 Best monitor I have ever owned |
| Review Date: July 23, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Doug Oriard, |
The Samsung T260HD is the best monitor I've ever owned. I was using dual 19 inchers (Samsung 940BX and Samsung 971P) and this blows both of them away. I'm an amateur photographer and my photos look amazing on this monitor -- big screen, high resolution, clear bright colors. The images are very sharp and detailed. There is so much detail in the images, it's almost like being there. Photos have more detail in both the highlights and shadows than any other monitor I have used. I love this monitor.
With the default settings, the monitor was a little too bright, so I turned the brightness down to 50 and then profiled the monitor with my Monico Optix XR color puck. Now the monitor produces less bright and more natural colors. The photos show more detail in both highlight and shadow areas than any previous monitor. The built-in 1080P HDTV works great too. It automatically found all of my DTV stations without a cable box -- in fact it found even more than my cable box shows. Standard DVDs look very good on it too. The monitor was easy to setup and use both as a monitor and as a TV. The remote is just the right size, with all the essential buttons and enough space between them for even my large fingers. The remote lets you switch between TV mode and monitor mode with a single button push.
Initially I couldn't play Blu-ray movies on this monitor and the Cyberlink Blu-ray advisor reported a digital connection that didn't support HDCP. The problem turned out to be lack on HDCP support in the GeForce 7600GT video card. I upgraded the video card to a GeForce 9800GT and now Blu-ray movies play just fine. Blu-ray movies have a little more detail, but standard DVDs look great too.
The screen seems to have an anti-glare feature -- light coming in my window that used to cause glare on my other monitors, is not a problem on this monitor. I haven't verified this in the specs, but it just seems to have less of a glare problem than other monitors.
Now that I have this large widescreen monitor, I've started watching DVDs and instant Netflix movies on it. Both look great. With a high speed connection, the instant view movies look almost as good as DVDs.
I still have a 19inch monitor to the side of this one for games that don't display well at this resolution. It also adds as an overflow monitor when I get lots of stuff running.
This monitor is a little slow to wake up after being asleep (Windows power management). I discovered that it wakes up better when detecting a mouse click than just moving the mouse.
I tried using the monitor from both the HDMI and DVI connectors and found no noticeable difference in display quality.
The sound quality from the built-in speakers is okay for watching standard TV, but I normally use my Logitech THX-certified Z-2300 speakers which are much better. When using the T260HD as a TV I let the sound come out of its own speakers, but when using it as a monitor, the sound routes through the Logitech Z-2300 speakers. They have excellent sound for both movies and gaming and are only $83 on Amazon.
If you are thinking of getting one of these monitors, just do it. You will love it. |
GREAT TV / MONITOR COMBO
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| Review Date: September 12, 2008 |
| Reviewer: A. Smith, NJ |
I just want to address a few things. For viewing television, the picture is amazingly good. Playstation 3 looks awesome... literally the best that I've seen.
When used as a monitor... The color profile for any PC monitor is always controlled by the graphics card, so you have to go into the settings of your graphics card and tweak everything to make it look right... once you take the time to do that, it looks great.
The 'auto tune' feature for adding channels takes a long time and doesn't work that great, but any channel that you punch in will automatically be saved, so it's not a big deal. Analog signals take a couple seconds to tune in, but digital signals are quicker. Sometimes analog signals won't tune in on the first try, but not often.
There are no standard A/V inputs (RCA yellow,red,white). The verticle viewing angle could be better. There is really no way to mount it (although it has an Ex-Link port for hooking up to a motorized mount...???).
Another reviewer said there is only an optical audio output, but there is a standard 3.5mm audio output on the side, it's just not on the back.
The built in speakers would be considered good for a monitor but not great for a TV
Aspect ratio choices are: full wide 16:10, wide 16:9, 4:3, wide zoom 1, and wide zoom 2.
Buy it.
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Superb combination HDTV/monitor, and great price!
