Samsung SyncMaster 245BW 24-inch LCD Monitor
from: Samsung
Average Rating: 
Sales Rank: 303
Sales Rank: 303
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PC Hardware : Samsung SyncMaster 245BW 24-inch LCD Monitor |
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Rating:  - * 5 months later and dark grey lines appear ... I rotated the monitor, and black lines went away but for how long ? Not acceptable for a brand like Samsung. Monitor does have 3 year warranty, but from what I read on here, it's gonna take me a while to get a replacement and even then i might to need to replace it. Stay away from it, go buy a Dell monitor. My 18 inches flat Dell monitor from October 2002 is still working flawlessly. Even my Digiview from early 90's never had dark grey lines... I'll post an update soon. Rating:  - * Great monitor with some idiotic design choices. ... Let me start by saying that I really do like this monitor. The size and resolution (WUXGA) are perfect if you do a lot of programming or any other activity that requires a large number of open windows. Color reproduction seems fine and it arrived with no dead pixels. I've seen complaints about the viewing angle, but haven't had much of a problem with it. If you need a wider viewing angle, get something more expensive than a TN panel. The stand it comes with doesn't let it rotate. You'll need to get an aftermarket one for that, although the viewing angle limitations might be more apparent in a portrait orientation. Now for the bad. Engineers at Samsung decided to not only make this monitor have a glossy black bezel but also to give it a piercing bright blue LED. Both of these are brain-dead choices which blemish an otherwise great monitor. The shiny bezel reflects any and all light sources in the room, including the back-light of the monitor itself. It's annoying, but you get used to it. The bright blue power light, however, is a major distraction, especially when it starts flashing while in power save mode. I have this in my bedroom and it's like having a tiny rave being thrown in the night. While using your new monitor, you'll find your eyes drawn to the retina searing indicator, a vital constant reminder that the screen is, in fact, receiving power confirming that the legally obtained public-domain video you are currently watching is not an illusion. In this case, putting a couple layers of masking or electrical tape over the light to block it out is your only option. I don't pretend to understand the industry's current fetish with bright blue LEDs on everything, but it leaves me wishing bad fortune upon Shuji Nakamura for all the ways his invention has been misused in recent years. Other than that, this is a great monitor. It could maybe use a few more inputs on the back (like a component input, although I think that the 'TV' version of this monitor may have that), but if you buy this, you'll likely be happy with your purchase. (After you cover up that damn LED!) Rating:  - * Service is among the worst I have seen ... I had this monitor 6 months and it went dead. I called Samsung and they said no problem it is within my 3 year warranty they will send a replacement. Nearly a month later, I still don't have one. I have been getting the total run around from Samsung. They keep telling me they are backlogged, just what I want to hear when being without the use of my computer for a month. I have called numerous times and they promised a supervisor would call me back each time, but none ever does. I have never seen customer service this bad, the monitor was great when it worked, but after this experience, I will never buy another Samsung product Rating: - * VERY IMPRESSED ... JUMPING FROM A JUMBO CRT TO THIS FLAT WIDE SCREEN OF COURSE WAS 1 LIGHT YEAR OF PROGRESS BUT THE QUALITY OF THIS MONITOR HAS ALLOWED ME TO ACCOMPLISH MORE TASKS THAN BEFORE AND IT CONSUMES LESS SPACE THAN MY LAST MONITOR. THE PICTURE QUALITY IS EXCELLENT AND YOU HAVE A CHOICE OF ANALOG OR DIGITAL. THE PRICE ROCKS OUT!! BUY IT FROM AMAZON THOUGH!!!!!! Rating: - * Worked great.. for a while. Their service is POOR! ... Others have written extensively about the technical aspects of this monitor. I bought mine for the office back in the fall of 2007. Now, 10 months later the screen is flickering and has more red specks than a first grader with chicken pox. The brightness and color of the monitor were great right up until it went south on my with less than a year of use. Is quality control a thing of the past? While I enjoyed the monitor while it worked I will be shopping for a brand with better quality while I try to get this unit replaced. FOLLOW UP 3 WEEKS LATER I dutifully opened a support request via the Samsung support site, selecting the option of having a replacement monitor shipped and then returning the broken on (it requires a credit card deposit). Now 3 weeks later they still haven't shipped the replacement and call to their service center garners a "it hasn't shipped yet, we don't have any estimate so call back next week". Now a day later I find that they HAVE shipped a replacement but the service person didn't know that for some reason. The estimated arrival date is one month and one day from the time they put a $388 hold on my credit card and opened the replacement order. The long and short of it is that the monitor was superb but heaven help anyone needing a service replacement for one that breaks. If you are looking for a nice monitor at a great price and are willing to gamble with the poor service then you will be rewarded with a superb picture. If it breaks.... don't say you weren't warned though! If you have a problem and need a repair/replacement it may take a month. |
The real joy of the set, however, is nine NBA playoff games presented as they were originally broadcast and almost in their entirety. They last about 90-100 minutes with TV introductions and post-game interviews, but minus halftime, commercials, and some slower moments. The games include such absolute classics as the game in which rookie Magic Johnson started at center in place of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and the 1987 "baby hook" game against the Boston Celtics. If you're used to watching current NBA games you might be tempted to just skip to the end, but it's surprisingly rewarding to watch the game develop, to watch the game's superstars strut their stuff (or see a couple of 1972 reserves named Phil Jackson and Pat Riley), and to observe how radically the sport has changed over the years. Variable picture quality and technical glitches are unavoidable (even the 2002 game looks washed out), but this is the first time complete or nearly complete NBA games have been available in the home-video era, and they probably still look better than the VHS tapes you've been saving over the years. Yes, it'd be easy to argue about which games from the Lakers' long history should have been included, and the highlight videos don't have a ton of replay value, but the NBA Dynasty series is a major milestone in archived sports. --David Horiuchi
