Print this article

Samsung XL 2370 Monitor


Date
: 11/26/09 – 04:03:18 AM

Author
:

Category
: Monitors

Page 1 : Introduction

Manufacturer
: Samsung

Samsung is no stranger to Overclockers Online, and definitely no stranger to the consumer electronics sector. For years, Samsung has been churning out anything from printers to media players, appliances, and, of course, display devices. With 70 years of experience on their backs, Samsung's success comes as no surprise.

Samsung has been in the consumer electronic market for quite sometime now, they have not only the experience, but an enormous, ever- growing line of products as well to show for it. Samsung has made numerous appearances here at Overclockers Online with an impressive showing of printers, digital audio devices, and of course monitors!

Throughout the last few years, some of Samsung's latest and greatest monitors have passed through our hands here at Overclockers Online we have seen the biggest, the brightest, the fastest, most feature filled and well, today we are going to have a look at another. Today, we have the XL 2370 monitor, from the Intelligence series of monitors. This unit boasts a staggering 5,000,000: 1 contrast ratio, HDMI input, 2ms response time, LED back lighting, and not to mention, this unit is unbelievably thin.

Page 2 : Features and Specifications

Here is what Samsung has to say about their XL 2370 monitor:

Quite the introduction there! And, we haven't even gone into specifications yet. The XL 2370 is a high performance, low impact monitor – in the environmental sense, and desktop footprint sense. Like almost all of Samsung's latest monitors, the Xl 2370 is built with recyclable VOC free plastic and built in power saving features. The end result, an undeniably stylish monitor finished in glossy plastic and with a hint of subtle coloring.

Next, we will look at specifications.

The XL 2370 aims to do one thing, and one thing only. Be beautiful display. It doesn't have built in speakers, nor does it have a webcam. It's a basic monitor in terms of features but only in that sense. LED back lighting, 1920x 1080 resolution with HDMI and 16:9- besides the lack of extra features, as a display the XL 2370 is truly a high performance monitor.

Page 3 : Package and Content

Samsung monitors typically don't ship in such smaller packages, however this is among one of Samsung's slimmest monitors.

Minimal, and to the point – the package offers in-depth detail and specifications along with compatibility information.

Opening up the package, we have our usual spiel: monitor, stand, software, and a stack of documentation.

With Samsung's most basic stands, such as the one used here assembly could not be an easier. The design is tool-less and one simply slides pieces together. Despite the simply assembly, I must say I am a bit disappointed by the basic tilt stand. The stand does not allow for height adjustment, and it also doesn't have a built in swivel base. The monitor also does not allow for the use of an LCD arm. But, a stand is just a stand, although a height adjustable one would have been an excellent addition and would have definitely adds to the overall package, what we are most concerned of is the display itself.

In terms of styling, the XL 2370 monitor is much like any typical Samsung monitor. It is finished in piano black with a touch of blue accent. The clear frame around the monitor is an excellent touch, as is the white LED lighting as opposed to blue.

Towards the bottom right, we have the touch activated OSD controls. Samsung's implementation of OSD controls on this monitor is incredibly well done. Button text remains hidden until activated, which then is clearly illuminated in white lighting.

One reason for the panel's slim design is the lack of a power supply. Samsung has opted to use an external one. That means, one more brick behind the desk, but hardly a trade off and besides, it is out of sight.

In the rear, things are fairly basic we of course have our HDMI connection, DVI (Samsung uses a DVI to VGA cable for those who require a VGA connection), power in, audio out and digital audio out.

Page 4 : Installation

The XL 2370, ships in three pieces: base, stand and monitor panel. We've encountered this type of assembly plenty of times in the past and most consumers should as well be familiar with it.

The hinge or stand attaches to the base with a screw.

Then the assembly snaps into place with the display panel.

From there, the monitor can be raised, lower, and tilted to suite the needs of the user.

Page 5 : Display Settings & Configuration

Before we actually begin playing with the monitor, in order to fully take advantage of what the SyncMaster 2263UW has to offer we will begin with installing the drivers.

Included with the software bundle is MagicTune, Natural Color Pro, webcam drivers and the basic monitor drivers. Of course, only the bare minimum drivers need to be installed; however, the included applications allow fine tuning of features, if users choose to do so. While we will not be going through each and every piece of included software, we will be taking an in-depth look at Samsung's MagicTune software!

