Customer Reviews

Samsung LN-R238WA 23-Inch Widescreen HDTV-Ready Flat-Panel LCD TV

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I bought this TV as a do-it-all device. I wanted to get a FP LCD monitor for my computer, and I was looking into panels that had multiple inputs. I wanted to be able to use it to play games and watch DVDs as well be able to use it for my computer. I figured while I was at it I might as well equip myself with something that can handle HD signals and I can watch tv on as well. The following is my take on its performance in said areas:

PC:
As a computer monitor it works very well. I am EXTREMELY picky about this type of thing and I wouldn't say it was good if it wasn't. I use it primarily as a PC monitor and I would rate it's pc performance a 4 out of 5. To get the best picture you need a decent video card and a decent VGA cable(read: WUXGA or UXGA and some cases SXGA because of the high resolution of the panel). DVI->HDMI does not display well, you can use it in a pinch, but it will not look right, the tv was not designed to use this as a pc input. VGA works just fine, but you have to be sure you enable your resolution to match the native resolution of the monitor (the same is true with ANY LCD FP if you want the best picture quality). The native resolution of the panel is 1366x768... you can enable 1360x768 and it will chop 3 pixels (you dont lose any visual data, it just doesn't use these pixels) off of each side. Look for a program called "powerstrip" if you can't get your desktop to accept that resolution by default. If you choose not to use a widescreen desktop, then set the monitor picture size to 4:3 instead of Wide and use a desktop resolution of 1024x768 (the height of 768 ensures that you are still using native pixels). If you have trouble getting games to run at 1360x768 this is also a good option (set the game res to 1024x768 and change the picture size on the monitor).

The picture quality is crisp and clear. There can be some very minor "ghosting" effects around certain colors/texts which can be aggrevated by a poor quality VGA cable. For the most part you will not notice this unless you sit extremely close to the panel or you display odd color combinations (i.e. fine bright blue text on a black background blurrs a little bit). As I said, I am extremely picky about this type of thing and if it was bothersome enough to return the monitor, I would. As with most LCDs it favors red a little bit and sometimes there can be a bit of boldness/bleeding on strong red in tight spaces (like a bright red bolded font).

As far as pc games go it performs beautifully. Games are crisp, vibrant and clear. Best of all there is no response time "ghosting". This is something I was very concerned about because I play a lot of CS, BF2, etc. This monitor responds just as quickly as my CRT. I noticed absolutely no ghosting.

Note: Most games today have command line options to set their resolution to special/custom sizes. The widescreen res you are looking for is 1360x768. Some games (like CS1.6) do not specifically support 1360x768 but do have wide aspect resolutions that still work well, but there is slight interpolation using non-native resolutions that will cause things to look a little different (still very very playable). And if all else fails you can always use 1024x768 and set the monitor to 4:3.

Games:
When not using it as a pc monitor I use it mostly to play PS2 and Xbox. I purchased component cables for both (which I would highly recommend) so I will comment on that.

Both systems are very crisp and very clear. There is NO ghosting whatsoever and I read that others had problems with delay in response and lag between input and action on-screen. I have noticed no such thing. Again, I am extremely discerning about this type of thing and if that were the case, I would have returned it. Perhaps they had faulty panels or were using odd input sources. As far as component goes, they play VERY well. Again I would rate this 4 out of 5 because I have noticed a strange problem with PS2 displays. In certain PS2 games when there is very fine detail or there is some type of filter/mask/blur effect in the game, the panel seems to display it incorrectly. Its really hard to give an example, but its like if there is a blur effect on a shiny object, instead of the blur being uniform and fading, it has something of a checkerboard pattern. It is akin to trying to reproduce 32-bit color in 24 or 16-bit mode on a computer... it takes the two closest colors and checkerboards them together so that it seems like its one solid color. I have only noticed this in a handful of games, and even in those games it is usually restricted to whatever the softening/blurring effect is on. If you want a good example, pop in Final Fantasy Tactics for PS1. The game seems to have a full screen blur on it, I suppose to soften the sprites and make it more fluid. However, when using component cables (I have tried 2 different cables) the screen just seems to have a checkerboarded pattern instead of a fluid/smooth fading/softening to it. A minor gripe (except for in FFT since it takes up the whole screen) but a gripe none the less. I dont know if its the panel itself, the way the PS2 outputs to component, or perhaps just my panel. But I can say that I dont notice it on Xbox or on the pc. The only other game on my desk that I can think of that displays the problem is Mega Man X8 (which looks sweet in progressive mode, just hold down X and triangle as the game boots). Around some parts of the characters (easily seen on Zero's sigma blade) there is a shine/blur effect and it does the same thing.

