Samsung's 192MP
| Article Index |
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| Samsung's 192MP |
| Testing The Mulit-Purpose LCD |
Product: Samsung 192MP 19" LCD
Provided By: Samsung Canada
Price: (~799.99USD Pricewatch | 1,212.96CDN NCIX)
| Introduction & Specs: | |
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Back in January of this year I took a look at the Samsung Syncmaster 1701MP 17" Multipurpose LCD, and was left wanting. That was an older generation of display that didn't seem to perform as I had expected. Samsung contacted me a few weeks back and asked it I would like to take a look at their 192MP. To be honest, I was very skeptical. The tuner performance on the 1701MP was not great, and with all the new inputs on the new 192MP, I figured that Samsung was going for quantity at the expense of quality. Keep on reading to find out if the 192MP offers quality, quantity, or both. True to form we'll start off with some of the unit's features & specs - according to Samsung:
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Display & Bundle: |
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The LCD itself is very nicely sized, measuring a full 19" from corner to corner. This display comes with both a DVI cables as well as a standard VGA cable. Also included in the package is the software CD, power adapter, and full-function remote. Not a loaded bundle by any stretch, but enough to get you going. Samsung has not included any S-Video, Audio, or Component Cables, as most users won't use all these connections, and it just adds more cost to the unit. The software that comes with the display is pretty much standard fare. It ships with a Samsung driver CD that also includes a Color Setup Utility. |
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| The back of the unit is where most of the magic happens. As you can just make out, there is a whole row of connectors under the edge. The base/handle flips up into the recess pictured below, and then a plate can be attached to the four holes under the "Samsung" name, to allow this display to be wall-mounted. Even when wall mounted, there is enough room for the cables, and no pressure will be placed on them as they easily feed out the bottom. | |
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| The center button on the display is not your average power button. The very middle of this arrangement is in fact your power switch, and the outside ring is your volume control (side-to-side) and channel selector (up-and-down). | |
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On the right side of the display is where your menu and function buttons are located. After the menu is activated you navigate it using the center channel/volume control, then press the "Enter" or "Exit" buttons on the side of the display to select menu functions. Although this worked fine for me, it does require the use of two hands to navigate and change menu settings quickly. . . when using the buttons on the LCD. The remote can access all of these functions as well. . . more on that in a minute. Also on the side of the display are the buttons to select the video source, as well as to turn Picture-in-Picture on or off. Below that is the "MagicBright" button which lets you select different levels of brightness and contrast to match the content you are viewing. You can also see in the picture below the speaker grill. These speakers really sound quite amazing. When the unit was placed across the room in my house, they were loud and very clear. Comfortable listening was obtained at "40" on their arbitrary volume scale of 1-100. |
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The remote that comes with the unit is a full-featured remote. I really have no complaints about the remote at all. It has a logical button layout, and after a few minutes, you can use it without having to hunt for the buttons. You can control the 192MP menu's and functions with it, as well as choose video source, PiP, PiP source, a nifty "Still" mode that captures a single frame on the screen (but not to hard drive), as well as common TV functions.
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| Connectors, Connectors, and more Connectors . . . | |
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What separates the MP from other LCD's is the ability to hook this beauty up to a veritable thwackload of devices. I apologize for the reflective pic, but it is very shiny and I needed the flash. Starting at the left we have the Power Connector, DVI Connector, VGA Connector, 1/8" Stereo Audio Input, Component Video and Audio Inputs, as well as the Cable or TV antenna input (tuner). A whole bunch of stuff. |
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| But wait there's more! On the left hand side of the 192MP there is a few more inputs for S-Video, RCA Video, and standard RCA audio inputs. Also there is a 1/8" headphone jack to help keep the family happy. | |
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| As you can see so far, this is a fully loaded display. It has enough stuff to keep a gadget junky happy, but does it perform well enough to keep the computer enthusiast or executive happy? You'll have to head on over to the next page and view the testing info and results to find out! |
