Samsung 275T
May 1st, 2007 | By Archive
Samsung 275T
Date
: 05/2/07 – 01:10:41 AM
Author
:
Category
: Monitors
Page 1 : Index
Manufacturer
: Samsung
Price
: MSRP $999.99
Samsung is definitely not a newcomer when it comes to high end LCD monitors and Overclockers Online is definitely not new when it comes to working closely with Samsung on some of their latest and greatest products. Today, we are blessed with the opportunity of reviewing one of Samsung's latest high resolution LCD monitors first debuted at the 2007 Consumer Electronics Show.
The 275T is suited towards a variety of professional applications, CAD, graphics & design, and desktop publishing; however that won't stop us from putting it through our paces for the "average" user! Boasting a resolution of 1920×1200, this monitor provides a high resolution, large workspace desktop. It sounds perfect for me!
Page 2 : Package
The Samsung 275T arrived in one of the largest boxes I have ever received. The package weighed in at a hefty 30 lbs; those who say LCD monitors have cut down on desktop weights haven't seen one this big yet!
There's definitely not a lot to the package but we do get a basic look at the specifications and confirmation of the monitor's size – see embedded images in the picture above.
The side of the box shows a picture of the monitor from the above. In the center of the box we see the words "imagine a magnificent view", I definitely can't wait to unpack this monitor and set her up on my desk!
The remaining sides on the box don't show much information. You really need to do your research before you plunk down a thousand dollars for a monitor like this and so when you finally get it, the last thing you should be doing is fiddling with the packaging.
Page 3 : Specifications
When it comes to buying a monitor, the specifications describing the monitor are very important to a potential customer. Navigating through Samsung's website, here is the product homepage.
Page 4 : Package Contents
Upon opening the package, I was greeted with all the monitor accessories and a well-protected monitor. There's no doubt in my mind that Samsung will want to protect this large monitor in case of mishandling by a courier.
Pulling out the accessories, I received with my monitor a DVI cable, D-Sub cable, and a power cord. In flipping through the manual, I did not see the DVI cable as a standard included accessory. It's also worth nothing that the included DVI cable is only single-link.
There is a small collection of paperwork for warranty, a quick setup guide, and a driver CD for your use. All of this can be found online at Samsung's support page.
After taking out the first protective layer of Styrofoam, the second layer of protection is a thin foam bag that wraps around the monitor to prevent surface scratches.
Pulling the monitor out of the bag, it really is large. Here's a quick look at the backside.
The monitor comes assembled so you don't need to attach the base or arm. However, you can remove the monitor arm to take advantage of the VESA wall mount, not included in the package. Samsung proudly displays its company name at the top of the arm.
As I just mentioned, the monitor comes assembled but it doesn't come configured for your ergonomics. The 275T has an adjustable height so the monitor can be set to your preferred viewing pleasures. In order to adjust the monitor's height, you must first remove the safety pin.
To maintain flexibility on the height of the monitor, you do not need to reinsert the pin. If you need to move the monitor then I suggest you put the pin back in to prevent the monitor from sliding up or down during transportation.
Located on the back of the monitor is the product label that indicates the model, serial number, and manufacturing date and location. You will notice that beside the model name is the letter S. This indicates that the panel is manufactured by Samsung and not by a third party company. To date, I have not discovered any other panels being installed on the 275T. However, this may and probably will change.
The 275T is on the EPA's list of Energy Star qualified monitors; Google HU27BS and you'll find the Energy Star list. Is your monitor on it?
Spinning the monitor around, I present to you the screen of the 275T.
The decals around the bezel indicate that this monitor is Certified for Windows Vista Premium and meets the 2003 TCO standard. Behind the Vista decal is the model number printed onto the bezel. To the bottom of the monitor we have the standard Samsung logo.
Towards the bottom right, we have a series of buttons to control the monitor. Starting from the left and going right we have the menu button, up and down buttons, enter (source), auto calibrate, PIP {Picture-in-Picture), and power.
Much like the 226BW, the power button glows a nice light blue when powered on.
Page 5 : Monitor Connections
There is certainly no shortage of connection points on the 275T. Starting at the rear we have a little more than your usual set of connections. First up is the power connection and power toggle switch.
Moving across and slightly behind the monitor arm is the DVI-In (HDCP Supported) and D-Sub (RGB). I found it somewhat difficult to fit the DVI cable in between the monitor panel and the monitor arm. Luckily, you only need to go through this process once.
Beside those connections, we have composite video and S-video input, audio power, and USB Up and Down connections. The audio power is only good if you purchase the separate monitor speakers. I'm really pleased to see Samsung put the USB Up port on the back of the monitor instead of the side. Frankly, I think it ruins the appearance of the monitor when you have a long USB cord going to the side of the monitor to power the hub.
Swinging the monitor over to its side, we have a few more connections for you to use. First up is the component inputs followed by two extra USB ports.
Page 6 : Setup
The 275T comes assembled so there's not much you will need to do other than plug in your inputs and adjust the screen position to your preference. According to the specifications, the base of the monitor is on a swivel stand. This is somewhat of a no-brainer as you can turn any base you want.
The screen can be tilted forward up to 3° and back by 25°.
With the adjustable stand, you can also raise or lower the display screen so it fits your eye level.
The top of the bezel has a range of height (inches above the table) of 19.75" to 22".
Once you plug in the proper display cables (I'm using a generic DVI-D), you're all set to tweak the display settings and start your new life in high resolution.