Page 6 : MagicTune

MagicTune is a nifty little application which takes the On Screen Display (OSD) controls a few steps further. This application offers all that the On Screen Display controls have offer, and then some allowing the user to quickly and conveniently tweak all imaginable settings, and not to mention without needing to fidget with monitor buttons!

Picture

This tab controls the absolute basics, brightness, and contrast along with a little feature Samsung likes to call MagicBright. MagicBright can conveniently be accessed through the On Screen Display controls allowing optimization for any environment. MagicBright includes optimized settings for text, internet browsing, games, sports, movies, a configurable custom setting, and lastly dynamic contrast, automatically adjusting the display according to one's usage.

Color

The Color tab allows users to further tweak color tone, RGB balance, gamma, color effects, color saturation through MagicColor, and calibration which we will discuss in the next section.

Image

This section allows the adjustment of the display's vertical and horizontal position along with sharpness.

Option

This final section is for tweaking MagicTune and the OSD itself allowing users to customize keys.

Page 7 : Calibration

Perhaps the most interesting feature included in MagicTune is the ability to calibrate the monitor. Of course, MagicTune is by no means a replacement for hardware calibration, but the ability to easily and fairly accurately calibrate a monitor through software is just about as good as it gets without emptying ones pocket for a hardware calibration tool.

The program itself is not as intimidating as it looks, although it does help for an explanation, and that's what we are going to cover right now!

Our main concern is the slider and patch in the middle of the square, our goal is to make the color patch and the grey patch disappear into the background. It helps to squint your eyes, but it's simply easier to move backwards from your monitor a few meters; of course, the aide of a wireless mouse is a god-send!

Calibration is a five step process, it does take a while, and it takes quite a bit of fiddling, so sit down and grab yourself a drink!

Here is where things get tricky. A slight hue can be detected in the color patch indicating that the screen is displaying the wrong hue. To correct this, simply grab the patch in the middle, and move it in accordance to the color wheel on the bottom. In this case, the color patch had a tint of blue, so move it slightly towards the direction of yellow.

The same goes for the final step, first use the slider on the bottom to best match the color patch to the background and then adjust for color.

Once all five steps are completed, hit the preview button!

Before

After

Page 8 : Testing

Finally onto the actual usage!

Starting off with some movies, the color representation, brightness and contrast were all superb.

Loading up Fargo in BluRay the screen looked excellent. If we are going to be picky here, the monitor comes off as a tad warm. Though, of course user oriented calibration is hardly as accurate as hardware based solutions it is notable.

Next up, The Fall also in BluRay. The monitor's performance truly does the movie's visual brilliance justice. The colors were crisp, and given the monitor's enormous contrast capabilities, the picture always natural with blacks being blacks and the whites bright.

Continuing on with our theme of darker movies, next I watched the Swedish favorite, Let the Right One In. Again, I have nothing but praise for this monitor.

It might help to convince you that although I did enjoy the hours in front of the screen watching, and rewatching a few movies beyond play, the monitor also serves quite practically in the work environment. Being a low power consumption monitor, it would probably help shave a few dollars off one's electricity bill, or in the case of a transition from a CRT, well quite a chunk. Even with basic usage such as browsing the internet, the XL2370 shines with its massive size.

Page 9 : Conclusion

The XL2370 being my first LED backlit monitor I have had the pleasure of using for myself, I am very pleased with its performance. The distribution of lighting is well, absolutely uniform. By virtue of LED backlighting, the back of the panel is littered with a massive array of LED lights which are controlled individually by the monitor rather than fluorescent tubes allowing much better control over color, contrast and brightness. In terms of performance, I have nothing but good things to say about this monitor.

Usability however, we need to discuss. Samsung has many times been subject to criticism regarding stands. Given the brilliant performance we've seen, the stand is really the XL2370's only weak point. While some may not be as harsh in this area, the stand plays an enormous role in the user's experience and comfort. The XL2370 also does not allow the usage of an LCD arm. Ergonomic enthusiasts all around should be up in arms about this.

The arm aside however, the monitor is truly great and for most users the lack of adjusting shouldn't be a real deal breaker and for all it offers, the XL2370 is still, a truly attractive product.

Advantages

• Beautifully vivid colors
  
  
• Bright
• Sharp
• Low power consumption

Disadvantages

• Basic stand