Samsung SyncMaster 2693HM 25.5-inch LCD Monitor
The 2693HM has everything that you need. With a Height Adjustable Stand (HAS), built-in-speakers, HDMI technology, full 1080p input and fast response time, you will be able to power through a work day and watch a movie or play games with all of the extra free time that you will have. Not to mention, the eye catching bezel design will fit perfectly in public view or in the comfort of your home office. The 2693HM is Microsoft Vista certified and works hard while looking good. With the 2693HM it is not hard to imagine.
Samsung SyncMaster 2693HM 25.5-inch LCD Monitor Accessories
 Cables To Go 7 Port USB 2.0 Hub
APC BE550R 550VA Back-UPS ES 8-Outlet Battery Backup System
Flip Tripod for Flip Ultra and Mino Camcorders
Samsung SyncMaster 2493HM 24" LCD Monitor
Resistance 2
Kingston FCR-HS219/1 USB 2.0 Hi-Speed 19-in-1 Media Reader
Belkin F3U134-10 USB Extension Cable (10-Feet)
D-Link DIR-655 Extreme N Wireless Router
Logitech Cordless Desktop MX 5500 Revolution
Cables Unlimited PCM-2296-06 HDMI to DVI D Single Link Cable (6 Feet, Black)
Samsung SyncMaster 2693HM 25.5-inch LCD Monitor Reviews
I don't quite know what this does, but it looks okay to me. Tidbit: The L90D+ didn't need any adjusting at all for the color (it already was fine). I didn't adjust colors at the monitor at all, only the brightess(0)/contrast(100). Piece of cake - just slide the middle band left and right until it matches the top/bottom bands.
I have the brightness set to 0 and contrast 100. Not that I can notice, anyway. The front panel switch is a soft power switch, which only goes to stand-by. Make sure you turn that on. Note to buyers: there is a real power switch in the back, next to where the power cord plugs in. And I don't see any sort of tone change from top to bottom like one reviewer had. I knew the black was not so good on those other monitors, but I have all four hooked up next to each other and the difference is obvious. Not one.
I've been using several other monitors (19, 20, 22") which, except for the 19" L90D+, have poor black, and make things muddy looking. (update: the blue power LED is about 10x bigger than it needs to be for me, in a darkened office, but that can be patched with tape). All the front power switches are touch - you only need touch them, no press needed. I can't think of a single thing I don't like about this monitor. The others, including this 2693, did. I use PS11 (buuuuggy as any released-way-too-soon software) and everything looks fine. The 2693 has a great black and that makes everything else so much better. I used my video card's wizard (nvidia 8800gts/512; gts/320) to adjust the colors using its very simple color-alignment tool for R/G/B.
When there is a bright light behind me such as the sun in the window, the light reflects off the plastic frame and the metallic strip, producing a sharp and annoying bright point of light. My complaint is about the plastic enclosure. Even worse, there is a mirror-like metallic strip beneath the main plastic enclosure of my unit (purchased Sept 2008). First, the buttons are touch-sensitive areas of the plastic rather than real buttons, and I constantly have trouble getting the buttons to respond when adjusting the monitor. I use the screen for non-demanding tasks (software development), and the screen quality meets or exceeds expectations. Second, the plastic around the screen is highly reflective.
I am a part-time professional photographer so monitor quality is important to me. This means you get the same resolution for editing as on a 23"/24" screen but you can still actually read words on the screen without squinting. Thankfully, at least with this unit (I can't speak for other 25.5"/26" offerings) the picture is just as sharp, just as contrasty, just as everything as the 23" display only like I said easier to read and easier to edit on. Samsung 25.5" (this one right here): just right. This monitor is a pure joy to work with right out of the box. I was worried that like the 22" monitors that have the same resolution as the 20" monitors, this would mean that this monitor would look fuzzy or washed out compared to the razor sharp 23" Apple Cinema Display.
very other monitor I have ever used took some getting used to but this one is off and running right out of the box. I never could quite get settled on a particular one, however. Photo editing is also easier and smoother with the larger pixels. I have tried many, many other brands of LCD monitors (besides Apple) over the years trying to get that perfect fit and I believe my serch is over. Apple 23" Cinema display: again an awesome monitor but the 1920x1200 resolution packed into a 23" size means ultra sharp display for editing accuracy but leaves you squinting trying to read email or internet sites. The pixels always look washed out and fuzzy at this size, which I have attributed to using the same resolution as the 20" monitors but stretched to a larger canvas. I have used mostly Apple brand monitors over the past few years because I have found that they were the sharpest and most accurate for the price. Apple 20" Cinema display/20" Dell/20" LG: awesome monitors for most purposes, however the size is somewhat limiting for daily editing work.
Apple 24" iMac/24" Samsung: a noticeable improvement on the 23" size since it has the same amount of pixels on a 1" larger screen, but not a huge difference. The resolution is so fine (at the optimal res) that for me it was too tiny and hard to read. I just can't stress enough how happy I am with this monitor. The same amount of pixels as the 23"/24" offerings with 2.5" and 1.5" more inches of screen space respectively. I love this monitor. I don't know what it is about the 22" size but I have never seen a good display at this size. Apple 22" Acrylic Cinema display/Samsung 22"/LG 22": terrible.
The screen is gorgeous, and the housing is attractive as well. The faint wording might not be so bad if there were raised buttons (after a while you might not need to read them, much like how you memorize the television remote's button layout and don't have to look every time you want to change the channel), but they are all touch-sensitive. Even in not so dim lighting, you still need to get up close to read the controls. I would give the monitor 5 stars, except for the bad button design. A buddy of mine ordered a camera from Amazon a few weeks before I ordered my monitor, and his item was packed with the same lack of care. I replaced a 19" Viewsonic VX924 with this monitor, and so far my choice has been a good one. The colors really seem to "pop" compared to my last monitor.
Even after you dial in the monitor to the proper color/brightness, you'll still encounter this problem every time you want to turn it on/off. As for the negatives on this monitor, I have only one complaint. I think this is a much better "computer" monitor. This means that my monitor made its journey from the east/midwest US all the way to California sliding back and forth inside its box.
My other gripe is not monitor related, but Amazon related. My monitor had 0 dead pixels, which was the first thing I looked for when I got it connected. I really like all the physical adjustments that can be made to the monitor, which aren't present in some of Samsung's other monitors (the ones with the TV tuners and the boatload of input connections). The second thing I did when I got the monitor, was turn the brightness down. Plus, why even bother spending the money and wasting packing materials if you aren't going to pack it right. They should have just put a shipping label on the monitor box and sent it that way, it probably would have been safer.
They shipped my already boxed monitor inside a larger box with some butcher-paper used as padding, but they didn't use enough of it. I think I burned a hole in my retinas. There was (and I'm not exaggerating) probably 12" of extra space in the box that was not occupied by butcher paper. No joke, this thing is BRIGHT. Maybe we got the same packing person. The controls are VERY hard to see in dim lighting. I thought that everyone that complains they can't see the monitor controls was just a blind whiner, but I stand corrected.
I chose this monitor as an emergency replacement for my Dell 26" Monitor which failed. The screen colors are good if viewed from a direct angle. In summary, I would rate this monitor as a good value for the price. The speakers are probably the weakest feature - they sound tinny but are adequate for my purposes. The controls are difficult to see - they blend in with the dark color of the monitor frame - but since I don't need to adjust the settings often this really is not an important factor for me. Overall, I am very pleased given the low price I paid.
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