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| Review Date: June 18, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Techdaddy, California USA |
SHORT VERSION:
Especially with its low price, the T260HD is easily one of the best multi-purpose, high-resolution LCD monitor/HDTV displays on the market. That's "full" (1080p) HDTV, by the way. Start with the complete "television" features and performance, add the excellent computer-monitor capabilities and connectivity, and this product is a winner.
LONG VERSION:
The people who whine about the Samsung T260HD's color-rendition, or viewing angle, or suitability in general as a computer monitor are: (A) wrong; (B) wrong; and (C) using the wrong computer "platform" (or at least a low-quality video-card). If your cable-TV shows look great on this display but your computer output looks blah, maybe you have a blah computer? And keep in mind that this is an LCD ("liquid crystal diode") monitor; attempting "perfect" color-rendition on an LCD screen (even a gem like the Apple Cinema Display) is like.... Oh, never mind.
We use Macintosh G5, G4, and G3 computers. I was reluctantly replacing an old SONY 22" CRT (cathode-ray tube) multisync Trinitron monitor which for too many years delivered professional-quality, calibrated colors. If I were still designing for both PRINT as well the Web, I would have simply gotten another Trinitron CRT. Photo-editing and color-matching for print publication require the best computer display you can afford. But for Web or video design, a top-quality fast LCD or LED display is fine, assuming that you calibrate the monitor and then compare your images displayed on a wide variety of PCs, Macs, LCDs (especially cheap laptops), and CRT monitors. In print or photo-output, you should aim for "perfect" color; but on the Web, with MILLIONS of different video-cards. browsers, displays, screen settings. etc, you're shooting for "mainstream." Remember, most computer users barely know how to tweak brightness and contrast, but certainly not gamma, white point, luminance, and so on. So what you see is rarely what they get.
If you buy this HDTV/monitor, familiarize yourself thoroughly with its adjustable onscreen display settings (via the remote control's "MENU" button). There's a lot to learn, but you can get excellent color and resolution from your computer if you master its own display controls (Mac OS X: System Preferences > Displays > Display & Color/Calibrate) and also the T260HD's onscreen controls. Here's what I learned....
-- The T260HD actually has more contrast and brightness available than you might need. I dispensed with Apple's generic instruction to run the monitor at highest possible contrast, because AFTER calibration the darkest screen images were simply too dark. I also reduced slightly the monitor's RED "gain" (Picture Options) for better color balance at all times; your display MIGHT need similar tweaks.
-- This display does show very slight variation in color-saturation and brightness as your eyes traverse the vertical viewing angle (bob your head up and down). Read other reviews here to find out why. I just tilt the T260HD screen until it "looks good," which it certainly does at all normal angles. But if this level of fuss might matter to you, go to a big TV/monitor showroom, ask to see LCD screens with wide and then narrow vertical/horizontal viewing-angles. Note the prices, then decide.
-- The T260HD has Sharpness control, which can significantly affect the quality of computer-interface elements. After everything has been color-calibrated, check the text on the computer's main/top menu; if text characters are too jaggy or have too much white halo, reduce the sharpness a little. Conversely, raising sharpness slightly acts exactly like Photoshop's filters, but across your entire screen. Cool.
-- I run the T260HD at 1280x800 pixels (not native 1920x1200 max resolution), which still produces a very sharp, undistorted wide-landscape desktop image -- with an expanded, zoomed-in look (60-dpi not WYSIWYG 72-dpi) that old eyes really appreciate. Before calibrating color, test the T260HD's many display-resolution settings; some obviously distort/stretch the computer output, and others produce jagged-edged text and interface elements. The T260HD's native 1920x1200 resolution is very sharp, lets you display many windows simultaneously etc, but at that resolution (almost 90-dpi) may force you to place your forehead on the screen to read small text.
Cosmetics....
-- The TV-style, glossy black cabinet with clear/red "Touch of Color" acrylic bezel is nice, especially if you, like me, enjoy that mysterious aquarium look. It's a sexy way to make your computer setup look Hollywood instead of ho-hum. However, the clear thin bezel provides a sharp perimeter edge and corners which can be dented easily.
