Samsung 193P Review

Product: Samsung 19" 193P LCD

Introduction

I have been using some pretty old monitor technology for several years now, simply because it was working for me and because I'm too poor to lay out a wad of cash for some new flat panels.  However when I received the opportunity to test out and review Samsung's new 193P 19" LCD Display I was ecstatic.  Here was the chance to see how old and busted my 17" Viewsonic CRT looked compared to a fancy new 19" LCD. Is this new Samsung worthy of the venerable name?  Does this LCD kick some CRT butt? Read on and find out. Webpage

Unpacking

Normally when a person receives a shiny new toy, the packing is instantly stripped away in a fury of anticipation and then forgotten or shoved back into the box to await disposal.  However the poor hardware reviewer has to pay carefully attention while unpacking, ignoring the raging little voice that says "rip and tear". The first thing I noted as I wrested the monitor from its styrofoam cradle was how heavy it was.  Most LCDs are all plastic and feel very top heavy, but this samsung felt very solid and had a base that could anchor an oil rig.  That being said it is still way lighter than a similar sized CRT, but more on the physical portion of this monitor later.  This monitor comes with all the cables that the consumer will need. I will apologize now for some of the following pictures, as the lighting in my current apartment is far from optimal.

This monitor ships with both a DVI and a VGA cable.  Also include is the power adapter and wall cable, as well as a wall mounting bracket.  Of course you can't forget the installation CD and a small quick start guide.  The only thing conspicuously missing is the manual, however there is a manual on the installation cd.

Setup and Configuration

Setting up this monitor was a breeze, and after connecting the power block to the monitor the display sprang to life.  I decided to start off using a native DVI connection to my Radeon 9700 because this insures the maximum quality of picture, however I did also try the VGA cable and I noticed no major differences.  The inputs on the back of the monitor are very straightforward and should be easy enough for even a novice.

The construction of this monitor is exemplary.  The base is large and heavy enough to keep the monitor on a solid footing all the time, and the hinge is very easy to move but also very well constructed.  The display portion is constructed of a very heavy duty plastic, with the border around the screen being given that brushed aluminum look.  You might notice from the pictures that there is only one button, that one being the power button, but more on that later. All in all I was very pleased with the styling and construction of this monitor.

This monitor can also swivel to an vertical position if that is your preference.

After powering on the computer and installing the monitor driver, I went to turn down the brightness a bit because my eyes are quite sensitive and I like my displays rather dark. However, to my surprise, I couldn't find any buttons on the monitor. I looked high and low but to no avail. I thought maybe they had them in a hidden panel, so I fired up the manual, but there was no mention of any buttons in there. In fact after reading through the setup portion of the manual, I could find no mention of monitor adjustments anywhere. I would think that the first monitor without buttons would surely include an explanation of how to perform the perfunctory task of adjusting the brightness. After doing some research on the internet, I found that the utility "Magic Tune" - included on the cd - was used to adjust the monitor parameters. This was not mentioned in the setup portion of the manual or in the quickstart guide. I guess that samsung figures that most people will install all of the utilities on the CD. After finding the proper utility, adjusting the monitors brightness was quite easy, and after a few minutes I was ready to see how this beast really performed