Samsung SyncMaster 193P Plus: A Review

Fionavar

Initially I was using version 3.6 with a lot of problems. The last version 3.7 solved almost all the issues, but I can finish the color calibration without freezing my computer.

flawlssdistortn
I didn't see any Lynux software for this monitor when I was downloading the last magictune software, so I assume is not compatible right now. This makes me wonder if it will work with future OS's down the road.

Personally I Think the drawback of this monitor is the lacking of internal OS to control the features. However is promoted as a marketing feature!
 
askimo said:
Fionavar

Initially I was using version 3.6 with a lot of problems. The last version 3.7 solved almost all the issues, but I can finish the color calibration without freezing my computer.
Click to expand...

What video card are you using askimo? Have you tried contacting Samsung? Any specifics errors reported?
 
Fionavar said:
What video card are you using askimo? Have you tried contacting Samsung? Any specifics errors reported?
Click to expand...

I'm using an Ati X800XL PCIe video card over a DFI Ultra board and the AMD Venice CPU.

I did not contact Samsung directly about this issue yet

The problem with magictune is isolated (using ver 3.7) at the colour section only. Basically playing with the colour settings will freeze my computer
 
That's definitely odd. Sorry to ask again - but no error report? Have you tried running MagicTune in Safe Mode to see if you can troubleshoot the issue?
 
Sorry I returned the monitor today so no more chances to play with it. That red dead pixel and the problems with magictune make me wonder if my platform is ready to accept this software LCD OS. (Heavier overclocker)

Seems the similar viewsonic is having a good run, I may try that one
 
Fionavar said:
In regard to price - I got it with the Futureshop 50$ off certificate - so with tax it came to 740. For me the 1000:1 contrast was worth the difference of the 800:1 of the Viewsonic. Plus in the end the no hassle pixel warranty was worth the extra from my place in a rural and somewhat remote area.
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how did you get $50 off?

Im about to buy this monitor and it seems FS is the only place that carries it... I'd be hather perterbed if i found that i could saved $50.

thanks.

BTW thanks for the Review!
 
BTW, my system spec's

Have a 9500 Pro should be ok i know, but im hopeing to run that along with a 15" CRT(1024x728)...and eventually go to a 21-22" CRT

You think that this is ok?

ASUS P4S8X-P4 2.4B
2x512M DDR333
ATI 9500Pro
WD80G HD(8M)
SAMSUNG SV0844D 8G HD
LG 16X DVD
Yamaha F1 CDRW
 
Could you take a photo from the moving car in PixPerAn to compare with these photos? :
(I know it's hard to catch. :D)

Fujitsu-Siemens P19-2 (photographed with 1/45 sec shutter speed):
FSC_P19_2_26.jpg

You can see here the "overshot" phenomenon (bright afterglow) which appears more or less strong on displays with overdrive technik. (It is the same overdriven Samsung PVA panel used here which is also built into the Samsung 193P+)

LG L1910B (photographed with 1/160 sec shutter speed):
LGL1910BreviewbyLacix_21.jpg


(Taken from the hungarian web site: www.tftpanel.hu (there is also a good table about LCD monitors which don't requires hungarian knowledge. upgraded soon ;) ))
 
cdpage said:
how did you get $50 off?

Im about to buy this monitor and it seems FS is the only place that carries it... I'd be hather perterbed if i found that i could saved $50.

thanks.

BTW thanks for the Review!
Click to expand...

It was a promo thing that they sent me cdpage as a frequent shopper I guess ;)
 
Lacix said:
Could you take a photo from the moving car in PixPerAn to compare with these photos? :
(I know it's hard to catch. :D)
Click to expand...

I tried to do this, but it is not within my/camera's ability to catch this image in any way that is of use - sorry :?
 
cdpage said:
BTW, my system spec's

Have a 9500 Pro should be ok i know, but im hopeing to run that along with a 15" CRT(1024x728)...and eventually go to a 21-22" CRT

You think that this is ok?

ASUS P4S8X-P4 2.4B
2x512M DDR333
ATI 9500Pro
WD80G HD(8M)
SAMSUNG SV0844D 8G HD
LG 16X DVD
Yamaha F1 CDRW
Click to expand...

Yeah you should be fine - my video card is a Radeon 9700 fwiiw.
 
So, has anyone actually played any games on this monitor? The trails that noway is talking about don't sound promising at all. It seems that Samsung's version of overdrive sucks but I'll wait for someone to measure the actual response time before making any decisions. I was hoping this panel would perform similar to Viewsonic VP191B because the Viewsonic is just too ugly and too bulky in my opinion.
 
Figued I'd chime in with my impressions before this monitor gets a bad rep. I bought this panel last Thursday and have played several games on it. Games played: Halo, Doom3, Painkiller, WoW, Diablo 2, and Guild Wars. There is very little motion blur and to be honest I have not seen ANY red trails. I will admit that I noticed a bit of motion blur when I first hooked the panel up but once I upped the refresh rate any blur is BARELY noticable. Perhaps that was the issue that noway was having; he might need to up the refresh rate.