TV:
I dont have HDTV or digital cable for that matter, so the standard signal is decent at best. Very watchable, but it performs like all LCDs do when using a non-digital/HD signal. No gripes.

DVD:
Crisp, clear and vibrant. I don't have component cables for my dvd player so I havent watched any in progressive scan yet, but via PC and PS2 (SCPH30001, no progressive) it looks fantastic (I think I actually prefer the PS2). I can only imagine it with a pro-scan set top.

Bottom line:
As long as your panel is in working condition and you have the right equipment for it, it makes a dynamite PC and videogame monitor. Thats the whole reason I bought it so I can assure you that I am very critical about those features. I don't know why other reviews are stating it doesn't perform in those areas when it does. Don't be shy of this model if you want to use it for a PC, games, dvd or a TV. It shines in all categories, its not extremely expensive and its about the perfect size as an all-in one without being too big a monitor or too small a TV. I recommend it.

I'm not sure how I lucked out with deal but I'm not going to complain. I went to Circuit City to look for a 20+ inch LCD TV and compared 10-15, really leaning towars the Sony or Samsung models. When I was about to leave the salesperson asked if I had seen the LNR238W yet. They hadn't received any in the store yet but it was on their website as a 'Coming Soon' item for $1,099. I went home and looked online for the model and was able to find it on Amazon for $850.00 with shipping. I bought it that same day and am glad I did. The best part of this TV by far is the picture quality. It's gives a nice crisp picture on any channel and handles fast motion with ease. The only issue I have is that it doesn't provide wall mounts that will work with this model, so for now I have it on it's base. All in all, it was a great deal and I'm surprised that Amazon is now asking $1,000 for the same model two weeks later.

I know nothing about LCD/HDTV/digital/plasma, etc. I just know what looks good and this does. The picture is sharp and incredibly clear. It was easy to set up with my Replay TV and DVD player. There is no glare even on a sunny day with the blinds open. Viewing is great from anywhere in the room. It is small and light weight, so I can easily move it when needed---it replaced a TV that weighed 50 lbs and required my godson's help to move.
I love it!

The WA model is newer and is apparently being manufactured for those who really will not use their sets as a PC Monitor. The "W" model is a bit older, and I'm not certain of its current manufacturing status, but there is an enormous difference between the two when using them with a PC.

If you intend to use the monitor for a PC, be sure to only get the "W" model, not the "WA". Pay attention to the labeling from the manufacturer on the box (and not the retailer's labels). The "WA" and "W" clearly have different labels and they are indicated as such on the boxes. Don't take the retailer's word for what they are selling either, because most sales people at the stores have no idea there is a difference.

I first bought what I thought was a an LN-R238W (which turned out really to be the "WA" model instead) from a local Best Buy.

Upon unpacking it and setting it up, I was very pleased with picture quality with both my HDTV set top box (Adelphia Los Angeles with a Moxie DVR). The quality using the component inputs was outstanding for all the HDTV channels, and the quality was also excellent using a Samsung DVD player with the HDMI input (both the DVD player and the LN-R238W and WA have HDMI input).

I encountered a problem however, when trying to use the VGA input from my computer. The native resolution for PC on the WA is 1280 x 728, which produced barely passable results with blurring of text and color pushing and bleeding around the edges. Also the gamma and brightness were unacceptable as well.

I was curious about why the PC monitor wasn't working as I had anticipated, but then I noticed that manual indicated there were two versions of the 23" Samsung, i.e., the "W" and the "WA". I had always assumed that there was only one model, and that I had purchased the "W" because that's how Best Buy was advertising it.

