Samsung 206BW - Buy?

[saxondale.]

I cant find much about this monitor. The specifications look amazing, quite cheap, so im guessing there is a downfall to this monitor. Anyone own one? Opinions? Im also guessing this will work nicely with my MBP C2D?

http://www.samsung.com/Products/Monitor/LC...=Specifications (http://www.samsung.com/Products/Monitor/LCD_Digital/LS20MEWSFVXAA.asp?page=Specifications)

Thanks

[tilman]

I cant find much about this monitor. The specifications look amazing, quite cheap, so im guessing there is a downfall to this monitor.
Thanks

There are two grades of LCD panels commonly used for monitors: 6-bit or 8-bit color depth. See http://compreviews.about.com/od/multimedia/a/LCDColor.htm for some talk about that. Sometimes you can tell from the specs. If it says "16.2 millions colors" it's a 6-bit panel, if it "16.7 million colors" it's an 8-bit panel. Price is often an indication, too: if a 20" monitor costs around $300, it's probably a 6-bit panel. I believe Samsung uses a B in the model number for 6-bit panels, and a T for 8-bit panels. So the monitor you are looking at uses a 6-bit panel. That doesn't automatically make it a bad monitor. Just not the best choice for some applications.

[emaja]

It is a TN panel and as such, not very good for color accuracy. TN panels are cheaper to make and have great response times as well as impressive contrast ratios, but in my mind those specs are not as important as color accuracy.

That is just my opinion though.

[saxondale.]

Well it does say it displays 16.7 million colours....so a better chance of it being 8bit im guessing?

[dante@sisna.com]

I believe this is an 8-Bit monitor with a TN panel.

It gets great forum feedback but primarily for games.

If you calibrate it, the monitor will be decent for basic design, and photo adjustment. It simply depends on the accuracy you need.

Move up to a higher end NEC, LaCie, Apple and then the Ezio and you get a heck of a lot more color accuracy, and in the case of the Apple monitors you get a basic colorsync profile which will use Apple's fixed pixel information to allow the graphics cards, OS, etc to make color adjustments via the LUT (color lookup tables).

Read the "Why buy an ACD" thread in this Peripherals forum.

[saxondale.]

So between the Dell 2007 and this, which one would be the best?

[saxondale.]

So between the Dell 2007 and this, which one would be the best?
Anyone?

[Tangerine]

Anyone?


Dell 2007 only better if you get it as an IPS panel. Dell silently change their panel model on the 2007 one so you may not get an IPS one. The same one that use on Apple monitor.

[saxondale.]

The Samsung is cheaper though hmmm is the TN panel really that bad?

[saxondale.]

I think im going to get the 22" version (226BW) tomorrow night, when i get paid :)