I have heard several negative comments come out about Samsungs new 8ms PVA panel but after seeing and using the 193p+ first hand I can honestly say I have no idea what the complaints are about. At this point Tom's Hardware, and Anandtech can come out with reviews stating that this is the worst panel to ever be released, but since I know what I have in my home I'll go with my own personal experiences.

My suggestion for anyone who is considering the 193+ is to TRY IT OUT! I consider it to be the best 19 LCD on the market. I'd love to see how it would stand up against the vp191b. Regardless I am satisfied with my purchase.

The Dark One
 
DarkMage - to what did you up your refresh rate? I was using the default of 70 mhz with no problems from my perspective (1280x1024).
 
Yep I'm using 70hz refresh rate. It was originally at 60 but when I upped it to 70 I had no issues what-so-ever. I am currently at work but when I get home later I'll run a few more tests to see if I can see these so-called red trails. We'll see...

The Dark One
 
By any chance, is there anyone that have seen in action both the L90D+ and the 193P+? Which one would be best for gaming? I am thinking of buying the 193P+ since the image quality seems to be way better.

For those who bought the 193P+, how long did it take you to adjust the colors/brightness/contrast/etc with the software and all? I never bought a LCD so I got no clue about that.
 
DarkMage619 said:
...I noticed a bit of motion blur when I first hooked the panel up but once I upped the refresh rate any blur is BARELY noticable. Perhaps that was the issue that noway was having; he might need to up the refresh rate....
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I just don't get it. Without making any software changes, the color trails I had seen when first using the monitor seem not to be a problem now. It's almost like this monitor needed
breaking in.
 
AH! I didn't even consider that you didn't install the MagicTune software! That brings up an interesting point. If a panel gets adverse results when you fail install all of the software, is that a failing of the panel or of the person that didn't install everything? Its almost like me complaining that my computer doesn't do anything when I haven't installed an OS.

That said, this monitor does seem to be quite dependent on the accompanying software so its a good idea to install at least the driver and MagicTune. If you are still having problems after that we can move on to blaming the panel itself.

The Dark One
 
noway said:
I just don't get it. Without making any software changes, the color trails I had seen when first using the monitor seem not to be a problem now. It's almost like this monitor needed
breaking in.
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Looks like you owe someone an appology! :p Now turn to your 193p+ and tell it sorry! Make sure you let the people on Anandtech know that the issue you were having before seems to be gone and that the 193p+ is the bestest 19' lcd on the market today! Go GO!

The Dark One
 
DarkMage619 said:
Looks like you owe someone an appology! :p Now turn to your 193p+ and tell it sorry! Make sure you let the people on Anandtech know that the issue you were having before seems to be gone and that the 193p+ is the bestest 19' lcd on the market today! Go GO!

The Dark One
Click to expand...


Done! (BTW, I still haven't installed the MagicTune software...the problem I had wasn't
related to that)
 
noway said:
Done! (BTW, I still haven't installed the MagicTune software...the problem I had wasn't
related to that)
Click to expand...


Well then my previous comments are withdrawn. I'm just glad to hear that your issue has resolved itself. I'd hate to think I was the only one who couldn't see this issue. Now I want to see some comparisons between this and the vp191b!

The Dark One
 
noway said:
I just don't get it. Without making any software changes, the color trails I had seen when first using the monitor seem not to be a problem now. It's almost like this monitor needed
breaking in.
Click to expand...

I've been through two 25ms PVA panels in the past month (sent back for various issues), and the smearing on them became drastically reduced after about a week or so of use.

Now...THAT being said...deep reds blurred the worst on both, even the reddish colors on this website turned messy when moved around quickly. I think it's just a characteristic of PVA...but it would be interesting to see how much better these new overdriven panels are.
 
Slider19 said:
How would this compare to the ViewSonic VP191B?
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No one knows for sure. The 193p + isn't really widly available yet but on paper it would appear that the 193p+ has better contrast ratio, slightly higher viewing angles and a higher price tag. I have no complaints about my 193p+.

The Dark One
 
DarkMage619 said:
Yep I'm using 70hz refresh rate. It was originally at 60 but when I upped it to 70 I had no issues what-so-ever. I am currently at work but when I get home later I'll run a few more tests to see if I can see these so-called red trails. We'll see...

The Dark One
Click to expand...


Have you also tried it @ 75 - I seem fine @ 60, but it would be interesting to know other's thoughts in this regard.
 
Haven't really tried it at 75hz and not really dying to know. Trying to take it easy on it and since I don't have any problems at 70 I'll stay there for now.

The Dark One
 
Fionavar said:
Have you also tried it @ 75 - I seem fine @ 60, but it would be interesting to know other's thoughts in this regard.
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I'm running mine at 60 Hz with no issues.
 