The manual indicated that the resolution for the PC monitor with the "W" was 1360 x 768, which obviously is a slightly bigger bit of screen real estate than the resolution for the WA. Not a lot, but different. In fact, upon reading the manual a bit more carefully, it appeared that the only real true PC resolution for the WA model was 1024 x 768, which was way smaller than the "W" model's resolution.

I tried the 1024 x 768 on the WA, and it was passable, but just barely and didn't display enough of the screen to be truly useful for me. Also, the text was still too blurry to be satisfying, and I was unable to correct the blurring and bleeding enough to satisfy me. I also tried various other resolutions with the WA set, and could actually get it to go to 1360 x 768 using the NVIDIA drivers, but I just couldn't get the text to display acceptably without blurring and color bleeding.

I then started to read the reviews here, at CNet, at Circuit City's site, at AVSForums.com, and anywhere else I could find reviews, and discovered that others had the same problem, and that there was really a difference between the "W" model (which I didn't have but wanted) and the WA model which I had been supplied with by Best Buy (even though they were passing it off as the "W").

So, I decided I wanted to see if there really was a difference between the WA and the W models in real life. I knew that Best Buy wasn't to be trusted, so I thought of other stores I could check to see if they had a true "W" model I could buy. I figured if the W was really better, I'd keep it and return the WA to Best Buy (which has a 30-day return policy for TV's with no restocking charge). So, I called a local Circuit City and verified they had a true "W" in stock (not "WA") and bought it, hooked it up and immediately noticed a stunning difference.

Don't let anyone tell you that there is no difference between the W and the WA when it comes to using the set as a PC Monitor, because there is, and it's huge.

The W is simply stunning, with bright, clear text, correct color and gamma, and that was without doing any calibration or adjustment, right out of the box.

It is likely the case that there is no difference for use with broadcast HDTV signals or with DVD playback. But if you plan to use the set with a PC, be absolutely sure you get the "W" and not the "WA" set.

Now that I've got the correct model, I have to say I'd recommend it (the true "W" model) to anyone who wants to get a larger monitor to use with their PC as well as a solid LCD HD display for HDTV, DVD's and even SDTV.

Of course, if you're not interested in the PC monitor function, then you can settle for the WA model and you won't be any worse for wear.

A couple of other notes: Don't even think of using the HDMI input for your PC display. The VGA input uses true 1x1 pixel mapping (which is why the display on the W is so good at 1360 x 768), but like all LCD HDTV's the set employs a good deal of overscan with the HDMI (as well as component) inputs used to display HDTV. This is acceptable for watching broadcast TV and DVD playback, but it doesn't work with PC displays. Various people have tried to get it to work using Powerstrip (a very useful utility which allows one to design their own custom monitor timings for their PC to be able to use various HDTV's with either DVI inputs or HDMI) or the NVIDIA drivers. It really doesn't work well, so unless you've got a lot of time and patience, don't even think about it. You've got to use the VGA input which works very well.

In my case, I have a dual display NVIDIA card and I use the Samsung as a 2nd monitor, to extend my desktop...But it's so cool to see the desktop really large, that I sometimes find myself using it as my primary monitor...

Anyway, just be careful which model number you get if you decide to buy the 23" Samsung LCD HDTV.

Hello Everyone. I purchased a Samsung LN R238W, HDTV Ready, 23 inch Widescreen LCD ten days ago. This Samsung LCD has the best picture quality of any TV ever made. I have never seen whites so white and blacks so black, and all the colors are so vivid and sharp. This TV is eyeball popping even for regular broadcards and it is amazing for HDTV and XBox Games. This new technology TV takes the advantages of Plasma , the advantages of LCD, the best features of CRT TVs, mixes them all together, adds a long list of new technology features. Auto Sharpness, Brightness, Contrast, Color Processing, etc and gives you something better. The picture is so outstanding the LCD TV looks bigger than it is in any size room. 32 Billion Colors. The sound is excellent for the built in speakers also. Extended Frequency Surround Sound, with fully adjustable 5 band EQ. You can customize both picture and audio all you want and save your setups. No eye strain, no glare from room lights, you can move it around the house easily, only weights 19 lbs, also can use as an excellent PC Monitor. If you need a TV for HDTV and Gaming, check out this Samsung.

