bottom of my screen has several hotspots that are clearly visible from the darker greys onward toward black. Lighter colors aren't an issue, thankfully.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/66900507@N06/6087191013/

The above picture was taken midday, in a room lit by an open window with the monitor at stock settings displaying a black screen. Notice anything wrong (other than the terrible phone camera quality)?

Now, on to Samsung's support... I received this monitor on Aug 15th. I sent an email to their support. On the 17th I got a response asking for some personal information to get things rolling. Information sent. After no response, I again email them on Aug 24. Aug 26 I get an email telling me that the serial number I sent was not valid. Unfortunately, the serial in the reply with wasn't the one I sent... which would be obvious if the moron had bothered to read the serial from the email and double check. Somewhat annoyed, I call Samsung. I wait on hold.... I get asked for information and then a product model number. "Wait is this a camera? No? Let me transfer you to the right department." Somehow Samsung's phone system decided to route me to the wrong department (And I did double check to make sure I didn't hit the wrong key because I'm anal like that.) Anyhow, more waiting and more information to give out. I find out Samsung no longer ships replacements in advance. "It'll take 1 to 2 business weeks" the representative states. So... about 2 to 3 real world weeks when shipping is considered. Great.

So I check my email to get my packing label (at least they pay for the shipping). I print it, I look at it, I say "Fuck" out loud. My return address is wrong. It's the weekend so I wait until tomorrow (Aug 27th) to contact them again. While I'm at it, I might as well try out all 3 methods of contacting their support. I try to connect to their support chat. Busy. Try again a few hours later, Busy. Again... Success! I cut and paste my monologue. Rep reads. Dicks around a while. Words are exchanged and shit gets fixed. I check my email before disconnecting to verify. If you need to use Samsung support, I'd suggest the support chat.

That's where I stand right now. I get to wait a few weeks to get the monitor back. They may fix it, they might send it back as is, they might scratch the shit out of it. Who knows.
Would I order the S27A850D again? No. Not with my experience as well as the one previous review. I'm betting the backlight issue is more the norm for this model. If you can, wait it out. Maybe Samsung clears this up in later batches. The monitor is incredible otherwise. But remember, Samsung's support isn't what it used to be. I've seen quiet a few horror stories lately. I'll be updating and writing a more complete review when and if I get my replacement.
 
Man that's horrible bleeding, I hope thats rare. For that kind of money it shouldn't have those issues.
 
£931, $931 or other currency?

That backlight bleeding is nasty and that customer service is terrible. When bought direct from amazon though, that wont be a problem.
 
Ledders said:
Hey guys, I bought one of these(S27A850D) as soon as they hit the market. Not going to do a full review right now due to some issues I have with the monitor. Here's the basics though since so many are asking.

When I opened up the package the first thing I noticed was the sleek looks and AWESOME AG filter. It's what I would call semi-gloss. If you turn the monitor off and put a penny in front you can see its reflection. Turn the monitor on, however, and there is no glare whatsoever. There is also ZERO "graininess" on the whites. AWESOME. Out of the box, the gamma on my S27A850D was 2.3 and somewhat green shifted. After calibration, everything is spot on. If you're worried about brightness in this LED edgelit display, don't. The stock luminance was around 370, well above the 120 I use. Ghosting is not an issue either. Playing a slew of different games, I found there to be some ghosting. However, it was minimally noticeable. This is a great gaming monitor.

So, awesome so far. Here's the problem. OMGWTF backlight bleed! The uniformity is ATROCIOUS. The bottom of my screen has several hotspots that are clearly visible from the darker greys onward toward black. Lighter colors aren't an issue, thankfully.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/66900507@N06/6087191013/

The above picture was taken midday, in a room lit by an open window with the monitor at stock settings displaying a black screen. Notice anything wrong (other than the terrible phone camera quality)?