I got a second unit after returning my original one (1 dead pixel) but still having problems with the magictune. I can not finish the color calibration and sometimes it freezes my computer. However the monitor looks great and the black, backlight and color saturation seem ok. One new issue is the slight tail that I notice on the mouse pointer when you are a few cm from the panel. This issue is happening when the 3D bronze pointer is over red or green backgrounds. Is this normal on LCD’s?
 
can someone test a bunch of movies on the 193p+? I really want to get a lcd for my next monitor but I want to be able to watch movies and play games. I don't want to sacrifice key options just so I can get a thinner monitor. Do LCD tvs and laptops have these issues?? I talked to samsung and they said laptops use higher priced lcds so they dont have as much issues but that all LCDs share these bad traits. Yet I have never seen or heard anyone saying well I can't watch movies on my lcd tv because it twinkles or doesn't represent colors properly. Also laptops seem to play every game out there with no blurring or ghosting or any issues at all. Has anyone seen these issues with laptops or LCD tvs? I don't see the point of getting a LCD tv if it can't play movies. Thats the whole point of getting one. Finally can laptops switch to other resolutions and still hold the same quality?
 
askimo said:
I got a second unit after returning my original one (1 dead pixel) but still having problems with the magictune. I can not finish the color calibration and sometimes it freezes my computer. However the monitor looks great and the black, backlight and color saturation seem ok. One new issue is the slight tail that I notice on the mouse pointer when you are a few cm from the panel. This issue is happening when the 3D bronze pointer is over red or green backgrounds. Is this normal on LCD’s?
Click to expand...

How significant are the tails? I noticed a slight be of trailing when you have red on gray but I have not noticed it with other color combinations. LCDs are known to have a slower response than CRTs so perhaps the tail you see if a product of that. As I've started before I have really had no issues performance-wise with this display.


To answer Amd for ever's question I've watched a couple of movies on this display and once again I have no negative issues to report. Perhaps I am just not good at pointing out flaws but I've tried several displays(Samsung 930B, LG 1980U, Viewsonic vp2001s) and I would put this one at the top for overall performance.

The Dark One
 
askimo said:
I ...still having problems with the magictune. I can not finish the color calibration and sometimes it freezes my computer...
Click to expand...

I tried the magictune...didn't have any problems with it freezing computer, but in the spirit of simplicity, I decided not to permanently install it, using Drive Image to revert the computer to the image I made before installing it. I installed the monitor driver only and use the following settings on my ATI Control Panel instead (these may not be my permanent choices):

(Advanced-Color)
Gamma 0.80 -->this gives system gamma of approx 2.0
Brightness 32
Contrast 75

***IMPORTANT: make sure that the DVI option(s) under (Advanced-Options) are UNchecked...if not, uncheck them, shut computer off completely and turn it back on again.***

For your question re bronze pointer...I use default white pointer without issues so can't say... you could also try giving the screen a workout for day or two using something continuously playing full screen...mine seemed to take a day or two of heavy use (however, I'm not sure if it was a "break-in" thing or some other factor) to reach optimal performance. A good thing to play for giving the screen a workout would be one of the "Stuck Pixel Fixer" videos.
 
Another idea with the magictune - if using XP - is to try under a new profile altogether. Sometimes this helps with new peripherals fwiiw.
 
I had both 193p and 193plus at home. I compared them both side by side (one connected through VGA and other DVI). I played Battlefield2 on both and i do not see difference between the two LCDs. If there is any difference it is neglibible and it does not justifly 8ms rating.
 
bbc20000 said:
I had both 193p and 193plus at home. I compared them both side by side (one connected through VGA and other DVI). I played Battlefield2 on both and i do not see difference between the two LCDs. If there is any difference it is neglibible and it does not justifly 8ms rating.
Click to expand...

When you say that it does not justify 8 ms rating, do you mean that you notice ghosting / blurring, or that neither has much of it?
 
bbc20000 said:
I had both 193p and 193plus at home. I compared them both side by side (one connected through VGA and other DVI). I played Battlefield2 on both and i do not see difference between the two LCDs. If there is any difference it is neglibible and it does not justifly 8ms rating.
Click to expand...

I had both the 193p and the 193p+ as well I and I remember significant ghost/blur on the normal 193p. I am very curious to know how you conducted your test.

The Dark One
 
bbc20000 said:
I had both 193p and 193plus at home. I compared them both side by side (one connected through VGA and other DVI). I played Battlefield2 on both and i do not see difference between the two LCDs. If there is any difference it is neglibible and it does not justifly 8ms rating.
Click to expand...

Honestly speaking something is wrong here. My old Viewsonic 20" 16ms monitor sucks in terms of blur and ghosting. Also I notice a big difference in between my new Samsung and the viewsonic regarding black color.

Please make sure you are doing the test under the same environment
 
Somebody has a chance to compare side by side this monitor against the Hyundai L90D+ ? The Samsung is quite expensive in my opinion, but I would like to know if is a tangible difference in between these two panels.

I can’t find a big retailer in Canada that carries the Hyundai to test it
 
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