I have owned this tv for almost two weeks now, and I have to say the picture quality is excellent. However, if you have regular Cable, the quality is about the same as a regular CRT TV. However, if digital cable was used and HDTV was enabled, the screen was very brilliant and very beautiful. Playing PS2 games with the TV made it the ultimate gaming experience ever. The images were crystal clear and there was no ghosting or even lagging. This is an excellent product and I highly recommend this one! It certainly beats many of what other companies have to offer. One quibble though: the sound output on the tv isn't that great, so i would suggest buying better speakers for this. Nevertheless, the picture quality is phenomenal!

I bought this Tv last week , and I loved it so much I bought 2.
It has an it all for this size (23inch). TV Direct TV Hooked up to a s-video cable looks fantastic. Watching baseball on a wide screen in 480i is breathtaking. You can see the whole field and greater detail than my old Sony CRT. Hook this baby up to an Xbox with the HI DEF cables, and you will have better quality then most arcade games. MLB 2005 is 1080i, and will blow you away on this TV. Next up.. Hook it up to a PC, Again the screen detail is great, and playing games like Counter-Strike source and Battlefield 2 is better then on my 19 CRT flat Screen. What can I say.. Go buy one now

Just got this TV. The TV picture is amazing. I have it hooked up to a Worlwide Video VCR from Samsung. Even foreign videos that undergo conversion come out clear and crisp.

However, using this TV as a video monitor was a bit of disappointment. Despite trying hard to adjust the settings and buying a better VGA connection cable the text on the screen appears blurry. Perhaps this is due to a large size of the monitor versus the number of pixels, so one has to view it from a good distance. But nevertheless, it is not nearly as crisp as I expected it to be.

I am just not sure if there are any TVs/PC monitors out there that can do both well.

I bought this Samsung few weeks ago because of its extremely nice picture and functionalities. I use it for my bedroom as a primary PC monitor as well as cable and DVD.

PC wise, although it doesn't have DVI input, its VGA input is already very good at 1360 x 768 resolution. It is comparable to my old Sony Trinitron monitor running at 1280 x 1024. It is also excellent for gaming (WoW). Btw, if you do plan to use it as a PC monitor, do spend the money on quality VGA cables. In the beginning I used a VGA cable bought from Bestbuy. For few hours there I thought LCD TV wasn't going to deliver the quality of pc monitor afterall. There was ghosting effect all over. I went online, ordered new cable UXGA ~$25. Problem fixed. The picture looks crisp, clear from then.

For DVD playback, this Samsung is hooked up through monster component cables with Sony progressive scan. I wished I 'd bought a player with HDMI output, but it was before I have this Samsung. Overall the picture's clear and the color contrast is really good.

I'm planning to get a HDTV box from my service provider soon. Regular digital cable TV looks okay, better than my sony wega though. I'm glad I bought it. And of course, its design is distinct from others. Highly recommended!

I shopped around for a couple of weeks and looked at several brands. I thought the Samsung had the best picture and was $150-$200 less than comparable brands (Sony). I looked for the best price on the Web, and found it for just under $850 at some internet sites. On a whim, I checked Amazon and was blown away. It was around $850 from a Amazon (a reputable dealer), PLUS I could return it within 30 days if there were any problems. None of the other Web dealers offered that. So I ordered it, paid a paltry $16 for shipping and it arrived 4 days later in perfect condition.

I set it up, hooked it into my HD cable box (ComCast) with component cables (I still need to get the HDMI cable) and tuned in a HD channel. I WAS BLOWN AWAY!!! It was far better than I imagined. I tuned in Pulp Fiction on HD-HBO and could actually see the individual hairs on Samuel L Jackson's fro! The color contrast was brilliant.

Now, like most LCD TVs the picture quality is just OK on the non-HD broadcasts, but I'm willing to live with this for now b/c most channels are moving to HD.

You can't go wrong with this TV or the price/experience with Amazon.