Customer Reviews

Syncmaster 242MP 24 inch LCD Monitor

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

 

 

After my iiyama VM Pro 501 started doing the display-dance-of-death (that is, where the display starts shrinking and growing abnormally, all on its own), I realized I was going to have to find a new workspace display. After looking through several specs and reviews (including those from DT), I went to the local retailer and picked up this monitor. I could not be happier: bright, vibrant colors; a matte finish to offset glare; huge 1920x1200 display space, and an incredible response time. Not to mention... no dead pixels! Since this is both an LCD monitor and a television (comes with a built-in tuner), the display is perfect for everything from DVDs to digital content creation (DCC). The one thing I did not like were the speakers: they have this strange low hissing sound that comes out as you increase the volume (playing with the sound controls in conjunction with the computer soundcard mixer helped somewhat, but I can still hear hissing). In terms of DCC, reds are red, and blacks are definitely black. The edges of pixels are sharp, and I haven't seen any bleeding. Regarding accessories, Samsung didn't skimp: you get a full battery of stuff including VGA cable (15-pin), DVI cable, antenna cable, audio cable, and more, as well as a pair of tall speakers that can either be placed as satellites or mounted alongside the monitor enclosure. Playing GTA or Ultimate Spiderman? No problems with ghosting or movement at all. The only thing this monitor does not have is the USB ports, but this is an incredibly minor feature compared to everything else. Speaker hissing and missing USB ports aside, I would recommend the Samsung 242MP-Silver to anyone who needs either an excellent television/home video display or a solid workspace/workstation monitor. You may want to buy a different pair of speakers though (maybe a pair of Altec Lansing or Creative Labs speakers for example). My rating reflects the strengths of the monitor itself.

The speakers are the worst thing about this unit. hooking up my computer thru them results in very annoying beeps and pops. Sound thru the normal TV or cable input is fine and sound output from my computer to other speakers is fine, so it is clearly the SyncMaster's problem. The monitor itself is fantastic as a monitor, but I could have had the same quality of monitor and a tv tuner card for my Mac and been happier. Live and learn.