Customer Reviews

Samsung 2494SW 24" Black LCD Monitor

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I rated this 5 stars for the quality of these monitors. After using the Dell 2007WFP and Samsung 204B for many years it was time for me to upgrade to a better monitor. I've done a lot of research on different monitors and the quality of these monitors are outstanding. I use it primarily for photo editing and gaming. After using color correction tools and comparing the photo from the printouts and digital photos on the monitor, the colors are very accurate.

I bought two of these monitors and I am very pleased to own them.

The good:
-Large 24" screen.
-Full 1080p with rich and vibrant colors.
-Good response time.
-High contrast ratio.
-Fully customizable controls to accurately color correct your monitor or needs.

The bad:
-Ports in the back of the monitor are hard to view once the stand is assembled in the monitor.
-Blinking blue light when monitor is on standby can be a bit annoying.
-Stand is a bit flimsy and sensitive to the slightest touch.
-Wish this monitor had a bit more features (hdmi, etc...)

Other:
-This is not explained very well in the manual. There are two power buttons to be aware of, one is a switch next to the power plug and the other in the front near the menu. First plug it in and flip the switch, then place your finger gently over the power symbol and it should power on.
-The monitor has only 1-DVI and 1-VGA port.
-The screen has a matte finish and not glossy.

This is a good value for a large LCD, with a fast response time, somewhat weak backlight, the typical limitations of a TN-style panel, and also some minor quirks.

The backlight is notably less bright than the one in my previous Samsung SyncMaster 226BW 22-inch LCD Monitor, meaning I run the LCD closer to 100% brightness much of the time. On my old Samsung, that would have been blinding, but here it's necessary. Backlight bleed-through is visible as typical for a TN, but less than most similar LCDS: only noticeable in the very top center-third of the screen when the display is set to solid black.

Color reproduction seems reasonable-- next to my more expensive PVA-type Dell 2408WFP UltraSharp 24-inch Widescreen + High Definition Flat Panel Monitor, the Samsung's colors are washed out and drab, but normal for a TN. I found I had to use the preset LCD menu options for "dynamic contrast" or "Game" mode for my preferred warm/bright colors, "text" and "internet" modes result in a drab, cool-colored display.

The monitor does not have HDMI or onboard-audio, which makes it less useful for non-PC multimedia apps, but even so, its native resolution is limited to 1080p (eg 1920x1080) rather than the higher 1920x1200 that is more common in premium 24" screens marketed for computing. I missed the extra vertical 120px this screen should have.

The unit has the typical glossy Samsung bevel surrounding the screen, and the previously huge blue power LED has been shrunken, but still blinks steadily while the LCD is in standby. I'd prefer a skinnier bevel (the bottom part is nearly 2" wide), and a non-blinking LED. The controls are now smooth, touch-sensitive pads. This is nice for appearance, but with no tactile feedback at all, it takes a moment to find the correct spot for the button you intended to press.

Like many entry level LCDs, the stand on this model is tilt-only (it tilts back). No telescoping, swivel or rotation. Unless you intend to swap the stand (possible since it's a standard VESA mount), you will have to tilt the screen back to use it at normal desktop height; like most TN panels, the viewing angles are limited, and the angle "from above" is quite unusable. The stand also did give me some initial trouble, with the bracket refusing to slide into the slot on the back of the LCD until I applied what seemed like excessive force (and I'm a robust adult male). A brief google search turned up that Samsung stands are often "tight" fits and need a bit of extra effort to join up the bracket and monitor.

Twisted Nematic (TN) panels have very fast response times at the price of color accuracy/intensity and viewing angle, but they are cheap to manufacture, and well suited for high frames-per-second applications like gaming. My go-to game recently has been Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Game of the Year, and playing it, I didn't notice any blurring with this panel's 5ms response time. The LCD also scaled down to lower non-native resolutions (such as 1280x900, 1280x1024, etc) without any visible scaling issues.

Samsung continues to offer ever-cheaper LCD panels of solid quality (not a single dead pixel!), and this is no exception. The limitations of this panel are largely inherent to TN displays. However, Samsung could have done better with the stand design, the tactile feedback from the controls, and the brightness of the backlight.

While I prefer PVA or IPS LCDs, it's hard to beat the budget price on this 24" model. Recommended, for PC-centric usage.

I purchased this monitor after using a pair of Dell Ultrasharp 20" monitors for several years. Overall I'm happy with the purchase. The 2494 is a very good value and has a nice, sharp picture with more than enough brightness to spare (I had to dial mine down some).