-- This is a smallish TV display for wall-mounting, but if you really must.... Wall Mount Bracket 24-25.5" |
If you could only have one monitor/tv combination...
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| Review Date: September 2, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Kosh, USA |
I'd get this.
I got this a couple days ago at BestBuy, which allowed me to look at it in person before buying.
One thing many people seem to forget is that first and foremost, it's a computer monitor. I got it because my Dad has poor vision and he needed the 25.5" screen size to see anything. As a monitor, it's fantastic. He's currently using the VGA port in the back to input video and his Intel Integrated Graphics processor is more than up for the task.
I've played PS3 games on it, watched DVDs, used it as a monitor for my laptop and my Dad's desktop, and it's basically perfect. I even did lag tests using a timer that outputted up to 1/1000th of a second (the monitor only refreshes at 60 Hz so it'd only see 1/100th of a second changes). There's no lag. Playing games will not cause lag on this HDTV, unlike many other LCD HDTVs.
The only thing that's not perfect about this is that it doesn't look good from the back (cables stick straight out and there's no cover), and there's no VESA mounts. But as it's going to sit on my desk with the back to the wall, I love it. |
EXQUISITE MONITOR! A digital photographer's dream.
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| Review Date: March 5, 2009 |
| Reviewer: CopperHill, Virginia |
As a professional photographer, I am constantly looking for the best hardware to develop and enhance my work. I handed down my Gateway 24" LCD to my wife and I upgraded to this T260HD. This monitor is without a doubt one of the best monitors on the market today. And to have the capacity to display HDTV, DVDs/Blu-Rays, games and PC all with astonishing quality is the best value for dollar I have ever spent.
First off, it is HUGE! It is a piece-of-cake to have several windows/apps open simultaneously. Unless you're a gamer, I don't think you'll miss a dual-monitor setup one bit.
Secondly, the out-of-the-box color is fantastic, contrary to what some reviewers have stated. But DO NOT use the included software to calibrate the color on this monitor, it is really lacking. If you hook it up with the standard PC port, just use the AUTO function and it will be just about perfect, assuming you have a decent graphics card. My main computer is hooked up via the DVI-D port to an nVidia GT295 card and I used a Spyder3 to calibrate the monitor, and again, it is perfect. The high contrast ratio and brightness must be responsible for the output, text is ultra-sharp without being oversharp, colors are true, true and true, brightness and contrast are exceptional.
The rose accent and crystal bezel make this Samsung line stand out amongst the crowd, it is a truly beautiful addition to anyone's workspace or living room. But when you play a DVD through this unit, you know you've got something special. The 5ms response time gives you smooth, fluid rendering without a hitch (again with a proper card). I run the audio through a Denon amp with Klipsch speakers and it's almost a mini-theatre in our office.
I must say something about the viewing angle. If you do enough research, you'll see that this T260HD is a TN panel as opposed to an IPS panel. The main difference is that the viewing angle of a TN monitor is not as broad or wide as an IPS model. So as you move away from the screen going left, right, up or down, the screen darkens. If you multi-task and move around quite a bit, then a TN monitor is probably not for you. However, I don't know a single digital photographer who wanders around while photo-editing, I certainly don't. Photoshop and my digital darkroom have my undivided attention and focus. If your work habits are similar to mine, this monitor will be an absolute DREAM!
OK, I've been as honest as possible here and told you about the poor calibration software and the limitations of the viewing angle. The bottom line is if you have a capable calibration tool (i.e. Spyder3), a decent graphics card and processor, and you are mostly stationary when you're working, I firmly believe you will flip out over this monitor. I will probably buy another one to use in the family room. The picture this monitor puts out is at least equal to all of the high-end Dells, HPs or NECs I have seen. If you are a pro or semi-pro photographer, BUY THIS MONITOR!!!! You will not regret it.
Thanks for your time.
N. R.
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