Customer Reviews

Samsung Syncmaster 2494HM 24"  LCD Monitor 1080p 1920x1080 5000:1  Glossy Black DVI HDMI Speakers

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

These monitors are just stellar. Here's why:

The colors are extremely rich and vivid. Working in Photoshop has become a different game now that I can see the range and depth of color that I can. The unfortunate thing is knowing that anything I touch up or create will need to be seen on a monitor of equal quality for the full effect to take place!

Speaking of color, HD movies look amazing. If you want to see just how amazing, go pick up an HD version of Finding Nemo or some other animated adventure. The detail is staggaring. And because you're sitting at the distance you are from the monitors (assuming you're sitting at a desk with them a foot or two in front of you), the 1080p serves its purpose. This means your purchase of 1080p is not based on the marketing gimmick most consumers aren't aware of.

Games. Man, let me tell you... I can't stop playing Crysis on these things. Having two of these monitors is a dream for gamers like myself. There is no lag, no color issues... nothing negative I can say.

Now, having said all of that, a unique facet for me that these monitors come in handy for is when I'm working on my music production. Though managing plug-ins within the software itself has come a long way, there's absolutely no substitute for having plenty of room to see everything right there in front of you. Now, is this benefit something that's unique to this monitor? Of course not. Any wide-screen monitor will give me this benefit, but it's just added value to consider with everything else I listed above. Web/application developers, same thing applies.

Lastly, my computer is in the spare bedroom. If we ever have anyone stay over, this will be a great source of entertainment for them since my next project is hooking my computer up to cable. Likewise, my girlfriend enjoys working out and we just moved, so instead of having to buy an additional TV now for the spare room (aka, the everything else room), she can watch her DVDs on this computer and effectively have 48" of monitor to watch.

So, these monitors are a true all-in-one solution for me. I'm not just a guy who uses his computer for surfing... I can't say these would be worth it AT ALL if you don't plan to truly use them for what they're meant to be used for. And if you plan on getting more than one, make sure you've got the desk real estate, because these puppies are MASSIVE!

As for the, "buttons" rating of 4 stars, the only flaw I see with monitors like this are if you try to operate them in a dark setting. I absolutely love the sensitive touch feature they have instead of actual buttons, but good luck seeing them in the dark! A little bit of backlight action on the buttons would go a LONG way here (and with countless other monitors, for that matter). I don't have any of the complaints that I've seen others do on various other review sites where no HDMI port is concerned. I use the DVI port (which is just fine for the video) and for my audio, I'm running out to a 5.1 setup via a Soundblaster X-Fi card, so no HDMI needed. Likewise, the stands work just fine for me.

That is all. =)

First, I disagree with so many of the reviews on this and similar models regarding the buttons. The touch sensitive buttons are AWESOME. No more moving part to break. No more little nook to catch dust that I cant get at. The sensitive section works like a charm, Sometimes I don't feel that I have even touched the area, but I know i must have because it does what it was supposed to. And only the blind would find them hard to see. They are clearly marked, light gray on a dark background. My monitor is half in shadow at this moment. I can read the buttons easily in the light and in the shade. But even if you could not for some reason, there is a BRIGHT BLUE LED that shows where the buttons are. It is inset, so even if it is off, it is easy to locate. Unless perhaps you were using it in a pitch black room?

As for picture, it is great. I have had cheap monitors, and this is not one. I used to use a 20 inch HP monitor, and this blows that so far out of the water. Everything I see is crisp, clear, and real color. The red was a hair out of balance, so i took it from 50 down to 48, problem solved. I can see every inch of the screen, and it is so much superior to the other monitor I have set up for dual screen. This was every bit as much an improvement as going from DVD to Bluray.

I have not tried it with my PS3 yet. It is not a TV, but that function will be handy at some point, I imagine. I have no doubt that it will be just as amazing in that capacity as well.

I purchased this monitor because of its light weight, speakers, 1920x1080, and HDMI support. I planned to use it to show photos and HD videos to classes (small enough they could gather around it). I had no problem with most of its operation and compatibility with either my netbook or the digital cameras I use.

That having been said, I could not adjust the monitor to make the black point on images anywhere near black - a problem for the presentations I plan to make and a distraction. Although I could adjust the output from the netbook, either HDMI or VGA, I don't have such adjustments available on the cameras I use (also HDMI).

I compared the screen presentation with other 24" Samsung monitors I've been happily using at home and at the office (with the same sources), and this one was very different. I'm a dedicated Samsung fan, but this one is going back.

After a bit of tweaking this has become a great monitor for the dollar. The colors are vibrant and accurate and the contrast is fantastic.

Note that the black level isn't stellar -- it's pretty typical of TN panels (from my understanding), so professional photo editing wouldn't be recommended on this thing. However, for basic editing and every day use it works just fine (and HDMI input is nice too!). I'm a multimedia designer and developer and I use this every day. I just double check on my second, more expensive monitor for black levels and other nit-picky stuff before finalizing an image.

Also note that this panel is 1920x1080... NOT 1920 x 1200 like "standard" 24" monitors. You miss 120 pixels but it's not going to kill you :)

I've had this monitor for just under 6 months now. The size is great for 1080p, anything smaller on the diagonal and the dot pitch would be too small for me to view comfortably without leaning in (I wear contacts usually, glasses occasionally, basic nearsightedness @ -2.00, nothing special). Note that 1080p is 1920x1080. Some tags associated with this listing incorrectly say 1920x1200. The viewing angle is pretty good and the sweet spot zone is large enough that sitting a little off-center isn't bothersome, but the tilt adjustment of forward/backward is really only backward. My desk is built for computers, and the monitor stand is built-in and slightly high, so I have to sit up pretty straight or I'll start to notice it if I've slumped enough. My previous monitor would tilt forward a couple degrees, this one not at all.