There are a couple of notable drawbacks though.

- The included stand is far too short with no height adjustment. Unless you want to be looking down at your monitor all the time you'll either need a VESA mount or some type of riser.

- The screen itself is matte (bravo!) but the bezel is a super glossy black. This means that if you have much light behind your viewing position you'll be getting some reflection and glare from the bezel. It's not quite a dealbreaker for me considering the monitor's overall value but it's very annoying to have glare coming from the monitor bezel. I don't get this obsession that monitor manufacturers seem to have lately with glossy "piano black" cases. They're not practical.

- The cables are recessed in the back of the monitor and are very hard to get to. Not a big deal if you only set it up once, but if you move your monitors around from time to time you may find this to be a nuisance.

I will probably purchase a second one of these when I need another large monitor, but I sure wish they hadn't made the bezel so glossy.

I bought mine at BestBuy for $199. After a few weeks, I noticed that if I leave it on for several hours, the screen starts to glitch (white horizontal streaks), followed by a fade to solid white. At this point, power cycling sometimes fixes it for 1-2 minutes. Otherwise, keeping it turned off for a while seems to help. Time to return it. I've always heard that Samsung made great LCDs... but I'm not sure now. Makes me think twice about the new LED-backlight TVs I was drooling over.

Got this monitor about a month ago and I absolutely love it. Didn't take any configuration, work's great right out of the box. Colors are great and running it at 1980 x 1080 looks really sharp! Highly recommended!

I upgraded to this from my old HP system because of the fact that I purchased a new computer. As a PC gamer, I really appreciate how beautiful everything looks on this. I gotta say though, it takes some getting used to when going from a really bad monitor to this particular beauty! Simply wonderful! A+++

I had been using my PC with my TV (52" Samsung), but decided to get a dedicated monitor. As far as I'm concerned, at the present time, Samsung makes the best LCD panels, so I was only looking at Samsung models. After comparing everything available, the features this monitor offers are unbeatable for the price.

I have the monitor sitting on my computer desk, and it's at the perfect height for me. It tilts and swivels, but I honestly have no need to do either of those. It's sturdy and secure; you're not going to knock it over just by brushing against it. I definitely agree with those who said to install the cords before you attach the base.

Overall, the monitor looks great. I love the piano black; it's really sleek. And luckily, it coordinates very well with my PC, speakers, and even my TV. I'm so glad that silver phase in electronics is over.

The panel is as good as I expected it to be. Everything I've looked at on it, so far, has looked as good or better than on my TV. I'm currently using the generic Windows drivers and haven't tweaked any of the settings (let alone done the set up via MagicTune). Yeah, I'm lazy. I'm sure the display will only get better once I actually do those things, and that's really hard to believe.

So if you're looking to surf the internet, work from home, play games, or do basic photo/video editing, I would highly recommend this monitor. For the money, you won't find a better monitor, especially one on par with a Samsung.

SIDE NOTE: The first monitor I received had a bad DVI port that wouldn't allow for proper communication between the PC and the monitor. The replacement was plug and play as you would expect. With regard to this, I give major props to Amazon. Never having had to return anything before, I wasn't sure what to expect, but it was a completely painless procedure. EXCELLENT customer service.

Absolutely one of the best monitors I have ever seen. I bought it for my wife whose computer is on a sun porch surrounded by 13 windows. Regardless, the colors are bright, vivid and absolutely stunning. Note that this monitor has an on/off rocker switch on the back and a silent on/off touch switch on the front. So, make sure both are on before you make a decision the monitor is DOA. If you're think about buying this monitor, do it!

This is a really nice monitor, and when you consider the price it is an outstanding value for the money. There a a few things that could be better, like the stand or the difficult to access connectors on the back, but that would just be nit-picking. Overall the Samsung 2494SW is a really nice display, and I would definitely recommend it.

I replaced an old Dell 19-inch CRT monitor with this 24-inch Samsung widescreen LCD and have no major complaints. The CRT actually had a clearer picture but the size of screen compared to the amount of space it takes up on my desk is a definite advantage for the LCD. The screen is matte as opposed to glossy so the picture probably would have been crisper with a glossy screen but the matte does well with the glares caused by the window my desk is set up next to. One thing to be aware of is that the software included with the monitor is NOT compatible with Windows XP (which is what I run). So, if you run XP, you will not be able to take advantage of some of its special features.

But I don't want to sound too negative. The truth is, a 24-inch monitor at this price is a good deal. The picture is clear, big, and bright. Despite the negatives that I mentioned previously, I'm very happy with my purchase.