Product Review: Samsung SyncMaster 953bw

For any of you in the market for a new monitor, take note: you won’t do better than Samsung.

For me, this is a rather new development. I’ve used a Mag Innovision CRT at home for… oh, about 8 years now, and I’ve used a ViewSonic at work. I’ve been happy with both, until now.

Samsung’s SyncMaster 953bw is brand new. It’s more stylish than its predecessors, has a quicker response time, better color management features, and (most importantly), it’s cheaper.

PICTURE QUALITY

In a word, the 953bw’s picture quality is summed up thus: exquisite. Edges are crisp and clear. Colors are bright and vibrant. Text is sharp and imminently readable.

I noticed this new Samsung’s ability to provide a truly wonderful image-viewing experience when working in Photoshop. Some monitors have a tendency to mix colors, especially in the darker ranges. Not this one, however. In fact, this monitor shows so much detail in the darks, I found blemishes in some of my older photos that I never knew were there!

COLOR MANAGEMENT

The 953bw includes Samsung’s “Magic Color” and “Magic Bright” features, which are tools for quick automatic calibration. There is included software that works with Magic Color, but it is Windows only (booo!). However, I’ve found that the software appears to simply add to Windows functionality which already exists in OS X, so it’s inconsequential that the software is proprietary.

Let me explain: I use my monitor both for my computer and for my television. For standard computer use, the built-in color management and calibration utility in OS X is more than enough to get perfect tones out of the SyncMaster, with Magic Bright set to “Custom.” When viewing the television, however, I set Magic Bright to “Dynamic Contrast” mode. It’s an amazing result. My television converter box is attached (initially) through composite video, but believe me: it’s the best looking composite video you’ll ever see. Samsung works miracles.

I also attached my Nintendo Wii via a component video > VGA converter, and the results were equally stunning: great clarity and color.

EASE OF USE

Plug monitor into power. Plug monitor into computer. Turn monitor on, and watch as “Automatic Adjustment” flashes onto your screen. In 4 seconds, you’re up and running, including a color calibration. It’s that easy.

Not only that, but this Samsung inadvertently allows you two separate inputs. It has not only a VGA connector on the back, but also a DVI-d connector, and the option to switch between the two manually. Brilliant! Leave a converter box on VGA (since it’s upscaling anyway) and plug in your computer via DVI. Who needs KVMs?

FINAL THOUGHTS

You haven’t bought one yet? You should get on that.

It’s stylish, it exudes quality, and you can’t beat it for the money. In fact, at $200, you can hardly afford not to buy the Samsung 953bw.

CRISPY QUIPS RATING: 5/5

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• CNET.com: Samsung SyncMaster 244T