Page 7 : Display Setting & Configuration
The first thing I did when I got the monitor hooked up to my PC was to fire up the driver CD. I was a little surprised to find out that the Windows application of MagicBright is not provided; all of the configurations have to be done through the OSD (On Screen Display) version.
With the driver CD popped in, I went ahead and installed the Samsung 275T driver.
With the drivers installed, Windows Display Property correctly identified the monitor and maximum resolution.
You really want to take full advantage of the provided driver CD because it really gives you an in-depth look at the software configuration and available settings.
I have linked the 7 pages on the CD for your reference:
Safety Precautions
Package Contents
Connections
Using the Software
Adjusting the Monitor
Troubleshooting
Specifications
I'm going to skip the details on the On Screen Display (OSD) because you can read all about it on the "Adjusting the Monitor" page. I will, however, show you the different MagicBright settings. By default there are seven preset settings, one being custom. Here's the list of settings and their respective contrast and brightness levels. For comparison purposes, I have included two custom settings.
Here is a combination of screenshots I took to capture the differences in settings; the order is the same as what's noted in the above table.
The dynamic configuration is quite interesting. Under certain idle situations, the monitor will automatically dim. Once you open up a screen, the brightness will adjust to match.
On the topic of dynamics, don't be fooled by other monitors that only specify Dynamic Contrast as it would be inferior to a monitor with a static contrast ratio of the same value. Luckily for us, Samsung's 3000:1 dynamic and 1000:1 static creates superior images.
Page 8 : Performance & Testing Part 1
Studying the performance of an LCD is no easy task. It requires hours of staring at the monitor for any imperfections. I spent close to 2 months in front of this monitor during this short reviewing period; during this time I used it for gaming, word processing, video watching, and general surfing. I also subjected it to Displaymate which is an expert software program for checking, setting up, adjusting, calibrating, tuning up, testing, evaluating and improving image and picture quality on any Computer Monitor, Projector or HDTV.
We'll start things off with the viewing angle. When you look straight at the monitor you have a very beautiful picture as seen in this picture of a Vista wallpaper.
As we start turning the monitor, the picture is still very visible until we're almost looking at just the side of the monitor.
While the image is almost completely visible at the higher angles, this wouldn't exactly be a spot you'd want your friends sitting at while you played Command & Conquer 3 or Battlefield 2142.
Overall I'm quite impressed by the viewable angles the 275T offers.
Before I get into any games or movies, you always want to calibrate your monitor such that it provides you the best picture possible, Displaymate will help you with that. There are so many available scripts that it would be a review on its own for me to cover what you can do with this piece of software. What interested me the most was ensuring the monitor panel was fully functional and not cut off at any point, a wide variety of contrast levels was available, good differentiation of different shades of color, and there were no dead pixels.
The first two pictures ensure the pixels around the edge of the bezel function properly and that the panel creates perfect right angles and circles.
If your monitor fails this basic test then it should definitely be returned! The next five pictures displays varying levels shades of gray that should appear on your monitor. If it doesn't, then you should tweak the contrast ratios until they do show up.
Color is also tossed into this mix and we can now see how well the 275T displays different colors.
Displaymate will also cycle through a series of solid color screens-perfect for checking for stuck pixels and backlight bleeding. An example of such is this solid red display below. I didn't find any dead pixels or significant backlight bleeding.
Last but not least, I cycled through a few screens of text that are of different text sizes and varying contrast levels.
I have omitted a large number of other screenshots that is available through Displaymate if you want to further enhance your LCD experience. There are over 100 screens that you can cycle through and they have a nice website that goes through how to test and compare different kinds of display products.
Head over to the next page where we really have some fun with the monitor.
Page 9 : Performance & Testing Part 2
Widescreen gaming has been increasing in popularity for quite some time and monitors like the 275T will be more than happy to take advantage of such capabilities. While gaming at 1920×1200 is not for the weak systems, it definitely lets you get into the game a bit more. The latest crave at my household has been Command and Conquer 3 and this game natively supports 1920×1200.
It's definitely a lot more fun when you can see more of the map and a powerful video card will let you crank up the details on a game that's not too GPU intensive like this.
Battlefield 2142 doesn't list 1920×1200 as one of the supported resolutions, but it's definitely available if you modify the executable. It's also a lot more graphics intensive so a powerful video card is definitely recommended.
Gaming and work isn't the only thing you can do with such a large monitor, movie watching is another one of my favourite past times. Doing such in widescreen without losing the aspect ratio or having a small image makes the experience a lot more fun.
Here's a quick little screenshot of Blood Diamond.
At no point in the review did I experience the effects of ghosting or did I think the image didn't look natural on the screen. The 275T S-PVA is definitely a joy to work with.
Page 10 : Conclusion
Some people say big may not be necessarily better. I guess they haven't had the luxury of working with a 27" LCD monitor. In this case, big has definitely been a huge plus in my book. Samsung once again brings a smile to my face and makes friends envious of the toys I get to play with.
Samsung's 275T puts out a resolution of 1920×1200 which balances pixel quantity to screen size. Would I have liked 2560×1600 on this monitor? Perhaps, but that would not only increase the cost but it may also be too much of an eyestrain for some – buy the 305T if that's what you need. With the 275T, Samsung has put together another excellent package by not cutting on quality with another monitor pushing the limits of providing you with the best possible image. It's for that reason I'm pleased to award the 275T our editor's choice!
Advantages
Spectacular picture
27" Widescreen
Feature full – PIP, USB, Adjustable
Disadvantages
Expensive
No portrait view
Overclockers Online would like to thank Samsung for making this review possible and Displaymate for providing their LCD evaluation software.