The image on the monitor is nice and crisp, good contrast and saturation. I'm plenty happy with the quality of photos, video, and artwork displayed on this unit. It handles resolution changes really well considering it's an LCD and not a CRT (my previous monitor type). Note that this is a high-res unit, so built-in graphics on your motherboard will work fine, but video and animation and games may cause stuttering or slowness if you don't dial back the resolution.

I recommend using an add-in graphics card with 512MB memory minimum. For ATI a 5450 GPU minimum, about $50-60, which should give you great video and light gaming capability, though a 5670 or higher is recommended if you do more gaming, which runs about $90-100. If you're serious about trying games on this monitor, go for a 5770 ($150), or if your case/power will accommodate, a 5830 or 5850 (both over $200) will play games very well. On the NVidia side, a GeForce GT 240 at about $70-80 is a good starting point, or a 9600/9800 GT, or even a GTS 250 works, too, for just a little more. A jump to the GTX 240/260 range puts you over $200 and should do games well, but again you need to consider case size and power. [...], [...], and [...] are all reasonable review sites where you can get all the gory details, though I like [...] best and it's daily "Shortbread" section always links you to everyone else's reviews, so it's a good starting point.

My one beef with the design of the 2494HM is the "buttons". They're essentially touch-sensitive spots on the bezel, so you can't feel them. If it's dark enough, you can't see them, either. By default the input select was on auto, and every time I booted my computer it would cycle through the settings. I eventually figured out what the setting was that would "lock" it onto my DVI connection, but it drove me nuts before that, because I'd have to figure out exactly where the invisible "button" was in order to switch inputs if it got it wrong. I still like to tweak settings now and then, and the lack of real buttons makes it difficult.

For the price I paid, overall I'm happy. I would have liked to have been very happy, but I'll settle for happy any day. This monitor should be on your short list if you are looking for this size/resolution and it's in your price range, and you don't think you'll be adjusting settings a lot.

Note: there are two different entries in Amazon's listings for the 2494HM if you do a search, and Amazon sells on both of them, for different prices. In other words, it's not a stray listing for a non-Amazon merchant. They were added at different times, one in 2008 and the other in 2009. I don't see anything to indicate they are different in any way, so I suggest going for the cheaper of the two.

I ordered this monitor to accompany a notebook computer at the office. It has worked out wonderfully. It looks very nice- bright display with rich color. We love it.

Pros: Touch (optical?) buttons. VGA, DVI, & HDMI connections. Comes with DVI cable. 24" and 1920x1080 resolution (supports 1080p). Built-in Speakers. Stylish.

Cons: The connections are a little hard to get to. Speakers are quiet. The touch buttons take a little bit of time to get used to.

I bought this monitor at my local discount warehouse store (not sure if this site allows me to name names) at a great price considering the size, resolution, and reputation/quality of the brand.

Brand was important to me when shopping for a monitor. Lower quality brands tend to have more dead pixels and the replacement warranty for dead pixels tend to be not as forgiving. Due to this, I was only interested in a Samsung, but I would have settled for a Dell (UltraSharp).

I am running the monitor with a DVI cable. In my opinion the monitor has a very nice picture, but I am not a graphic design professional so my eye may not be as discerning as some. I mainly do software development, office applications, and web browsing. I have not tried playing video on the monitor yet.

I would have liked to mark this monitor down 1/2 a star, but did not feel the cons deserved a full star demerit. I felt the connections were somewhat difficult to get to. You almost need to set the monitor down on it's face in order to connect your cables and I don't like having to do that since you could scratch the glossy finish or the screen. I also felt the built-in speakers were a little weak. I didn't buy the monitor for the speakers, but I figure there are some who plan on using this monitor with a game console or as a small TV.

Overall I am very pleased with the monitor and would recommend it.

I bought this monitor mostly to make working with multiple documents much easier than with my laptop screen. But, I think I use it much more often for videos, Netflix, DVDs, and general use.

Performance: It gives rich, crisp, bright colors - what more do you need? I get full native resolution of 1920x1080.

** IMPORTANT NOTE!!: If you use DVI, you'll notice it works beautifully right out-the-box. But, if you connect via the HDMI port, you're probably complaining about fuzzy text and images. This is because for whatever reason, the HDMI port has AV Mode set to 'On' by default. Turn this off and you'll have crystal clear, super crisp text! (Menu >> Setup >> AV Mode >> "Off").

Speakers: They get relatively loud for a built-in set, but the sound quality is pretty low and it comes out very flat. If you are really serious about sound, you probably have external speakers so this shouldn't be an issue. If all you have is the built-in speakers and you're complaining, buy external speakers!

Touch controls: Many complain about the 'touch' controls and prefer physical buttons. While I would agree that real buttons would be much better, I don't find the touch controls to be that burdensome. I rarely mess with settings, I adjust the volume through the OS, and only really use it to turn the monitor on/off. Yes, this can be annoying, especially in the dark, but it's totally tolerable.

Price: Totally competitive for similar units, especially if you get it refurb.

For a low end monitor it is just fine. Picture and color are good. Just invest in some additional speakers. The built in speakers are no better than ones found on a laptop.

Purchased one of these to replace another Samsung 4:3. Not a lot of bells and whistles; but I was only shopping for a monitor. Extremely vivid screen. I have it set to Max 1920x1080 and it is crystal clear as you expect. The factory setting at 100% is almost too bright. I backed if off to match my MacBook that is driving the monitor. The speakers are weak. Weaker than a notebook. Even at 100% they don't put out much volume. Have not tested the HDMI feed yet but if its is anything like the DVI, it should be outstanding. The base has no forward tilt, that could be improved. I would buy this again for the money. Re-ferb for under $190.00 makes it a good deal for this size screen.