Now, on to Samsung's support... I received this monitor on Aug 15th. I sent an email to their support. On the 17th I got a response asking for some personal information to get things rolling. Information sent. After no response, I again email them on Aug 24. Aug 26 I get an email telling me that the serial number I sent was not valid. Unfortunately, the serial in the reply with wasn't the one I sent... which would be obvious if the moron had bothered to read the serial from the email and double check. Somewhat annoyed, I call Samsung. I wait on hold.... I get asked for information and then a product model number. "Wait is this a camera? No? Let me transfer you to the right department." Somehow Samsung's phone system decided to route me to the wrong department (And I did double check to make sure I didn't hit the wrong key because I'm anal like that.) Anyhow, more waiting and more information to give out. I find out Samsung no longer ships replacements in advance. "It'll take 1 to 2 business weeks" the representative states. So... about 2 to 3 real world weeks when shipping is considered. Great.

So I check my email to get my packing label (at least they pay for the shipping). I print it, I look at it, I say "Fuck" out loud. My return address is wrong. It's the weekend so I wait until tomorrow (Aug 27th) to contact them again. While I'm at it, I might as well try out all 3 methods of contacting their support. I try to connect to their support chat. Busy. Try again a few hours later, Busy. Again... Success! I cut and paste my monologue. Rep reads. Dicks around a while. Words are exchanged and shit gets fixed. I check my email before disconnecting to verify. If you need to use Samsung support, I'd suggest the support chat.

That's where I stand right now. I get to wait a few weeks to get the monitor back. They may fix it, they might send it back as is, they might scratch the shit out of it. Who knows.
Would I order the S27A850D again? No. Not with my experience as well as the one previous review. I'm betting the backlight issue is more the norm for this model. If you can, wait it out. Maybe Samsung clears this up in later batches. The monitor is incredible otherwise. But remember, Samsung's support isn't what it used to be. I've seen quiet a few horror stories lately. I'll be updating and writing a more complete review when and if I get my replacement.
Click to expand...
Holy hell! That bleeding is horrible.
 
It seems that the uniformity issue from that pre-production review, were indicative of a problems with this new twist on IPS. Perhaps LG isn't weak on QA after all and IPS/PLS is just a very challenging technology.
 
@Ledders: Could you please comment on the IPS/PLS glow? Is it less or more visible than on IPS monitors? Also, is it visible (e.g in the corners) if you display a black image and watch the screen straight on from ~2 feet in a dark room?
 
I'm pretty much ready to throw the towel in on this model and try my chances at another U2412 :(
 
Let's hope the 24's fair better. The 27 is a little pricey for me at this time.
 
The picture of the backlight is from the stock settings at an eye searing 370cdm/2.........
 
Samsungs 2011 LEDLCDs have some pretty terrible backlight bleed as well.

Looks like they can't fix their uniformity problems on either side. :/
 
Snowdog said:
It seems that the uniformity issue from that pre-production review, were indicative of a problems with this new twist on IPS. Perhaps LG isn't weak on QA after all and IPS/PLS is just a very challenging technology.
Click to expand...
That depends on if the non-uniformity is a result of the LCD panel or the backlight behind it. Or, perhaps both...
 
It looks like Samsung ruined what would otherwise be a very nice monitor by deciding to go with edge lit LED over full back lit. Edge lit TV's can get away with bleed because of local dimming, a monitor cannot. They obviously decided to go the cheap route but the unit is still $900! What a horrendous decision by Samsung.
 
Edge lit can still give you good uniformity if done right. That doesn't seem to be the case with this monitor unfortunately. Perhaps the 24" will be better but I'm not holding my breath.
 
No.
Calibration does not fix BL problems.
BL imperfections can become less visible after some time in use.
 
albovin said:
No.
Calibration does not fix BL problems.
BL imperfections can become less visible after some time in use.
Click to expand...

Maybe calibration was the wrong term...

Would turning brightness down from the always-ridiculously-high stock settings address the problem?
 
Possibly, 370cdm/2 is ridiculous,one can only expect solid greys instead of blacks and very visible bleeding from non VA LCD's at that brightness.
 
Cool. I see a link at Amazon for this monitor but it seems to be from a third party. Is there a way to get it from Amazon amazon - or you have the same good return features when its filled by some other shop. I am confused.

I doubt I will return it but I'd like the option at least.. This mac reseller power max seems to have a pretty good return policy and it costs 900 bucks according to google shopping..
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top